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Norovirus forces local school to close
Hundreds of students sick, officials disinfecting everything
Hellstern Middle School in Springdale was closed on Friday after more than 300 students called in sick or left early on Thursday. Samples that were sent to the Arkansas State Health Department revealed it was norovirus.
“Around 220 actual absences on Thursday, and then 94 or 95 actually left school that day with symptoms of norovirus,” Springdale schools spokesperson Rick Schaeffer said. “I was talking to the secretary Monday, and she said it was nonstop answering the phone in the morning; my son won’t be there or my daughter won’t be there. She said she’d never seen anything like that.”
Hundreds of students sick, many with similar symptoms, and all the kids were under the same roof. So Hellstern Middle School temporarily shut down and started cleaning.
“We used disinfectants throughout Hellstern, including some that the health department advised us to use that would kill the virus. We sterilized all our buses, not just the ones running routes to Hellstern, but all our buses,” Schaeffer said.
Samples from the affected students were sent to the Arkansas State Health Department.
“All of them showed the same thing, and the health department said that’s good. They didn’t have to investigate any further or say this was one and this was something else,” Schaeffer said.
It’s called norovirus, better known as the stomach flu, and it’s highly contagious.
“For instance, you’ve got it and you shake your friend's hand, you high-five them, pat them on the back, anything. It’s very contagious by touch,” Schaeffer said.
Doctors say it attacks the large and small intestines, causing nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. There’s really no cure for it, but it usually runs its course in a matter of days.
“Once it’s in your system, it’s about 24 hours before it’s activated, and once it’s activated, it hits you hard for perhaps a day or maybe two days. Then it’s gone,” Schaeffer said.
He said they have not pinpointed where the virus came from, but it could have started with just one kid.
Hellstern will be open again on Tuesday, but health officials say if you feel sick at all, just stay home from school. They’re also advising everyone to wash their hands on a regular basis to prevent the spread of germs.
Copyright 2013 by 4029tv.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | <urn:uuid:337bcc45-85fb-4566-9199-ce8c1a8daa9d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.4029tv.com/news/arkansas/northwest/Norovirus-forces-local-school-to-close/-/8897460/18220004/-/format/rsss_2.0/view/print/-/bu929e/-/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970259 | 596 | 1.6875 | 2 |
The 111th Congress Winds Down
The imminent final adjournment of the 111th Congress will mark the end of a remarkable period of legislative history distinguished by the infusion of economic stimulus funds into the federal budget, the passage of broad health care reform, and tobacco regulation, among other actions.
The 111th Congress convened for the first of its two year-long sessions on January 6, 2009, amid an economic recession and a relatively flat annual appropriations trend for NCI. Among the first laws enacted by this Congress was the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA; P.L. 111-5, signed into law on February 17, 2009), an economic stimulus package that injected $10 billion into the NIH budget, yielding NCI $1.3 billion to be used over fiscal years 2009 and 2010 for high-impact projects that could be completed within 2 years. ARRA also channeled $1.1 billion to the Department of Health and Human Services to be used for comparative effectiveness research (CER) and authorized a Federal Coordinating Council for CER.
Congressional negotiations on the ARRA legislation unfolded simultaneously with the regular appropriations process for fiscal year 2009. The Fiscal Year Omnibus Appropriations Act (P.L. 111-8, signed into law on March 11, 2009) included an appropriation of $4.97 billion for NCI, representing a modest increase of 2.8 percent over the prior year’s funding. Fiscal year 2010 appropriations were included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010 (P.L.111-117, became law on December 16, 2009), which provided $5.10 billion to support NCI’s programs.
In the Wake of Reform
Health care reform was one of the most important agenda items for the 111th Congress, and on March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law. This broad, landmark legislation incorporated, among its numerous provisions, several separate bills of particular interest to the cancer research community.
For example, the Cures Acceleration Network (CAN) Act, originally championed by Senator Arlen Specter, was incorporated into the enacted law. CAN’s provisions establish a new program at NIH and empower the NIH Director to use a variety of innovative funding mechanisms to support research that bridges the gap between laboratory discoveries and tangible benefits for patients and to rapidly develop “high-need cures.” The law authorized the expenditure of $500 million for the first year; however, according to the law, CAN cannot be launched without a corresponding appropriation specifically targeted to the program. (The Senate version of the bill covering appropriations for NCI for fiscal year 2011 includes $50 million for CAN; the House has not yet introduced its version.)
Additional bills folded into the measure included the Access to Cancer Clinical Trials Act, which prohibits health insurers from denying an individual access to an “approved” clinical trial (including those funded by NIH) and requires coverage for routine patient care costs. Also included was the EARLY Act (Breast Cancer Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young), originally introduced by Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Senator Amy Klobuchar, which directs NIH to fund research to develop and validate novel screening tests and methods for prevention and early detection of breast cancer in young women.
Several comparative effectiveness research provisions found their way into the health care reform legislation, as well. The law established a private nonprofit Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), run by a 21-member Board of Governors, to advance and fund comparative clinical effectiveness research.
Additional Measures and Efforts
Tobacco regulation was another hot issue for the 111th Congress, as evidenced by the passage of two important tobacco bills. The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (P.L. 111-31), which became law in June 2009, provided the FDA the authority to regulate tobacco products and to establish the new Center for Tobacco Products. Like many legislative measures, this bill was introduced and debated in multiple Congresses; similar legislation was introduced in March 2000 during the 106th Congress and in each subsequent Congress, eventually gaining enough traction in the current Congress to become law.
The Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-154), which passed in March 2010, was designed to prevent tobacco smuggling to ensure the collection of all tobacco-related taxes and included smokeless tobacco as a regulated substance.
This Congress considered, but has not yet passed, a number of bills that were of special interest to NCI and the cancer research community. It is likely that, if these bills fail to pass in the current Congress, similar legislative measures will be re-introduced and considered in the 112th Congress.
The most high-profile of these measures was the 21st Century Cancer Access to Life-Saving Early Detection, Research and Treatment (ALERT) Act, introduced in the Senate by Senator Edward Kennedy in March 2009 and, in the House, by Representative Lois Capps. Provisions of this bill included a reauthorization of NCI and a requirement for NCI to develop a budget for the entire National Cancer Program for submission to the National Cancer Advisory Board, the President, and Congressional appropriators. The bill directs NCI to report annually on plans and progress regarding research on deadly cancers (defined as those cancers with less than 50 percent survival at 5 years), and cancers with less than 15 cases per 100,000 people or fewer than 40,000 new cases per year. The measure also requires NCI to establish an interconnected network of biorepositories and augment ongoing efforts to support the national collection of tissues for cancer research.
The 111th Congress also attempted to overhaul the Small Business Administration (SBA), which administers the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs at NIH and 10 other participating federal agencies. The SBIR and STTR programs are currently authorized under a temporary extension through January 31, 2011. Congress has extended the SBA programs through several short-term authorization measures since 2008 because House and Senate lawmakers have been unable to forge an agreement. To maintain these programs, the 112th Congress will need to pass another temporary extension and begin negotiations anew.
The House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Health, took a very active role in considering cancer legislation in this Congress. Most recently, the Subcommittee held a hearing on a series of health-related bills. The Bone Marrow Failure Disease Research and Treatment Act of 2009, the Pediatric Research Consortia Establishment Act, and the Reauthorization of Johanna’s Law were considered at the hearing, which preceded a committee bill mark-up. Before the last recess, the Energy and Commerce Committee referred these bills to the full House for a vote, and they were passed on September 30, 2010. The Senate has not acted on this collection of bills.
The 111th Congress returns to Washington this week to complete the current session before adjourning sine die. Prior to adjourning, this Congress must pass another stop-gap funding bill, or continuing resolution, to keep the federal government operating until fiscal year 2011 appropriations can be negotiated in the next Congress. The current continuing resolution expires on December 3, 2010. No date for the adjournment has been announced.
The 112th Congress will convene on January 3, 2011.
—Stacye Bruckbauer, Jeanette Contreras, and Priyanga Tuovinen
More information about NCI’s legislative activities can be found online. | <urn:uuid:f188437b-335e-45f3-baab-a97a3afdba16> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://nci.nih.gov/ncicancerbulletin/111610/page8 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955674 | 1,540 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Changes to the Consumer Credit Act 1974
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) introduced the remaining reforms to the Consumer Credit Act 1974 on 1 October 2008 (earlier reforms were introduced on 6 April 2008). This includes introducing new categories of licensable activity.
In summary, the new categories of activity are; Category G – Debt Administration, which applies to those who administer agreements (but do not collect debts) on behalf of creditors or assignees and; Category H – Credit Information Services (which includes credit repair), which applies to businesses that help individuals to locate and correct records about their financial standing held by credit reference agencies and others in the credit and hire industries. Details can be found on the OFT website. | <urn:uuid:f294a63f-3d50-4feb-bc61-fdec64a82486> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://uk.accaglobal.com/uk/members/technical/practice/practice_management/acca_practice/2008/cca | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9412 | 144 | 1.578125 | 2 |
ClassWh, an alternative to DonorsChoose where teachers can help get classroom resources, just launched a big giveaway:
109 teachers will each win $1,000 of classroom supplies.Teachers can enter until July 7th. Good luck!
Entering is really quick and easy:
Create a Wish List, opt in to the contest and that will help attract tax-deductible donations for classroom resources from people who care about kids. Also, many companies match employees’ donations, which can double their funding.
- Visit ClassWish.org/FuelingEducation
- Find your school
- Simply join the site as a teacher
- Click the link in the activation email you receive
- Then just follow the easy instructions to opt in for a chance to win.
Many teachers on the site have already received hundreds of dollars of donations, and some have received as much as $2,000 of supplies. You can get books, computers, art supplies, musical instruments, science equipment, sports equipment, or whatever you want. | <urn:uuid:b4e73545-34c5-4f12-be5a-6d1d70e98c58> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.teachforever.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957081 | 213 | 1.523438 | 2 |
JERUSALEM — Yossi Beilin, one of Israel's most prominent peace activists, has a problem, and it is not the predictable one.
It's not that he's a lonely dove speaking out against Israel's strikes on Beirut and other Lebanese cities, or that he alone seems to remember the deep scars left by Israel's 18-year military occupation of southern Lebanon. Quite the opposite. Beilin's problem is that this time around, with some reservations, he supports Israel's war against Hezbollah in Lebanon -- and that leaves him feeling, in a word, conflicted.
"People like myself led the movement to withdraw from Lebanon in 2000, and when we were asked what would happen if they continued to use violence against us and shoot at us from Lebanon, we said that when we leave Lebanon according to a U.N. agreement, then we will have a free hand to use against those who act against us," said Beilin, who was justice minister at the time of the pullout. "This is why we find ourselves in a difficult situation. We cannot criticize everything the government does, especially since it is clear-cut that there was no Israeli provocation."
More than two weeks into a war that began after a cross-border Hezbollah raid captured two Israeli soldiers, Israelis have shown extraordinary unanimity in backing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's military campaign to inflict a punishing and perhaps lethal blow to the militant Shiite group, despite a rain of rockets into northern Israel and hundreds of civilian deaths and widespread bombing destruction in Lebanon.
This singularity of purpose, which bridges Israel's weary center, dovish left and hawkish right in a way rarely seen here, is all the more striking coming just six years after Israel's unilateral withdrawal from the self-declared security zone it held in Lebanon for nearly two decades, ending a painful experience that inflicted deep wounds on the national psyche and might have made some wary of re-entering the Lebanese morass.
"Lebanon was Israel's Vietnam, and when we went there in 1982, it was really a march of folly, it was wrong morally, it was wrong strategically, and we paid dearly for that grave mistake," said Ari Shavit, a dovish columnist for Haaretz newspaper, referring to the full-scale invasion masterminded by then-Defense Minister Ariel Sharon to drive out the Palestine Liberation Organization.
But today is different, he said, "because Israel is not the aggressor marching into another land." Rather, the current campaign "is an old-fashioned war where we are right, and we were attacked for no reason whatsoever. This is probably the most justified war in our history."
In a survey published July 21 by Israel's Maariv newspaper, 95 percent of those sampled said that attacks against Hezbollah were justified, and 90 percent said that fighting should continue until Hezbollah was pushed away from Israel's northern border.
"Do you think it was easy for us to decide to go back into Lebanon?" said Israel Mizrahi, 46, a Jerusalem printer with six children. "We waited many years, holding back, until everything exploded."
"These people have to be taught a lesson," he said. "Why should I care about Lebanese civilians? Have you heard them talking on TV? They hate Israel. They want to destroy Israel. They hate Jews. Why should I have mercy on them when we are being attacked from their country?"
Despite the broad support, some Israelis are starting to speak out against the way the battle is being conducted, questioning less the justice of striking back at Hezbollah than the way it is being done. They note the high number of civilian casualties in Lebanon, prewar intelligence failures about Hezbollah's strength and gaps in Israel's military offensive that are permitting dozens of rockets to land in northern Israel every day. Articles on the editorial pages are starting to show more edge, and the word "quagmire" is beginning to pop up on talk radio.
"We are not really totally wiping out Hezbollah using some kind of super force, nor are we really sparing innocent Lebanese civilians who are being used as human shields by the terrorists," said a frustrated Rina Kline, 36, an elementary school teacher from Tzur Hadassah, on the southern outskirts of Jerusalem. "We're flattening empty buildings and then going back and bombing them again, while they're still shooting missiles at us and half the country is still sitting in bomb shelters."
"I'm sorry to say it, but Hezbollah is maybe a better army than the IDF," said Keren Kavim, a makeup artist and stylist from Jerusalem, referring to the Israel Defense Forces. "We have our best-trained soldiers up there, and Hezbollah is making a laughingstock out of them." | <urn:uuid:a43a791e-c826-437d-8b1b-9ec373391862> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2006-07-30/features/0607271118_1_israel-s-vietnam-yossi-beilin-hezbollah | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977539 | 975 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Acclaimed film producer and cancer activist Laura Ziskin died Sunday evening at her home in Santa Monica at the age of 61. Ziskin, who lived with breast cancer for seven years, is survived by her husband, screenwriter Alvin Sargent, with whom she frequently collaborated; daughter, producer Julia Barry, and son-in-law, writer Eli Dansky.Ziskin had a trail-blazing career as a producer and studio executive for 35 years. After her cancer diagnosis, Ziskin embraced an additional, unsought role as a cancer activist, joining with other women in the entertainment and media businesses to co-found Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C). The group marshals the entertainment industry’s resources to engage the public in supporting a new approach to cancer research geared toward getting new therapies to patients quickly.
Earlier this year, Ziskin was awarded The Producers Guild of America’s Visionary Award for her work as a film producer and her humanitarian efforts in the fight against cancer. Speaking of herself and the other SU2C co-founders, Ziskin said, “We realized we had the potential to make cancer the first-tier issue it needs to be and to impact how cancer is treated by using our skills as producers and quite literally ‘putting on a show.’ Stand Up To Cancer is my most important production and I am so touched and proud that the PGA is honoring us for it.”
In late 2007, ABC, CBS and NBC committed to donating an hour of time for the first-ever “roadblock” televised fundraising event to proactively combat a major public health threat. Ziskin was executive producer of the initial, historic Stand Up To Cancer telecast in September of 2008, as well as a follow-up one in September, 2010, that aired on those three broadcast networks, FOX, and 13 cable providers. The shows, which featured hundreds of film and TV stars, recording artists, news anchors and sports personalities, were seen in 175 countries.
Donors of every type joined the movement, ranging from individuals all over the country to organizations like Major League Baseball, philanthropists such as Sidney Kimmel, and corporations from an array of industries. Largely in connection with these two televised specials, $180 million has been pledged to support groundbreaking “translational” cancer research designed to move developments from the laboratory phase to new treatments that will benefit people battling cancer in record time. One of Stand Up To Cancer’s key goals is to foster increased collaboration among cancer researchers at different institutions. Currently, 355 scientists from 55 institutions collaborate, interact and share information through SU2C.
“Laura was the heart and soul of Stand Up To Cancer,” said SU2C co-founder Sherry Lansing. “She dreamed big, and attacked every challenge with creativity, passion, perseverance and intelligence.” Added SU2C co-founder Katie Couric, “Laura was one of the most courageous people I’ve ever known. Her fearlessness in the face of this relentless killer inspires everyone on the SU2C team to redouble our efforts to make cancer history.”
As a Film producer, in March, 2002, Ziskin became the first woman to solo executive produce the Academy Awards. She held that position again for the 2007 broadcast, instituting the first-ever “Green” Oscars ceremony. The two shows garnered a total of 17 Emmy nominations.
The first of what will be four Spider-Man films for which Ziskin had a producing role hit theaters in 2002. Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 have grossed more than $1.5 billion, and Spider-Man 3 broke box office records worldwide to become the highest-grossing film in Sony’s history. At the time of her death, Ziskin and her partner in Laura Ziskin Productions, Pamela Oas Williams, were at work on the fourth installment of the series.
More about Laura Ziskin here | <urn:uuid:74097dec-d1a8-4400-b39d-7d06b700f08a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wowelle.com/2011/06/13/activist-film-producer-stand-up-to-cancer-co-founder-laura-ziskin-passes-away/ | 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 | 0.962464 | 834 | 1.5 | 2 |
How Democrats and Progressives Can Win DVD and Don't Think of an Elephant!
DVD and Book Set
New York Times Best Seller!
More than 250,000 copies in print
Don't Think of an Elephant! is the definitive handbook for understanding what happened in the 2004 election and communicating effectively about key issues facing America today. Author George Lakoff has become a key advisor to the Democratic party, helping them develop their message and frame the political debate.
In this book Lakoff explains how conservatives think, and how to counter their arguments. He outlines in detail the traditional American values that progressives hold, but are often unable to articulate. Lakoff also breaks down the ways in which conservatives have framed the issues, and provides examples of how progressives can reframe the debate.
Lakoff's years of research and work with environmental and political leaders have been distilled into this essential guide, which shows progressives how to think in terms of values instead of programs, and why people vote their values and identities, often against their best interests.
Don't Think of An Elephant! is the antidote to the last forty years of conservative strategizing and the right wing's stranglehold on political dialogue in the United States.
Read it, take action--and help take America back.
If you want to understand the November elections and you'd like to see a change in the future, then watch this DVD!
Featuring a lively interview with George Lakoff, television news clips, and illustrative graphics, this is a must-see media tool for everyone who wants to better understand and communicate the progressive agenda. Includes "How to Debate a Conservative," "Know Your Values," and much more. Each DVD includes a summary card of key points.
Produced by Educate the Base, LLC. | <urn:uuid:fdb9b708-c0ba-45c7-b8b7-18cb5269c2bb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.chelseagreen.com/bookstore/item/how_democrats_and_progressives_can_win_dvd_and_dont_think_of_an_elephant:paperback | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951855 | 363 | 1.648438 | 2 |
No doubt you've seen that today Apple launched the Safari 3 beta which includes support for Windows. And if you've installed it then no doubt you've seen the complete mess it makes on your screen when displaying text...
No, I'm not talking about the expected issues that come with beta software, I'm talking about Apple's great font "smoothing" algorithm that makes text look like it has been bolded, outlined and then bolded a bit more for good measure.
I previously thought this font "smoothing" was just a "feature" of Macs. I have a 17" iMac G5 at work which I use for testing purposes (and other forms of target practice), and after trying to use the lightest possible font smoothing the text was still insanely bold so I just figured it was part and parcel of using OS X.
But, Safari comes to Windows, and what have Apple done?
OH MY GOD, MY EYES, THEY BURN!~...
Here are two screenshots for comparison. The only text in these screenshots that should appear to be bold is the blue text used for the headings and links:
IE7 / FireFox 2 / Opera 9 with ClearType
Safari 3 beta "font smoothing" aka font blurring
Is it really necessary to make the text so fat? All the shapely characteristics that make each letter of a typeface easily distinguishable from the others have been blurred into the next dimension! Normal text isn't supposed to be bold, and bold text isn't supposed to be black!
Apple, don't bring this crappy font blurring algorithm to Windows when we already have ClearType doing an infinitely superior job... | <urn:uuid:1e0036db-1ea8-453d-8a70-ac36ebbb2c7a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.madfellas.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/6/12/Safari-3-font-smoothing--font-blurring | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946 | 348 | 1.601563 | 2 |
TRUCKEE, Calif. - California legislators are never afraid to add new laws to the books and this year is no exception. Governor Jerry Brown signed 873 bills into law, most taking effect January 1st. Here's a sampling.
• Prop 30: Who could forget Governor Brown's voter-approved sales tax increase which went into effect this week.
• Driverless Vehicles: SB 1298 now allows the testing of driverless vehicles on public roads, although a human must be in the car in case of an emergency. I can see it now, "Chevy, pickup the girls at school and while you're at it, stop by Safeway and bring home a six-pack."
• Red-Light Cameras: A new law tightens restrictions on the use of red-light traffic cameras at intersections and clarifies conflicting court opinions by declaring that evidence from these cameras is not hearsay, which means the photos are admissible, thus giving red-light cameras credence in court.
• Social Media Privacy: Two separate bills reach out to protect social media privacy. SB 1349 prohibits public and private universities from requiring students to disclose user names or passwords for social media like Facebook, while AB1844 prohibits employers from demanding a worker's or a job seeker's username or password. Information available without a password can and often is used by universities and employers, so be mindful young folks.
• Bear Hunts: It is now unlawful to use dogs to hunt bears and bobcats except when dogs are guarding crops or livestock or when hunting with a depredation permit. Although it's commonly done, I never liked the idea of having dogs chase bears up a tree, then shooting them out of the tree. I guess I am not alone. Also, poaching wild game fines are dramatically increased, and that's okay with me.
• Ronald Reagan Statue: In this terribly important bill, a Ronald Reagan statue is now authorized at the State Capitol.
• Mental Retardation: Under AB 2370, the phrase "mental retardation" is changed to "intellectual disability."
• 9-1-1 Calls: A new Good Samaritan law keeps a person from being arrested on drug use or possession charges after summoning medical help with a 9-1-1 call for an overdose involving themselves or someone else. The purpose is to encourage
9-1-1 calls to seek medical help for drug or alcohol overdose.
• Homemade Food: AB 1616 legalizes and sets standards for selling different products made in home kitchens, such as bread, tortillas, cookies and jams. I'll check this out and detail the bill in a future column.
• Space Travel: Here is an important new law. AB 2243 limits the liability of commercial space flight firms as long as they aren't grossly negligent and don't intentionally injure someone. Thank goodness.
• Elections: This one is interesting although I have read nothing about it. AB 1436 allows qualified residents to register to vote up to and on Election Day. The law takes effect in 2014 at the earliest. Sounds like the details need to be worked out.
Jim Porter is an attorney with Porter Simon licensed in California and Nevada, with offices in Truckee and Tahoe City, California, and Reno, Nevada. He was the Governor's appointee to the California Fair Political Practices Commission and McPherson Commission, both involving election law and the Political Reform Act. Jim's practice areas include: real estate, development, construction, business, HOAs, contracts, foreclosures, mediation and other transactional matters. He may be reached at [email protected] or at the firm's website www.portersimon.com. | <urn:uuid:f9f4a616-066b-4ea2-84b3-fea357dbc6b5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/article/20130104/NEWS/130109966 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938988 | 757 | 1.78125 | 2 |
The architectural rendering seen above will soon be a one-of-a-kind nature center and experiential museum in the former Globe Building on Detroit’s wondrous riverfront. Wondrous. Yes.
The DNR is involved, investing nearly $13 million in the project, as are some state tax credits.
Once completed, state officials said they hope to draw up to a million visitors annually. DNR officials expect to see construction begin this fall and are eyeing a late 2013 move-in date.
And from the developers:
“This is a unique project because you’re going from a former industrial/warehouse building to something that’s going to be very much a public amenity — a place where people will come and experience the park,” said David Di Rita, a principal with Detroit-based Roxbury Group.
And some idea as to what this thing will actually look and feel like:
the proposed Outdoor Adventure and Discovery Center will offer interactive simulations of reeling in a fish from one of the Great Lakes, kayaking on one of the state’s waterways and firing a bow and arrow.
Other possibilities for the center include a rock-climbing wall and a rope course.
“We want to give kids a taste of those kinds of experiences and that will hopefully launch them into visiting our state parks and introduce them to the natural resources Michigan has to offer,” Anthes said.
Now we can finally conclude what’s been going on along Woodward along the former site of the old Garden Theatre, seen here:
As Louis Aguilar reported in the Detroit News, the prominent space in Midtown along Woodward Avenue between Alexandrine and Selden, will get a renovation via a $750,000 incentive from the Michigan Strategic Fund as a live music venue and performing arts center. The place will hold up to 1,300 people and will create 84 jobs. Not bad. A tip of the cap to Sue Mosey and the gang at UCCA for making the deal happen.
Tony Goldman is a name that has become synonymous with spotting the diamond in the rough, and now, the real estate man is coming to Detroit. 40 years ago Goldman looked on with dismay at the conditions of little box living in Manhattan and made a decision to be the movement behind Soho’s development in Lower Manhattan. At the time, he was in his 20s cutting his teeth in the real estate biz renovating old brownstones on the Upper West Side. What eventually started in Soho with the creation of jazz supper club Greene Street Cafe snowballed in to much larger scale development that between the years of 1976-84 resulted in 18 property acquisitions and re-developments. Later, he continued his efforts of revitalization in to Miami’s South Beach, and further on to Boston and even Philadelphia. Plain and simple: the man has a knack for seeing the underdog urban areas and taking the bits and pieces they do have and working it in to a revitalized destination that creates momentum.
On Tuesday, February 1st, Tony Goldman is speaking at Cliff Bell’s as part of the Model D speaker series. It will certainly be interesting to hear Goldman’s thoughts about creating opportunity in Detroit. No RSVP is required, and the talk starts at 6:30 with a discussion and Q+A to follow. Cliff Bell’s is at 2030 Park Avenue, in downtown Detroit. | <urn:uuid:760d462f-331f-4a62-888c-ba1b6f32f4b9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://detroitlives.com/tag/detroit-development/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960252 | 709 | 1.570313 | 2 |
This time of the year always reminds me of a physical education teacher I had. We had to put on our PE clothes and she would tell us to go outside for COMPULSORY FUN. It is the holiday season, but after the first flush of parties, I begin to wonder if I am having fun sharing yet another puff pastry with someone I see once a year or else with someone I see every day at work. That is when I have to push my thoughts to go beyond the party stage and to the outside sharing stage. By that I mean sharing with someone who can’t possibly return the favor. Good time of the year to give the gift of personal time and treasure to others in shelters, nursing homes, children in the social services homes, etc. The truly amazing thing is by giving we receive so much that sometimes it becomes an all year habit. Not a bad idea.
Real fun starts in the heart and goes to the brain. I tried it and it works. Have you?
Have a meaningful and joyful holiday season.
Once you have your thumbprints, take care of them! Fortune Small Business recently quoted a study that stated that 40% of individuals leave their jobs due to “lack of recognition.” If that stat isn’t compelling enough, let me just share my own experience.
Cash is King
Small businesses have very limited funds and cash is king. Turning to ‘hard recognition’ such as salary and bonuses on an ongoing basis is simply not possible. If you get into this habit, you could run the well dry. Instead, I set out very early on to truly value “soft recognition.”
Soft recognition means it is intangible; however, this type of recognition is powerful. The summer of 2005, before we launched, I asked my ‘rioters’ (employees) to help me name the recognition program while sitting in a Starbucks. We chose ‘shazam’ and from there on out, I gave shazams at weekly meetings and over email too. Today, everyone gives shazams and it creates a constant energy of positive reinforcement on a daily basis at the firm.
You can imagine in today’s environment, positive energy is priceless. Recognize early and recognize often. | <urn:uuid:e72d5b75-b5fa-46ca-b664-c96c3fe57d25> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.score.org/category/all/page/579/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961679 | 468 | 1.5 | 2 |
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in Wildlife gardening
My grandchildren planted some Hazel nuts some years ago and they all survived and grew into little trees.I did not like to dispose of them after such loving care and offered them to my daughters ,also to a young girl who was getting married and who wanted trees to plant in memory of her special day.I planted one myself which is the tree in my garden now ,and planted some into my sons hedge I was making him.This Tree has been more than worth it .Providing entertainment from the Squirrel who borrows the nuts in my flower border to the birds who nest in it.It also provides me with nuts (when the Jays and squirrel are not borrowing them).I did think of cutting it down but I would lose a good Tree that provides a lot for wildlife and me.
They're lovely trees and if it did get too big for you it could be cut back to start again.
If it got too big you could always copice it and use the canes for weaving new supports in the garden. I have a contorted hazel which is about 10 years old now and produced nuts for the first time this year. The three it produced...I managed to save one as the tree rats got them.
You are lucky the squirrel and jays leave you some nuts.
The only walnuts I see from our tree are the ones that I pull up the next year after the squirrel has randomly planted them around our garden. | <urn:uuid:20012d42-4c93-4560-bcd4-31f1854ed258> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gardenersworld.com/forum/wildlife-gardening/hazel/63496.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980505 | 302 | 1.804688 | 2 |
UEFA has responded to widespread outrage against the racism sanctions imposed on Serbia for the abuse directed at England players during an under-21s match in October by deciding to appeal against its own disciplinary panel's verdict.
Serbian fans directed monkey chants at black England players throughout an ill-tempered match in Krusevac that ended in an on-pitch brawl between players and coaches from both teams.
The British government led the condemnation against the perceived leniency of the €80,000 ($105,000) fine imposed on the Football Association of Serbia. Several Serbian coaches and players were also suspended and the team was ordered to play one under-21s match in an empty stadium.
Despite claiming they were provoked, two England players also received bans that will take effect at the under-21 European Championship in June.
While UEFA announced Wednesday it will appeal against all the sanctions imposed on Serbia and England by its independent control and disciplinary body, the governing body highlighted the racist abuse by fans.
"Having reviewed the motivated decisions for the sanctions imposed ... the UEFA disciplinary inspector felt it necessary to immediately confirm his intention to appeal on UEFA's behalf," European football's governing body said in a statement.
UEFA was lobbied by the English Football Association and groups, including Football Against Racism in Europe.
"UEFA now have an opportunity to send out a message," FARE executive director Piara Powar said. "It takes a lot of honesty and self-reflection to admit that one arm of the organization got it wrong ... what happened warranted a harder sanction."
Serbia's punishment drew unfavorable comparisons with the €100,000 fine given to Denmark striker Nicklas Bendtner for wearing sponsored underpants at Euro 2012 in June.
UEFA President Michel Platini had indicated he was likely to seek tougher sanctions against Serbia, having previously urged its government to enact stricter laws and to do more to tackle violence and discrimination by its fans.
UEFA's panel imposed international bans on four Serbia players of between two and four years, while two coaches were banned from football for two years. Parts of their punishments were suspended.
England won the match 1-0 to advance to the under-21 European Championship in Israel.
The English FA previously said it would appeal suspensions for defender Steven Caulker (two matches) and midfielder Thomas Ince (one match).
England coach Stuart Pearce said Caulker and Ince were not aggressive and were only protecting themselves. UEFA's appeal could result in those sanctions being reduced or overturned.
The post-match brawl began after England defender Danny Rose complained about being subjected to monkey chants every time he touched the ball. He was sent off after the final whistle for after kicking a ball into the stands, gesturing to the crowd as he walked off the pitch.
The appeals will not be heard until after the Jan. 8 deadline for all sides to challenge the ruling.
Serbia FA general secretary Zoran Lakovic previously acknowledged that the Balkan country is on its "last warning" from UEFA and would not appeal.
Rob Harris can be reached at http://twitter.com/RobHarris | <urn:uuid:bb5dd3d3-7c0e-4d12-9530-5c8949dcb784> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.auroraadvocate.com/ap%20sports/2012/12/26/uefa-to-appeal-for-tougher-sanctions-on-serbia | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981003 | 638 | 1.554688 | 2 |
The Little Angels Children’s Folk Ballet of Korea performed their grand finale to a packed crowd at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas for 3,000 distinguished guests and the founders of the Little Angels, Rev. and Mrs. Sun Myung Moon, on February 11, 2012. The world-renowned dance troupe is on the last leg of its 22-nation Korean War 60th Anniversary World Peace Tour.
After an introductory welcome from Rev. Joshua Cotter, the Master of Ceremonies, the attendees viewed a video titled “You Are Not Forgotten,” an overview of the Korean War and the work of the Little Angels. Speakers at the event included Dr. Stavros S. Anthony, the Mayor Pro Tem of Las Vegas, the Rev. In Jin Moon, President of the Unification Church USA, and Dr. Bo Hi Pak, General Director of the Little Angels.
The Little Angels’ repertoire featured a series of 12 performances, each of which showcased different aspects of Korean culture and involved a unique set of traditional costumes. The members of the troupe, 32 young girls and one young boy from ages 9-15, worked their magic through the mediums of dance, drum-playing, folk-singing with the kayakum, a traditional Korean stringed instrument, and choir songs in English, Korean and German.
After the performance, medals were awarded to 16 representative Korean War veterans by the Little Angels. Rev. and Mrs. Moon received a trophy emblazoned with the flags of Korea and the 16 UN-member nations who fought in the Korean War, and also participated in a cake-cutting ceremony celebrating Rev. Moon’s 93rd birthday and Mrs. Moon’s 70th birthday.
Remarks from Mayor Pro Tem of Las Vegas
“The Little Angels Folk Ballet of Korea has come to Las Vegas to honor our Korean War veterans, who went to the unknown country of Korea, fought bravely to save Korean freedom and independence and paved the way for Korea’s great prosperity today.
“The Korean War has been called the forgotten war, but tonight, we have not forgotten. We are going to remember the Korean War veterans who died during that conflict and the ones who are here in Las Vegas today. I am absolutely honored to have these men and women as citizens of the great city of Las Vegas.
“Together with Jim Gavin, the president of the Universal Peace Federation and on behalf of Mayor Goodman, myself and the entire city council, I want to present a certificate of appreciation to those beautiful little kids of the Little Angels who have come here to honor our Korean War veterans and to represent the Koreans of Las Vegas.”
“I want to point out the incredible support nationwide for this tour commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Korean War,” said MC Rev. Cotter. “President Barack Obama and three former presidents all have submitted letters of congratulations.
“President Barack Obama said as he inaugurated the National Korean War Veterans’ Armistice Day in July of 2009, ‘Today we remember and honor the valor of Korean War veterans and the extraordinary sacrifices that they and their families have made for the cause of peace.’”
Former President George W. Bush wrote on June 25, 2010: “I thank the Korean War 60th Anniversary Memorial Project, the Little Angels of Korea, and all those who have worked to help honor the veterans of this war.”
Former President William J. Clinton wrote on April 20, 2010: “A performance by the Little Angels is a fitting way to commemorate this anniversary. Transcending barriers of nationality and language, ballet is a dynamic performing art that proves to be a powerful medium through which the beauty and diversity of human experience can be expressed. I am thankful to its members for helping us observe this milestone in such a special way.”
A Veteran’s Testimony
Frank Myers, a Korean War veteran who served in the United States Army, spoke briefly about his experience as a soldier, after which the audience supported him with a rousing applause. He is now retired, has five children and lives in Las Vegas with his wife.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,” said Myers. “Good evening to the precious Little Angels and the veterans who made this all possible. I’m here to represent some of the veterans who weren’t able to be here – many of them we left in Korea.
“In the time of the Korean War, I was in the reserve company. We were 18-19 years old at that time, using untried weapons. We had no idea what we were getting into. It was a terrible, horrible experience to see your best friends killed next to you, to see young boys lying in the rice paddies, fearful of moving, crying for mama to help. But I have to say that I’m really proud of every moment I spent fighting for Korean freedom. That’s one of the things in my life I look back to with great pride. And every time I met and introduced myself to a Korean, they always thanked me profusely. I just couldn’t believe the gratitude.
“On behalf of the Korean War veterans, I’d like to say thank you to the Little Angels for taking the time to come here tonight to honor and say thank you to all the veterans who served in their country. I understand that the founders of the Little Angels, Rev. and Mrs. Moon are here with us tonight, and on behalf of all Korean veterans and all Americans, to Rev. and Mrs. Moon, thank you so much. Your thoughtfulness in bringing those wonderful children is greatly appreciated. If my arms were big enough, I’d like to embrace them all. In conclusion, I’d like to salute my fellow Korean War veterans. Thank each and every one of you. God Bless you.”
Remarks from Rev. In Jin Moon
Rev. In Jin Moon, CEO of the Manhattan Center and the president of the Unification Church USA said: “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests and the war veterans of the Korean War. It is truly my honor to be here with you all, as a proud Korean-American. This evening takes on a personal note for me, in that had it not been for the sacrifice of the great 16 nations and those other six nations that sent medical supplies in support of the Korean War, I certainly would not be here today. It is through your sacrifice and your efforts that my father lives today at a ripe old age of 93, and that my mother has just celebrated her 70th birthday.
“I truly want to congratulate the Little Angels of Korea on this grand finale event in Las Vegas in remembering and giving thanks to those brave soldiers who fought for freedom and who have allowed the wonderful country of Korea to prosper into this millennium. In 1948, my father was sentenced to hard labor in a North Korean prison camp in Heungnam. Most of the prisoners there did not live past six months, but he struggled on in his faith in God and his desire to spread the great message of true love and living for the sake of others as one family under God. When he was finally liberated by the Allied Forces, he fell upon his knees, thanked God and prayed that one day, he would have the opportunity to thank the great men and women who have sacrificed to keep freedom alive in Korea.
“My father has worked ceaselessly ever since Jesus Christ asked him to take up the mission to encourage everyone to see themselves as one family under God, overcoming cultural barriers, overcoming racial barriers, overcoming religious barriers. My father and my mother have also encouraged different countries all around the world to never forget their traditions, culture and heritage.
“What you are about to witness tonight in the beauty of the Little Angels is a little taste of heaven. In a way, the children are the most beautiful ambassadors of love to the world. From my parents, I would like to convey the deepest thanks in the deepest humility to the veterans of America and to all the Allied countries that served in the Korean War. They say in the East that 60 years marks the cycle of one’s life, and I feel that it is incredibly profound that my father finally has the opportunity to be in the audience tonight, to honor the precious veterans and have a chance to look them in the face and thank them. So, from my family and my country of Korea, and as also a proud American, I say thank you, thank you, thank you. God bless America.”
Remarks from Dr. Bo Hi Pak
Dr. Bo Hi Pak, General Director of the Little Angels and Executive Director of the Korean War’s 60th Anniversary Memorial Committee, the host committee for the Little Angels World Tour, introduced the Little Angels as well as Rev. and Mrs. Sun Myung Moon.
Dr. Pak said: “Wow, 3,000 people! I have never seen anything like this. Thank you for coming! Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, I have come to Las Vegas many times. However, this time I did not come alone. I have come with 33 beautiful Korean children, the world-renowned Little Angels Folk Ballet of Korea.
“Rev. and Mrs. Sun Myung Moon are the founders of the Little Angels, which were created 50 years ago – a half century! – in 1962 for the sake of world peace. At the start of the Korean War, unfortunately, Rev. Moon was serving a five-year prison term in the North Korean concentration camp in Heungnam because he had been teaching the Bible in North Korea. North Korean communists were waiting for him to die. They knew no one ever survived in the death camp for more than six months. However, to the disbelief of the communist authorities, Rev. Moon miraculously endured two years and eight months.
“On September 15, 1950, General Douglas MacArthur launched the Incheon landing and recaptured Seoul in three days. As the UN forces neared Heungnam, the North Korean communists began to systematically execute all of the prisoners. On October 15, 1950, just one day before Rev. Dr. Moon’s execution, General Alexander Haig, at that time Captain Haig, blasted the prison gates wide open and Rev. Moon was miraculously rescued.
“In 2010, Rev. and Mrs. Moon strongly determined not to miss this opportunity to show the world that Korea would never, never forget the noble sacrifices of those brave soldiers from the 22 nations who saved our country and also Rev. Moon. In thanks, they granted $10 million to the Little Angels and sent them as cultural emissaries to all 22 nations to comfort the Korean War veterans and their families with a beautiful performance of traditional Korean dancing and singing.
“The American forces fought as if they were defending their own country. Without the precious sacrifices of those American soldiers and the soldiers of the other 15 UN-member nations, the Republic of Korea would not exist today. I salute the American people. At this time I would like to ask all those who are in Heaven – heroes in Heaven – to come down and join us for this Korean War heroes’ celebration and receive a hero’s medal and a beautiful bouquet of flowers. 54,000 Americans died in our country. I’m tearful to hear this number. May they join with us as we pay tribute to them and as we enjoy the Little Angels’ performance.
“Ladies and gentlemen, in 1950, I also fought in that War. I was a Korean military academy cadet. I fought side by side with the American soldiers. I was 19-years-old. Yes, we all are in debt to you. A debt of blood we can never, never fully repay for the rest of eternity. Without your sacrifices, today Korean would have no freedom, no democracy and no prosperity. I thank you, Americans – especially the veterans and their families. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
“On September 20, 1965, the Little Angels launched their first American tour. They had their first performance in front of former U.S. President Dwight B. Eisenhower, and he enjoyed the program immensely. He said to the Little Angels, ‘Well, well, the heavenly angels are now in big trouble, because you, the Korean angels, surely out-danced them!’ Since then, they have traveled on all six continents, given 6,000 performances and had 500 television appearances.
“However, they have always been 9 -15 years old. On the other hand, when Rev. Moon started the Little Angels, I was 32 years old. Now, I am 82. So it seems that the only one getting old is me. I don’t mind. Not at all! I want them to stay 9-15 for the next 1,000 years. They are so innocent, so pure and so beautiful. They are the true peace force of our time. For me, getting old is no problem. I have a solution. Who gave the solution? General Douglas Macarthur. He said, ‘Old soldiers never die. They just fade away.’ Isn’t that great?
“The Little Angels bring good fortune wherever they go and today they have brought good fortune to all of you, here in Las Vegas. In 2010, the honorable Lee Myung Bak, the president of Korea, issued a special message praising the mission of the Little Angeles and encouraging them to represent Korea well. Also, the Korean government made a sizeable contribution for the fulfillment of their mission.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I have a special announcement. Rev. and Mrs. Moon rarely come to any of the Little Angels performances. However, tonight is the conclusion and the great finale of the 22-nation tour. We especially invited them and they graciously accepted our invitation. Let us welcome, standing, Rev. Dr. and Mrs. Moon!”
Report of Pastor Demian Dunkley
Las Vegas Pastor Demian Dunkley was a leader of the event-mobilization team that produced two-thirds of the guests in only six days. He sent the following testimony to the UC Newsletter: “In two weeks we mobilized about 1,100 people to attend the Little Angels Performance. We have names and contact information for all of those people. In the last six days, we ramped up the mobilization to 3,000. Over 2,500 of those were guests. Several Korean War veterans, elected officials and dignitaries were present. We had 500 seats especially prepared for them, but it wasn't enough.
“The room was full of people who had never laid eyes on Rev. Moon, so when all 3,000 stood up in thunderous applause as True Parents entered, you knew something was different about this night. I have never seen anything like this. A camera followed True father all the way to his seat, and clearly, he looked very happy.
“From the time the Little Angels started their performance, my eyes were full of water. I had to stop myself from falling to the floor in tears as I saw this miracle before me. Hundreds of Korean War vets being thanked by True Father in the most exquisite and heartfelt way. I felt Father’s love in the room for all, and I think everyone else felt it. Everyone was moved.
"After it was over, I was standing next to one of the hired video crew backstage as Father was leaving and he said, "That's the man. Wow, so that's the man." I turned around and said, "Yes, that's the man." He later gave me his contact information and said he would like to bring his wife to our church.
"I am getting feedback from some of our mobilizers as well. They are getting extremely positive responses from their guests. Quotes such as, "I am definitely going to Rev. Moon's next event."
Contributed by Ariana Moon in Las Vegas. | <urn:uuid:8699ff57-b05a-4fc7-a88b-fe09cc1fb402> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.familyfed.org/news/index.php?id=373&page=3 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971466 | 3,336 | 1.546875 | 2 |
It’s Too Dark In Here, Give It A Minute: The CFL
My husband is a huge fan of the CFL and I am on the fence. I have learned all about the positive properties. The benefits are definitely undeniable, but quite frankly, when I need to seeI need to see. I know, that seems a bit selfish when talking about going green and saving energy. I apologize, but this is me trying to be truthful and to learn more about the CFL in the process. Come with me and explore.
I have had the pleasure of working closely with the Platte River Power Authority on an education mission about CFL’s and I have done my own research and internet searches to better enlighten myself. All under the guise of learning to be more tolerant of the slow warming issue I have. So, perhaps I should step backwards before rolling ahead.
A CFL is a compact fluorescent lamp. CFLs use less power and have a longer rated life. Although the lamps can cost more than incandescent lamps they can save in electricity costs over the their lifetime, as much as 40 dollars compared to incandescent lamps. Most of this information I have learned through the Platte River Power Authority. And for the information I had forgotten, I refreshed my memory with the help of Wikipedia.org.
In my opinion the lamps have a few bugs that are irritating. If not used properly, they can be as wasteful as an incandescent lamp. The lamps are meant to warm up slowly and are ‘happiest’ when left on for more than 15 minutes at a time. Unfortunately, we have been sold an idea with little instruction. We go out and buy these lamps to save energy, which even used less efficiently, they do save energy, however we quickly can end up like me and frustrated. If you have the lamps in a high traffic area such as a hallway or the kitchen in the midnight snacking hours, the lamps are more likely to be turned on and off repetitively without proper warming. This practice will drain the life of a CFL nearly as quickly as an incandescent lamp. And in general as they get older they produce less light than they did right out of the package. So, now you have an elementary idea about the CFL and I apologize for being redundant if you already knew all the blah blah.
And now my reason of ranting and raving with a dash of education.
Incandescents reach full brightness a fraction of a second after being switched on. CFLs turn on within a second, but many still take time to warm up to full brightness.The light color may be slightly different immediately after being turned on. Some CFLs are marketed as “instant on” and have no noticeable warm-up period, but others can take up to a minute to reach full brightness, or longer in very cold temperatures. Some that use a mercury amalgam can take up to three minutes to reach full output. This and the shorter life of CFLs when turned on and off for short periods may make CFLs less suitable for applications such as motion-activated lighting.
I agree, I should likely be looking more carefully at the labels and make sure that I am getting the shortest warm up lamp, but as it stands today, I have the lamps that decide to fully illuminate my kitchen just in time for me to have completed making lunches for the kids and then I shut them off. I am however, getting quit handy at doing most tasks in the dark. A few more years with my current CFLs and I might be ready for some reality show that gives prizes to contestants that can maneuver everyday minimal tasks in the shortest amount of time in the dark.
All ranting aside, I love being as green as possible. I recycle, I use CFLs and most importantly, I am teaching my children to do the same. | <urn:uuid:0ac5fb47-9c31-4ea7-8bd1-2bc7cd9af443> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://k99.com/its-too-dark-in-here-give-it-a-minute-the-cfl/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972916 | 791 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) means more than just spraying. It means pest inspection, pest monitoring, habitat modification, exclusion methods and other innovative forms of pest control. It's a commitment to the environment, utilizing green products for eco-friendly bug control whenever possible, and helping commercial and residential customers find the cause of their problem while offering long-lasting solutions. Pestmaster Services is committed to IPM, and to providing safe, effective and environmentally conscious pest services with Pest Management EnvironMentality™.
Pestmaster Services is proud to offer Integrated Pest Management (IPM) solutions for our residential and commercial customers. These include:
We support the development of eco-friendly bug control, while seeking out and offering all effective green products available for safe, non-pesticide solutions. This is pest control like you've never seen it before, and you'll love the results we can get for you.
Pestmaster Services is committed to Integrated Pest Managemen (IPM). Our pest control service takes the form of guaranteed pest inspection, pest monitoring and state-of-the-art methods such as habitat modification and exclusion. We're a step ahead of other pest services, and our green products assure a safe solution to your pest issues. That's what IPM, the centerpiece of each and every one of our services, is all about.
Our technicians are trained in Integrated Pest Management (IPM), and are experts in implementing effective methods of pest inspection, pest monitoring and habitat modification. At Pestmaster Services it's not enough just to spray. We work to find the root of your pest issue, and offer proven techniques in ridding you of those issues. | <urn:uuid:b36329fe-fe3f-4ccc-a6b3-93505280f41f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pestmaster.com/integrated-pest-management.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932518 | 348 | 1.789063 | 2 |
“We really felt like now is the time for us to draw a line in the sand,” NRDC Action Fund director Heather Taylor told Grist. “What we want to do is make sure the Senate understands that we are going to be clearly identifying who’s part of the problem and who’s part of the solution. Hopefully it’s going to immediately influence the Senate vote.”
The ads will air on local TV for the next two weeks, and print versions are running in local papers on Wednesday and Sunday. They tout the House climate bill’s potential to create green jobs, and urge constituents to call their senators and ask them to support a similar bill this year.
Taylor pointed to specific senators the campaign hopes to sway: Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Arlen Specter (D-Pa.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), and Jim Webb (D-Va.). “We definitely think those are swings, and we think there were very good examples of heroes and villains in [their] states for us to draw upon,” she said.
The half-a-million-dollar ad buy is the first of its kind by NRDC Action Fund, which has not in the past weighed in on specific candidates nor waged such a public campaign. The action fund’s parent organization, NRDC, focuses on inside-the-Beltway policy making, working closely with legislators to shape environmental law. NRDC was one of the key groups involved in the U.S. Climate Action Partnership, the enviro-business coalition that played a significant role in shaping the House climate bill.
“We thought it was so important right now to be active not only inside the Beltway but also outside the Beltway,” said Taylor. “We hope we can be more frank in our messaging.”
Of the representatives targeted in the ads, Taylor said, “I think these members knew. They completely and clearly understood that this was the highest priority of the environmental community … This is when it counted. This is when there really were going to be repercussions. It’s very important that constituents know that their members are not listening to them.”
Here is the TV ad praising Rep. Tom Perriello (D-Va.) for voting in favor of the House bill:
And here’s the ad criticizing Virginia Reps. Frank Wolf (R) and Glenn Nye (D) for voting against it: | <urn:uuid:c32ba0cd-30bc-47df-882f-1658cb620726> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://grist.org/article/2009-08-19-nrdc-ads-target-no-votes-waxman-markey/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96965 | 525 | 1.8125 | 2 |
Chelsea Alexander gets that question–a lot–from student’s parents who are having a hard time fathoming what riding is all about. This is her response.
Through this summer I’ve taught various children how to ride. The stable I work at receives a lot of first-time riders, and for many of the kids who come to us, it’s their first and only lesson. It’s a birthday present or a Christmas gift or a special treat from a grandparent, but I treat all of the kids as if it’s the first of many, regardless. We don’t do pony rides, we do lessons, and even in these one-off situations, it’s often a matter of trying out this expensive sport before deciding whether or not to commit to regular lessons. Inevitably at some point during the lesson, the parents will ask me about the sport.
“So what do you do with this, anyway?” I know they aren’t asking me what I personally do in the horse industry, because that’s fairly obvious. They want to know what their kid can get out of it.
“Well, this is a sport. We go to competitions,” I’ll say. I’ll also point out the jumps in the ring and explain a little bit of what we do and how it’s judged, but the parents usually don’t get it.
“Oh,” they’ll say. Just oh. I can see in their heads the same thoughts that ran through my mother’s mind, things she repeated to me quite often. But what’s the point? My mother often asked me. Why spend all this money? Why go compete? What’s the point of all of this?
They usually don’t ask me this directly. So I can’t give them a direct answer, but if I could, I would. I’d tell them that their kid can earn a confidence boost that comes naturally with learning to control an animal ten or more times your weight. I’d tell them that their kid can learn valuable communication skills, from having to learn how to communicate not only with an animal, but with their trainer, and with any of the other kids in their lesson. I’d tell them that teamwork takes on a whole new meaning. I’d tell them that a horse can provide more therapy and more of a release of tension than anything in the world. I’d tell them that the barn becomes a sanctuary, that trainers become an adult that kids can feel comfortable talking to about problems in their lives. I’d tell them that we compete for the same reasons a soccer team competes—because it’s healthy to see your goals realized, or to get a proper critique, or to obtain motivation to work even harder. I’d tell them that there’s nothing like being able to teach a horse something yourself. I’d tell them that a horse can provide something to look forward to every week or every day.
They don’t ask me, but sometimes I tell them anyway. Because you can’t get all of that from a soccer team.
Chelsea is a twenty year old student attending Queen Mary, University of London. She has been riding on and off since the age of eleven, and spent this past summer teaching camp and young riders with her long-time trainer. She has never owned her own horse but hopes to one day.
- Send an email to wylie, the author of this post at [email protected] | <urn:uuid:372eb00c-06fd-453d-8601-e04931179379> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.horsenation.com/2012/08/10/your-turn-whats-the-point/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96888 | 770 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Insurer’s Pullback Raises Worries About NC Beach Plan
The recent decision by State Farm Insurance to drop 1,650 coastal insurance policies on North Carolina’s Barrier Islands has reignited a familiar debate. With the cost of insuring high-risk coastal homes rising and many insurers leaving the market, will the state’s Beach Fund be able to hold up in the event of a major hurricane?
State Farm’s pullback came despite efforts by the state government in recent months to improve North Carolina’s property and casualty insurance market.
“In 2009 the [North Carolina Department of Insurance] heard from many industry groups and companies that were concerned about the potential assessment exposure they faced should the Beach Plan face major claims payouts associated with a large storm,” said Kristin Milam, public information director for the North Carolina Department of Insurance.
“House Bill 1305 addressed their uncertainty and changed the assessment structure for companies and policyholders,” she added. “The bill capped insurance companies’ assessments at $1 billion annually.”
Milam says the recent reforms under House Bill 1305 should go a long way toward shoring up the state’s beach plan without overburdening the private market with assessments for higher premiums in the event of a major storm.
She said the legislation “was a consensus bill that provided the industry the certainty they needed to plan for potential Beach Plan assessments and the Beach Plan the authority to retain its surplus, which will go a long way in allowing the agency to stand on its own feet should a storm or series of storms hit North Carolina’s coast.”
Eli Lehrer, director of the Center on Risk, Regulation, and Markets at The Heartland Institute, argues the state needs to do more. In a report for the North Carolina-based John Locke Foundation, Lehrer makes two recommendations for the North Carolina Beach Fund.
“First, individuals, insurers, and the government should do more to secure properties against storms. South Carolina, Louisiana, and, until recently, Florida have all made major efforts to help people of modest means strengthen their homes. . . . The state, likewise, should step up efforts to discourage development in coastal wetlands—which provide a vital buffer against storm surges—and end any subsidies that encourage development in storm-prone areas.”
Lehrer also advocates scaling back the state’s Beach Plan.
“Virginia faces more hurricane risk than North Carolina by just about every measure but has only a few hundred coastal homes in its equivalent of the Beach Plan,” wrote Lehrer. “Even if a storm as big as Hurricane Katrina hit Virginia, taxpayers wouldn't owe a penny for a repair of private homes. North Carolina should strive for a similar system.”
According to Russ Dubisky, spokesman for State Farm Insurance Company of North Carolina, the company decided to drop the Barrier Island policies in January because of the high risk they posed, risk that was often passed on to safer homes inland.
“In order to preserve the financial strength that allows us to fulfill our obligations to policyholders, we made the difficult decision to manage our exposure in these catastrophe-prone areas,” Dubisky told Cape Fear Business News.
State business groups have criticized State Farm’s decision to reduce its Barrier Islands business, arguing the company’s withdrawal makes the state’s Beach Plan the only realistic alternative.
"This recent action by State Farm is a step in the wrong direction and undermines the progress made during the last session. Now these 1,600 policyholders have been put into a situation where the only probable option is the Beach Plan/Coastal Property Insurance Pool,” said Donna Girardot, CEO of the Business Alliance for a Sound Economy (BASE), in a press statement.
Some property owners can expect to see significant increases in their insurance premiums, she said, because they probably will have to get coverage through non-admitted carriers such as Lloyd's of London. Non-admitted insurers are not licensed or regulated in states where they write business. They usually provide coverage that cannot be obtained through licensed carriers.
Mathew Glans ([email protected]) is a legislative specialist in financial services at The Heartland Institute.
“North Carolina’s Beach Plan: Who Pays for Coastal Property Insurance”: http://www.johnlocke.org/policy_reports/display_story.html?id=191 | <urn:uuid:c91e3c98-5134-4090-b402-a7138a4c537c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://news.heartland.org/newspaper-article/2010/02/12/insurers-pullback-raises-worries-about-nc-beach-plan | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938546 | 936 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Montgomery County and Fairfax County are considering the future of the American Legion Bridge.
The span is approaching its 50th anniversary. It opened Dec. 31, 1962, completed at a cost of $2.8 million.
In the early years, it was called the Cabin John Bridge. The name was officially changed to American Legion Memorial Bridge in 1969.
Opened with six lanes, the bridge now has eight through lanes, matching the configuration of the Beltway on either side of the Potomac, though the highway narrows farther north. Traffic is more than four times heavier than in the early years. In 1965, the bridge was used by 47,990 vehicles a day. By 2010, that number had grown to 232,000.
Long-term options outlined in a Maryland State Highway Administration study include widening the bridge to make it part of a managed-lane system that could stretch west up I-270 and link up with the Virginia express lanes to the south, but there’s no financing in place for any such construction. The Maryland study, completed in 2009, estimated that widening the Beltway and the bridge would cost at least $800 million.
If the bridge is widened, this may be an opportunity to add a bike crossing. Such a crossing could connect the C&O Trail to Live Oak Drive. Ideally, it would include a connection to MacArthur Blvd. | <urn:uuid:755fcf88-22e7-4ff2-8d32-94720c3c1392> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thewashcycle.com/2012/08/new-legion-bridge-being-considered.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969701 | 281 | 1.773438 | 2 |
SAINT LOUIS – 23 year old Kim Suozzi had her brain ‘frozen’ with hopes science will be able to defrost it years from now and give Kim a new life.
NDJ World | Published: Feb 05 2013 North America→World News
The Saint Louis, Missouri woman died from a brain tumor, on January 17th. On her deathbed, she expressed she was hopeful that doctors would one day be able to cure her tumor. He last wishes were to have her brain preserved through a process known as cryonics – deep freezing in liquid nitrogen.
Kim, who was a student in neurology at the Truman State University in Missouri, was diagnosed with in her late teens with glioblastoma multiforme, the most aggressive of all brain tumors.
She underwent surgery and chemotherapy but two months before graduating, then 21 year old Kim, was told she’d only have 2 more years to live.
Kim tried experimental treatments with the hopes of beating her death sentence but in vain.
Kim knew about cryonics through her studies. Before dying she prepared all the necessary legal requirements to have her brain frozen.
But Kim didn’t have the money to pay for cryotherapy which is still very controversial and very expensive. She asked charities and individuals for donations saying she’d done absolutely everything she could do to cure her cancer but nothing had worked.
“Every possible diet, supplement, being at a clinic or miracle ‘treatments’ I have tried, all without results. The only thing for me left to do is to be frozen. I want to fight for that chance, should it ever happen, that would be unbelievable,” Kim wrote.
Thanks to the ‘The Society for Venturism‘ organization, a society that helps those wanting cryotherapy, and thanks to her friends, Kim managed to get more than $US60,000.
A short while after Kim Suozzi died, her head was frozen at a specialized hospital in Scottsdale Arizona.
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An Insider's View of ACORN
Editor’s Note: Stampeded by a well-organized right-wing media attack strategy, the U.S. Congress has taken the extraordinary step of singling out a poor people’s organization, ACORN, in punitive legislation and issuing demands for federal investigations.
In this guest essay, activist-writer David Swanson (who once served as communications coordinator for ACORN) explains why the Right and Republicans have long despised the group for its aggressive and often effective campaigns to defend poor neighborhoods (often Hispanic or African-American) from corporate exploitation:
If someone told you that a bunch of low-income people, most of them African-American or Latino, most of them women, most of them elderly, had been victimized by a predatory mortgage lender that stripped them of much of their equity or of their entire homes, you might not be surprised.
But if I told you that these women and men had gotten together and, after three years of work, brought the nation's largest high-cost lender to its knees, forced it to sell out to a foreign company, and won back a half a billion dollars of what had been taken from them — one of the largest consumer settlements ever — you'd probably ask me what country this had happened in.
Surely it couldn't have been in the United States of the Second Gilded Age, the land of unbridled corporate power and radical government activism on behalf of the rich and the greedy.
Yet, it was. These victims identified a problem and named it "predatory lending" in the late 1990s. Their campaign to reform Household International (also known as Household Finance and as Beneficial) played out from 2001 to 2003, concluding with a settlement that includes a ban on badmouthing the company.
That's why more people haven't heard about this. The families who fought back and defeated Household are barred from bragging about it or teaching the lessons they learned, because that would require recounting the damage that Household did to homes and neighborhoods.
These families are members of ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now.
I was ACORN's communications coordinator during much of the Household campaign, but left before it ended. No one has asked me not to tell this story.
In low-income minority neighborhoods in the United States, what little wealth there is, is in home equity. Home equity makes up 74.9 percent of the net wealth for Hispanics in the bottom two income quintiles (0-40 percent) and 78.7 percent of the net wealth for African Americans in the second income quintile (20-40 percent).
There have been gains in minority home ownership over the past few decades, in part as a result of the work by community groups like ACORN and National People's Action to force banks to make loans in these communities, but the home ownership is fragile and not protected by additional savings.
Lenders in the past decade have focused on stripping away equity and community groups have been forced to focus on keeping out loans that are worse than no loans at all.
Most high-cost loans are refinance loans. Too often they are marketed aggressively and deceptively, including through live-checks in the mail that result in very high-cost loans that the lender will be only too happy to refinance into a new mortgage.
Often these loans are made with excessive, sometimes variable, interest rates, outrageously high fees, and fees financed into the loans so that the borrower pays interest on them and often is not told about them. They are made with bogus products built in, on which the borrower also pays interest.
Hidden balloon payments force repeated refinancings for additional fees each time. Mandatory arbitration clauses attempt to prevent borrowers from taking lenders to court. The practice of loaning more than the value of a home traps borrowers in loans they cannot refinance with a responsible lender.
Consolidation of additional debts further decreases equity, placing the home at greater risk. Quiet omission of taxes and insurance from a mortgage that previously included those charges results in a crisis when yearly bills arrive.
Predatory lenders turn the usual logic of lending upside down. They make their money by intentionally making loans that the borrowers will be unable to repay. They charge fees for each refinancing until finally seizing the house.
Fannie Mae has estimated that as many as half of all borrowers in subprime (high-cost) loans could have qualified for a lower cost mortgage.
High-cost loans are not just made to people with poor credit. They're often made to people who have poor banking services in their neighborhoods.
ACORN members don't take abuse of their neighborhoods lying down, and Household was a leading cause of the rows of vacant houses appearing in ACORN neighborhoods in the 1990s.
ACORN launched a campaign to reform Household that included numerous strategies. One, an ACORN stand-by, was direct action. Repeatedly, ACORN members in numerous cities around the country simultaneously protested in Household offices to demand reform.
At the same time, ACORN was working to pass anti-predatory lending legislation in local and state governments and Congress. ACORN members made sure that in each case the victims testifying were victims of Household and that Household's abuses were highlighted.
When ACORN released major reports on predatory lending, the examples included were always from Household.
ACORN also worked with the Coalition for Responsible Wealth to advance a shareholder resolution that would have tied Household's executives' compensation to ending its predatory lending.
In 2001 Household held its shareholders meeting in an out-of-the-way suburb of Tampa, Florida. A crowd of ACORN members was there with shark suits and shark balloons to protest.
The resolution won 5 percent. Over the next year, ACORN pressured state pension funds and other shareholders. Household held its 2002 meeting an hour and a half from the nearest airport in rural Kentucky. Members made the trip by car from all over the country.
The protest may have been the biggest thing the town of London, Kentucky had seen in years. The resolution won 30 percent.
As a result, various local and state governments threatened to divest from Household. ACORN also put pressure on stores like Best Buy that used Household credit cards. At the same time, ACORN Housing Corporation was assisting many Household victims in either refinancing out of their Household loans or at least canceling some of the rip-off services built into their loans, such as credit insurance.
ACORN was also getting the word out to stay away from Household.
ACORN wrote up numerous accounts of Household predatory loans and took them to the attorney generals in state after state urging investigations. ACORN similarly pressured federal regulators to act.
ACORN assisted borrowers in filing a number of class-action suits against Household targeting those of its practices that were clearly illegal even under existing law. They let Wall Street analysts know what Household stood to lose from these lawsuits, as well as from various reforms that Household periodically announced in its attempt to hold off the pressure.
But ACORN members never let up. They protested again and again at Household offices and held press conferences in front of homes about to be lost to Household. They protested the secondary market that was putting up capital for these predatory loans and they held a major protest at the trade group that lobbied in Washington for Household and its fellow sharks.
Then, in the summer of 2002, in the wealthy suburbs north of Chicago, victims of Household from around the country poured out of busses by the thousands onto the lawns of the board members and the CEO of Household. They knocked on doors and spoke to those who had hurt them from a distance.
When the police made them leave, ACORN members plastered "Wanted" posters all over the neighborhood telling the board members' neighbors what crimes the Household executives were guilty of.
Through all of this, we worked the media. I kept a database of victims' stories and contact information and put them in touch with reporters whenever the reporters were willing to tell not just the victimization story but also the story of fighting back.
We generated several hundred print articles and several hundred TV and radio stories about Household's predatory lending practices.
We worked the small neighborhood papers, flyers in churches, posters on walls. We provoked lengthy articles in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times and Forbes Magazine. We kept up an endless barrage in the trade press: the American Banker, National Mortgage News, etc.
A handful of ACORN staff people with great expertise and unrelenting effort organized thousands of members to drive this campaign until Household agreed to pay victims $489 million through the 50 states attorneys general, and later agreed to pay millions more through ACORN, as well as to reform its practices.
This campaign was an example of what can be done if enough different angles are pursued at once and the company ripping you off is put on the defensive and constantly hit with the unexpected. This campaign increased the size and power of ACORN to effect future progressive change.
This is good news for low-income neighborhoods, but bad news for Wells Fargo, the predatory lender next on ACORN's list.
David Swanson was communications coordinator for ACORN from 2000 to 2003, and is the author of the new book Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union by Seven Stories Press. You can order it and find out when tour will be in your town: http://davidswanson.org/book
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Back to Home Page | <urn:uuid:13a011c6-535d-4c3d-9594-838e94479522> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.consortiumnews.com/Print/2009/092609a.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976337 | 2,023 | 1.570313 | 2 |
In this section you will learn how to add ordering ability to in Hibernate Application when using hibernateTemplate. There are many ways you can order your results when using hibernateTemplate.
Suppose you have a class called "Student" with the fields "studentName", "StudentCode" and you want to retrieve all the records from database in sorted by "studentName" in ascending order. There are following options for you.
If you are facing any programming issue, such as compilation errors or not able to find the code you are looking for.
Ask your questions, our development team will try to give answers to your questions. | <urn:uuid:4c7a1411-e8f8-43de-9317-fd66d5337785> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.roseindia.net/hibernate/hibernate-how-to/ordering-result.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933272 | 133 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Focus On Giving
The UPS Foundation's Global Investment Strategy
At UPS, giving means more than writing a check. It means giving time and expertise to deliver measurable results to communities in need around the world. We focus both our financial and non-monetary contributions on organizations that help address the challenges of communities worldwide.
Our four focus areas leverage our business assets and expertise. These focus areas, coupled with our unparalleled support for United Way and the powerful impact of UPS volunteers, create a comprehensive portfolio for The UPS Foundation.
The UPS Foundation seeks to support organizations that are in alignment with our focus areas, guidelines, and non-discrimination policy. UPS and The UPS Foundation do not discriminate against any person or organization with regard to categories protected by applicable law, as well as other categories protected by UPS and The UPS Foundation in our own policies. These include, but are not limited to race, gender, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran or military status, pregnancy, age and religion.
The diversity of UPS employees drives our business success. We support the company's commitment to diversity by supporting economic empowerment, leadership and inclusion opportunities for the under served and under represented.
We are dedicated to preserving the safety and well being of communities around the world. Leveraging the company's human capital, transportation resources and logistics expertise, we are focused on two core areas to help achieve this goal.
Humanitarian Relief Program
As a leader in global logistics, we dedicate our expertise, innovative technologies and resources to support communities worldwide in disaster preparedness, relief and recovery efforts.
UPS's drivers are recognized year after year as being among the safest on the road. UPS Road Code is an innovative community safety partnership that connects young people with UPS's safe-driving methods and the expertise of our drivers, making roads safer in communities across the globe.
We also fund the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety. Our funding of this global program helps impart road safety methods for fleet and emergency drivers in developing nations.
In our business and through The UPS Foundation's investments, we are committed to operating sustainably, doing our part to protect and preserve the environment. Our support for environmental programs focuses on carbon reduction efforts, reforestation and conservation, and environmental research and education.
Volunteerism is part of who we are at UPS. Our employees give an average of 80 hours of their time every year to volunteer. Funding from the Foundation supports our nonprofit partners with building volunteer capacity, creating more effective nonprofit organizations, leadership development and technology enhancements. | <urn:uuid:f1338808-45c1-48f4-b08a-4a9a100535bd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://community.ups.com/UPS+Foundation/Focus+On+Giving | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945339 | 515 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Germany wants sanctions if Sri Lanka continues war
[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 February 2008, 13:40 GMT]
Unless Sri Lanka’s hardline government abandons its militarist path, the EU should impose sanctions, Germany said this week, adding that an EU-Troika will travel to Sri Lanka in early March to assess the situation. In an interview with the Tages Speigel newspaper published on February 9, German Economic Cooperation and Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul also said Germany had frozen new development cooperation projects with Sri Lanka and, because of the deteriorating security situation, was withdrawing half their development personnel from the island as well as closing the German Development Bank in Sri Lanka.
The English translation of extracts of the Tages Speigel interview with Minister Wieczorek-Zeul published in The Morning Leader newspaper Wednesday follow:Q:
In January the Government of Sri Lanka has withdrawn from the Ceasefire Agreement. What can Europe and the world do?
Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development
The international community must influence both parties to the conflict to seek a political solution and withdraw from the war which brings only suffering to the people. In the beginning of March an EU-Troika will travel to Sri Lanka. If the Sri Lankan government continues to insist on a military option, I will demand that the EU should withdraw the General System of Preference (GSP) offered to Sri Lanka. This concession enables Sri Lanka to export its goods and products to the EU at reduced or exempted tax and duty levies. This step will really bring economic pressure on the GoSL. For Sri Lanka a preference system plus is in place until the end of 2008 which, however, requires good governance.
If the EU continues to accept the present situation the plus is meaningless. The biggest portion of Sri Lanka's exports consists of textile exports. Only garment product exports to the EU markets are valued at US$ 1-2 billion annually. The other part is exported to the United States. It is also important to consult with the US which has also taken up a very critical position towards Sri Lanka in the past weeks.Q:
And development cooperation?A:
For the past two years we have not concluded any new agreements on cooperation as projects cannot be implemented due to the security situation. We are only engaged in completing what we have started earlier. We could make new agreements over _38 million, but we shall not do so at this point.Q:
How should the United Nations act?A:
It would be encouraging if the UN Security Council takes up this issue. However, it seems that it is difficult at the moment for the UN Security Council to act. However, what the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon can do without a formal decision of the Security Council is to send a special envoy to Sri Lanka.
After the departure of the Norwegian monitors who were in place since the Ceasefire Agreement of 2002 there is nobody to document human rights violations. The war is now again in full swing.Q:
Why has Sri Lanka failed to achieve peace after the tsunami of 2004 as it has happened in the Aceh Province of Indonesia?A:
After the tsunami I had greater hopes of Sri Lanka achieving peace than in Indonesia. There were so many initiatives from people from around the world. But it turned out to be different. The reconstruction in Aceh is successful and there is a responsible government set up even in the province of Aceh.
In the north and the east of Sri Lanka where many Tamils live we practically cannot further undertake development projects. I presume both parties to the conflict believe they can solve the conflict which continues from 1983 by military means. However, this is unrealistic. It will result only in more deaths numbering thousands.
Since 1983 more than 75,000 lives have been lost in the fighting between the government and the LTTE. The LTTE considers itself as a freedom movement but the EU banned the LTTE as a terrorist organisation almost two years ago. It is such a beautiful country and its people are very motivated. I feel a genuine responsibility for the people of this country. If the violence increases the international community has a responsibility to act.Q:
Should tourists travel to Sri Lanka?A:
It is up to the Federal Foreign Office of Germany to issue travel recommendations. However, we are withdrawing half of the personnel working in development cooperation and we will close the office of the German Development Bank (Kreditanstalt fuer Wiederaufbau), because the security situation is very critical. | <urn:uuid:1938c28f-562c-4bea-aead-c29e1abd1439> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=24641 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96177 | 944 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Our customer had a recurring product quality problem that caused a considerable loss in production. An existing tool slit material into 18 strands, which were then re-spooled onto individual cores. During the re-spooling operation, a thin one-inch wide polyurethane liner was added to one side of the material.
The problem occurred during spooling. The core with the ply material was held at a constant torque and as the diameter of the ply roll decreased, the web tension also changed. Measurements put the web tension in a range between 1 to 3.2 newtons (N). Our customer required a solution that would allow a variable torque on the poly spool to provide a constant web tension of the roll as the diameter increased. The target web tension was approximately 1.2 N.
AP Engineering Services was asked to develop a prototype that, after being proven, would need to be retrofitted to both the 18-station slitter machine and the secondary re-spooler machine. The design had to be a cost effective tensioning system that would control tension throughout the reel winding process and keep a constant web tension on the reel. The system also had to be applied to the machine with minimal impact to the company’s production schedule.
We developed a concept in which variable brakes would be introduced to each station, with the poly roll sitting directly on the shaft of the brake. One station would then have an ultrasonic sensor to read the diameter of the roll during production runs. This single sensor would control and vary the tension of the other 17 stations via a PLC and custom software written by AP Engineering Services.
Development: The particle brake system would provide the torque variations needed and would be controlled through a PLC based control system. The PLC would calculate proper tension per unit of diameter change measured by the ultrasonic sensor. The particle brake would continually update with new tension and could be independently controlled by utilizing an 18-station interface screen. Operators would be able to independently adjust the torque vs. diameter relationship on each station to effectively “dial in” each station.
Project Design and Build: AP Engineering Services began work on the full upgrade after the customer tested the prototype and felt it was a viable solution. The upgrade consisted of fabricating two complete assemblies as well as 17 similar assemblies with the ultrasonic sensor and bracket removed. We also provided the design for the control panel for the 18-station line and the re-spooler, the brakes, the controlling PLC, and a variety of other necessary components.
Installation: AP Engineering Services developed complete installation instructions and provided these to the customer whose engineering team completed the mechanical and electrical installations. We synchronized the activities surrounding the project with precise planning and weekly meetings to keep everyone involved up-to-date. As a result of our strong project management, the customer’s engineering staff required less machine downtime thereby preserving production runs.
Conclusion: The installation was completed and testing of the rebuild was successful, exceeding the customer’s expectations. The production schedule was not altered and the install was completed well within the allotted production down time, resulting in increased production for the week. Our customer stated that “the machine was running great and the issue of increased tension on the liner from outside of the roll to the core had been reduced.” Measurements showed a tension range between .8 and 1.4 N, a vast improvement over the original 1.2-3.2 N range. Our work helped to achieve the customer’s goals of increased production and increased quality. | <urn:uuid:ca2db5ce-82ff-4d35-8a2a-3f148b9758de> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.apengineering.com/ap-case-studies/wind-slitter/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965646 | 727 | 1.625 | 2 |
About Idaho Business
Idaho has a broad diversity of industry, from manufacturing to technology to agriculture. The largest employers in the state are St. Luke's Regional Medical Center, Micron Technology -- one of the world's largest manufacturers of DRAM -- and Hewlett-Packard Co., which has most of its Imaging and Printing business based in Boise. Idaho is also home to the giant J.R. Simplot Co., Hecla Mining and the Idaho National Laboratory.
Products in these sectors and others are used by consumers around the world. Idaho's top exports are high-tech, agricultural and wood and building products. Idaho has clusters in outdoor products, alternative energy, and aeronautics.
This is also a great place to start a new business. Idaho has the nation's second-lowest energy costs, ranks first for patents per capita, and 5th for best economic outlook. The state also has the fifth lowest crime rate in the nation.
Residents find our cities to be great places to live. Life Magazine called Boise the 8th "most underrated city in the West," and both Idaho Falls and Meridian were named as Top 100 Towns by CNN Money.com. Lewiston was named the most secure city in the country two years in a row by Farmer's Insurance. And while we believe all our cities are beautiful, USA Today/Rand McNally called Sandpoint the "most beautiful small town in America."
Take a look at our incentives, news and story ideas, and economic development contacts from around the state. If you need any assistance, visit our contacts list and we'd be happy to help. | <urn:uuid:8c0fe928-8787-4e62-bc8c-8c4979333463> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.visitidaho.org/press/econdev/home.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964251 | 330 | 1.601563 | 2 |
I like the idea of MOOCs — massive open online courses — as ways to help spread the information at universities to a wider public. I don’t like the idea that these can replace real universities, though. It buys into the assumption that what universities deliver is big brains talking at a passive audience, when that’s only a small part of the experience. Scicurious is unimpressed, too.
Look, you want to learn? These online courses are a good supplement, and give you an opportunity to hear from experienced instructors. But if you really want to dig deep, there’s the disciplined grind as you try to master the minutia of a subject, there’s the hands-on lab experience, there’s give-and-take with peers and professors that you really need to bring it home. MOOCs just don’t do that. | <urn:uuid:d32438f0-0342-4960-b7f0-d5728f00fc86> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2013/01/02/moocs-in-perspective/comment-page-1/?ak_action=force_mobile | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938546 | 186 | 1.648438 | 2 |
“If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think a negative thought.” -Peace Pilgrim
Every thought you think is powerful.
Every moment we are creating the world we want to live in.
Every thought you think creates your feelings. When you feel bad, it’s because you believe there is a reason to feel bad.
Every thought you think affects the words you speak. What you say to others creates a powerful ripple effect in the earth- and always returns to you.
“The mind is everything. What you think you become.” -Buddha
How do we control that power? How can we train our thoughts without spending 22 hours a day in meditation?
Here are three things I do to keep my thoughts on track:
1. Take radical responsibility for your thoughts.
Your thoughts can only be controlled by you. I can’t make you think something. Your best friend can’t make you think something. Only you can decide what you want to think. Often, we go through life with “lazy minds,” forgetting this. We let our thoughts dart from here to there. If you just take control of your mind a few more moments today than you did yesterday, you’re making powerful progress and unleashing the power of those purposeful thoughts into your life.
“One is not “forced” to feel resentment by a negative memory, nor does one have to buy into a fearful thought about the future. These are only options. The mind is like a television set running its various channels for selection, and one does not have to follow any particular temptation of thought.” -Hawkins & Jeffrey, Dissolving the Ego, Realizing the Self
2. Enjoy the process of thinking purposefully.
Letting my thoughts run rampant used to be my “default.” I would “wake up” in the middle of the day realizing I was lost in thought for hours. Now that I love creating my thoughts and purposefully choosing what I want to think, those “lost” moments are unpleasant. I look forward to thinking great thoughts. I look forward to choosing what I’ll think about in each moment and powerfully creating my day as a result.
“New thought is new life.“ -Prentice Mulford
3. Allow yourself to return to your favorite thoughts.
I used to think there was all this thinking to be done, and somebody had to do it! When I became more present and powerfully aware, I realized that’s just a story of fear and lack. There are even studies that show successful people have fewer thoughts! I’m not surprised- when I allow myself to stick with the thoughts that I love, the other thoughts (worry, lack, fear, unpleasant memories, etc.) don’t have a place in my brain- it’s too busy thinking about what I do want.
Try these three tricks and watch the power of your mind change your life in ways you never thought possible.
“There is a world within – a world of thought and feeling and power; of light and beauty, and although invisible, its forces are mighty.” -Charles Haanel
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Dr. Paul Prestwich is a college president and an expert on leadership and student success. During his extensive career in higher education, he has successfully led thousands of students and staff—as a mentor, advisor, and teacher—on their journey toward excellence.
Dr. Prestwich has had an interesting relationship with higher education. Just a year after receiving a combination of academic scholarships that gave him a “free ride” to college, his poor grades placed him on academic suspension (that’s “kicked out” to the lay person) and thus he became academically adrift. Although knocked down, he wasn’t knocked out. He switched colleges, got a new attitude (more class attendance and much less ping pong), and ultimately earned a B.A. from the University of Northern Colorado, an M.S. from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and a Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Prestwich became a university dean at age 30 and, at age 41, became one of the youngest college presidents in the nation (Northwest College in beautiful northwest Wyoming). His work experience encompasses virtually every type of college and university, including four-year and two-year, large and small, public and private, urban and rural — from community colleges to the Ivy League.
An accomplished writer, Dr. Prestwich is the author of two highly acclaimed books: Leadership Lessons You Won't Learn in the Classroom and College Success Lessons You Won't Learn in the Classroom and is co-author of the best-selling book Nothing But Net.
Because of the significant time he spends with college students, Paul understands student concerns and needs in a way few executive leaders do. One of his favorite ways to interact with students is through his popular “Pizza with the Prez” events. At his college, “Dr. P” visits every residence hall each semester—with lots of pizza and soda in hand—to sit and chat with students about their collegiate experience.
Dr. Prestwich’s talks on leadership and student success have earned rave reviews from students and staff whose lives have been changed for the better. His ability to motivate and teach—in a fun, interactive way—makes a lasting impression on students, faculty, and staff.
After seeing Dr. Prestwich in action, you’ll see why your students and staff will want him to come back to your institution time after time!
"I've known Paul for many years — he's approachable,
upbeat, and engaging. His positive attitude is contagious!"
— Ron Paul
Character Education Institute
California University of Pennsylvania
© 2013 Paul Prestwich International. All rights reserved.
PO Box 1346, Powell, WY 82435 USA | 800.697.0876 | [email protected] | <urn:uuid:43790af4-d16f-4b88-8a45-70afc18b597a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.paulprestwich.com/About-Dr--Prestwich.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972948 | 593 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Sidney Phillips was born September 2, 1924. His father, a teacher who became principal of Murphy High School in Mobile during the War, had been a 2nd lieutenant in the 145th Infantry in World War One, and had been wounded in the Argonne Forest. Phillips' best friend growing up was Eugene B. Sledge.
Phillips graduated from high school in June of 1941 and went to work with the U.S. Engineers, carrying maps between departments while saving for college. On December 8, 1941, he was just seventeen when he and a friend enlisted in the Marines. After training, Phillips was assigned to H Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines Regiment, 1st Marine Division, and taught to operate the 81 mm mortar.
In the spring of 1942 he went overseas -- first to New Zealand, and then, in August, to the Solomon Islands where he participated in the landings on Guadalcanal.
played by Ashton Holmes
Tell us what you think about HBO GO. Sign up now to participate in the HBO GO Advisory Panel to share your opinions and for a chance to be entered into HBO sweepstakes and contests. | <urn:uuid:31bbec0f-31c6-41a5-b5b8-85acd7778774> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hbo.com/the-pacific/cast-and-crew/sidney-phillips/bio/sidney-phillips.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984522 | 235 | 1.710938 | 2 |
WILKES-BARRE – The 107-year-old Irem Temple building, a historic landmark on North Franklin Street, once was Wilkes-Barre‘s primary public performance venue.
Today, the once-grand building has fallen into disrepair and has no heat, lights or electricity. But city and chamber officials are trying to save it.
During a tour by flashlight Wednesday, Ross Macarty, vice president of community development, real estate and special projects for the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry, showed that water damage has taken a toll on the deteriorating building and thieves have stolen copper and brass inside over the past two months.
The Greater Wilkes-Barre Development Corp., an arm of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry, bought the building in 2005 for $992,000, using a combination of federal, state and chamber funds. The chamber and city are seeking $2.4 million in state gaming funds to bring the building up to code and return it to use. | <urn:uuid:b9bb0bec-e06d-421a-be71-30244181803a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://roysrants.wordpress.com/tag/the-little-theatre-of-wilkes-barre/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938948 | 216 | 1.71875 | 2 |
In the atrium of Howard High School, pictures of students who have received passing scores on Advanced Placement exams during the nearly five years the school has been open hang on a wall. Its known as the AP Wall of Fame.
The effort has received plenty of attention from current and former students, said Suzanne Spaid, Howards performance learning coach.
We wanted to recognize everybody, she said. We do that with athletics. We need to bring the same level of recognition for our students who perform (academically).
AP participation at Howard High School is on the rise, mirroring statewide and national trends.
Through the AP program, students can take college-level courses while theyre in high school. If students score a 3 or better (out of a maximum of 5) on the exam at the end of each course, they can earn college credit.
In Bibb County, more than 1,100 students took 1,681 AP exams in 2012, according to data provided by the district. The year before, almost 970 students took 1,309 exams.
In Houston County, participation in AP courses has increased significantly over the past six years, according to information from Jan Jacobsen, the systems director of gifted education.
In 2006, Houston County students took 400 AP exams. By May 2012, they had taken 1,364 exams.
Houstons pass rate on AP exams is above the national average. While 53 percent of the AP exams administered across the nation in May 2012 earned passing scores, 63 percent of the exams taken by Houston County students did.
We attempt to maintain a rigorous and consistent program, Jacobsen said by e-mail. We have well-trained teachers who are thoughtful about their students and interested in their success.
State data shows 69,495 Georgia students took AP exams in 2012, a 38 percent increase over the past five years. In 2012, more than 55 percent of the 116,703 AP exams received scores that could earn college credit, up 13.5 percent from 2011.
Test scores tend to go down as student participation goes up, but a more rigorous Georgia Performance Standards curriculum, as well as teacher preparation, may have contributed to the success of students in AP courses, among other factors, said Matt Cardoza, spokesman for the Georgia Department of Education.
For nearly 10 years, Bibb County has tried to boost enrollment in AP classes, not only by recruiting top students, but also college-bound students making average grades overall but who might show aptitude or interest in certain subjects, said Tandi Pressley, Bibb Countys director of gifted education.
Every year, Bibb County also offers its students a summer AP academy, where students are exposed to the skills they need in different courses with activities such as analyzing poetry or completing a biology lab.
Regardless of whether students pass their AP exams, going through the rigor of an AP course gives students an edge, Pressley said.
Even if you dont get a 3, 4 or a 5 on your exam, we know youre going to be better prepared for college than if you had not taken that AP class, she said.
The boost at Howard specifically comes, in part, from a three-year National Math and Science Initiative grant, which has gone toward providing training for teachers, mock exams for students and Saturday study sessions.
In the 2010-11 school year -- before the grant went into effect -- 34 of 133 Howard students received passing scores in math, science and English AP courses, said Spaid, who administers the grant. The next year, the number of those who took the exams rose to 363, with 87 passing.
While participation in AP courses has climbed in Bibb County in recent years, the rate of students countywide passing AP exams remains low. In 2012, just more than 14 percent of the AP exams taken by Bibb County students received passing scores.
One factor likely hurting Bibbs pass rate is its schedule in high schools, where students may take an AP course in the fall and not take the exam until May, Pressley said.
Plans in the Macon Miracle -- the school systems effort to improve the school system -- to switch to a seven-period day would mean students would take an AP course all year. That may help improve scores, she said.
Pressley points out that with the states new College and Career Ready Performance Index, AP participation and test scores will be two of many factors considered in the measure of a schools success.
Its not going to be to a systems advantage to return to a system of cherry-picking students for AP, Pressley said.
AP courses teach students to consider different points of view and analyze documents, said Mike Davis, who teaches AP psychology at Veterans High School in Houston County.
In the course of his career, Davis has evolved his approach to teaching AP classes. At first, Davis said, he focused on teaching the facts, but hes found the learning process itself is just as valuable if not more valuable to students.
I think what Im able to do is help students see the value of the process, said Davis, whose classes have consistently achieved AP exam pass rates of more than 90 percent.
He also credits the success of Houston County students to training and support for teachers, as well as communication with parents about the programs benefits.
I honestly dont know how to better prepare a student for university or college than an AP class, Davis said.
To contact writer Andrea Castillo, call 744-4331. | <urn:uuid:ba66a2eb-e3a0-4149-9144-4ffa22327377> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.macon.com/2012/11/26/2263661/more-local-georgia-students-taking.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973301 | 1,126 | 1.65625 | 2 |
"Follow Your Bliss": Reflections on 30 Years of Photographing the Guggenheim
Put over 1,200 Artworks
in Your Pocket
Download the free Guggenheim app to explore our collection, including works by Cezanne, Van Gogh, Kandinsky, and more.
Read contributions by curators, scholars, and art historians from South and Southeast Asia.
David Heald, Director
of Photographic Services and Chief Photographer, recently completed thirty years
at the Guggenheim. To mark this milestone, Associate Web Editor Gregory Gestner
sat down with Heald to discuss his most memorable moments, favorite exhibitions,
challenges of the job, and what the future holds.
What are your main
responsibilities as Director of Photographic Services and Chief Photographer?
How has your job changed over the years?
Our main responsibility, of course, is photographing the collection. We keep extensive records that go back into film, well before my time, close to when the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation was founded in 1937.
We also document exhibitions, photograph them as they are installed, and, in many cases, photograph artworks that are on loan to us. Works that are being conserved or restored are photographed before, during, and after treatment.
Being the Guggenheim, my department has a special interest in architectural photography. We photograph the Frank Lloyd Wright building in New York often, and have created architectural views at all of the other Guggenheim sites as well. We also work on location at collectors' homes, or off-site for special books and exhibitions, such as our recent Frank Lloyd Wright retrospective, for which we shot at a number of iconic sites in Wisconsin, including Taliesin East and the Jacobs House I in Madison.
My staff consists of two other people, and we are about to hire an additional person to manage our fast-expanding database of high-resolution digital media assets. This is interesting because it reflects the extent of the ongoing digitization of our content and intellectual property, and the necessity of having a new type of staff. The whole world of digital media assets has exploded into a beast that everyone is trying to understand: how to search, how to conserve, how to maintain, how to access, how to deliver. Because we are a visual arts organization, it is essential that we pay attention to managing these assets.
What is your training, and how did you end up at the Guggenheim?
I have a bachelor's degree from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, and that's where I really got interested in creative photography. My degree is in American Studies, which for me was really a combination of photography and art history.
About a year after I graduated, I was thinking about going to graduate school for photography, but at the time it wasn't such a clear path as it is now, and an opportunity to work in the photo studio of the Cleveland Art Museum came along. I worked there for seven years. I started out in the dark rooms, printing black-and-white contact prints from 8x10 negatives of collection objects. The Cleveland Art Museum has a remarkable collection, and it was a very interesting time to be working there. The director, Sherman Lee, was a celebrity in the art world and a renown scholar of Asian art. Throughout the period I was working there, the museum was acquiring extraordinary Chinese and Japanese paintings, ancient sculpture from India, and major works from all periods of Western art. All of these amazing objects came through the photo studio. For me, it was like attending graduate school, both for the history of art, and for learning technical skills in the studio—working with large-format cameras, lighting sculpture, and all the nuts and bolts of being a museum photographer. I think my starting salary was $7,000 a year.
I was hired at the Guggenheim in 1981 as an associate photographer. The head of the department retired a few years later, I was promoted to his position.
What do you think is unique about working at the Guggenheim as opposed to other museums? Has working here informed your personal creative work?
When I was hired by the Guggenheim in 1981, in addition to my professional duties, I was also pursuing my own creative work—mostly landscapes and portraits in large-format black and white. After coming here, I became very interested in architectural photography, specifically because creating new views of the building was one of my primary responsibilities. It was new to me and was a really compelling aspect of the job. If you look at the photography studios at most of the major museums in the U.S., very few specialize in architectural shooting the way we do. Yes, of course they photograph their buildings, or the galleries and interior spaces, or when there is a renovation or an addition, but here we have a truly iconic architectural masterpiece to work with. And that's noteworthy, because it highlights what many have said, which I believe is quite true: that the most important single work of art in the Guggenheim collection—and we have some important and extraordinary works here—is the Frank Lloyd Wright building. So the Guggenheim is unique in that way.
How have changes in technology affected how you approach your job?
It's been an interesting time to be a photographer in any field. When I started out in Cleveland, we were shooting 8x10 transparencies. When I came to the Guggenheim, we were shooting smaller, 4x5 transparencies, but it was still a view camera, all film technology until the early 2000s. I think we got our first digital camera here around 1999 and we went all digital in 2005. I saw the world of film-based photography gradually disappear at the professional and then the amateur level. And that's been an incredible challenge. The photographer's work of seeing and being sensitive to light, form, and composition are still very much the same, but with the addition of the medium of digital sensors and pixels. How we're delivering, archiving, and manipulating the results have all changed rather dramatically.
What have been some
of the most challenging and memorable exhibitions to photograph?
The Nam June Paik show was a tough nut to crack. It was toward the end of his life, and it was all video art. We were not shooting digital then, and it was difficult to get the highlights of a TV screen or the detail on it that you might get with the surroundings. Digital photography has made that kind of challenge much easier.
The Art of the Motorcycle was a great project. My department was very involved shooting bikes for the catalogue. We brought in over 30 bikes owned by various collectors to the studio to photograph. When we started, we created a style of treating motorcycles as sculptures, for example, using a light, neutral background; details of significant aspects of each bike; and different views. It now seems kind of normal, but it's because of that project. Before then, motorcycle books featured a typical commercial style, with attractive young women on the bikes, a black background, etc. But after The Art of the Motorcycle, you began to see a lot of imitators of our style of photography, and you still do today.
Matthew Barney: The Cremaster Cycle was very intensive. When the artist is still alive, it becomes a collaborative process with the Guggenheim and the artist, and we get heavily involved with photographing the process of the installation, often showing the artist at work with Guggenheim staff. Most recently that has been very true for the exhibitions of Maurizio Cattelan, Cai Guo-Qiang, and Lee Ufan.
Is there a particular artist that you remember that was the most colorful or fun to work with? Most difficult?
I've had the good fortune of shooting portraits of and working with Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Raushenberg, James Rosenquist, among many others.
An artist I fondly remember working with is Ellsworth Kelly, whom I met when we worked on the catalogue for his retrospective. He is a wonderful man, and a great artist. We were photographing a number of works in his own collection at his studio in upstate New York, over a period of 4–5 days. He was very generous with his time, quite interested in the process of photography, and very particular about the details of how his work would be reproduced. He took us to lunch each day, and we had great conversations about art and being a creative artist. It was a privilege to work with him.
You photographed the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao for its opening in 1997, the results of which became a book. What was that experience like?
I think that building was a major achievement by Frank Gehry. I can still remember seeing it for the first time coming from the airport, thinking, this is just extraordinary. It has Presence. And of course, it is very photogenic. I was photographing it as construction was being completed, because we wanted the book to come out when the museum opened. There was still a lot of construction going on, and I was trying to make it look like it was finished, pristine, even though it wasn't. Not so easy. Armies of cleaning staff would come in during the day because the big Richard Serra piece was already installed, which was covered to keep out the dust, and they would mop the floors to keep the dust levels down while all this finishing and detail work went on. The exterior views were easier. There's a shot of the facade of one of the galleries from that first shoot, before they installed a gate on the ground, that I particularly like. A memorable project and moment in all ways!
In 1995, I was in Venice photographing the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, and [former director] Thomas Krens was there with Frank Gehry, holding a press conference on the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, which was under construction at the time. I finished my work, took some vacation time, and when I returned to Venice for one last night, I got a call from the director of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection: "We need you to photograph a special event tonight. Princess Diana is coming for a reception, and could you be the photographer please? You will be one of two photographers allowed in to the event." It turned out to be an intimate reception in the beautiful sculpture garden, with numerous dignitaries in attendance. Princess Diana had the most genuine and gracious smile. Tom Krens and Frank Gehry gave her a tour of the Bilbao site model. It was a totally unexpected and poignant moment as she died two years later just before the Bilbao museum opened.
What is your favorite part of the job?
As a photographer, the most interesting part is having three-dimensional objects in front of the camera as opposed to paintings or works on paper. Shooting sculpture is where you really bring your craft or skill to the table. Objects that immediately come to mind are our great early modern sculptures, which came into the collection in the 1950s—Brancusi, Calder, Giacometti—really just gorgeous, classical object photography.
And of course, shooting architectural views of the building and exhibitions have to be standouts. Those two things, and location projects such as photographing Taliesin for the Frank Lloyd Wright show. Architectural photography is my real passion, and I get to do it regularly for this remarkable institution. "Follow your bliss," as they say. It also helps to have great subject matter!
After 30 years, how do you keep seeing—and photographing—the museum in a fresh way?
I still feel there are views that we haven't quite achieved. And it's always good to refresh. When I'm photographing the building, I must say, even when I was shooting the recent John Chamberlain exhibition, I was finding views that I hadn't already done. They are often refinements on aspects that I've seen before, but it's such an extraordinary building—what keeps it fresh is that the design of the building itself is remarkable. It's almost as if you are dealing with, when you visualize all the ramps of the spiral in the rotunda and all the angles, an infinite subject. Light itself is always the key. Some views are obviously more powerful than others, and occasionally, new technology such as super-wide lenses make it possible to do really interesting views, that kind of thing . . . but I'm still discovering views, thirty years later! Which doesn't say so much about me as a photographer, but is certainly a testament to Frank Lloyd Wright. The building is a masterpiece. | <urn:uuid:baa6a404-89eb-4a6b-b6bf-ac80e196ea74> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/press-room/news/4653-30-years-of-photographing-the-guggenheim | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980561 | 2,626 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Some say Light-Sport Aircraft (LSA) are too expensive. With some topping $200,000, that rings true… in some cases. Yet more budget-friendly models are available and Oshkosh 2012 unveiled another. Now Zenith Aircraft’s kit STOL CH 750 is available as a fully-built LSA. The price? A bargain $74,900, an intro price, admittedly, but regularly it’ll still be only $84,900. By any measure, that’s a good deal. Take the intro price back to when LSA was announced in summer of 2004 and the figure would be barely over $60,000, just as most expected then.
The Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association is asking all pilots of Light-Sport Aircraft (LSA) to participate in the 34th annual General Aviation (GA) and Part 135 Activity Survey, which is used to assess aviation safety. Because of the newness of LSA, it is essential to improve the statistics, LAMA officials said, noting more participation will “reinforce the acceptable safety record of the sector.”
Randall Fishman virtually invented the electric aircraft. That’s a rather big statement, yet I stand behind it. Randall first showed a functional electric trike at Oshkosh 2007. He’s been on a tear ever since and his ULS is his present state-of-the-art, his fourth generation of electric aircraft design.
I use three words to describe ULS deliberately. [Read more...]
After three years in production and a fleet of more than 100 aircraft, the CubCrafters Carbon Cub SS Light-Sport Aircraft (LSA) is evolving for 2013.
Changes include a new cowling design, an improved cabin heat system, a new starter, and a new system voltage monitor, company officials said. New options are also being introduced, including a ground adjustable propeller from Whirl Wind, a GPS-equipped Emergency Locator Transmitter, and new amphibious floats from Aerocet, which are coming soon.
Bearhawk designer Bob Barrows — who designed the four-place Bearhawk and the two-place Bearhawk Patrol — has turned his attention to his next creation, the Bearhawk Light-Sport Aircraft (LSA).
In his blog at the Air Facts Journal, Sporty’s John Zimmerman asks pilots if the Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) rule, adopted with much fanfare in 2004 with the promise to cut the cost of flying and open up aviation to more people than ever before, has accomplished what it set out to do. Eight years later, the number of LSAs has exploded, with even giant Cessna in the game. But he notes that the dream of an airplane for less than $1000,000 hasn’t come true and that’s just the beginning of the “buts.” Check it out here and add your comment to the ongoing discussion.
The 2013 U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Florida, will bring back the food and wine tasting events for Friday and Saturday of the show.
French-based Lisa Airplanes, which is developing the amphibious Akoya, has voluntarily asked the Commercial Court of Chambery to place the company in receivership. | <urn:uuid:bd4e2660-dd34-48ee-b53b-f9e36ba8e444> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.generalaviationnews.com/tag/light-sport-aircraft/page/8/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947121 | 678 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Veterans having a tough time adjusting to college life may find help in a new tutoring program tailored specifically to their needs.
The spring semester marks the beginning of the Writing Center Tutor Corps, a new program aimed at the needs of Texas State’s veteran community. The program’s methods involve military-based techniques and workshops to assist student veterans in developing and improving writing skills, as well as transitioning into the social world of a university.
Strategies in the program include mission-oriented workshops that set specific objectives for student veterans and a more structured environment for improving writing skills.
The basis for the program spawned from the experiences of Micah Wright, Writing Center Veterans Coordinator. After serving four years in the Marine Corps, Wright attended the University of Texas-San Antonio where he discovered coming from a different discipline made it difficult to relate to the student body.
Wright’s familiarity with the disconnected lifestyle of college veterans and serving students prompted him to help them settle into a non-military atmosphere through peer assistance using military-concept programs.
“The whole mission is to bring veterans together,” Wright said. “Because military students are non-traditional, the best way to bridge the gap is to increase the veterans’ ability to adapt.”
Tutor Dean Shaffer said a critical purpose of the program is to help student veterans, as well as those currently serving in the military, complete their degrees.
“Graduation rates for veterans have been steadily declining,” Shaffer said. “They don’t feel socially active and as a result, wind up dropping out.”
Shaffer said if a student veteran makes it through the first year, their chances of graduation increase, rendering the program’s efforts vital early on in their college career. The program aims to achieve this by making the college experience a comfortable rather than unfamiliar one for veterans.
“We’re working to make it more accessible to veterans,” Shaffer said. “All the tutors have been trained in the program’s methods. So, if someone is comfortable with one tutor, they can stay with that tutor.”
The program is also working with organizations such as Veterans Alliance at Texas State in order to expand its reach among the campus community.
Jeremy Casselberry, Navy veteran and president of Veterans Alliance at Texas State, emphasized the importance of using the tutoring program and VATS to bring the serving student community together.
“We’re really helping to get the word out,” Casselberry said. “We have more than 1,100 veterans on campus. So, we’re hoping this helps get them connected with one another.” | <urn:uuid:0ceca0f2-f0b6-4453-8088-d76876faf967> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://star.txstate.edu/print/6594 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943905 | 566 | 1.804688 | 2 |
NEW YORK — The deteriorating human rights situation in China should inspire action on the part of the Chinese government and people, as well as the international community, said pro-life advocate Chen Guangcheng.
“Unfortunately, the human rights situation in China is in fact getting worse,” the blind activist warned.
“This has to garner more attention from the world,” he said. “And the United States, in particular, as a beacon of freedom, needs to play a leading role.”
In a video recorded several days before World Human Rights Day on Dec. 10, Chen detailed the human rights abuses that are still regularly occurring in his home country.
“The violence in maintaining China’s ‘one-child policy’ still extensively exists,” he said, speaking in Chinese. “It is a sin, because life is sacred.”
Chen — a self-taught human rights lawyer — made international headlines in April when he escaped from house arrest and was taken in by the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.
He has been blind since his youth, and spent years in prison after angering Chinese government officials by exposing brutal practices such as forced abortions and sterilizations tied to the nation’s one-child policy.
Chen said that he and his family had been beaten and refused medical attention during that time. He agreed to leave the U.S. Embassy only after the Chinese government promised that he would be safe and treated humanely.
However, shortly after being transported to a Beijing hospital on May 2, the pro-life activist voiced concerns that China was not keeping its promises.
After several days of heightened international attention, Chen and his immediate family were allowed to travel to the United States, where he was offered a fellowship to study law and learn English at New York University's law school.
In his latest video, Chen thanked everyone who has helped him, while also calling for increased efforts to bring real change to China.
“Today, I am standing here because I am in a free world,” he said. “Yet my family in China, as well as tens of thousands of my fellow countrymen, are still in an authoritarian regime. They are not free.”
“Citizens of the world, let your voice be heard in support of justice,” he said, calling on nations to “shift their focus from trade to human rights.”
Chen reported that the Chinese government has “enacted revenge” on his family members and friends remaining in the country.
He pointed to his nephew, Chen Kegui, who was recently sentenced to three months in jail, as well as others who have been harassed, illegally detained or have disappeared.
“The Communist Party officials at every level continue to act against the state law and humanity,” he said, adding that “no one is safe.”
Chen spoke directly to the Communist leader of China, saying, “Mr. Xi Jinping, the whole nation is watching you.” He warned Xi that his decision on whether to reform the government or simply protect the interests of the party will determine if China transforms peacefully or violently.
“Do not send out the wrong signals to party officials that they can continue acting without any restraint,” he said, urging an end to the government’s abuse of power and the release of prisoners of conscience.
Chen also spoke to the people of his countrymen, telling them that they can and should “join together to work for our own rights.”
“God helps them who help themselves,” he emphasized, calling the people of China to stand up for “a fair and just social system.”
Advocates of life and liberty in China called on world leaders to heed Chen’s message. Bob Fu, founder and president of ChinaAid, said the ongoing human rights abuses should put the international community “on alert that it is time to set a new course for human rights and trade with China.”
Reggie Littlejohn, president of Women’s Rights without Frontiers, said that the one-child policy causes “deep social unrest” in society and “is perhaps the most hated of all the official policies in China.”
“No policy this unjust can last forever,” Littlejohn said. “The leaders of the United States should join Chen in calling for a peaceful transition away from policies that are oppressing and terrorizing the people of China, who are one fifth of the population of the earth.” | <urn:uuid:bf41dcfe-b09f-45a6-8ac0-d39395ca27d5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/chinese-pro-life-activist-calls-for-reform-international-attention | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977754 | 964 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Former Foster Youth to Child Welfare System: "Don't Push Us Out, Stand Up For Us"
Each year, approximately 30,000 youth in the United States age out of care in the child welfare system without the support of family.
In 2011, Breonia (pictured above with her daughter, Armani), a former foster youth from Philadelphia, was one of those youth.
"I did not age out of foster care. I was pushed out, and too many kids are pushed out of foster care each year before they are ready. Without a real plan and support, I have struggled. As a young woman who spent many years in foster care, I am used to facing challenges, but I think the child welfare system could do much more to help us face the challenges involved in becoming an adult. Rather than pushing us out, I wish the child welfare system and those who run it would stand up for us, fight for us.
The system should show us much more tolerance, care, support, and humanity than it does. It is pretty simple: we want the court, caseworkers, and lawyers to treat us as they would their own children. The child welfare system gave up on me. To this day, the words of my caseworker at my last court hearing when my case was closed ring in my ears: 'Close her case. If she wants to be grown, let her be grown.' When you hit 18, you do want to be grown, but you need support and guidance to be a successful adult."
Breonia is a member of Juvenile Law Center's Youth Fostering Change program and Youth Speakers Bureau. She wrote this blog post as part of our series on National Foster Care Month, featuring blog posts from current and former foster youth. Read more posts in the series here.Read Less >
Shackling Youth, Strip-Searching Adults: PA Legislature Leans Forward While U.S. Supreme Court Leans Backward
Pennsylvania just took a giant step forward with respect to its treatment of youth in the juvenile justice system while the United States Supreme Court recently took a giant step backwards in declaring the strip searching of adults—arrested and detained for even the most minor offenses—a valid practice under our Constitution.
In Pennsylvania, one of the last pieces of legislative reform emerging from the Luzerne County juvenile court judges' scandal fell into place this week. Governor Tom Corbett signed Senate Bill 817 into law, prohibiting the shackling of children in juvenile court unless there are extreme or exceptional circumstances. The law, sponsored by Senator Lisa Baker (R-20), reinforces a juvenile court rule adopted last year by Pennsylvania's Supreme Court.
In a dis-similar vein, the U.S. Supreme Court recently rejected a challenge to routine strip searches of adults. Like shackling, routine strip searches, without probable cause, are an affront to human dignity.Read Less >
New National Standards Protect Youth From Sexual Abuse in Jails and Prisons
Good news from the Department of Justice (DOJ): In accordance with the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003, the DOJ has released a final rule to prevent sexual abuse in prisons and jails that sets national standards to protect incarcerated youth. Two key standards: Youth will be prevented from being housed with adult inmates and from having unsupervised contact with adult inmates in common spaces.
Last year, when this rule was not yet finalized and open to comment, Juvenile Law Center and other advocacy organizations submitted public comments that suggested ways to better protect youth in correctional settings. Many of these suggestions were included in the final rule.Read Less >
Newly Introduced Legislation Would Allow Child Welfare Agencies to Help Foster Youth Succeed in School
The bipartisan Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth—which includes Juvenile Law Center Supervising Attorney Jessica Feierman, co-chair of the Caucus' policy committee—recently introduced the Access to Papers Leads to Uninterrupted Scholars (A+ PLUS) Act of 2012. If implemented, this Act would allow child welfare agencies to help foster youth succeed in school.
Currently, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) unintentionally hinders the educational success of students in foster care by creating a barrier between school records and child welfare agencies. Without access to a student's records, those agencies are limited in their ability to advocate for the youth's educational success. The A+ PLUS Act would rectify this situation by granting child welfare agencies direct access to school records for youth in care.Read Less > | <urn:uuid:64587f10-0393-4194-9298-9ff0d914e842> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://jlc.org/news-room/newsletters/2012-05 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957163 | 922 | 1.78125 | 2 |
Article by Mark S. Smith
The Whitehouse Big Dig is finally wrapping up, but the Big Reveal is proving to be a pretty big letdown.
After nearly two years and $86 million worth of noisy and disruptive construction, the West Wing has emerged from its visual seclusion remarkably unchanged. And deep underground, whatever has been built there remains shrouded in mystery.
Plus, if you ask what the next phase is in this massive, four-year project, the official answer is "TBD" to be determined.
The construction project officially a long overdue upgrade of White House utilities began in September 2010 with the excavation of a huge, multistory pit in front of the West Wing, wrapping around to include West Executive Avenue, the street that separates the White House from the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. A tall, green construction fence sprang up that blocked Americas most famous office complex from public view.
But now the fence has come down, revealing the familiar whitewashed sandstone facade and the lone Marine guard who stands watch at the entrance to the West Wing lobby.
Bulldozers have covered up the hole. Contractors have repaved the asphalt driveway. National Park Service crews are mostly finished re-grading, re-sodding and replanting. Their goal has been to return the area to its original appearance.
So what, exactly, did all the digging, hammering, welding and concrete-pouring accomplish?
The General Services Administration, which oversaw the work, said it was to replace aging water and steam lines, sewers, storm sewers and electrical wiring conduits. Heating, air conditioning and fire control equipment also are being updated, officials said.
However, what reporters and photographers saw during the construction appeared to go well beyond that: a sprawling, multistory structure whose underground assembly required truckload after truckload of heavy-duty concrete and steel beams.
The GSA maintains this structure is merely "facilitating" the utility work. But neither the agency nor the administration will elaborate on its function. Last year, when the project began, GSA officials denied the construction was for additional office space or another bomb shelter. The existing White House bunker, known as the Presidential Emergency Operations Center, is under the East Wing and dates to the Roosevelt administration.
The GSA went to great lengths to keep the work secret, not only putting up the fence around the excavation site but ordering subcontractors not to talk to anyone and to tape over company info on trucks pulling into the White House gates.
Meantime, for most of those who work in the West Wing, the project has been a huge headache. Sometimes literally.
Its meant shouting to be heard over jackhammers and backhoes, and long walks on arching ramps to circumvent the extensive work zone. The GSA even built a temporary concrete-and-steel platform to elevate TV reporters and their cameras so the White House North Portico could still be seen over the fence. The platform, like the fence, is now gone. And no ones happier than West Wing denizens whose windows were blocked off.
Read the full article at: news.yahoo.com | <urn:uuid:ab5e8f3c-320a-458e-84f7-0f52e0c4d287> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.informedia.info/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949905 | 644 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Members of Parliament yesterday said the prevailing land conflicts cannot be properly addressed without revisiting the country’s fundamental law.
Contributing to the 2011/12 Ministry of Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development budget debate legislators said the escalating land conflicts are fueled by the prevailing legal framework which considers land as an asset of the state and not individuals.
They said this loophole creates an environment for land officers and other government officials to steal land from wananchi and sell it to wealthy people so called investors.
Israel Natse (Karatu, Chadema) proposed that land ownership in Tanzania should have a special place in the constitution, saying that such a strategy would help save people’s land from the grabbers.
Bad contracts entered between the government and investors on land also fueled land conflicts in the country, he said, adding that the government can not escape blame.
The signing of land contracts between the government and investors without involving the communities living around the area given to investors according to Natse, is a mistake that needs to be rectified.
Rev Natse cautioned the government that the current land grabbing trend, which goes in the name of attracting investors, would turn majority of the rural population landless. Should this happen, many people would become slaves in their own land.
Suzan Kiwanga (Special Seats, Chadema) noted that only one per cent of the country’s land has been surveyed since independence, adding that in this situation the public and government should not expect land conflicts to scale down.
Ezekia Wenje (Nyamagana, Chadema) said favouring investors in the allocation of land was a ‘smart move’ to bring back the settlers who were chased away after independence.
“By bringing the settlers back in the name of attracting investors we are bringing back colonial rule,” Wenje observed.
The opposition lawmaker said the same policy that failed in Zimbabwe, prompting President Robert Mugabe to forcefully take over farms belonging to whites is now being implemented in Tanzania.
Supporting the proposal to make land ownership a constitutional matter, Vincent Nyerere (Musoma Urban, Chadema) said in so doing it would make it easy for members of the public to get bank loans.
Halima Mdee (Kawe, Chadema) called upon the government to implement the recommendations made by the commission formed William Lukuvi, a former Regional Commissioner on land grabbing in Dar es Salaam.
Speaking on the controversial land agreement between Mpanda District Council and a US-based investor - Agrisol Energy LLC, the outspoken MP said the contract was the worst case of land grabbing in the country.
She also said the ministry has yet to settle the long outstanding land compensation to nearly 2000 Kwembe villagers who were asked to move out to allow the construction of Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) campus.
She noted that the villagers have for the last four years not been allowed to do any farming on the land.
Sylivester Koka (Kibaha, CCM) called upon the government to review the present land laws and procedures to be followed in allocating land to investors saying this is necessary after land, village officers and planners have turned into the biggest violators of the same.
During the debate, many MPs complained of existence of land conflicts in their constituencies, a problem they attributed to bad contracts entered between government officers and investors on one hand and poor compensation to wananchi. | <urn:uuid:5861e535-6834-44d3-b5d4-cf3f6bafba86> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ippmedia.com/frontend/index.php/&tfww.ripAti./KIKX0Dnx/www/ds.ofrend/ondex.phelivery/frontend/functions/send_email.php?l=32344 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951881 | 722 | 1.84375 | 2 |
Could Wednesday's proposed cease-fire signal the end of Syria's nearly two-year civil war, or is it just more talk?
The Syrian regime has agreed "in principle" to a cease-fire, the United Nations' special envoy to the country said Wednesday.
But rebels fighting to oust President Bashar al-Assad are skeptical. They want to know if it's just another case of second verse, same as the first.
A cease-fire in April barely lasted a day before bodies started falling again. In total, more than 32,000 Syrians have died since the conflict began in March 2011, anti-al-Assad groups say.
This time, the proposal to lay down weapons would cover the Eid al-Adha holiday, U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi said.
Starting Friday and lasting several days, Muslims around the world will celebrate the end of the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.
In his office in Cairo on Wednesday, Brahimi said he'd just returned from a trip to the Syrian capital, Damascus, where commanders told him they "agree on the principle of a cease-fire."
But there's been no formal statement from al-Assad's office, though it ha promised one Thursday.
Brahimi gave no details on the cease-fire proposal. But France's ambassador to gave vague details after a Security Council meeting. After getting an official response from the Syrian government, the United Nations wants shelling in neighborhoods to stop, Gérard Araud said.
If that holds for three days, Araud said, the long-term goal is "to transform this truce into an enduring cease-fire."
But, clearly, for the cease-fire to work, the Free Syrian Army has to abide by it.
The Free Syrian Army is a loosely organized group of men fighting al-Assad's well-armed forces, and they haven't given a united statement that they would agree.
However, a self-described deputy commander said Wednesday that there's pretty much no chance the rebels will trust the Syrian government.
"We don't think the regime is serious with agreeing to the cease-fire, since more than 200 people are martyred every day by the government's forces," Malek Kurdi said.
It's foolish to expect a total cease-fire, said Aram Nerguizian, a Middle East expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. Killing is going to continue sporadically, he said. A cease-fire in this context is about a larger goal of getting most rebel brigades and al-Assad forces to temporarily stop or reduce the killing.
The Syrian government, he said, is probably angling for some breathing room.
"They could have a process here to re-engage with major international players who've sought to isolate them," Nerguizian said. "This war could go as long as 2020, so why not give themselves a few days?"
In New York, U.N. Security Council members talked via teleconference with Brahimi. Many said they supported a cease-fire but were not optimistic that it would work.
The German ambassador said that Brahimi painted a "dire and dramatic" view of Syria and that Germany would do everything it could to support a cease-fire. But Peter Whittig said it's important to be "cautious and realistic."
Russia and China have longstanding trade partnerships with Syria and have been accused of favoring the al-Assad regime. Both have repeatedly vetoed attempts in the Security Council to take tougher action against the Syrian government. | <urn:uuid:3fb05ee8-e614-4599-9008-42a690261805> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.news4jax.com/news/Syria-cease-fire-Could-it-really-happen/-/475880/17109292/-/3chptnz/-/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972508 | 737 | 1.796875 | 2 |
“On the evidence of current events, this ‘socially constituted,’ hierarchically regimented, dogmatically policed, and clerically asphyxiated community called church increasingly signifies hurt and pain for some people of God on account of their vulnerability, silence and intimidation for others on account of their honest engagement in the venerable task of fides quarens intellectum, and exclusion and marginalization for many, very many, on account of their gender, race, or social location. I contend that these multiple degrees of exclusion and polarization stultify the pivotal claim of Vatican II regarding ecclesial sacramentality as a sign of communion with God among women and men.” African Jesuit Fr. Agbonkhianmeghe Orobater at the 2012 meeting of the Catholic Theological Society of America June 8 in St. Louis, Missouri.
"What is happening here is that the pope and the Vatican are more and more defending the idea of a remnant church -- a small and pure church that sees itself often in opposition to the world around it." Fr. Charles E. Curran, Elizabeth Scurlock University Professor of Christian Ethics at Southern Methodist University, commenting on the Vatican's condemnation of Sr. Margaret Farley's book, Just Love. | <urn:uuid:7231bf79-f17c-4375-8601-a6e4a963084c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.votf.org/featured/17938 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937413 | 257 | 1.53125 | 2 |
You Don't Have to Fuck People Over to Survive collects many of Tobocman's most enduring images in a powerhouse assemblage that cuts right to the heart of 1980s activism. All the high (and low) points are there: the imprisonment of Mumia Abu-Jamal; the rise of Reaganomics; the struggle against apartheid; the Miami Race Riots; and, of course, the turf wars that dominated the city of New York, as activists and low-income families alike demanded their rights to the city's abandoned buildings.
Now available in a brand-new twentieth anniversary edition, this stunning and candid portrait of a decade of struggle to preserve basic human rights and build a better world is sure to appeal to a new generation of activists ready to demand the right to the city, and worthy of a place on the shelf of every historian of urban struggle.
Includes a new introduction by arts activist and historian Alan W. Moore.
"Seth is an equal-opportunity offender of the powerful—the rich, the complacent winners, the gentrifiers, and especially those whose positions and attainments rest on violence, past and present.... This book is a new edition of a long out-of-print Seth publication from the 1980s, published when he was just thirty years old. It is a subjective document of the extraordinary furies unleashed on the left as the promises of the '60s and '70s were forgotten in a wave of reaction presided over by the smiling actor president, Ronald Reagan.... Every story Seth draws is an incitement. His characters are driven through misery and despair to the moment of decision when they push back, or stand up. That moment—of 'politicization,' 'taking a stand,' 'fighting back,' whatever one names it, and whatever the reason—is key in human psychology, an acupuncture point in the body politic." —From the Introduction by Alan W. Moore
"I repeatedly tried to get more of Tobocman's work onto our pages, but it was deemed too radical. Tobocman wont compromise his principles for money or fashion." —Jerelle Kraus, former art director at the New York Times
"This book changed my life, for real! I had made art before, but Seth Tobocman showed me that you can make simple, black and white graphics that work like a chainsaw, cutting through the bullshit and laying bare the capitalist system. The political graphics in this book are some of the most reproduced ever. Seth is a genius, and by bragging rights his should be a household name." —Josh Macphee, co-editor of Realizing the Impossible and member of the Justseeds Artists' Cooperative | <urn:uuid:9da5564f-5b78-43d0-9997-ce3bd89fb208> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.atomicbooks.com/index.php/comics/graphic-novels/you-dont-fuck-people-survive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949023 | 549 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Posted: October 2, 2012 Filed under: Features | Tags: cms, floods, n0tice, news, noticeboards, wordpress
Thankfully the images haven’t been of incidents with such deadly consequences as those on the BridportNoticeboard a couple of months ago but the recent extreme weather conditions have prompted plenty of noticing over the past week as flooding drifts down the country.
Here’s a selection of images which caught our eye.
These image reports were compiled into this blog post using the ‘embed’ function available to all users at the top of every post on n0tice.com. This function means that any content can be easily shared in platforms such as WordPress or editorial content management systems and the attribution of the content creator remains in tact.
Lifeboat rescues stricken yacht
Latest flooding news for Richmond
Posted: July 10, 2012 Filed under: Features | Tags: bridport, flooding, floods, hyperlocal, n0tice, noticeboard, rain, weather
Stephen Banks photo by Henley Bailey
Bridport in Dorset is one of those places in the UK badly hit by torrential rain, Stephen Banks AKA the DorsetScouser used his noticeboard to let people know what was happening and ended up becoming the focus for the town’s flood coverage. His images have been promoted by ITV, the site has had tens of thousands of views and received picture contributions from across the town. Karen Strunks found out more
The noticeboard has been set up for eight months now, so it was already relatively established and I was confident that n0tice.com
would be the best way to share all sorts of media, in the event of a big news story. Experiments with embedding images, video and tweets all worked really well to create a media-rich news report which could link together different reports from different sources. One day, I accidentally pasted the link to a tweet and, to my surprise and delight, n0tice automatically generated a nicely designed tweet box.
I was actually out of Bridport when the first few news reports started coming in – my colleage at Watershed PR, Sara, said that I should get out of bed and start reporting on Bridport n0tice. I was awake, just away from my computer! Jonathan got the ball rolling with some excellent tweets, which can be seen at the bottom of this report
. He had reported on floods in Bridport when he was working for the BBC, but he tells me that he’d never seen anything like this before – the situation was getting worse by the minute with rising water and spreading areas of flooding.
Bridport Floods by Charlie Ward
The Bridport n0tice board attracted other contributors. How do you think this happened and how did it enhance the reportage of the flood?
Like myself, there seem to be quite a few local people who are interested in reporting news as it happens. I think it is in everyone’s interest to try and help people out in times of need, so people exposed to Bridport n0tice wanted to help out. I’ve already sat down with a few people and chatted with them on how n0tice works and the basic mechanic of putting something on there.
Alongside the massive traffic to the page was a huge influx of new locals visiting the Bridport n0tice Facebook page
. Updates on here directed people to the relevant reports on n0tice (the flooding as it happened, the day after cleanup report and Beaminster Tunnel closing). Most people interacting with the Facebook page were posting their own content, which I then curated and re-posted onto n0tice, but a few, such as Tim Harrap and Josh Kelly, contributed their own updates. It was handy for them to do that, but a little training may be required, as Josh was initially posting new reports for every image, rather than updating the main report. But overall, the reporting was enhanced by others contributing.
How did ITV get involved?
Bridport n0tice contributor Charlie Ward
had his photos published on ITV Meridian’s website
; I’m not sure if these were pushed by the n0tice report, but the first image was certainly the one that I remember most, as it was quite early in the day and shows the picture in Burton Bradstock pretty well.
Your n0ticeboard had over 20,000 page views in 24 hours. What do you think this tells us about the importance of responsive hyperlocal news?
The sheer volume of visits did take me by surprise, but we at Watershed PR
know that there is an enormous hunger for local news information when a big event happens. Whilst the big international news entities such as ITV and BBC were focusing on Devon (which had flooding, but not as bad or as widespread as Dorset) and obviously had a large number of people looking at their stories, Bridport’s hyperlocal n0tice page had a different sort of success, with a very large number of local people looking at tailored local news. The great thing about using n0tice and the connected Facebook page is that I could be agile, finding the very latest photos and videos in seconds, rather than being a large media group which I’ve found can sometimes be quite slow moving. Although it was time consuming, I had complete control over what was put on the n0tice page, and a few simple search terms on Twitter and keeping an eye out on local friends’ Facebook pages was all I needed to get the ball rolling with accurate, quick and impacting reporting.
Watershed isn’t in the business of trying to compete with local media – they’re essential for many of our clients to get news stories out there. But local news reporting is something we’re passionate about. n0tice seems to be a great platform and we really hope that more people nationally (and internationally) pick it up and run with it.
You can see Bridport’s n0ticeboard here and read more about the background to it here. If you see a n0tice board that you think should be featured, get in touch with [email protected] | <urn:uuid:408683d7-30fb-44f3-814f-4b1a4b032186> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://about.n0tice.com/tags/floods/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976113 | 1,310 | 1.773438 | 2 |
Massimo Fiorido Associatia + sundaymorning have completed Pinewood of Marina.
The house is located in Tuscany, Italy and was completed in 2008.
Pinewood of Marina by Massimo Fiorido Associati + sundaymorning:
“The pinewood of Marina di Castagneto Carducci was born early last century as a result of a process of reclamation of the coastal dune belt. In the late Fifties architect Giancarlo De Carlo draw up an urban development characterized by the large presence of the landscape, in which buildings, surrounded by dunes dotted with pines, oaks and myrtles, with strong character and individuality are connected by paths that follow the free conformation of the landscape.
The consequence of this, but especially because a rapid process of tissue development built since the Sixties, is the heterogeneity of the architectural presence: buildings realized with quality, often characterized by the use of stone walls as an expressive character, with formal features that often do not disdain to look at the best Italian and European experiences of the Fifties, are counterbalanced by buildings of little value, inconsistent in their morphological and decorative devices, often the result of successive transformations and uncertain.
The work presented here was created by the occasion of a renovation of a summer residence built in the Mid-Sixties. The poor architectural quality of the existing building is an opportunity to think about the quality of the landscape in which the building stands on a sand dune, surrounded by pine trees located in singular points, often very close to the walls.
The project outlines a double perspective: on one hand the need to find a synthesis between the nature of the building – although still to be discovered – and the morphological and color values of the place where it is located, the other hand the desire to place the character of the interior in keeping with a trend made of comfort, domesticity, appropriateness. All this applies especially in the modulation of light and views, to the extent and shape of spaces, in the discretion of the materials.
A longitudinal ideal director, through the whole building, allowing you to find a convergence between two significant operational aspects: firstly, the redefinition of the internal space, which translates into a sequence of rooms through closely related to each other and with the landscape surrounding, and secondly the identification of the character of the building in a new morphology, at the same time natural and archetypal, finding in the horizontal sediment a new expressive character.
From these thoughts descend the criterion of remodeling openings in the building: almost all different but built taking into account both the sequence of the interior, the relationship between the room and the external balance, the relationship mass-punching of the building. This is especially evident in the large dining-room window, at the end of successive openings of the same size, framing a view of the dune landscape. The emergence of the archetypal character of the intervention is manifested in the morphology of the new shape, which highlights the double-pitched roof and a certain compact terminals in the two fronts – but mitigating these formal features in the central, predominantly horizontal. The material used for the exterior, a travertine marble, helps to read the morphology of the building as a result of an ideal unit mass made of different sediments, giving further color consonance with the surrounding landscape.
The limited range of materials – travertine marble cladding also present in the interior, plaster, teak wood, used to give continuity to the horizontal planes inside and out – helps to make a presence in the pinewood grove that thrives on a refined ambiguity: while providing a comfortable refuge from the outside world, both within himself introduces the landscape that surrounds it.”
Photos by: Fabio Candido
Click any photo to see a larger image - Use buttons or j/k/arrow keys to navigate through the articles | <urn:uuid:c1724d5c-d715-4d69-b6aa-12ee61e1594c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.homedsgn.com/2012/08/28/pinewood-of-marina-by-massimo-fiorido-associati-sundaymorning/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952088 | 802 | 1.664063 | 2 |
barbae (razor bumps), dermatosis papulosa nigra, and vitiligo — Crutchfield is able to leverage his expertise into business success. He has spent more than $100,000 of his own funds on DNA-based research to develop the treatment for psoriasis and is in preliminary discussions with his partners to offer patients a percentage of the profits from the research and development of biological medicine based on their participation. “Eventually [the investment] should come back to us as we sell our patent rights,” he says. “I look at it as an investment in something that might have a lucrative benefit — it’s a win for the patients, a win for the drug companies, and it’s good for the practice.”
Crutchfield received his medical degree and a master’s degree in molecular biology from the Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Medicine and is currently a clinical associate professor of dermatology at the University of Minnesota Medical School. | <urn:uuid:bdd79797-73bf-4b1a-b3b4-59f8472a27d7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.blackenterprise.com/mag/cracking-the-genomics-code/4/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98048 | 207 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Bachelor of Arts in Education Studies, Brown University
Kara has been involved in the field of youth education for more than six years. As a student-teacher in a charter school in Jackson Heights, she worked with students in English Language Arts classrooms to foster critical thinking skills and to develop writing style. In the 11th grade classroom at that school, Kara helped students improve their college admissions essays. Kara comes from an extensive background in informal education. Serving as the director of a summer camp for two summers, she created a curriculum and compiled resource binders to support the camp's educational programming. Additionally, Kara has done research on positive, non-punitive discipline at an afterschool program in Providence, RI. | <urn:uuid:0df67c6c-ed28-430b-b1c9-b34383fc227d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bellcurves.com/teacher-profile/kara-segal | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959599 | 144 | 1.804688 | 2 |
The President of the United States
in the name of The Congress
takes pleasure in presenting the
Medal of Honor
WARD, CALVIN JOHN
Rank and Organization: Private, U.S. Army,
Company D, 117th Infantry, 30th Division. Place and Date: Near Estrees, France, 8
October 1918. Entered Service At: Morristown, Tenn. Born: October 1898,
Green County, Tenn. G. O. No.: 16, W.D., 1919.
During an advance, Pvt. Ward's company was held up by a machinegun, which was enfilading
the line. Accompanied by a noncommissioned officer, he advanced against this post and
succeeded in reducing the nest by killing 3 and capturing 7 of the enemy and their guns. | <urn:uuid:3a3e04e8-cd8f-4cae-b92a-4e98d10b080a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.homeofheroes.com/moh/citations_1918_wwi/ward.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955031 | 175 | 1.59375 | 2 |
But my first night in the hunters' steerage was also my last. Next day Johansen, the new mate, was routed from the cabin by Wolf Larsen, and sent into the steerage to sleep thereafter, while I took possession of the tiny cabin state-room, which, on the first day of the voyage, had already had two occupants. The reason for this change was quickly learned by the hunters, and became the cause of a deal of grumbling on their part. It seemed that Johansen, in his sleep, lived over each night the events of the day. His incessant talking and shouting and bellowing of orders had been too much for Wolf Larsen, who had accordingly foisted the nuisance upon his hunters.
After a sleepless night, I arose weak and in agony, to hobble through my second day on the Ghost. Thomas Mugridge routed me out at half-past five, much in the fashion that Bill Sykes must have routed out his dog; but Mr. Mugridge's brutality to me was paid back in kind and with interest. The unnecessary noise he made (I had lain wide-eyed the whole night) must have awakened one of the hunters; for a heavy shoe whizzed through the semi-darkness, and Mr. Mugridge, with a sharp howl of pain, humbly begged everybody's pardon. Later on, in the galley, I noticed that his ear was bruised and swollen. It never went entirely back to its normal shape, and was called a "cauliflower ear" by the sailors.
The day was filled with miserable variety. I had taken my dried clothes down from the galley the night before, and the first thing I did was to exchange the cook's garments for them. I looked for my purse. In addition to some small change (and I have a good memory for such things), it had contained one hundred and eighty- five dollars in gold and paper. The purse I found, but its contents, with the exception of the small silver, had been abstracted. I spoke to the cook about it, when I went on deck to take up my duties in the galley, and though I had looked forward to a surly answer, I had not expected the belligerent harangue that I received.
"Look 'ere, 'Ump," he began, a malicious light in his eyes and a snarl in his throat; "d'ye want yer nose punched? If you think I'm a thief, just keep it to yerself, or you'll find 'ow bloody well mistyken you are. Strike me blind if this ayn't gratitude for yer! 'Ere you come, a pore mis'rable specimen of 'uman scum, an' I tykes yer into my galley an' treats yer 'ansom, an' this is wot I get for it. Nex' time you can go to 'ell, say I, an' I've a good mind to give you what-for anyw'y."
So saying, he put up his fists and started for me. To my shame be it, I cowered away from the blow and ran out the galley door. What else was I to do? Force, nothing but force, obtained on this brute-ship. Moral suasion was a thing unknown. Picture it to yourself: a man of ordinary stature, slender of build, and with weak, undeveloped muscles, who has lived a peaceful, placid life, and is unused to violence of any sort - what could such a man possibly do? There was no more reason that I should stand and face these human beasts than that I should stand and face an infuriated bull.
So I thought it out at the time, feeling the need for vindication and desiring to be at peace with my conscience. But this vindication did not satisfy. Nor, to this day can I permit my manhood to look back upon those events and feel entirely exonerated. The situation was something that really exceeded rational formulas for conduct and demanded more than the cold conclusions of reason. When viewed in the light of formal logic, there is not one thing of which to be ashamed; but nevertheless a shame rises within me at the recollection, and in the pride of my manhood I feel that my manhood has in unaccountable ways been smirched and sullied.
All of which is neither here nor there. The speed with which I ran from the galley caused excruciating pain in my knee, and I sank down helplessly at the break of the poop. But the Cockney had not pursued me.
"Look at 'im run! Look at 'im run!" I could hear him crying. "An' with a gyme leg at that! Come on back, you pore little mamma's darling. I won't 'it yer; no, I won't."
I came back and went on with my work; and here the episode ended for the time, though further developments were yet to take place. I set the breakfast-table in the cabin, and at seven o'clock waited on the hunters and officers. The storm had evidently broken during the night, though a huge sea was still running and a stiff wind blowing. Sail had been made in the early watches, so that the Ghost was racing along under everything except the two topsails and the flying jib. These three sails, I gathered from the conversation, were to be set immediately after breakfast. I learned, also, that Wolf Larsen was anxious to make the most of the storm, which was driving him to the south-west into that portion of the sea where he expected to pick up with the north-east trades. It was before this steady wind that he hoped to make the major portion of the run to Japan, curving south into the tropics and north again as he approached the coast of Asia.
After breakfast I had another unenviable experience. When I had finished washing the dishes, I cleaned the cabin stove and carried the ashes up on deck to empty them. Wolf Larsen and Henderson were standing near the wheel, deep in conversation. The sailor, Johnson, was steering. As I started toward the weather side I saw him make a sudden motion with his head, which I mistook for a token of recognition and good-morning. In reality, he was attempting to warn me to throw my ashes over the lee side. Unconscious of my blunder, I passed by Wolf Larsen and the hunter and flung the ashes over the side to windward. The wind drove them back, and not only over me, but over Henderson and Wolf Larsen. The next instant the latter kicked me, violently, as a cur is kicked. I had not realized there could be so much pain in a kick. I reeled away from him and leaned against the cabin in a half-fainting condition. Everything was swimming before my eyes, and I turned sick. The nausea overpowered me, and I managed to crawl to the side of the vessel. But Wolf Larsen did not follow me up. Brushing the ashes from his clothes, he had resumed his conversation with Henderson. Johansen, who had seen the affair from the break of the poop, sent a couple of sailors aft to clean up the mess.
Later in the morning I received a surprise of a totally different sort. Following the cook's instructions, I had gone into Wolf Larsen's state-room to put it to rights and make the bed. Against the wall, near the head of the bunk, was a rack filled with books. I glanced over them, noting with astonishment such names as Shakespeare, Tennyson, Poe, and De Quincey. There were scientific works, too, among which were represented men such as Tyndall, Proctor, and Darwin. Astronomy and physics were represented, and I remarked Bulfinch's AGE OF FABLE, Shaw's HISTORY OF ENGLISH AND AMERICAN LITERATURE, and Johnson's NATURAL HISTORY in two large volumes. Then there were a number of grammars, such as Metcalf's, and Reed and Kellogg's; and I smiled as I saw a copy of THE DEAN'S ENGLISH.
I could not reconcile these books with the man from what I had seen of him, and I wondered if he could possibly read them. But when I came to make the bed I found, between the blankets, dropped apparently as he had sunk off to sleep, a complete Browning, the Cambridge Edition. It was open at "In a Balcony," and I noticed, here and there, passages underlined in pencil. Further, letting drop the volume during a lurch of the ship, a sheet of paper fell out. It was scrawled over with geometrical diagrams and calculations of some sort.
It was patent that this terrible man was no ignorant clod, such as one would inevitably suppose him to be from his exhibitions of brutality. At once he became an enigma. One side or the other of his nature was perfectly comprehensible; but both sides together were bewildering. I had already remarked that his language was excellent, marred with an occasional slight inaccuracy. Of course, in common speech with the sailors and hunters, it sometimes fairly bristled with errors, which was due to the vernacular itself; but in the few words he had held with me it had been clear and correct.
This glimpse I had caught of his other side must have emboldened me, for I resolved to speak to him about the money I had lost.
"I have been robbed," I said to him, a little later, when I found him pacing up and down the poop alone.
"Sir," he corrected, not harshly, but sternly.
"I have been robbed, sir," I amended.
"How did it happen?" he asked.
Then I told him the whole circumstance, how my clothes had been left to dry in the galley, and how, later, I was nearly beaten by the cook when I mentioned the matter.
He smiled at my recital. "Pickings," he concluded; "Cooky's pickings. And don't you think your miserable life worth the price? Besides, consider it a lesson. You'll learn in time how to take care of your money for yourself. I suppose, up to now, your lawyer has done it for you, or your business agent."
I could feel the quiet sneer through his words, but demanded, "How can I get it back again?"
"That's your look-out. You haven't any lawyer or business agent now, so you'll have to depend on yourself. When you get a dollar, hang on to it. A man who leaves his money lying around, the way you did, deserves to lose it. Besides, you have sinned. You have no right to put temptation in the way of your fellow-creatures. You tempted Cooky, and he fell. You have placed his immortal soul in jeopardy. By the way, do you believe in the immortal soul?"
His lids lifted lazily as he asked the question, and it seemed that the deeps were opening to me and that I was gazing into his soul. But it was an illusion. Far as it might have seemed, no man has ever seen very far into Wolf Larsen's soul, or seen it at all, - of this I am convinced. It was a very lonely soul, I was to learn, that never unmasked, though at rare moments it played at doing so.
"I read immortality in your eyes," I answered, dropping the "sir," - an experiment, for I thought the intimacy of the conversation warranted it.
He took no notice. "By that, I take it, you see something that is alive, but that necessarily does not have to live for ever."
"I read more than that," I continued boldly.
"Then you read consciousness. You read the consciousness of life that it is alive; but still no further away, no endlessness of life."
How clearly he thought, and how well he expressed what he thought! From regarding me curiously, he turned his head and glanced out over the leaden sea to windward. A bleakness came into his eyes, and the lines of his mouth grew severe and harsh. He was evidently in a pessimistic mood.
"Then to what end?" he demanded abruptly, turning back to me. "If I am immortal - why?"
I halted. How could I explain my idealism to this man? How could I put into speech a something felt, a something like the strains of music heard in sleep, a something that convinced yet transcended utterance?
"What do you believe, then?" I countered.
"I believe that life is a mess," he answered promptly. "It is like yeast, a ferment, a thing that moves and may move for a minute, an hour, a year, or a hundred years, but that in the end will cease to move. The big eat the little that they may continue to move, the strong eat the weak that they may retain their strength. The lucky eat the most and move the longest, that is all. What do you make of those things?"
He swept his am in an impatient gesture toward a number of the sailors who were working on some kind of rope stuff amidships.
"They move, so does the jelly-fish move. They move in order to eat in order that they may keep moving. There you have it. They live for their belly's sake, and the belly is for their sake. It's a circle; you get nowhere. Neither do they. In the end they come to a standstill. They move no more. They are dead."
"They have dreams," I interrupted, "radiant, flashing dreams - "
"Of grub," he concluded sententiously.
"And of more - "
"Grub. Of a larger appetite and more luck in satisfying it." His voice sounded harsh. There was no levity in it. "For, look you, they dream of making lucky voyages which will bring them more money, of becoming the mates of ships, of finding fortunes - in short, of being in a better position for preying on their fellows, of having all night in, good grub and somebody else to do the dirty work. You and I are just like them. There is no difference, except that we have eaten more and better. I am eating them now, and you too. But in the past you have eaten more than I have. You have slept in soft beds, and worn fine clothes, and eaten good meals. Who made those beds? and those clothes? and those meals? Not you. You never made anything in your own sweat. You live on an income which your father earned. You are like a frigate bird swooping down upon the boobies and robbing them of the fish they have caught. You are one with a crowd of men who have made what they call a government, who are masters of all the other men, and who eat the food the other men get and would like to eat themselves. You wear the warm clothes. They made the clothes, but they shiver in rags and ask you, the lawyer, or business agent who handles your money, for a job."
"But that is beside the matter," I cried.
"Not at all." He was speaking rapidly now, and his eyes were flashing. "It is piggishness, and it is life. Of what use or sense is an immortality of piggishness? What is the end? What is it all about? You have made no food. Yet the food you have eaten or wasted might have saved the lives of a score of wretches who made the food but did not eat it. What immortal end did you serve? or did they? Consider yourself and me. What does your boasted immortality amount to when your life runs foul of mine? You would like to go back to the land, which is a favourable place for your kind of piggishness. It is a whim of mine to keep you aboard this ship, where my piggishness flourishes. And keep you I will. I may make or break you. You may die to-day, this week, or next month. I could kill you now, with a blow of my fist, for you are a miserable weakling. But if we are immortal, what is the reason for this? To be piggish as you and I have been all our lives does not seem to be just the thing for immortals to be doing. Again, what's it all about? Why have I kept you here? - "
"Because you are stronger," I managed to blurt out.
"But why stronger?" he went on at once with his perpetual queries. "Because I am a bigger bit of the ferment than you? Don't you see? Don't you see?"
"But the hopelessness of it," I protested.
"I agree with you," he answered. "Then why move at all, since moving is living? Without moving and being part of the yeast there would be no hopelessness. But, - and there it is, - we want to live and move, though we have no reason to, because it happens that it is the nature of life to live and move, to want to live and move. If it were not for this, life would be dead. It is because of this life that is in you that you dream of your immortality. The life that is in you is alive and wants to go on being alive for ever. Bah! An eternity of piggishness!"
He abruptly turned on his heel and started forward. He stopped at the break of the poop and called me to him.
"By the way, how much was it that Cooky got away with?" he asked.
"One hundred and eighty-five dollars, sir," I answered.
He nodded his head. A moment later, as I started down the companion stairs to lay the table for dinner, I heard him loudly curing some men amidships. | <urn:uuid:74c3517c-97e5-471b-b21d-45ae0aa20d8f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.literature.org/authors/london-jack/the-sea-wolf/chapter-05.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.989507 | 3,784 | 1.523438 | 2 |
In the last post I wrote about the likely origins of my 3 x great grandfather Samuel Hurst Seager (1780 – 1837) in Birmingham, and his family’s probable roots in Kingswinford, Staffordshire. I also mentioned the possibility of a first marriage between Samuel and Jane Boyes in Rotherhithe in 1804. There is no shortage of Seagers in the London records, but this record stood out because of Samuel’s unusual middle name.
Another set of records that caught my attention, for different reasons, relates to a Sarah Seager and her son William who can be found living in Holborn in the 1840s and 1850s. In the 1841 census we find Sarah Seager, 60, an ironmonger born outside the county, and William Seager, 30, a law stationer born in the county, living in Little James Street, in the parish of St. Andrew, Holborn. Ten years later they appear to be at the same address, confirmed now as No.2 Little James Street, pursuing the same occupations. Their ages are now given, probably more accurately, as 68 and 41. Sarah is described as a widow and William, who is unmarried, as her son. We now learn that Sarah was born in Birmingham, while William was born in London. In the same household are an unmarried general servant, Martha Gambol, 50, and 16 year old errand boy Samuel Clark.
I’ve been unable to find any later census records for either Sarah or William, nor any confirmed birth or marriage records for them. Now, there may be no connection at all between this pair and ‘our’ Seagers: but three facts intrigue me. Firstly, Sarah was born in Birmingham, like Samuel Hurst Seager, and at about the same time (1783). As she was a widow, it was obviously her husband who was a Seager by birth: could he have been a relative of Samuel’s, perhaps even his brother (he had two that we know of – William and Thomas)? Secondly, William is a law stationer. My great great grandfather, William Robb, who married Samuel Seager’s daughter Fanny, was a law stationer’s clerk. Did he know William Seager? Might he even have worked for him, and was this how he came to be introduced to ‘our’ Seager family? Then, of course, there is the fact that Samuel Hurst Seager himself worked at the Inns of Court, albeit as a humble porter: did he know William Seager?
Thirdly, there is Sarah’s and William’s address. The fact that it’s in the parish of St. Andrews could divert us from the fact that Little James Street was very close to a number of addresses associated with ‘our’ Seagers. In the map below, Little James Street is visible just above Grays Inn Gardens, running east to west parallel to Kings Road and crossing John Street. Just to the west of Little James Street, on the other side of Lambs Conduit Street, is East Street. This is where Samuel Hurst Seager junior was living (at No. 33) when he registered his father’s death in 1837. To the south of East Street, and continuing west from Kings Road, is Theobalds Road, where Samuel junior would be living in 1860 at the time of his marriage to Mary Ann Yeates.
(Click on map to open in new window, then click again to enlarge)
Samuel’s marriage took place at the nearby church of St. George the Martyr, which was also the location for the marriage of William Robb and Fanny Sarah Seager in 1836. At the time, both William and Fanny were said to be ‘of this parish’. Fanny’s father Samuel died in the following year at 7 Crown Court, which was in the parish of St. Clement Danes. So was Fanny, like her brother Samuel, living in this part of Holborn before her marriage?
Given their physical proximity and their shared association with the law, is it fanciful to imagine that ‘our’ Seagers were connected in some way with William and Sarah Seager?
One of the difficulties in tracing the lives of the Seager family in the early decades of the 19th century is the number of missing records. We know the date of Samuel senior’s death (1837) but we have no idea when or where he married Fanny Fowle (except that it was probably shortly before their first child was born in 1813). When Samuel died, his unmarried children would have been between the ages of 9 (Edward) and 20 (Elizabeth). And yet I’ve been unable to find any of them in the 1841 census record.
We can be fairly sure that the Fanny Seager, 55, and Fanny Rob (sic), 25, living together in Hemlock Court, St. Clement Danes (not far from Crown Court) in 1841 are Samuel’s widow and his married daughter (though it’s still a mystery why Fanny and her husband William were at their parents’ homes on the night of the census: except that they had recently lost their two year old daughter Fanny Margaret Monteith Robb, and Fanny had recently given birth to their son William – but where on earth was he?). And there’s a possibility that the Elizabeth Seager, 20, working as a family servant in the Anderson household at Grove End Place, in the parish of St. Marylebone, is another of ‘ours’.
But where were the remaining Seager children – Samuel, Henry, Julia and Edward – in 1841? Given that they were all living together in 1851 (apart from Julia, who had married by then), there’s a fair chance that this was also the case ten years earlier. And the fact that I can find none of them must increase the chances that they were living at the same address. It’s most likely that their surname has been transcribed wrongly, making them difficult to trace, and it’s unlikely that this would happen more than once. I’ve looked at the records for Crown Court and there are no Seagers there; nor are Samuel junior or any of his siblings still living in East Street in 1841. Finally, I’ve also looked at the 1841 records for Gerrard Street, Soho, which would be their home in 1851, and there’s no sign of them there either.
The search goes on. In the meantime, I’m going to set down in the next few posts what we know of the lives of the various Seager children, in the years before most of them emigrated to begin a new life in New Zealand. | <urn:uuid:4cffdcdb-aae3-4197-8dc1-127b28cb3492> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mprobb.wordpress.com/2010/03/22/seagers-in-london/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=193d2e3278 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982609 | 1,430 | 1.8125 | 2 |
|Leave Blank. The clerk will stamp this area when the form is filed.|
|“SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF” – write the name of the County where you are filing your case. Click here for location of courts.|
|Case Number: Write in the case number.|
Filling out the rest of your form
Proof of Firearms Turned in or Sold
|If you have been ordered to turn in or sell your firearms, you can do so at a local law enforcement agency or at a licensed gun dealership. If you are planning to turn in or sell your guns at either of these places, you should take this form with you. Ask the person that you turn your guns or firearms into to fill out items 4 - 6 on the form. This form should then be copied, filed with the court, and served on the other party.|
Write the name of the person who wants protection from the court. This person is called the “Protected Person.”
Write the Restrained Person’s name, address, and phone number (unless you have an attorney — in that case, write your attorney’s name and address).
IMPORTANT! If you do not want others to know where you live, be sure to use a different address where you will just get mail.
Read this informational Notice.
Numbers 4 or 5, and 6, are to be filled out by the law enforcement officer or licensed gun dealer who takes your gun or firearm from you.
If guns are turned into a law enforcement officer or agency, the officer accepting the guns should fill in this box by writing the date and time that the guns or firearms were turned in, and the name of the officer who accepted the guns or firearms. The officer should then write the name of the law enforcement agency that he or she works for.
The officer will then sign the form under penalty of perjury.
Once box 4 is filled out, the officer should skip box 5 and fill in number 6.
If guns are turned into a licensed gun dealer, the gun dealer accepting the guns should fill in this box by writing the date, time and name of the gun dealer to whom the guns were sold. The gun dealer’s license number, address, and telephone number. The gun dealer must then sign the form under penalty of perjury and then go on and fill in item 6.
Here the gun dealer or law enforcement officer should write the make, model and serial number of every gun or firearm turned in or sold. There is only room to list three guns or firearms on the form. If more room is needed, check the box. Use a separate sheet of paper. At the top of the paper write “DV-800, Item 6 - Proof of Firearms Turned in or Sold.” Then write the additional information.
Once the form has been filled out and signed, make 3 copies of the form, the form and one copy of the form on the other party. The other copies you should keep for yourself. Make sure you bring a copy to your hearing. | <urn:uuid:61e94a7c-4c54-4c25-872f-8b33f1812e1c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://basic.cc-courthelp.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.ViewPage&pageId=5904&stopRedirect=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949353 | 643 | 1.539063 | 2 |
[Tallahassee, FL] A push continues at both the national and state level to get everyday Floridians to turn over lawbreakers to the proper authorities.
Armed (supposedly) with nothing more than a cell phone and good intentions, citizens of the Sunshine State are being asked to do help the police and investigators do their work.
Call them citizens on patrol.
That governmental nudge even points out there are rewards and official pats on the back for those who go above and beyond merely calling into an anonymous tip line. But is it really a good idea to create an army of overly suspicious suburbanites? Do we really want to live in a snitch state?
Whether driven by budget cuts or a desire to put the state’s criminals behind bars, these campaigns have been launched to get citizens more involved in fighting crime by cutting down the police work load. Catch a terrorist, win a prize! Report your neighbor to keep your taxes low!
In 2011, the “If You See Something, Say Something” campaign was launched by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and promoted by Gov. Rick Scott. The campaign continues to resonate on many of the state’s official websites, albeit less prominently than when Gov. Scott said this:
“Today we encourage Floridians and visitors to stay aware and alert, and to contact authorities when you witness something you know is out of place,” Scott said at the program’s launch.
I wonder if Gov. Scott has ever really taken a good hard look at the people of Florida when he is out and about. Despite most people being being well-meaning, law-abiding citizens, good judgment seems to be in short supply these days. Racism and stupidity abound. We watch TV shows starring Kim Kardashian.
Photo: Gov.'s Office
Gov. Scott wants citizens on patrol “to stay aware and alert”
Can the average person really be called upon to decide if behavior is criminal or not? Scary thought isn’t it?
Nevertheless, according to Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) Communications Director Gretl Plessinger, the “If You See Something, Say Something” campaign is still in full swing.
“In the month of March, we have 21 total billboards being displayed in cities like Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, Tampa and Ocala,” Plessinger told Sunshine Slate. “We have mall displays in Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Tampa and Orlando.”
And that’s not all.
“In addition, the campaign is featured during major Florida sporting events like Daytona 500, NBA Finals and the Grand Prix,” she added. “Public Service announcements continue to run on radio and television stations,” said Plessinger. “We urge citizens to report suspicious behavior and situations.”
Aimed at getting people to do just that, ”If You See Something, Say Something” was originally created by the New York City Transportation Authority in 2002 and has since spread to several states and also gained the support of businesses like Wal-Mart and organizations including the NBA, NFL and the NCAA.
So how is it doing?
“As you know, citizens are urged to call local law enforcement or 1-855-FLA SAFE to report suspicious behavior,” offered Plessinger. “Since the campaign began, the FLA SAFE number is averaging 5 calls per week. Call volumes increase during sporting events.” (note: calls to local law enforcement are not tracked.)
Citizens on patrol: Still from one of the DHS’ commercials
Forget about the watchful eye of Big Brother, it is now your actual brother spying on you. And it is not just the DHS, FDLE or Gov. Scott who is asking Floridians to monitor the activity of others in the state. The state’s Chief Financial Officer is also getting into the act.
In his latest email, Florida CFO Jeff Atwater showboats the citizens on patrol efforts of three individuals who collectively received $25,000 in cash awards for providing information on those breaking the law.
While the announcement was made, the names of the individuals who turned in the criminals were kept secret for obvious reasons. While there weren’t any over-sized, cardboard Publishers Clearing House-style checks being handed out, that didn’t stop Atwater from praising the do-gooders for their personal sacrifice in bringing criminals to justice.
“These individuals had the courage to come forward and report suspected insurance fraud ultimately helping protect their fellow Floridians from this costly crime,” Atwater said. “Without their assistance these fraudsters would still be on the streets, stealing your hard-earned dollars,” said Atwater.
Yes, these mega-excellent citizens helped the Florida Department of Financial Services Division of Insurance Fraud uncover almost $560,000 in fraudulent insurance billings and, yes, they enabled the authorities to make 10 arrests. And yes, the state is better off for it.
And so are the bank accounts of the more than 40 citizens on patrol who have collectively pocketed $275,000 as part of the state’s Anti-Fraud Reward Program.
CFO Jeff Atwater rewarded his citizens on patrol with $275,000
But what is being downplayed in all of this is the potential for harm or even death when a citizen goes beyond merely making an anonymous phone call to report “an unattended backpack or someone trying to break into a secure area,” as suggested by Plessinger and the FDLE.
What if that citizen actually becomes physically involved in fighting crime.
What if, when you see some suspicious activity – you know, someone using a crowbar to pop open a door at the airport - you call the police. But what if, when you call the police, you are standing right next to that someone’s partner in crime, and you just called in the cavalry on their little operation. Now your life is in danger.
People tend to take things too far, it is human nature for many. There are those who eat too much cake and others who drive too recklessly. Then there are those people that get way too involved in situations best left to the properly trained authorities who actually get paid to do that sort of thing.
For example, one citizen who earned a $10,000 cash award from Atwater’s office actually obtained audio and video evidence for investigators, going as far as “taking time from his job and personal life to assist fraud detectives.”
Noble? Indeed. Dangerous? Absolutely.
What if the citizen was caught trying to videotape the fraudsters? What if the fraudsters were part of an organized crime ring that wouldn’t think anything of killing anyone who got in their way? Is that worth your life? Is that worth $10,000? Is that worth saving 15% on your car insurance?
Photo: Michael Melchiorre
Citizens on patrol: Police work is dangerous business, leave it to the pros
There is one family that would easily have paid any amount for their daughter to not have agreed to help in a police investigation.
Rachel Hoffman was a 23-year-old graduate of Florida State University who was pressured into acting as a confidential informant after police found drugs in her apartment. Tragically, she was murdered in 2008 during a drug sting gone bad, leading to allegations that Tallahassee police acted negligently.
Yesterday, Gov. Scott signed a bill authorizing the City of Tallahassee to pay Hoffman’s parents $2.4 million for their loss.
OK, they found drugs in her apartment – does that mean that Hoffman had to now engage in an even riskier activity at the behest of the police, putting herself in harm’s way to do a little police work? She certainly wouldn’t do it again, that is, if she was still alive.
Would you want your family member working undercover, doing the job of the police knowing that his or her life could be on the line? Would you want every citizen nosing around, trying to find some dirt on you – real or imagined – to earn a reward from the state?
There is a reason that the “If See Something, Say Something” drew criticisms from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida, who said the program will inevitably result in profiling and spurious tips.
“These ‘turn in your neighbor’ programs produce unreliable information and are little more than a government sponsored invitation to view everyone as a potential criminal and act on racial and ethnic stereotypes,” said Howard Simon, the Executive Director of the ACLU of Florida, back in 2011.
I guess George Zimmerman didn’t get that memo before he shot Trayvon Martin in Sanford while on neighborhood watch patrol.
“Reporting suspicious behavior can be invaluable to law enforcement, but it’s the job of law enforcement officers or intelligence analysts to investigate and follow-up on leads,” Plessinger told Sunshine Slate. “Citizens should never take unnecessary risks or act in the role of law enforcement.”
An example of what citizens on patrol are supposed to look for
As the Trayvon Martin case has shown, citizens on patrol involved in crime fighting and police work can possibly lead to additional crimes and consequences even more serious than what the citizen’s original effort or involvement was meant to thwart. And all of that legal heat will fall on the citizen, not the state.
Mr. Zimmerman is now facing a huge legal bill and possible jail time for doing the work of the police.
After all, there are stark differences – both legally and societal – between a paid professional officer of the law and, say, your Uncle Bill living down the street keeping an eye on the neighborhood. One is reasonably trained, legally bound and knows the consequences of their actions.
Then there’s Uncle Bill – you know the type, every family has one – with his concealed weapon, always open container and well-known hatred for “Ricans,” “faggots” and “anyone who drives a Prius.” Do you want that guy – or one of the many thousands just like him in this state – deciding who looks suspicious?
Do we really want the George Zimmermans of this country making life and death decisions that reflect on all of us?
And as budgets continue to be slashed and the legal enforcers fewer, the state will continue to lean on its citizens on patrol to pick up the slack left by inadequate staffing of police, regulators and investigators. It is a road we are going down, and the less-government-is-better-types are at the wheel.
I say for a better and safer society, let’s stop this madness and pay a little extra in taxes if need be so that the police work is handled by the properly trained and legally authorized among us. Let’s pick up the ball and run with it, not fire the referee and get someone from out of the bleachers to finish calling the game.
You don’t want to give the whistle to Uncle Bill.
By: Mark Christopher/Sunshine Slate. The News Service of Florida contributed to this story
Lead image: Michael Melchiorre
citizens on patrol | <urn:uuid:9597a80a-bafc-4e71-82a1-21b3ed32dcf0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sunshineslate.com/tag/tallahassee/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962967 | 2,370 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Reflections - Musings, Questions and Connections
Jul 28, 2008 by Nancy Buschart | 0 Comments
Reflections intrigue me
I'm still in Wisconsin's Northwoods where, year after year, I try to take photographs of reflections. The water is a mirror. That which is reflected there -- sky, clouds, trees, birds, boat, dragonfly -- is fascinating and amazing to study. To some degree, whatever is above the surface of the water is reflected in the mirror of the water.
The condition of the mirror and the quality of the reflection
On a calm, clear day the reflected image is stunningly mirrored.
On a windy day, the water's surface is rough and the reflection, distorted. Yet, even when the ominous sky is steely gray and the water is rough with waves, there remains a hint of shadow that the eye and the imagination can discern to be reflection.
It is not a natural inclination to look first for the reflection. The eye usually perceives the cloud, the trees -- the true thing -- first. Then, if awake and aware, the mirrored image eventually becomes a part of the self-conscious. But, sometimes, the reflection itself leads to the true thing. Color or movement in the water may catch one's attention drawing the mind and the eye to attend to the true thing.
Musings, questions, and connections
When I muse over these reflections, words of scripture inevitably come to mind. Are the reflections seen in the mirror of the lake metaphors for God's word that it might make sense in my heart?
God reflected; Jesus, the reflection
- He is the image of the invisible God, ... For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. [Col 1: 15, 19]
- Whoever has seen me, has seen the Father. [John 14:9]
Jesus, the perfect reflection of the Father. Jesus is the clear-day, calm waters reflection of the Father. No turbulent, troubled mirror there. How does my understanding of Jesus as the perfect reflection of the Father square with my beliefs about God? It's often easier to identify with Jesus -- to like him, trust him, to believe that he likes me! -- than with God the Father.
Unguarded words reflect the conditions of our hearts
- For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. [Mt 12:34]
- The things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these defile you. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile you. [Mt 15:18-19]
- ... whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead. ... In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. [Mt 23:27-28]
Yikes -- stopped short by Jesus' blunt rebuke! He sees through the Pharisees' façade of righteousness. The attempted deception fails and what is in the heart reflects from the inside out. Words tell much about the condition of the heart. What we work to hide is never really hidden; it is reflected in our attitudes and interactions with others.
Troubled waters of the soul
Centering Prayer, a contemplative practice, focuses upon centering one's heart and mind on Christ. An image used here likens the soul to a muddy lake with stirred and murky waters. One is to imagine the murky waters settling to the bottom of the lake. As the waters clear so does the pray-er experience increased clarity of mind and heart and the deepest needs of the soul can be clearly identified.
It takes time for murky, stirred water to clear. And, it takes time for the soul to settle down. Martha was cooking for a crowd. She needed some help in the kitchen, someone to share the decision-making-chicken or beef? Jesus tells her that she is "worried and upset about many things" [Lk 10:41].
I identify with Martha. Sometimes the to-do list expands out of control. We get overwhelmed and lose perspective. This is one reason for taking a vacation, a retreat, an afternoon away. Studying the reflections on the lake is an important spiritual discipline. Taking time away, what I see reflected in the water settles the stirred and troubled waters, which are anxious about many things, of my own soul.
No more a reflection, but face to face
- For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. [1 Cor 13:12-13]
Reflections are wonderful. A phenomenon of creation for which I am deeply grateful. They indicate aliveness, the inhale and exhale of existence. They are a result of the presence of the "true thing." And, they draw us to acknowledge and interact with the "true thing."
But, they are only reflections. There will come a day when we will see "face to face!" What is known now of the One Who Is True is like the reflection in the water -- even on the clearest, calmest day the water always distorts what it reflects. It is always turned around backwards and it always bears resemblance only. Exact detail cannot be reflected in the mirror of the water. Enter faith, hope and love. Because of these, through these, abiding in these, I wait for the coming of the One Who Is True. No longer reflected in creation or revealed in his word, then I will see him "face to face." That will be a good day!
The Three Questions for today
Who is God?
Known in part, reflected in all of life
Who am I?
One who knows in part, but is even now fully known
How am I living?
Studying hard to see clearly
I invite you to respond with your own musings, questions and connections about reflections and the One Who Is True.
©2008 Vine, Vision & Voice
Nancy R. Buschart | <urn:uuid:b3693027-d35c-4cb4-87cb-1f110aa29c74> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.denverseminary.edu/the-three-questions/reflections-musings-questions-and-connections/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940399 | 1,319 | 1.835938 | 2 |
A new pos software product is on the market, and with it a new credit card processing network. The network, called Cartel, will compete directly with NYCE and MAC “to bring competition into a noncompetitive environment,” Friedman says. “It will breed lower costs and better service into an arena where retailers currently have no say on costs.”
The new network was developed by Integrated Delivery Technologies, Buffalo, and processing is being provided by Affiliated Computer Services, Dallas.
Price Chopper, an 81-store privately owned chain, operates primarily in upstate New York, but also has locations in Massachusetts, Vermont and Pennsylvania. The large stores are geared toward one-stop shopping.
In 1992, the chain became among the first supermarket retailers to offer consumers the opportunity to pay by debit or credit. It remains among the few supermarket chains to own its own ATMs.
“Over the years, we’ve done an effective job of promoting our debit and credit capabilities to our customers through advertising and in-store signage,” Friedman says. “The results have greatly exceeded our expectations.” exceeded our expectations.”
The average dollar amount on card-based transactions, he explains, has been double those on cash or check transactions. “We have seen incremental sales with credit cards, and the best news is that the majority of those transactions have come at the expense of checks, rather than cash.”
However, Friedman says, supermarket retailers face a major problem in that “we have no control over the price increases or policies relative to debit and credit. We are totally at the mercy of the networks. And fees for both debit and credit have been climbing every year.
“The bottom line is, I’m afraid we’re reaching a point where card-based transactions will become prohibitively expensive for supermarkets.”
Friedman argues that in some respects, supermarkets have been treated like suckers. A few years ago, we got a favored credit interchange rate and what did we do? Naively, we all marched out there at our own expense and installed new POS equipment. We built a whole business case around that level of pricing.
“As the rates have gone up, it’s been unilateral and we’ve had nothing to say about it. Unless something is done, it’s just a matter of time before the cost of debit will exceed the cost of an electronically authorized check. Eventually, it will be as expensive as credit.
“What irks me is there’s no justification for this. Debit carries extremely low risk compared to a check or credit transaction. It’s virtually guaranteed.”
Rises in credit fees for supermarkets are similarly unjustified, he says, since supermarkets experience “very little fraud with credit compared with other merchants.”
Ultimately, Friedman says, supermarkets should receive guaranteed fees from the credit and debit networks. “It’s ridiculous for us to continue to sign contracts with no locked-in pricing.”
But the best option to keep rates low is for supermarkets to continue to get networks of our own, where we have some say over price and policy. Introducing competition is what will keep pricing where it belongs.” | <urn:uuid:898460b9-61ae-4da9-a7ee-0dfd44164c55> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://diaryofaplanner.com/retailers-fight-with-pos-software/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960799 | 681 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Dishonest providers destroy national image
New Zealand has been attracting skilled workers and students from various countries in recent years.
The Private education sector is now a booming industry with new Private Training Establishments (PTEs) popping up every other day, offering popular courses such as Cookery, Hospitality, IT and Horticulture, to name a few.
Have you ever wondered why these institutions do not offer degree courses in health, education or trade? The simple answer is that lower level qualifications are in much higher demand and far more attractive to international students.
Having being in the private post-secondary sector for almost 15 years, I have seen the establishment of a few great PTEs and some not so great.
What attracts investors and others to this industry?
Money of course!
Undoubtedly, many PTE owners have a passion for education, a sense of giving and enriching our economy with a skilled workforce and lifting the aspirations of specific communities. The quality of the courses they offer, their dedication for excellence and their outcomes are factors that determine the Government’s decision to invest faith and funds in the PTEs.
The tertiary education strategy clearly maps out the priority areas for PTEs to contribute and assist the public sector and have measurable outcomes to prove that the taxpayers’ money is wisely used.
If the above appears complicated, it is so. Challenges and problems are associated with the establishment and operations of PTEs.
We have to understand the plight of a large number of domestic learners who suffer from problems of low or no self-esteem, low levels of literacy and numeracy skills and psychological barriers. Many of them also counter social, domestic and personal problems.
But we recognise the fact that they are eager to study, improve their skills and personal wellbeing.
The success achieved in educating them and seeing them prosper in their life and career is the greatest reward that we receive as owners, managers and teachers in PTEs.
International students also play a vital role in the development of skills and enhancement of human capital, as many of them intend to settle in New Zealand and foster their careers.
I have seen many doing well over the years as top managers in multinationals, as successful entrepreneurs and as self-employed people. They are grateful to the country and its PTEs for affording them opportunities to grow.
It is however a pity that some PTEs and unscrupulous people exploit international students for their personal gains. The converse may also be true but in a majority of cases, students become victims.
The New Year is already promising great lows in morals and healthy practices, with some establishments charging rock bottom prices to attract international students, and withholding their qualification until they pay more money. Many victims seek the help of other PTEs to resolve their issues.
We are watching some PTEs ignoring NZQA (New Zealand Qualifications Authority) approved entry criteria for many qualifications to lure students into their school. We are also watching many students taking the plunge to save time and money, without realising that they would be the victims eventually.
When students attend courses without fulfilling the entry criteria, one or all of the following could happen; they will not understand the course they are pursuing, they will not complete the course requirements (unless they pay to pass); they will not gain the skills or knowledge they paid for; and most importantly, they will not be able to contribute to the progress of New Zealand.
I am hopeful that a new NZQA initiative of a mandatory review (called, ‘Targeted Review) of the qualifications offered by PTEs and External Evaluation Reviews would cleanse the sector of unhealthy and unwanted practices that are detrimental not only to the student community but also to the image of New Zealand as a great destination for education.
I would like to see the same criteria that are applied to all Government-funded PTEs with measurement of completion of courses and qualifications, student progression and labour market outcomes to other non-funded PTEs.
These should the benchmark for the PTE sector.
Feroz Ali is Chief Executive of the New Zealand Career College (NZCC), which has four campuses in Central Auckland, Manukau, North Shore and Waitakere. | <urn:uuid:ea73313a-c2b9-4dae-83aa-33eb11c2ce60> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.indiannewslink.co.nz/index.php/archives_2011/feb_15_2011/dishonest-providers-destroy-national-image.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965604 | 869 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Walker was born in Linden, Texas on the 28th of May 1910. His father split
soon after and his mother moved to Dallas so T-Bone could avoid working
in the fields and also to avoid her parents strict christian views. His
mother was certainly his first musical influence, and T-Bone recalled that
hearing his mother playing the blues on the porch was the first thing he
After moving to Dallas his mother soon married a musician called Marco Washington. Many of T-Bones immediate family played string instruments so their home was very musical, and he was quick to pick up the guitar and join in on the Sunday get togethers. The legendary blues guitarist Blind Lemon Jefferson was a regular at these jams. T-Bones other early influences included pianist Leroy Carr, guitarist Scrapper Blackwell and Lonnie Johnson.
T-Bone was also quite a showman and in 1925 he joined the Dr. Breedings medicine show and performed with this and many other rural carnival shows as a dancer and banjo player. He also won an amateur talent competition and won a weeks work with Cab Calloway. Calloway was a big influence and T-Bone performed many of Calloways songs, even calling himself the "Cab Calloway of the South".
By 1929 he had become popular in the Eastern part of Texas and he made his
recording debut for Columbia, recording two tracks as Oak Cliff T-Bone,
Oak Cliff being the ghetto in Dallas where he lived. The race record market
collapsed with the onset of the depression and he was not to record again
for nearly ten years. He continued to perform live during this time, but
not a lot is known about this period of his life. With his friend Charlie
Christian he used to perform in the street, dancing and playing acoustic
guitar, passing around a hat to onlookers to make some money.
Around the mid 1930's he moved to the Los Angeles on the West Coast to join the Central Avenue rhythm and blues boom. He started as a song and dance man and met his lifelong wife Vida Lee at Fort Worth in 1934. After working with many different bandleaders. He made some excellent recordings with Fats Waller and Louis Armstrong among others and around 1939 he recorded his first tune on the electric guitar. He often said that he had been playing electric a long time before that making him one of the first to play the electric guitar, though his friend Christian is often credited as the first electric guitarist.
In 1940 he recorded his "T-Bone Blues" for the Varsity label, featuring his vocal, but another guitarist plays the a Hawaiian guitar solo. He was also playing in Les Hites band during this time and played at many top venues. He was experimenting a lot with the electric guitar, a Gibson ES-250 and a matching EM-185 amplifier. T-Bone left Hites band as his reputation as an excellent singer, guitarist and all round showman began to grow. He was now playing the guitar behind his head while doing the splits and even playing the guitar with his teeth, copied years later by artists like Chuck Berry and Jimi Hendrix. He was a real hit with the ladies and was causing quite a sensation all over Los Angeles. | <urn:uuid:e077e53a-4acf-4bba-a159-ae02999c3e7c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.justinguitar.com/AA-OthersSites/T-BONEWALKER/biography1.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.990596 | 668 | 1.84375 | 2 |
Teenagers today breath, sleep, and eat technology. They are either texting, chatting on Facebook, or sending tweets with Twitter. This is how Abby Johnston and her best friend, Faith, meet Luke. They are chatting with each other on a new teen website called ChezTeen.com. Soon Abby is chatting with Luke daily even though he is older. Gradually the story becomes even more intriguing and also scary. Luke has Abby doing things that are very uncomfortable for her but she wants to do things for him because he “loves” her.
I must admit that when I first started reading Want to Go Private, I was a little bit thrown. It is an older teen novel but some of the content was very adult in nature. As I got more into the story, I realized that it is a perfect book for parents to read and also share with their kids.
It is a great example of the dangers of the Internet and what can happen when you act recklessly on the web. I believe that every parent of a child who has access to a computer should read this book. It changed my life and could possibly save a child.
Editor’s note: Please use the “add a comment” button below to leave any response you may have about the book or the review.
[ add comment ] ( 777 views ) | related link | <urn:uuid:09706c15-c566-4f02-a754-f29a3e77b86a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lfpl.org/readers/blog/index.php?entry=entry130302-155650 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979486 | 279 | 1.59375 | 2 |
There is a model of change offered by a Swedish social psychologist, Claes Janssen*, which has always appealed to me, in part because it’s optimistic about the ability of people to change. It’s a simple model for visualizing where the potential energy is in a person, group, department or company – he calls it the “Four Room Apartment.”
Janssen says that each of us lives in a four-room apartment. We move from room to room depending on perceptions, feelings or aspirations triggered by external events. Someone who occupies a room today may, in a week, a month, or a year, have moved to another room of the apartment.
The four rooms Janssen describes are Contentment, Denial, Confusion and Renewal. Janssen says that as we change and develop as human beings, (and I would add as professionals) we continually circle through these four rooms.
In the Contentment room, we like the status quo. We are seen as and feel satisfied, calm and realistic. We are uninterested in attempting improvements or major changes – “If its not broke, don’t fix it.” But we can’t stay in contentment of course or we would never grow. As Sanford says, “Development occurs primarily in response to the challenges of life.” And no one gets through life without continually being presented with new, and often very difficult, challenges. A significant challenge - a merger, reorganization, new leader, new system, market crisis, job threat – can move us out of the Contentment room into the Denial room.
In a sense, people in the Denial room, already have the facts – that’s what they are in denial about. It’s the parent who finds herself still dealing with an adult son as though he were a teenager. Or the manager who, a year after his promotion to the new job, is fighting what everyone else already recognizes, that he has not made the switch from being an engineer to manager. They are, for their own reasons, not yet ready to deal with those facts. From the outside they are perceived as unaware or afraid of change.
When we are in the Denial room and finally acknowledges what we have been hiding from, that doesn’t solve our problem; it only moves us through the door into the Confusion room. Here we are seen as, and feel different, out of touch, scattered, and unsure. We muck about in the Confusion room, sorting out bits and pieces of our lives. Far from a state to be avoided Confusion signifies a readiness to learn. People in the Confusion room acknowledge they don’t have the answer. They have energy to spare; they just haven’t decided where to invest it.
We stay in Confusion until we own up to whatever fear or anxiety is keeping us from committing to the new. That moves us through the door to the Renewal room, and now we are perceived as, and feel, sincere, open, willing to risk. People in Renewal are trying out new practices and ideas. They are open to site visits to see what others have done and looking for articles about the latest innovation. The Renewal room feels like a place full of new converts, ready to put energy into a new path and wanting to convert others to the answer they’ve found.
But of course, over time Renewal subsides. We get comfortable with the new program, lifestyle, or relationship and we find ourselves back in the Contentment room. We have it “all worked out,” we have answers and we function comfortably within them; life is good.
Residing in any room is not a characteristic of a person’s personality; it is rather where they are at this time and in regard to this particular change. In time they will move because we all live in all four rooms.
As leaders or change agents, whose task it is to mobilize energy for a change, we need to work with people in the Confusion or Renewal rooms. In every Confusion room there are people already taking constructive action. They would welcome help to obtain needed resources or to coordinate activities with others. It is they who will carry the initiative forward – if they can be brought together to learn how their initiatives integrate with the whole. The seeds of success are sown in the Confusion room and sprout in the Renewal room.
The people in the Contentment or Denial rooms are not frozen, events will move them soon enough. But to mobilize change people in the Contentment or Denial rooms are not an effective place to spend a lot of energy or time. We need to continue to involve them in meetings with their colleagues, provide them information, but not to make them the focus of our efforts.
All of us need some part of our lives to remain stable especially when other parts feel
like they are in confusion. When professionals are dealing with personal problems like a divorce, birth of a new child, adjusting to a child leaving for college – or when they are dealing with work issues that are disorienting, being passed over for promotion, or failure of a project, they need stability in the other parts of their lives. And sometimes that stability is bought with denial. But when those troubling issues get resolved, then they have the energy to attend to what they had not seen before.
Weisbord writes about Janssen’ theory in Productive Workplaces. Jossey-Bass 1987 | <urn:uuid:c1fd6c18-0cf7-45fa-837a-315302824d28> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nancydixonblog.com/2009/02/the-four-room-apartment-where-the-energy-is-for-change.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967151 | 1,145 | 1.710938 | 2 |
May 14, 1999
The Spirituality in Business Movement
-- Martin E. Marty
Expect both praise and criticism to grow as "spirituality" increasingly finds its home in management seminars and corporate policy and practice. At least weekly some publication or other will report on the trend to incorporate the theme and some practices into the office or weekend retreat centers used by companies.
Last week it was U.S. NEWS AND WORLD REPORT (May 3) that featured the topic in a story by Marci McDonald. "Spirituality is the latest corporate buzzword," reads the tagline of the article "Shush. The Guy in the Cubicle Is Meditating." McDonald capably reports on some breakthroughs. When word came from Australia that the titan McKinsey and Co. was advancing the cause, others had to take notice.
McDonald chronicles other corporate involvements with spirituality, referring to or citing the American Management Association, the World Economic Forum, the International Conference on Business and Consciousness, and the Center for Spirit at Work. They all get mentioned as promoters of the "body, mind, and soul" triad in the workplace. Ms. McDonald further mentions titles of books on workplace spirituality, titles that include words such as Jesus and Tao, words that connote explicit religious expression.
Whoever has chided commerce for being utterly secularized has to take notice and do some reappraising. Advocates point to increased morale and productivity. Including spirituality in the mix, reports McDonald, is a good recruitment device for a new generation.
Now the critical agenda forms. Can companies coerce employees to engage in spiritual practices or quietly and implicitly penalize those who won't meditate or engage in breathing exercises?
Fundamentalists some years ago fought the introduction of meditation into public schools, sensing that it was accompanied by or undergirded with religious structures--mainly of Hindu and Buddhist sorts. If these had their place, could schools--and now, by extension, should companies--also use techniques associated with Judaism, Christianity, and other Western faiths? Would this use raise flags?
Will spirituality remain spirituality if it is a tool for recruiting, an instrument for boosting efficiency, one more market item?
If and insofar as the spirituality-in-business movement has an explicitly religious tinge, will it qualify for tax-exemption? Watch for action on the church-state front.
Listen to born-again radio and you will hear many criticisms from people who claim to have been "forced" through the spirituality process by their companies and found it to be at war with their religion. Their complaints will grow as the "buzzword" buzzes ever more loudly.
A question: whatever happened to definitions of America as being simply secular? We might answer that--after meditating about it. | <urn:uuid:f87ec57f-4411-480a-9447-1b5b6fe40f87> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://divinity.uchicago.edu/martycenter/publications/sightings/archive_1999/sightings-051499.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957929 | 569 | 1.679688 | 2 |
There in a lonely field, unsold,
The graves were only hours old
Where Ananias and his wife
Lay dead, because the breath of life,
Once freely given by their God,
As freely ceased, and thus the rod
Of wrath and justice fell upon
Their sad deceit. The light of dawn
Had not yet lit the dismal field,
Nor any crowing cock revealed
The immanence of day. Beside
The simple graves, where he had cried
Through half the night, there, on a stone,
Sat Peter, staring, numb, alone.
All night the scene ran through his head.
Again, and then again, the dread
Look on his face, and awful sound
As Ananias hit the ground,
And died at once, because he lied
To man and God. For what? Some pride?
Some suicidal passion for
A little cash, a little more?
To spend on what now from the grave?
"O, Ananias, why? Why crave
What you already owned?" All night
The scene filled Peter's mind, and fight
Against it, as he might, it came
Again: "We sold a field, and claim
Now in the presence of our Christ,
This is the sum, now sacrificed
For love of Jesus and the poor.
Take this we pray and may it cure
Some sickness of the flesh or soul."
But even while he spoke, the whole
Deceit was opened to the mind
Of Peter by the Lord: "I find
Your liberality smells more
Of hell than our sweet Christ. Before
You sold this field, was it not yours?
And afterward the same? How lures
This money then your soul to lie
To man and God? What will you buy
With money you have got by such
A foolish scheme? However much
In all the world, will it recoup
The cost of making God a dupe?"
Before he could say any more,
The man collapsed. And on the floor
The cunning seller of his land
Was dead, his money in his hand.
And Peter stood as speechless as
A corpse before the God who has
The right to give and take the breath
Of life and set the time for death.
This was not his design, nor did
He know that God, so swift, would rid
The church of such a sin. And while
He trembled there, with brazen guile
Sapphira, Ananias' wife,
Appeared. And Peter thought, "This life
As well, O Lord, will you require?"
She smiled and said, "It's my desire
Just like my husband's, that the sum
Which, by the grace of God, has come
Into our hands by selling one
Of our large fields, be giv'n, and none
Of it be kept for us. Praise be
To God, who is for us the key
To wealth and happiness." The look
On Peter's face perplexed and shook
Sapphira for an instant. Then
She smiled, as Peter asked, "And when
You sold it, was it for this price
That you bring here?" She said, "Precise,
And to the penny, like our love
For Christ and what we're dreaming of
As you take this and bless the poor.
We trust you, Peter. It is sure:
A man of God does not deceive."
She wondered at his tears. "I grieve,"
He said, "to ask, Why this accord,
To test the Spirit of the Lord,
Between you and your husband, when
The world would have been yours? Or can
You buy eternal life, unpriced,
When you have made a fool of Christ?
The feet of those who buried your
Accomplice come. And it is sure,
As you were one in lying breath,
God says, 'You will be one in death.'
One mercy now remains: How brief
Today your widowhood and grief!"
All through the night, again and then
Again, he cringed and saw the men
First carry Ananias to
The grave, and then Sapphira, through
The fading light of day—like two
Limp flowers cut from where they grew,
And tossed away. But then, as day
Began to break, and night gave way
To early morning gray, a sound
Pierced Peter's mind, and turned around
The way he saw the world. A bird,
A crowing cock. And when he heard
The voice of this old friend, the night
Came back to him when he, in spite
Of all his boasts, fell like a leaf
Before a breeze, and his belief
Denied. "I do not know the man!"
He said. "Oh, yes, you're from his clan."
The servants of the priest declared.
"We've seen you with him. You're just scared
To tell the truth." "I do not know
The man," he said again. "You show
That you're from Galilee by how
You speak." And so he took a vow
And, with a curse, said one more time,
"I do not know this man." The crime
That he committed in those lies,
Now rose, before his weary eyes,
A thousand times more heinous than
Sapphira's lies, or of the man
Who put her to it. Peter sat
There trembling, weak, and stunned now at
The difference. "Lord, why?" he cried?
"My sin is worse. Three times I lied
While you were suffering for me.
I do not know why this should be:
That they should die and I should live,
Or how you wrath and mercy give."
He lifted up his hands and said,
"O Lord, why did I not drop dead?"
And then the Lord replied, "It's true,
My friend, your sin was worse, and you
Deserved the countenance of wrath
Far more than these two here. Your path
Led straight to hell, and if I would
Have let you go, no power could
Have kept you from the flames. I did
Not owe you this, nor is it hid
From open sight that you, my friend,
Are saved by grace, and in the end
Are chosen unconstrained by good
Or evil deeds that would or could
Be made the root of my decrees.
In heaven and on earth I please
The counsel of my wisdom first.
For centuries my name has burst
The chains laid on my will by man,
When he presumes to shape my plan
Around his self-defining will-
A futile thing, for I fulfill
The purposes I formed before
The world was made. Do not make war
Against my freedom, Peter. All
That I have ever done to call
And carry you is free. Receive
This gift and tremble as you grieve
Beside these graves. If it were not
For grace, this would have been your lot.
They fell before your feet depraved,
That you might know how you were saved."
Then, speechless, Peter rose and set
His face to follow Christ, and let
Each breath and trace of faith display
The way that sovereign grace holds sway.
And now as we light candle two,
May Christ illumine me and you,
To see that we deserve no good
From him, and sovereign justice would
Be served, if all of us fell dead
At Jesus' feet. But if, instead,
We live and stand before his throne,
Let thanks be given for grace alone.
And let the one who doubts say this:
"It is my everlasting bliss
To know that God elects not by
Our works, but his decree, and I
Dare not use my iniquity
To prove that he rejected me.
O precious promise, sweet command:
Trust Christ alone, and you will stand." | <urn:uuid:3991f150-3348-46bd-87a6-8ea3ea972fa3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/poems/peter-ananias-and-sapphira/print?lang=en | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958873 | 1,730 | 1.539063 | 2 |
(Reuters) - A default would have severe reverberations in global markets, a top Federal Reserve official said just hours after Fitch Ratings warned it could slash credit ratings if the government misses bond payments.
St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank President James Bullard told Reuters on Wednesday "the U.S. fiscal situation, if not handled correctly, could turn into a global macro shock.
"The idea that the U.S. could threaten to default is a dangerous one," he said in an interview.
"The reverberations in those global markets would be very severe. That's where the real risk comes in," Bullard warned.
Some Republican lawmakers have said a brief default, which would be inevitable in August if lawmakers fail to raise the nation's $14.3 trillion debt ceiling, might be acceptable if it forces the White House to deal with large budget deficits.
Bullard's warning came just after Fitch said it would slash to "junk" the ratings on all Treasury securities, seen worldwide as a risk-free investment, if the government misses debt payments by August 15.
The ratings would go back up once the government fulfills its debt obligations, but probably not to the current AAA level, Fitch said, in a stark statement about the impact of even a short-lived default on the credit-worthiness.
"The notion of flirting with a default on existing obligations flirts with irresponsibility," Richard Bernstein, chief executive of Richard Bernstein Capital Management LLC, said at the Reuters 2011 Investment Outlook Summit in New York.
The White House said Fitch's warning makes it clear that "there is no alternative to raising the debt ceiling."
"This is not about additional spending, this is about honoring the obligations the United States government has made," White House press secretary Jay Carney told a daily briefing.
Moody's and Standard and Poor's have issued similar warnings. But Fitch was the first among the big-three rating agencies to say Treasury securities could be downgraded, even for a short period, to a non-investment grade.
The agency said even a short-lived default, also called a technical default, "would suggest a crisis of governance from a sovereign credit and rating perspective."
"Clearly the political signals which are coming (from Washington) are a source of concern," David Riley, head of sovereign ratings at Fitch, told Reuters in an interview.
He added, however, that the agency still believes lawmakers will eventually reach an agreement on the debt ceiling.
"We know from previous experiences -- both with the government shutdown and previous episodes with the debt ceiling -- that although you get a lot of brinkmanship, ultimately it does get resolved," Riley said.
President Barack Obama is trying to win congressional approval to raise the nation's legal debt ceiling before an August 2 deadline.
The Treasury Department said on Wednesday the Fitch warning was "another stark reminder" of the need for Congress to act quickly.
Fitch said it would first place ratings on "watch negative" if lawmakers failed to enact an increase in the debt ceiling by August 2, when the Treasury will have run out of extraordinary measures to avoid a default.
The first test for ratings will come two days later, when $30 billion worth of Treasury bills mature. If the government fails to repay them in full, Fitch will lower the rating on those specific securities to B-plus, four notches into junk territory.
But the real deadline comes on August 15, when $27 billion in Treasury notes and $25 billion in coupon payments come due. If the government misses those, Fitch would downgrade the sovereign issuer ratings to "restricted default" and lower all Treasuries securities to B-plus.
"Though such an event (such as a short-lived Treasury bill default) may not permanently impair the capacity of the government to service its obligations, it is unlikely that its 'AAA' status would be retained in the short to medium term," Fitch said.
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has warned the United States could face a catastrophic default that would roil global markets if Congress does not raise the debt ceiling by then.
Moody's warned last Thursday that it could consider cutting the United States' top-notch credit rating if there was no progress by mid-July on a deal to reduce the deficit and raise the debt limit. | <urn:uuid:cf870159-9807-4681-83c9-459cb10974e6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://margotbworldnews.com/WordPress/wp-content/June/June8/Default.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953441 | 893 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Hundreds of thousands in Tehran to commemorate 1979 anniversary
Hundreds of thousands of Iranians took to the streets of Tehran to commemorate the 34th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution on Sunday, Al Jazeera reported.
The crowd of primarily pro-government supporters, shouted "death to America", "death to Israel" and waved pictures of Ayatollah Khomeini as they celebrated the day that the U.S. backed Shah was deposed.
Those at the march made their way towards Freedom Square where the capsule that recently sent the live monkey into orbit was on display.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told the crowds that his nation was now a "nuclear state". He also hinted at the kind of impact that international sanctions were having on his country, saying the West was hampering reform. | <urn:uuid:25032070-7983-4299-9979-2ee5f22a9980> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.albawaba.com/news/iran-revolution-march-469587?quicktabs_accordion=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980557 | 159 | 1.585938 | 2 |
A Lebanese contractor named Raymond Azar says he’s the first known victim of rendition under President Obama. Azar alleges that he was coerced into confessing to bribing a contract officer after being seized and tortured by armed federal agents in Afghanistan. We speak with attorney and legal expert Scott Horton about Azar’s case. [includes rush transcript]
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: We’ll find out in a minute about the new Mozart manuscript that has been found, actually, the old Mozart manuscript.
I’m Amy Goodman, as we continue now with Scott Horton, to the story of a man who says he’s the first known victim of rendition under President Obama.
Raymond Azar is a Lebanese construction manager who works for Sima International, a contractor employed by the US military in Iraq and Afghanistan. Azar alleges he was coerced into confessing to bribing a contract officer after being seized and tortured by armed federal agents in Afghanistan. He says he was hooded, shackled, photographed naked, strip-searched, subjected to extreme cold temperatures and sleep deprivation, and forcibly transported from Bagram, Afghanistan to the United States. A US federal agent also reportedly threatened Azar with never seeing his family again.
Upon landing in the US, Azar was formally arrested and faces charges in a federal antitrust case.
The Department of Justice refuses to call this a rendition and says the charges of torture are, quote, “hyperbolic.”
For more on this story, we are joined by legal expert Scott Horton.
What do you know about this story? You wrote about it for the Huffington Post.
SCOTT HORTON: Well, I followed it mostly from legal papers. I was cued to it by someone who was in the courtroom when the matter first came up before a judge in northern Virginia. And it’s been very well developed now with the sworn statements filed in federal court, and I’ve talked to lawyers and Justice Department figures involved with it. Of course, they’re very skittish about the use of the word "rendition." It has negative connotations. But nevertheless, that’s clearly exactly what’s going on here.
And we are seeing some — clearly an implementation of a policy change, to some extent, because, remember, Barack Obama, while criticizing the Bush rendition program, never went as far as to say no more renditions. In fact, he said instead, you know, “I’m going to put an end to torture. I’m going to close the black sites. But there may be legitimate cases when we’ll have renditions.” In fact, I was on your program with Michael Ratner, and we had a bit of a debate about that.
And this shows, I think, how the program is being carried forward. And to a large extent, it’s a trip back to renditions the way they occurred in the Clinton era. This is what we call “rendition to justice.” Here’s someone who was the target of a federal criminal probe. They wanted him on charges. He was indicted, sealed indictment. He’s snatched overseas and brought back to face charges in the United States.
All that’s not terribly surprising, although the fact that it’s a contract fraud case is unusual. There’s never been —- renditions have not been used in a case like this before. They’ve been reserved for drug kingpins and terrorists.
But it’s very disturbing that we have these allegations of torture hovering over the case. And while the Department of Justice says the charges are hyperbolic, the list of charges that were brought, there’s only one single item, that is, the claim that he was threatened with never seeing his family again, that the Department of Justice has actually denied. The rest of the charges, they acknowledge, yes, that happened, and it was standard procedure.
AMY GOODMAN: Well, explain exactly what happened to him.
SCOTT HORTON: He was called to Afghanistan for a meeting with a client. This man was working on construction projects for the US government. He went there with a Lebanese American assistant. And he’s from Lebanon, near Beirut. And he recounts that after a couple of brief meetings in one of these offices in Kabul, eight heavily armed FBI agents came into the room and seized him. And he was shackled, had his clothing removed, had his eyeglasses taken from him. He was stripped. He was given a body cavity search. He was manacled. He was hooded. And he -—
AMY GOODMAN: So, which part of this is hyperbolic?
SCOTT HORTON: Hyperbolic is the characterization of this as torture. That’s the Justice Department —-
AMY GOODMAN: Hooded, stripped.
SCOTT HORTON: Had body cavity search. Then sleep deprivation occurred; he was not permitted to sleep for a day and a half. Hyperthermia, it was near freezing in his cell. He was given only a thin jumpsuit to wear.
So, these procedures, if they’re standard procedures, they’re procedures that we’ve seen employed before in connection with renditions. And in a criminal justice perspective, they’re really abusive. In fact, I think a lot of people I’ve shown this to, including career prosecutors, looked at it and looked at what happened and said this is an exercise of very questionable judgment by people in the Justice Department.
AMY GOODMAN: This is for an allegation of bribery?
SCOTT HORTON: A very small-scale contract fraud. The corrupt payments that are involved here amount to about $100,000. And this is a sting operation, in which the Justice Department tried to set up a contractor operating in the Middle East soliciting bribe payments. And they made them -— something which I think would not shock anyone. That’s essentially the way the construction industry in the Middle East works.
AMY GOODMAN: So what happens now?
SCOTT HORTON: He’s facing charges. He’s trying to get his confession struck. And I think it’s a reasonable prospect of that happening, based on his description of what was done to him. You know, whether the judge says this is torture or not — unlikely he’ll go there, but the judge may very well conclude that this was unacceptable coercion to use in connection with extraction of a confession. So I’d be surprised if that confession stands up.
AMY GOODMAN: Scott Horton, we only have thirty seconds, but you not only deal with civil liberties, with issues of rendition and torture, but you are a classical music buff, and you’re just reporting on the release of a — or the find, discovery of a Mozart manuscript.
SCOTT HORTON: A wonderful new find! It’s a piano concerto. We have only the piano part. It was performed for the first time weekend before last in Salzburg, Vienna. And it comes from Nannerl’s notebook, a notebook that was put together by Leopold Mozart for his daughter, that is Wolfgang Amadeus’s older sister. And this was long thought to have been Leopold Mozart’s work, but in the last couple of months, musicologists have confirmed that, nope, this is a Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart original.
AMY GOODMAN: Well, I want to thank you very much for being with us. Today is the sixtieth anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, the current version signed on August 17th — August 12th, 1949. Scott Horton, thanks for joining us. His piece on Raymond Azar is at the Huffington Post, New York attorney specializing in international law and human rights, also is a legal affairs contributor at Harper’s Magazine, where he writes the blog "No Comment." | <urn:uuid:55e55485-72c0-4eac-b5a3-ef6b4b15d98d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.democracynow.org/2009/8/13/alleged_obama_era_rendition_victim_accuses | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973182 | 1,699 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Needed: Universal Media Measurement Of Interactivity, Related Dollars
Such a new metrics template will measure what matters most in the new digital world: generating interactive revenues. It will provide a universal assessment scale that will equalize so-called new and old media companies -- creating a unified digital media industry bound by interactivity. It will measure the effectiveness of media across all platforms and devices, gauging not just their initial connections, but their success in generating revenues and profits from them. This level of monetization will redefine all media values.
Media generally has measured only one-way connections: TV viewers, newspaper readers, radio listeners, magazine subscribers. Even now, it is difficult to know who is actually being reached, and how they are responding to content and advertising or marketing. Digital media is all about securing a payoff from two-way connections facilitated by the golden loop of interactivity among consumers and business. Hence, the need to create a scale of interactive quotients that measure actions and the revenues associated with those actions against such factors as the scope of a company's businesses or a potential market.
There is intensifying evidence that various levels and forms of interactivity should be used to define companies' performance. An ongoing tracking study from Interpublic's Universal McCann has concluded that social networking, blogging and text messaging are the Web 2.0 communications that have collectively achieved critical mass among adults 18-34. The annual PricewaterhouseCoopers/IAC report forecasts that digital and mobile distribution will account for 24% of the growth of global entertainment and media spending over the next five years.
The measurement of interactive exchanges can be revealing. It will emanate from consumers buying products and services, donating money to a cause or organization, or advertisers mining permission-based data. It will be generated by content producers directly monetizing consumer access and downloads and gaining their creative insights. Also, major media players -- from Time Warner and News Corp. to Google and Microsoft -- will create new ways to leverage their continuous rapport with all of their constituents.
There are statistical and technical geniuses who will create and utilize pervasive interactive metrics, which are way past due. The convergence of all things media is rapidly moving along without the meaningful universal measurements needed to establish and realize new marketplace values. Companies must know what their interactive connections are worth to value them properly in the digital marketplace.
The absence of such accurate and relevant industry-wide interactive metrics is beginning to have a counterproductive impact. The reported earnings and revenues and valuations of many media companies are increasingly out of sync with marketplace forces and trends. They reflect business activity in and against old static sectors rather than measuring the direct relationship to and benefit from interactive enterprise with their key constituents. For instance, companies such as News Corp., Time Warner and Walt Disney report the more traditional business performance of their filmed entertainment, television and publishing assets, while reporting interactive and new media revenue separately. This siloed approach to managing, strategically positioning and measuring media business is inaccurate and misses much of the new value being created.
In fact, skillfully utilizing the interactivity provided by the digital conversion of traditional static business is what most matters. That is why so many traditional and even Internet-related media companies appear so grossly undervalued, and why many are considering taking themselves private. On the other hand, ranking media companies by estimated unduplicated audience alone, as Alley Insider has suggested, only measures connections -- not more important monetizable interactions. That list spans from Google at 128 million unique users to NBC Universal with 51.2 unique visitors including the Weather.com.
Google, Yahoo and scores of smaller media players also are in need of embracing a next level of standard measurement. Their success is most frequently measured by page views rather than interactions resulting from connections and the revenues they yield. They are increasingly embracing traditional media's branded content and advertising without reconciling those returns with those companies' continuing static performance on television and radio, and in print publishing.
As broadcast TV stations and networks convert to digital early next year, as publishing struggles for online footing, and as news and entertainment content makes its way into broadband and mobile, it is time for a new model of interactivity measurement.
Within the next two years, more home televisions will morph into interactive monitors to access, store, transfer and manipulate (mash up) every kind of content and data. It will become an interactive brain center from which home appliances and services, mobile devices and electronic functions (such as email, IM, social networking, electronic commerce) are commanded. The process will be hastened by a new wave of home hub digital hardware and software from Apple, Microsoft, Intel, Sony and cable operators.
At the same time, Apple's less expensive 3G iPhone will inspire a next wave of more sophisticated, cheaper mobile devices that will drive the growth of interactive services for consumers on the go. Digital's fertile ground for innovation and commerce will be stymied without a universal system of measuring interactivity and the revenues they generate. | <urn:uuid:b37afbca-3182-4536-8cc2-01e01316d6e5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/85086/needed-universal-media-measurement-of-interactiv.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936817 | 1,013 | 1.5625 | 2 |
I got a titer test for rabies this year. Expensive, but I'd rather pay for that than the vac. Vicki was vaccinated for rabies when she was a pup (she was about four months) and at three years her antibodies to rabies were REAL high (which the vet said was awesome). This was further proof to me that I will not be vaccinating. You don't have
to titer test ever year, but many people do for piece of mind. Also, the best times to test are fall and early spring...you get the most accurate readings during that time. I have an article on it, I'll have to dig through my emails and find it when I get a chance.
is the company my vet uses to do the titer testing. I believe it was like $165 to get Vicki's rabies titer. I am going to work to see if I can get my township to waive the vaccination requirement with proof of rabies titers. If they won't, I just won't have licensed dogs...I've never licensed a dog anyway (I know, I'm a bad mommy and should be punished).
Here's an interesting article that my nutrition consultant for the dogs sent me...a lot of it is stuff we already know. It's long, but useful to have in your files. I gave a copy to my vet, too.
I have sent this information out in the past however it bears repeating periodically! Please for the sake of your four footed friends MAKE the time to read it through to the end!
It is widely acknowledged that vaccines can contribute to a whole range of autoimmune diseases, such as Addison's disease, Cushing's disease, thyroid disease, autoimmune haemolytic anaemia, and many others. The scientific evidence is certainly there. Dr. Larry Glickman at Purdue University has found that routinely vaccinated dogs develop autoantibodies to a wide range of their own biochemicals. Vaccines disrupt the dog’s immune system causing it to attack itself, developing autoimmune disease.
Following are a few excerpts about vaccines from enlightened vets and other professionals.
“Immune-suppressant viruses of the retrovirus and parvovirus classes have recently been implicated as causes of bone marrow failure, immune-mediated blood diseases, hematologic malignancies (lymphoma and leukemia), dysregulation of humoral and cell-mediated immunity, organ failure (liver, kidney), and autoimmune endocrine disorders especially of the thyroid gland (thyroiditis), adrenal gland (Addison's disease), and pancreas (diabetes).” Dr. Jean Dodds DVM (USA). Dr. Dodds is internationally recognized for her expertise in blood and immune disorders.
“The Merck manual tells us that vaccines can cause or exacerbate encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), epilepsy, skin disease, behaviour problems (from brain damage), and autoimmune diseases (which include Addison’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Lupus, haemolytic anaemia, chronic active hepatitis, diabetes mellitus, Grave’s disease, Hypoparathyroidism, skin inflammations, Uveitis, and other immunologic eye diseases).”
Merck Manual is the world's most widely used general medical text. It has also been called the vet’s bible.
“There is another aspect to problems with vaccination: contrary to what you may have heard even from some of those who are calling for the discontinuation of mandatory vaccination in the United States, vaccines do not prevent diseases”, ...“It is also well-documented that the largest epidemics occurred in the most highly vaccinated populations, while whose who were unvaccinated, did not have the same epidemics”,... “There is no evidence whatsoever of the ability of vaccines to prevent any diseases. To the contrary, there is a great wealth of evidence that they cause serious side effects”. Dr. Viera Scheibner,
"The only safe vaccine is a vaccine that is never used."
Dr. James A. Shannon, National Institutes of Health
“The medical authorities keep lying. Vaccination has been a disaster on the immune system. It actually causes a lot of illnesses. We are changing our genetic code through vaccination." Guylaine Lanctot M.D. Canadian author of the best-seller 'Medical Mafia'.
“Vaccination is not necessary, not useful, does not protect. There are twice as many casualties from vaccination as from AIDS”. Dr. med. Gerhard Buchwald, West Germany, specialist of internal diseases and participant in about 150 trials of vaccination victims.
“All vaccination has the effect of directing the three values of the blood into or toward the zone characteristics of cancer and leukaemia...Vaccines do predispose to cancer and leukaemia.” Professor L. Vincent - founder of Bioelectronics
"The vaccinations are not working, and they are dangerous.. We should be working with nature."----- Lendon H.Smith, M.D.
“When you do get to the little wrappers that come with the little bottles of vaccine and read the small print, the alarm bells start ringing.., vaccination does not guarantee immunisation.”. Senator Brown of Tasmania (ex medical practitioner).
"Homeopathic veterinarians and other holistic practitioners have maintained for some time that vaccinations do more harm than they provide benefits. Vaccinations represent a major assault on the body's immune system."Dr Charles E Loops DVM
“55% of all illnesses reported by participants occurred within the first three months of vaccination.” Arthritis - Diarrhoea - Allergies -Dry eye/conjunctivits - Epilepsy - Loss of appetite Nervous/worrying disposition - Skin problems - Nasal discharges - Vomiting - Weight loss - Behavioural problems - Tumour or growth. Catherine O’Driscoll, author of “What Vets Don’t Tell You About Vaccines”, “Who Killed the Darling Buds of May” and “Shock to the System”.
The homoeopathic veterinarian Christopher Day, on the other hand, suspected that around 80% of the diseases he treats in his surgery are vaccine related, and occur within three months of vaccination where the start date of the illness is known.
"Dogs contracting the diseases they were vaccinated against: Hepatitis - 63.6% occurred within three months of vaccination Parainfluenza - 50% occurred within three months of vaccination Parvovirus - 68.2% occurred within three months of vaccination Distemper - 55.6% occurred within three months of vaccination Leptospirosis - 100% of dogs contracted leptospirosis within three months of vaccination
If after knowing that some of the health hazards from vaccinations include, allergies, arthritis, asthma, cancer, cataracts, cerebral palsy, chronic ear infections, conception rate lowered, encephalitis, epilepsy, fibrosarcoma at the vaccination site, hyperactivity, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, interdigital pyoderma, juvenile type diabetes, learning disabilities, leukemia, lupus, meningitis, multiple sclerosis, tuberculosis, damage to and/or failure of heart, kidneys, liver, pancreas and other organs of the body, and ALL of the diseases for which your animal or child were vaccinated, are you still willing to take that risk of vaccinating? If so, WHY? There is no proof that vaccinations work at all. Pat McKay
"Immune-mediated hematological disease and transient bone marrow failure are increasingly recognized sequelae of...vaccination. ... Postvacinal polyneuropathy is a recognized entity associated with...vaccines. ...Adverse reactions to vaccination have also recently been reported with increasing frequency in cats." (Dr. Jean Dodds DVM, 1990)
Ronald Schultz, of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Center for Veterinary Medicine has done some duration studies that show that, for greater than 90% of dogs, a single DHPP vaccination provides immunity for *at least* 7 years, and probably for life. There is an article by him in .pdf format that you can download from http://www.noofies-zoo.com/schultzvaccinations.pdf
Dr. Schultz is the author of this paragraph in Kirk's "Current Veterinary Therapy XI", the conventional medicine textbook: “A practice that was started many years ago and that lacks scientific validity or verification is annual revaccinations. Almost without exception there is no immunologic requirement for annual revaccination. Immunity to viruses persists for years or for the life of the animal. Successful vaccination to most bacterial pathogens produces an immunologic memory that remains for years, allowing an animal to develop a protective anamnestic (secondary) response when exposed to virulent organisms. Only the immune response to toxins requires boosters (e.g. tetanus toxin booster, in humans, is recommended once every 7-10 years), and no toxin vaccines are currently used for dogs and cats. Furthermore, revaccination with most viral vaccines fails to stimulate an anamnestic (secondary) response as a result of interference by existing antibody (similar to maternal antibody interference). The practice of annual vaccination in our opinion should be considered of questionable efficacy unless it is used as a mechanism to provide an annual physical examination or is required by law” (i.e., certain states require annual revaccination for rabies).
Vaccines are acknowledged to cause inflammation of the brain and, in severe cases, lesions in the brain and throughout the central nervous system. This condition, known as encephalitis, lies at the root of much aggressive and violent behaviour, autism, epilepsy, attention deficit disorder, and other neurological conditions (for example, CDRM, Ataxia, etc). Catherine O’Driscoll.
If you do not wish to vaccinate your pet with vaccines required by law you can get a waiver from your veterinarian. If your dog has had problems with vaccinations in the past, you can BY LAW be waived from the vaccination program. Here's the quote:
(1) The owner or person having the care and custody of an animal that is in or has a physical condition that precludes the safe immunization or reimmunization of the animal against rabies is exempt from the requirement of this Regulation where,
(a) a statement of exemption is issued by a veterinarian with respect to the animal that sets out the reason why the animal cannot be immunized or reimmunized; and
(b) the animal is controlled in such a manner as to preclude its being exposed to rabies. R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 567, s. 8 (1).
You will find this here: http://22.214.171.124/DBLaws/Regs/English/900567_e.htm
These waivers are supposed to be accepted at obedience/agility classes and at the border. If you are traveling call ahead to confirm this.
This particular copy applies to Ontario but it is my understanding that all provinces/states have made similar allowances to protect themselves from being sued should a dog have a fatal reaction to a vaccine due to being forced by law to have that vaccine. By having made these allowances they protect themselves by putting the responsibility on the owner to know this law and to use correct judgement in the administration of vaccines and the animals overall state of health. Many people don’t even know that these exemption allowances exist.
You can also ask a holistic/homeopathic vet to sign a note like this for your dog:
To Whom It May Concern:
This (state breed) named _____________ has had all the vaccinations that I deem appropriate for the species.
(signed - vet)
If you require more info please contact me though my website at: http://www3.nf.sympatico.ca/healthycanine | <urn:uuid:4c6403a4-34b0-4018-92fd-ac16c71c6789> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pitbulltalk.com/viewtopic.php?p=37332 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942089 | 2,513 | 1.84375 | 2 |
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In a class of 30, at the western edge of the Bible Belt, only a handful knew the biblical belief that we are helpless in our sins and that our only hope lies in God's grace because of Christ's sacrifice. Most students identified Christianity with a set of moralistic rules: Obey them and you're good.
Oddly enough, what they saw as Christianity is more like Islam. Muslims do not recognize original sin. They contend that Allah through his prophet Muhammad laid out the rules for moral living, and that we are naturally capable of following all of them. To quote from one typical and popular Muslim website, 2muslims.com, "A believer . . . has the conviction that there is no other means of success and salvation for him except purity of soul and righteousness of behavior."
Christians say only Christ meets that standard. (This is why "substitutionary atonement" is a crucial doctrine.) Muslims say they can...
Slater, there is much I like about your response, one may have to wonder about "moderate Muslim" Identifying Moderate Muslims sometimes seems to be an impossibility. It also seems that a moderate Muslims can easily turn radical. You have to remember that most if not all of the 9/11 killer Muhammadans were educated, middle-class--as are the present day leaders of these terrorist groups.
Now, Arminians will especially like this commentary, Islam and Christianity-A Comparison. While the commentary may be correct about the results of original sin, it still doesn't capture the idea about the inheritance of original sin.
"people like Samson and Paul..... These individuals had to become aware of their own transgressions and limitations. They had to be broken, because often we don't realize how much we need God until we have no other alternative"
A people and religion which does not "know" sin has to be very dangerous. The muslims think that they can win salvation by obeying the Quran rules. Some of those rules include killing as well as conquering peoples. This is a war which is not yet over a battle which is not yet won. Its not about hearts and minds and moderate muslims. Perhaps it is about technology and oil lasting long enough to keep technology running.....Then??? How many muslims will be living here? | <urn:uuid:7ee35550-89e8-4dec-a8f8-36ef0855b836> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sermonaudio.com/new_details.asp?ID=32354 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966293 | 528 | 1.8125 | 2 |
Crime and Punishment
Important Quotations Explained
was taking place in him was totally unfamiliar, new, sudden, never
before experienced. Not that he understood it, but he sensed clearly,
with all the power of sensation, that it was no longer possible
for him to address these people in the police station, not only
with heartfelt effusions, as he had just done, but in any way at
all, and had they been his own brothers and sisters, and not police
lieutenants, there would still have been no point in this addressing
them, in whatever circumstances of life.
known Rodion for a year and a half: sullen, gloomy, arrogant, proud;
recently (and maybe much earlier) insecure and hypochondriac. Magnanimous
and kind. Doesn’t like voicing his feelings, and would rather do
something cruel than speak his heart out in words. At times, however,
he’s not hypochondriac at all, but just inhumanly cold and callous,
as if there really were two opposite characters in him, changing
places with each other. At times he’s terribly taciturn! He’s always
in a hurry, always too busy, yet he lies there doing nothing. Not
given to mockery, and not because he lacks sharpness but as if he
had no time for such trifles. Never hears people out to the end.
Is never interested in what interests everyone else at a given moment.
Sets a terribly high value on himself and, it seems, not without
a certain justification.
old woman was a mistake perhaps, but she’s not the point! The old
woman was merely a sickness . . . I was in a hurry to step over
. . . it wasn’t a human being I killed, it was a principle! So I
killed the principle, but I didn’t step over, I stayed on this side
. . . All I managed to do was kill. And I didn’t even manage that,
as it turns out . . .
is it, to run away! A mere formality; that’s not the main thing;
no, he won’t run away on me by a law of nature, even if he has somewhere
to run to. Have you ever seen a moth near a candle? Well, so he’ll
keep circling around me, circling around me, as around a candle;
freedom will no longer be dear to him, he’ll fall to thinking, get
entangled, he’ll tangle himself all up as in a net, he’ll worry
himself to death! . . . he’ll keep on making circles around me, narrowing
the radius more and more, and—whop! He’ll fly right into my mouth,
and I’ll swallow him, sir, and that will be most agreeable, heh,
it happened he himself did not know, but suddenly it was as if something
lifted him and flung him down at her feet. He wept and embraced
her knees. For the first moment she was terribly frightened, and
her whole face went numb. She jumped up and looked at him, trembling.
But all at once, in that same moment, she understood everything.
Infinite happiness lit up in her eyes; she understood, and for her there
was no longer any doubt that he loved her, loved her infinitely,
and that at last the moment had come. . . .
by Jojo1618, July 25, 2012
When Raskolnikov decides not to let his sister's marriage happen, he takes on the role of a typical big brother. He thinks no one is good for his sister, in addition to feeling that she is doing it for him. He is egocentric and his reaction really mirrors what any big brother would do who does not want his baby sister to marry an idiot.
4 out of 15 people found this helpful1
by taylor197, August 09, 2012
When Raskolnikov (Rask) gets his mother's letter, she explains that her pension is small but may be just enough to help out her son. Next, she tells him that his sister, Dounia, is getting married to a slightly arrogant business man, Pyotr.
Rask despises what's happening to his family. He doesn't take a "big brother" stance, but is simply angry that Pyotr is using the family's poverty to get a "legal concubine". Raskhas a large amount of pride in himself seeing that he won't accept any of Pulcheria's pension and later gives money... Read more→
61 out of 71 people found this helpful1
by Rero37, September 03, 2012
(Starting from Part 1, Page 12 of the last paragraph)
- Marmeladov's Monologue is a very important part of the story, simply because it helps set the pace for the rest of the story.
Raskolnikov had just come into a bar, regardless of how crowded it was, and the first person to talk to him is this drunk, strange man, named Marmeladov and he's the first person he's actually wanted to talk with in a long time. A drunkard is known to speak his mind and he began to give this long monologue about how he resembles a beast, how he 'lus... Read more→
44 out of 49 people found this helpful0 | <urn:uuid:4534aa1c-ce3f-48f4-89b0-084033d52e09> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/crime/quotes.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97962 | 1,173 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Most people are aware that the greatest loss of liberty occurs when one’s own government centralizes power, not when a foreign force invades. This loss happens most frequently during war. After the war, the centralized power is reduced but it never gets back to the original level. This same phenomenon is now occurring with respect to disaster preparedness.
Most responses are being planned by government, and at increasingly higher levels of government. If we want to retain our freedoms I believe that civilians and those not involved in law enforcement must organize and plan, too, so that government does not completely dominate.
My last position in the U.S. Air Force Reserve was as an emergency preparedness liaison officer. I could see even then, some 15 years ago, that emergency response was being taken over by government entities. The pace only quickened after Sept. 11, 2001. Some provisions in laws like the Patriot Act reinforce this trend.
We need to exercise that eternal vigilance that is the price of liberty.
© Copyright 2013 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.
'Your papers, please' must never be heard in America
By Tom Howell Jr. - The Washington Times
House Republicans who are critical of the federal health care law have written to more than a dozen companies, including top insurers Aetna and BlueCross BlueShield, to ask if President Obama’s top health official tried to solicit funds from them to support the overhaul. | <urn:uuid:4e02f283-c234-477a-8a40-8921851d3b54> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/may/24/disaster-planning-needs-civilian-input/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955502 | 297 | 1.554688 | 2 |
After months and months of work, we’re now launching a new system – the Worldwide Permaculture Network (WPN) - which will enable permaculturists everywhere to:
- Put themselves on a clickable map, where people (permaculturists and non-permaculturists) can see at a glance the scope of the spread of permaculture worldwide
- Showcase their work as individuals, and the work of any projects they are administrating
- Be searchable according to many variables (climate zone, project type, and more)
- Network with other permaculturists everywhere
- Advertise their consultancy services
- Advertise their courses (for educational projects)
- Share knowledge, experiences, challenges, successes, and inspiration
- Help inspire non-permaculturists with the potential for positive, systemic change that permaculture design systems can bring
- And more...
I conjured the idea of this database more than two and a half years ago, and with the support of PRI Australia we’ve been trying to squirrel away finances to build it ever since. Whilst saving our pennies, I’ve had a static HTML project listing up in the interim, but it was always a cumbersome way to display and promote projects of course and over the last several months as I’ve been working on this database, I’ve had to neglect that section entirely.
With this new system you can create your own user profile, and, if applicable, advertise your status as a consultant and/or aid worker. You can add your project(s), of whatever type, be it an urban residential project, or an African or Californian aid project, a Sydney or Delhi suburbs commercial project or something not even land based – like an economic project (LETS, or similar), or a political activist project, and more. Educational projects get to list their courses.
By adding a profile (People and Projects), you get added to an interactive world map! You can browse projects by their summary cards and filter by climate zone or project type – or just by clicking on the pins on the map. You can find ‘People’ by different criteria also – climate zone, consultants, aid workers, teachers, etc.
You get your own blog with your profile, and if you’re sharing interesting and valuable updates to your blog you’ll find other users clicking to ‘follow’ you so they can easily monitor your updates via their ‘dashboard’ – where you arrive after logging in. The best updates will be ‘featured’, thus attracting more followers and potentially supporters of your work (including attracting more students, and/or consultancy customers, etc.).
Despite being created by the PRI, these features are available to anyone who wishes to make use of them.
Because of my work over the last five years, studying world issues and writing about them, I am acutely aware of the more-than-precarious situation we are in as a race. I have created the WPN as a tool to help fast-track the take-up of permaculture design concepts to help ameliorate our predicament as rapidly as possible. The WPN system has enormous potential if we make use of it in the way designed – i.e. using it to share information, resources, inspiration and encouragement. In addition, the WPN can, if it receives community-funded support for the costs involved, continue its development to tailor/improve it to meet the needs of users. At present we at the PRI have diverted funds to create this system from our own urgent need to expand and improve facilities for students and from other projects that needed it, but we’ve done so in the belief that the WPN has such a potential, and that time is so short, that if we didn’t go ahead and initiate such a much-needed project, then as economies continue to collapse we might never see such a system getting created at all.
It would be great if we can all build on our common shared vision, and I offer up this system as a tool to help accomplish this. Your feedback and support to improve will be welcome, and acted upon as we have time and means to do so.
The time is now!
As architect of this system, I warmly invite you to go to www.permacultureglobal.com , and sign up. After signing up, please ensure you complete your personal profile and pretty it up as a good example for subsequent users to emulate. Then, add your project if you have one (it might be your own residential yard, or a project involving many more people, like a permaculture local group, or other, etc.), also ensuring to maintain a high standard of textual content, formatting and a good sprinkling of nice images, etc., so we can ensure people investigating permaculture for the first time are wowed with what they find in the system.
Permaculturists – this is our time! Let’s stop considering permaculture as an ‘alternative lifestyle’ and accept the fact that there really is *no alternative*. As far as our place in history, it’s permaculture or bust. We need to come out of our closets, and recognise that it’s the time to share and nurture, to build community, share seeds and designs, share enthusiasm and wisdom, and practical knowhow. The WPN will facilitate this like no other system available today. I have laboured in the hope that you will make best use of this system.
Thank you everybody for all that you do in the world.
Permaculture Research Institute | <urn:uuid:def59368-7c39-450c-9acb-4ebc29413dcc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://forums.permaculture.org.au/showthread.php?10323-The-Live-Launch-of-the-Worldwide-Permaculture-Network-(WPN)-is-Now-Underway!!&p=69867 | 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 | 0.930288 | 1,185 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Posted Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2011, at 5:47 PM
That's a subject of discussion today, in large part because of a letter Paul sent to colleagues and made available to reporters. The letter:
The Senate yesterday proposed a three-year extension of the PATRIOT Act, a move that would not have allowed for any hearings, amendments, or debate. I objected to this deal. I realize that I might not have the votes to stop this bill, but we should at least discuss this in public as adults.
We should have the opportunity to explain why the Constitution is being violated. We should talk about how we do not have to give up who we are in order to fight terrorism. It is not acceptable to willfully ignore the most basic provisions of our Constitution—in this case—the Fourth and First Amendments—in the name of "security."
As Senators, we should be able to have debate and offer amendments to try to fix the egregious problems with the PATRIOT Act. And Senate leaders have agreed to this. Within 90 days there will be an open debate and amendments on the PATRIOT Act. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, publicly committed on the Senate floor this afternoon to a week of examination including amendments and debate. While I oppose any extension of the PATRIOT Act, and will vote no, I do welcome the chance to actually talk about this subject over the next few months.
This victory for discussion was only possible because we stood firm when they pressed for the three-year extension. It is only possible because liberty-loving Americans are standing up. For us to prevail in 90 days, more will need to do so.
I will stand and fight. I will offer amendments to address the problems with the bill, and I will attempt to convince my colleagues that our oath to uphold the Constitution should always be our first priority as Senators of the United States.
Standing and fighting today, however, did not mean a filibuster of the PATRIOT Act. The three-month extension and the promise of further debate was all that Paul and the rebels got; there will be no 2005-style debating that stuns supporters of the bill and prompts immediate changes. It's seen as the best the reformers could possibly get right now. (The worst would be a 3-year extension, favored by some Democrats as a way to kick the can past the 2012 election.)
UPDATE, 6:33 p.m.: Reauthorization passed 86-12, with Paul and Utah's Mike Lee voting "no" for the GOP. (Among the GOP aye votes was Ron Johnson, who took Feingold's seat in 2010.) Democratic "no" votes included Frank Lautenberg, Max Baucus, Patty Murray, and Jon Tester -- the last of these is up for re-election in 2012, challenged by Rep. Denny Rehberg, who voted against reauthorization in the House. | <urn:uuid:75956c4f-f720-4048-b82b-7aafb6101144> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2011/02/15/rand_paul_as_the_new_russ_feingold.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966903 | 597 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Tags – Government
What Indigenous diplomatic traditions can teach us
Treaties are not about the cession of land but rather a commitment to stand with one another.
A champagne magazine on a beer budget
There are two schools of thought. One is that government should be neutral and provide funds for magazines. The other is that if you’re reliant on government for funding, chances are that you’ll back off from criticism, which we never did, and we paid the price.
Imprisoned activist Alex Hundert on incarceration and solitary confinement
This is the kind of place where Ashley Smith died in 2007. It is also the kind of place where Julie Bilotta gave birth on a cement floor last year.
Changes to Canada’s spy agency oversight give CSIS even greater power
Even with the recommended oversight, CSIS has not proven immune to abuses of power and the law.
Women on the front lines of a continental struggle
Across the Americas, Indigenous women are working to restore values of harmony, co-operation, balance, and respect within their communities.
Quebec has much to teach social movements across Canada
In the final days of Quebec’s 2012 election campaign, many journalists and federalist politicians warned Canadians of the dangers of a Parti Québécois victory. Progressive movements across Canada have a lot to learn about what is made possible when the question of independence is raised.
Fighting terror with torture
The shift in modern warfare toward counterinsurgency carried out by states against diffuse populations, rather than organized armies, calls for new instruments of domination.
The Métis registry and politics of state recognition
“I will never know exactly why and when my own family’s Métis history was buried; I only know that it was.”
Drugs, gangs, and Harper’s war on the poor
If the drug war is a tool of social and territorial control and capital accumulation, it’s not enough to simply accuse Harper’s Conservatives of pursuing a misguided strategy.
Doctors, torture, and national insecurity
“It’s going to be very painful without the anaesthetic in your toe.” My face twists in anticipation. “Maybe we could give you something to relax a little, send you off to sleep.” | <urn:uuid:6170e9b0-1fb9-49dc-9e44-021b72e486ea> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://briarpatchmagazine.com/topics/tags/tag/government | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937949 | 480 | 1.773438 | 2 |
June 19 2013 Latest news:
Monday, October 22, 2012
SIGNS have been put on supermarket shelves in Wisbech in a bid to deter shoplifters.
Police have placed the messages on the alcohol, meat, cheese and health and beauty shelves because those are the items usually targeted thieves, officers say.
They have been written in English, Lithuanian and Polish - because analysis showed offenders were most likely to speak those languages, the force says.
The signs, which have been put in nine Wisbech shops, warn would-be shoplifters that they are being watched and that 1,500 arrests were made for shoplifting in 2011/12.
Banners have also been put up at entrances to stores where the majority of offences have occurred as part of the constabulary’s Get Closer campaign to identify crime trends.
Inspector Robin Sissons said: “Shoplifting remains a priority for us and we are committed to coming up with new and innovative ways to tackle this type of crime.
“Using the shelf-edge messages allows us to send a direct message to offenders to make them think twice before they steal from shops.
“The message is simple: We will not tolerate shoplifting. If you steal from a shop you will be arrested and put before the courts.” | <urn:uuid:1fbbb1ac-faf9-438d-867b-23854e9a6dc2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wisbechstandard.co.uk/news/shoplifter_warning_on_supermarket_shelves_1_1664795 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975264 | 276 | 1.695313 | 2 |
New Year's Day is usually a time for munching on holiday leftovers and watching football, but this year some will leave the cozy indoors to participate in a guided hike or other outdoor activity at area state parks.
The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and National Resources is offering First Day Hikes in 18 of the 120 Pennsylvania state parks to give residents the opportunity to spend New Year's Day outside and enjoy nature's beauty. Three are in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Terry Brady, the Pennsylvania DCNR deputy press secretary, said DCNR doesn't count the number of people who attend, but the turnout has been high since the hikes were first offered in 2011.
The last two years have been really well received, said Brady. Last year we had offered hikes at 12 state parks and this year it was bumped up to almost 20.
First Day Hikes in the area include Lackawanna State Park in North Abington Township, Nescopeck in Drums and the Promised Land in Pike County. Brady said each of the locations is scheduled to offer a hike, but the activity may change based on the weather.
It's very weather-dependent. We might switch hikes around the lake to snowshoeing, said Brady.
The hikes will be led by state park staff and other volunteers. Most of the hikes are less than two miles, but the distance will vary depending on the park and its terrain. While the hikes were designed to get people out of the house, they will also encourage hikers to begin the New Year on a healthy note.
Nationwide, First Day Hikes have become a phenomenon. More than 14,000 people hiked more than 30,000 miles last year. The hikes, which were originated in Massachusetts by the National Association of Park Directors, have been taking place for 20 years.
On the first day of 2013, children and adults will have the chance to hike in more than 400 parks across the United States.
• Lackawanna State Park: Meet at Environmental Learning Center for two-hour hike to begin at 1 p.m. Call 570- 945-3289.
• Nescopeck State Park: Meet at park office. Hike from 1:30-3:30 p.m. 570-403-2006
• Promised Land: Meet at main office. Hike from 1-3 p.m. 570-676-3428. | <urn:uuid:41c43ec9-fb6f-4624-88c3-ca85e09a759e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.timesleader.com/stories/Healthy-hike-one-way-to-start-2013,245620?category_id=487&list_type=most_viewed&town_id=1&sub_type=stories | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971862 | 492 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Alfonsin: “we have the duty to place on the throne the noble equality”
October 20, 2011
The presidential candidate of the Union for Social Development, Ricardo Alfonsín, closed his campaign at a rally in Belgrano, in front of the youth.
Yes, boys and girls, I refer to you especially. Especially the younger ones, those who go to high school or who have completed it. When we invite them to participate in politics, I say something like this: life is not just to pass it the best way possible, of course we must try to be happy, but life is also to make sense, to honor, to do things important not to be important, which may be frivolous or tilinguería, but to do important things.
Nothing is more important in life to strive to improve the human condition, and can certainly work with this purpose from many activities, but activity is politics par excellence, guys.
Make no mistake you guys, we’re calling to fight for the dignity of man. We make the same call that we did in 83 ‘. Are calling for him to give us that mandate, from the depths of our nationality, he can not have more legitimacy, are calling for the words we hear in our public schools, we have a duty to place on the throne the noble equality and that requires us to listen to freedom. Are the two things that call for radical militancy. | <urn:uuid:72f80d30-da85-47d7-a0a0-f2827e1d9f9f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://m24digital.com/en/2011/10/20/alfonsin-we-have-the-duty-to-place-on-the-throne-the-noble-equality/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953655 | 297 | 1.632813 | 2 |
(Note: Today’s post is courtesy David Roddenberry, co-founder of HealthyWage.)
8 Cool Ways Health Clubs are Thinking Outside the Box, Shrinking Waistlines
By David Roddenberry
Health club memberships in the U.S. have leveled out over the last 20-years while the obesity epidemic has ballooned. In light of this disparity, many health clubs are increasingly adopting unconventional programs to bolster their membership base and better motivate the marketplace to get fit, trim and healthy.
“Amid the growing rate of obesity in the U.S., health clubs are continually challenged to drive new memberships and inspire current members to visit their facilities for workouts with some regularity to get, and keep, them on a healthy track,” notes Kelli Calabrese, international fitness, nutrition and lifestyle specialist twice named “Personal Trainer of the Year.” “I applaud the health club community for integrating new, exciting and innovative ways to attract and engage members to keep their fitness lifestyle fresh, fun and frequent…and even profitable!”
Here are a few cool new programs now underway:
1. Whole-Life Training. Health club facilities are now looking beyond just the exercise component of fostering a healthy lifestyle. In addition to personal training staff, today’s progressive health clubs are boasting on-site nutritionists and other allied healthcare professionals like physical therapists and even psychologists. These value added services holistically address all areas of a member’s life that impact their overall well-being, health and happiness. Engaging and assisting members in this comprehensive way maximizes member results, retention and referrals.
2. Kicking Members Out. For outdoor fitness, that is. Some health clubs are utilizing their external real estate to promote fitness activities al fresco. Club owners are realizing that many people get bored with the indoor offerings—even depressed or deterred—so they are offering running and cycling clubs, parking lot boot camps and spin classes, and more.
3. Weight Loss Wagering. Diet contests and weight loss betting programs, like that offered by HealthyWage.com, are exploding in popularity as both individuals and employee groups from coast to coast “diet for dollars.” More than 4,500 health clubs nationwide now serve as “weigh in locations” for HealthyWage.com contest participants, with many opting to also purchase a club membership as they shed pounds with their eye on the $10,000 team prize. This financial weight loss incentive approach is so effective, Fortune 500 companies nationwide have integrated such program into their corporate wellness initiatives to benefit both employee groups and their own bottom line.
4. Clubs Go Retro. Nostalgia evokes emotion and emotion drives action. With this in mind throwback ’80s fitness classes, in which participants dress in period-inspired spandex and leg warmers and do aerobics to music by Michael Jackson, George Michael, and the like, are bringing the neon headband sporting, leotard-wearing enthusiasts to health clubs in droves. Originating in hipster ‘hoods like LA and NYC, this ’80s fitness craze is sweeping the nation, proving to be a fun, creative and, like, totally awesome way to attract new members – and keep current members coming back for more.
5. Social Media Stimulation. From small boutique gyms to large national chains, health clubs are tapping the social mediasphere in innovative ways to stay connected with current and prospective members. Informative and engaging Facebook fan pages rife with workout strategies, success stories and special product offers; up-to-the-minute Twitter announcements, training tips and topical tweet feeds; online virtual fitness coaching; un-lockable specials on Foursquare; VLOGs (video blogs) and a myriad of other social networking strategies are helping health club purveyors better connect with the marketplace—informing, motivating and helping them thwart those momentary chocolate cravings like never before.
6. Patriotism Personified. While military discounts are nothing new in the business landscape, full-scale, week-long national programs offering completely free benefits to any and all active, reserve and retired military members, and their families, throughout the U.S. is wonderfully above and beyond the norm. This is exactly what one large national change is doing, for five consecutive years having provided complimentary week-long club access to America’s extensive number of active, inactive and retired military personnel—and dependents—in observance of Veterans Day. This same sentiment-oriented national health club chain also celebrates “Active Aging Week” by offering free week-long workouts for older adults age 50 or above.
7. Club Crawl. In an effort to get members integrated to all areas of the health club and its services, at the time of registration some clubs are giving new members a card with goals to complete for a prize. The goals can include trying fitness classes, completing a personal training session, meeting certain staff members and using specific areas of the fitness center. This gives members the opportunity to experience all the club has to offer before getting pigeon-holed into only one or two areas like nautilus machines or heading right for the spin bike studio. The idea is that the more people the member meet and services they experience first hand, the more connected they will feel to the club and more likely they will be to try—or at least tell friends about—all of the club’s offerings.
8. Gamers Press Play! Video gamers take note: one private gym in Mountain View, California, Overtime Fitness Inc., has tailored its offerings to teenagers in a novel approach to address childhood obesity. This facility boasts an arcade filled with physical video games that require dancing, boxing, and jumping. Riders race against each other on stationary bikes networked to a server! Teen fitness has never been so fun or effective at making health clubbing “cool!”
While our nation’s obesity epidemic was top-of-mind at this month’s ‘Weight of the Nation’ Conference in Washington, D.C. sponsored by the CDC, much of the dialogue proffered nothing new. Even in the report released by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) ‘Accelerating Process in Obesity Prevention’ cited strategies that, while sound, have been proposed in years past as obesity continued to run rampant. It’s time for fresh approaches, innovative thinking and even risk taking to trim America’s collective waistline. Novel health club programs can tactically and effectively address obesity in new and compelling ways on the front line.
David Roddenberry is co-founder of HealthyWage, (www.HealthyWage.com), the only company that pays Americans cash to lose weight while offering social and expert-based support, tools and resources, and goal-setting and tracking technologies to address our nation’s obesity epidemic and improve America’s collective health. | <urn:uuid:6cec5175-49ee-42fd-bc3f-afb06e82b6df> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.canoe.ca/keepingfit/2012/06/18/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946549 | 1,446 | 1.671875 | 2 |
For San Luis Obispo composer Craig Russell, there's no more perfect symbol of life in the California missions than the fandango.
First popularized in the 1700s, the fandango was one of the few community events in which people from all levels of society -- from Chumash girls to Spanish soldiers -- could participate, Russell said. "Regardless of your social class or your ethnicity or your occupation or your gender, you're welcome to dance the fandango," the Cal Poly music professor said. "It's the musical expression of 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'"
Russell recreates the fandango and other California mission music in his composition "Ecos armónicos," which showcases snippets of the sacred and secular tunes played throughout the state in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The piece appears -- along with Antonio Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" and Pietro Antonio Locatelli's "Concerto Grosso in D Major, Op. 1 No. 5" -- on the program of the San Luis Obispo Symphony's California Missions Tour concerts in January.
When "Ecos armónicos" is performed Jan.12 at Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, "you'll hear the resonating sounds of themes we would have heard in our mission in 1772," Russell said, "dressed in the trappings of the modern string orchestra."
Born in Los Alamos, N.M., Russell studied Baroque guitar and lute performance at the University of New Mexico under Hector Garcia. (His two-volume book, "Santiago de Murcia's 'Codice Saldivar No. 4': A Treasury of Secular Guitar Music From Baroque Mexico," was published in 1995.) He completed his doctorate degree in historical musicology in 1982 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before moving to San Luis Obispo in teach at Cal Poly.
In the introduction to his 2009 book, "From Serra to Sancho: Music and Pageantry in the California Missions," Russell describes the first time he saw Mission San Luis Obispo. Standing in front of that "gorgeous and quizzically inviting building," with its lopsided bell tower, L-shaped floor plan and whitewashed facade, "I found myself asking, 'What did the music sound like in this building two centuries ago?"
Russell has dedicated three decades --including the eight years he spent researching, writing and proofing "From Serra to Sancho" -- to answering that question. His book's title references two men instrumental to the development of California mission music: Franciscan friar Junípero Serra, who founded seven of the 21 California missions, and Mexican Baroque composer Juan Bautista Sancho y Literes, who spent much of his life at Mission San Antonio de Padua just north of the San Luis Obispo County line.
Both were active -- along with Narciso Durán, Manuel de Sumaya and other composers -- during the mission era, which Russell defines as beginning in 1769 with the founding of California's first mission, Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcala, and ending in 1848 with the Treaty of Hidalgo, which marked the end of the Mexican-American War and the incorporation of California into the United States.
Contrary to popular belief, Russell said, California's missions were neither paradises nor prison camps. While European settlers in the American colonies viewed the land's original occupants as soulless savages, their Spanish-born counterparts saw California's native peoples as human beings with the potential to become Catholic converts and full Spanish citizens, he explained.
"Overall, it was a welcoming environment," he said, one with a rich musical landscape. "It wasn't the friars who built the missions. It was the Californians working side by side with the friars."
Directed by the friars, many of whom had undergone training in musical theory and performance, the Native American neophytes who constituted the missions' choirs and orchestras performed music that was "resplendent, impressive, varied, complex, erudite, and even virtuoistic," Russell writes in "From Serra to Sancho."
Drawing from influences as varied as Spanish sacred music and secular celebratory song, mission musical styles ranged from the free-flowing, meditative "canto llano," or, "plainchant," practiced at the Church in Rome or the Primate Church of Toledo to the thrilling, theatrical "música moderna," or, "modern music," popularized by Vivaldi and his contemporaries.
"Some of these pieces were part of the repertoire that everybody would have known," said Russell, who traveled throughout California and Mexico in search of musical clues. "There were thousands of manuscripts that would have had the same tune in them."
That's fortunate, since some of that era's more popular songs exist today only as notes scratched on scrap paper or written in the margins of tattered choirbooks. "Ecos armónicos," whose title translates to "harmonic echoes," turns those fragments into fully realized songs.
According to Russell, the practice of transforming traditional tunes into original compositions was pioneered by the likes of 20th-century Italian composer Ottorino Respighi, who used Renaissance lute pieces as the basis for "Ancient Airs of Dances." "No one could mistake these pieces for reproductions of times past (but) there's an affection for the past," Russell said.
The six movements of "Ecos armónicos," which was written with Grammy Award-winning violinist Kathleen Lenski in mind, range from a reverent hymn to a jaunty, joyous military march. It ends with the sensual, dramatic fandango.
"Ecos armónicos," which made its world premiere in January 2008 at Mission San Luis Obispo, marks one of Russell's most recent collaborations with the San Luis Obispo Symphony. Joined by violinist Shunské Sato, the San Luis Obispo Symphony Chamber Players will reprise the piece Jan. 12 with performances at Mission San Luis Obispo and Mission San Miguel and Jan. 13 with a concert at Mission Santa Barbara.
"It has a beauty and a majesty that you can only hear in the acoustics of a mission," said Michael Nowak, the symphony's music director since 1984. "This is where this music belongs."
The San Luis Obispo Symphony has commissioned a handful of pieces from Russell over the years, including "Rhapsody for Horn and Orchestra," written to showcase French horn player Richard Todd, and "Concierto Romantico," highlighting guitarist Jose Maria Gallardo del Rey. The orchestra has performed those pieces in venues as auspicious as the Sydney Opera House, Carnegie Hall in New York City and Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.
A few Russell compositions even appear on the symphony's 2003 album, "Craig Russell: Rhapsody for Horn and Orchestra; Middle Earth; Gate City."
"Craig has an enormous understanding of music in general. He's very versatile in that sense," said Nowak, comparing the composer to a skilled actor able to create fully realized characters for every occasion. "He can be Meryl Streep or Tom Hanks and it's done with complete authority and knowledge."
Russell's partnership with Grammy-winning vocal ensemble Chanticleer dates back to the early days of Festival Mozaic, formerly the San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival. In 1992, Russell approached the San Francisco-based group to participate in a series of concerts commemorating Christopher Columbus' arrival in the Americas.
He teamed up with Chanticleer again on their 2008 tour "El Camino Real: Chanticleer Travels the Mission Road," which featured works by Sancho, Sumaya and their contemporaries performed at nine California missions. (Chanticleer has released three albums of mission-era music: 1995's "Mexican Baroque," 1997's "Matins for the Virgin of Guadalupe, 1764" and 2008's "Mission Road.")
Russell, who studied guitar in Spain under Emilio Pujol, will perform as a guest artist May 24 with the Cal Poly Early Music Ensemble at Mission San Luis Obispo. The program features works by California friars Durán and Sancho as well as Peruvian mission-era composers Juan de Araujo, José Orejón y Aparicio and Tomás de Torrejón y Velasco.
According to Russell, California mission music -- with its melding of Old World traditions and New World innovation -- embodies the intrinsic nature of the state, Russell said. "The ideas that arrive and intertwine [here] are what makes us California," he said.
TrackBack URL: http://www.kcet.org/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/16896
Select the most compelling article and help us make TV.
California becomes an international export by redefining the concept of city and home.
Through workshops, education and placed based projects, art is the connective tissue of a community.
Funding bubbles, cultural deserts and the politics of access to the arts in the 21st century.
At the shadow of the entertainment industry, video artists and underground filmmakers take a stand.
Noir, sunshine and dystopia create a multi-ethnic narrative that is read, watched and admired around the globe.
Multi-hyphenate works that combine disciplines, remix dogmas, and reinvent the wheel.
A dialogue between cultures, the music of our state serves up the California dream like no other artform.
Staging the drama of California through dance, music and theater.
Breaking away from the European and New York vanguard, California reinvents the art world. | <urn:uuid:34a87cda-4ee3-4f43-abd7-4f8f52bc2558> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kcet.org/arts/artbound/counties/san-luis-obispo/craig-russell-california-music-missions.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952697 | 2,063 | 1.804688 | 2 |
He's fluffling himself, and the vibrations spread as if he were a tuning fork. I don't really understand how grebe plumage can be at once so fluffy and waterproof. I think it has to do with sleeking down, and abundant oil in the feathers. Really, though, they look like feather dusters, and you wouldn't dunk one of those in the water and expect it to float. Just another mystery to leave unsolved.
I had a pied-billed grebe in my hand who had hit a powerline years ago. He weighed a full pound. I was amazed at the density and heft for his size. Ballast for dives, I guess. They're powerful birds, who migrate at night on tiny narrow wings. So much we don't know or appreciate about grebes. They are extremely cool birds.
There were so many wonderful things hidden in the reeds that walking the marvelous boardwalks was like being in a Highlights for Children double-page spread. Oh look. An American bittern!
who sleeked down when he saw a small fish.
The challenge as a photographer is to get the birds framed up in those golden moments before they fly across the facade of the hotel, the marina, the electrical tower. Bill of the Birds took these two roseate spoonbill shots. I forget why he had my camera in his hands but he responded beautifully to GIT 'IM GIT 'IM GIT 'IM which is what I hissed when the spoonbill took off. | <urn:uuid:161a2a5f-81d3-4ecb-9c65-0c4de7b5c87a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://juliezickefoose.blogspot.com/2012/11/bird-photography-on-strip.html | 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 | 0.985713 | 313 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Trading Tweedledee for Tweedledum
Just two days after Herbert S. “Pug” Winokur ’64-’65 resigned from the Harvard Corporation because of his involvement with Enron, the Corporation concluded its secret deliberations for selecting a member to fill another Corporation vacancy. They chose to appoint one of Enron’s bankers, the Chair of the Executive Committee of Citigroup, Robert E. Rubin ’60, to join their ranks. Although Winokur’s resignation was meant to reduce the Harvard Corporation’s connection to Enron, no one should be misled by this virtually meaningless swap.
Far from seizing the opportunity to purge itself of Enron’s taint, the Harvard Corporation, in choosing Rubin, is adding to its Enron infection. Winokur, acting as the chair of the Enron Finance Committee, oversaw the suspension of the company’s ethical standards and the creation of a number of partnerships that Enron used to defraud its investors. Meanwhile, Citigroup, according to the complaint filed against it by Enron shareholders, allegedly “hid loans, set up false investments and facilitated phantom Enron sales” for the energy giant.
In addition to the now-infamous call that Rubin placed on Enron’s behalf to the undersecretary for domestic finance—his old colleague in the Treasury Department, Peter Fisher—Rubin also reportedly called an official at the key credit ratings agency Moody’s. Rubin allegedly asked the agency to keep Enron’s investment grade credit rating in place until JP Morgan and Citigroup could complete the sale of Enron to Dynegy, though Citigroup denies that Rubin made a call.
Dynegy ended up passing on the Enron sale, but only because of the diligence of Dynegy’s own investment bankers in discovering the sad state of Enron’s finances. Enron declared bankruptcy soon after. Had Rubin’s alleged call to Moody’s been successful and led to the sale of Enron to Dynegy, Citigroup (together with J.P. Morgan, the other investment bank involved) would have made $90 million and Dynegy’s shareholders would have been stuck with Enron’s debts. If these allegations are proved true, Rubin will be morally obliged to follow Winokur’s lead and resign from the Corporation—perhaps only days after joining it. This is hardly the fresh start that the Corporation needs. | <urn:uuid:96887bb7-a6e5-445c-b5a1-9e457f8e34f4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2002/4/12/trading-tweedledee-for-tweedledum-if-there/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939118 | 520 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Fed judge: Denying same-sex benefits discriminates
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge in San Francisco says the denial of insurance benefits to same-sex spouses is discriminatory.
The ruling Tuesday involves 38-year-old federal court law clerk Christopher Nathan and 39-year-old Thomas Alexander, who were married in 2008 when same-sex marriages were legal in California. Voters later approved Proposition 8, overturning the state Supreme Court ruling that had legalized same-sex marriages.
Nathan was turned down when he tried last year to enroll Alexander in the federal government's health insurance plan. A 1996 law bars federal recognition of same-sex unions.
The San Francisco Chronicle (http://bit.ly/Hioa2M) reports that Chief U.S. District Judge James Ware ruled that denial of insurance benefits based on the sexual orientation and gender of Nathan's spouse is discriminatory.
Information from: San Francisco Chronicle, http://www.sfgate.com | <urn:uuid:f9772ab4-e560-4747-b096-81cddd92cc37> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://cnsnews.com/news/article/fed-judge-denying-same-sex-benefits-discriminates | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9538 | 202 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Response to 'Muslim Students in NYC': Do the Numbers Tell the Whole Story?
Experts respond to the Cristillo study; an ethnographic study of Palestinian youth; and readings from a unique anthology of oral histories
TC’s new study on the post 9/11 public school experiences of Muslims in
To George Bond, Professor, the work embodied the mission of the department he chairs – International and Transcultural Studies – because “it is through the schools that the U.S. is being transformed into part of the rest of the world,” and because “nowhere else except in Mecca during the Hajj [the time of Muslim pilgrimage], can you find Muslims from so many Muslims from different countries” as in New York City.
Each of the two respondents to Cristillo’s study, Hisham Aidi of
Aidi, who has worked extensively with Cristillo over the years, described meeting with a Muslim parent in Spanish Harlem who was considering sending his kids back to Yemen when they turn five “because he was afraid they’ll lose their cultural heritage.
Typically the trigger for the decision to try to make such an identity change , Aidi said, is an encounter with bigotry or discrimination. But such experiences, particularly for boys, can lead to the opposite reaction – a decision to embrace a more fundamental Islamic identify.
Fine praised Cristillo’s research “as amazingly ambitious,” but cautioned that “we don’t yet know the developmental consequences to young people of living in a society where Sean Bell can be shot down with no consequences, or where Debbie Almontaser [recently ousted as principal of Kahlil Gibran High School in New York City] can be forcibly removed from her job. So kids may have great self-esteem, but what does it mean for them to be living in this toxic, anti-Islamic environment? How does it affect their souls? As psychologists, we don’t know.”
“Boys are fighting the ghost of ‘You’re a terrorist,’” she said, referring to input she received in doing focus groups with Muslim young people. “When we asked them what message they would most want to put in an MTV movie, they said it was, ‘Check my knapsack and see that there are no bombs.’”
Girls, on the other hand, are more typically seen as oppressed victims who need rescuing from Muslim males. The message they wanted to put in an MTV movie, Fine said, was “I wear Hijab [a head scarf] because it’s like wearing a helmet when you ride a bicycle – it lets me comfortable and go anywhere.”
On the deepest level, however, Fine says that Muslim boys and girls share a gut-level reaction that is akin to the feelings of Japanese-Americans who were interned during World War II.
“They became an external out-group, and when you read their collected letters, they say, in essence, ‘as an American, I can’t believe that you’re treating me like this. I thought this was all about democracy and belonging. I thought I was a member of the moral community, so how did I get placed outside it?”previous page | <urn:uuid:3248bb61-9b14-423f-b6d4-bf2821d9a6ce> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tc.columbia.edu/news.htm?articleId=6584 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968472 | 688 | 1.789063 | 2 |
At the ICE "informational" meeting with CCA and Southwest Ranches on November 5, 2011 it was asserted by CCA's Lucibeth Mayberry that studies show that property values are not adversely impacted by the siting of a prison. She was shouted down with demands that she tell us about the impact of a prison siting on affluent communities such as Southwest Ranches. There were shouts asking "what about Goodyear, AZ?"
NIC Informational Brief on Siting Prisons and the Goodyear Exception
Where does Ms. Lucibeth get her statistics? In part, she gets them from a National Institute of Corrections (DOJ) publication entitled An Information Brief -Issues in Siting Correctional Facilities published in 1992 which incorrectly states:
The study found that correctional facilities have no negative effects on property value, public safety, or the quality of life. Conversely, the study found that correctional facilities had important positive effects on the local economies. Perhaps most important, the study concluded that an agency's ability to site a correctional facility appears to be directly related to its ability to effectively manage public opposition.The devil is in the details. Wondering what was going on in Goodyear, a quick search of the web indicated that when the Arizona State Prison Complex-Perryville went up three miles away from an upscale gated community that property values declined by approximately $18,000. Looking deeper into the very brief cited above that Prison Inc. uses, we find this:
The impact of the correctional facilities on property values in the seven target areas was generally consistent. Over several years, sales prices for residential property in the target areas were not significantly different from those in the control areas. One exception was a high-income target area near the Arizona State Prison Complex at Perryville (ASPC-P), where lower property values occurred in the third of three years studied. Regression results indicated that location had a negative effect on the price of a house in this area, lowering the average value by about $18,000.That's not what Lucibeth tried to tell us all at the informational meeting! Is this exception the rule for Southwest Ranches? Perhaps CCA should research a bit more to figure out what's going on if they really cared about us. But, it's their job to propagandize and promote their position and make lots of money even at the expense of all their suppliers like Southwest Ranches, so why would anybody supportive of the prison look at the anomaly that is the rule for us? The data might prove them wrong.
Source Document -- FIU/FAU Study
The cited document is a brief. A brief of what? After substantial research and many months, we finally identified and obtained the source for this brief.
It hits all too close to home. The brief was derived from a substantial body of work published in July of 1987. Florida Atlantic University and Florida International University jointly published a paper under a grant from the Department of Justice entitled Impact Of Correctional Facilities on Land Values and Public Policy by Abrams, K.S and Lyons, W. We were surprised to find that this brief was so pervasive and widely circulated, but the source paper was not to be found in the libraries of FIU or FAU even though these institutions authored the study. Ultimately, we located the original paper and it was graciously provided to us.
Executive Summary Related to the Goodyear Exception
Well, let's cut to the chase. 3 sites in Florida, 1 in Tennessee, 2 in Arizona, in 1 Idaho were studied. The Goodyear, AZ/Perryville that has the most relevance to us. Look at a couple of the conclusions of this paper:
Executive Summary Page 3 Property Values: Facility impact on property values in the seven Target areas were generally consistent: with one exception, there was no evidence that the facilities had lowered values in the target area. ... The one exceptions was a high income Target Area where property values in the last of three years studied were lower than comparable property in the Control Area.Well, the characteristics of their exception seems to be very similar to our characteristics in west Broward. Driving up US27, you can see a number of private and public prisons and you quickly get the picture that most prisons are in rural areas and not major metropolitan centers like the greater Miami area. Who in their right mind would site a mega prison like this in a densely populated area? Who in their right mind would think the residents would gush all over the idea of it?
Executive Summary Page 7. It is possible, however, that persistant public opposition to a facility may depress a community's residential property prices. Further study of this possibility is indicated, although substantial difficulties in identifying facilities located near higher-income neighborhoods, and acquiring sufficient property value data first must be overcome. In the absence of more definitive data... it can be stated that the effect of public opinion on property values is not likely a direct impact of the facility itself, but more likely the result of public opposition that has not been responded to and managed adequately.This is an astonishing insight into the way eggheads think. The depressed property values reported are due to badly managed opposition to the prison rather than the prison itself. The pedestrian bunch of us think that there would be no badly managed opposition to a prison if plans for a prison didn't exist in the first place! The authors are trying to have us believe that the opposition is the problem and not the prison itself! This is fallacy as the presence of the prison caused the opposition; thus, caused the property drop. No prison, no property drop.
Programming the Residents
It is very clear from their paper that managing us to accept such controversial land use is the goal. As if we are mice in a maze that need to be trained and studied. Here's their game plan:
Executive Summary Page 7. The implications for correctional siting efforts are obvious: attention should be paid to developing public trust well before siting is contemplated.I guess Mayor Nelson and Attorney Poliakoff never got that memo. This is the process, say, Prison Inc. and their legislative leaders might use against to you program you to accept a prison 600 feet from your backyard. From lobbyist Poliakoff's "cone of silence", to the deaf ears, to the emails, to the Christmas time doubling of the facility last year, to the lies and lies and more lies that come from these people, they certainly have done everything possible under the sun to ERODE trust rather than engender trust.
...options aimed at correcting program deficiencies should be investigated systematically. Those used elsewhere for improving public participation and increasing public trust should be examined for their potential to improve the program in question. Examples include:Debbie Wasserman Schultz has clearly pushed the first point and we know that CCA was generous with their all expense paid "field visit" to their Potemkin village in Tennessee. What the congresswoman apparently forgot from her days as a Florida legislator, we do our meetings out in the disinfecting rays of the sunlight. She, on the other hand, prefers private meetings where moms and dads opposed to the prison are threatened with arrest. She apparently considers this democracy. Her so called advisory council is a sham.
- Formulation early in the planning process of a community advisory committee with broad-based membership from significant segments of the community;
- Use of "field visits" whereby community leaders make in-person or video tours of existing facilities, comparable to the one proposed for their area;
- Opportunities for community and neighborliness leaders to meet with their counterparts from an area where public participation options have been used successfully to site facilities.
As the author's wrote in the Page 11:
The goal of these efforts is, after all, to design a process for dealing with a controversial permanent land use that is proposed or existing. A correctional agency's design and use of a process that anticipates and responds to the public's concerns can help to determine whether those concerns become a wall of opposition or a door that opens for mutual benefit.We have rightfully become a "wall of opposition" to them. Power to the people. If they think we are vocal and mobilized now, they need to watch the countdown timer to election time. We are.
The Goodyear Exception
Southwest Ranches is currently an eclectic mix of equestrian and agricultural living with a population base of approximately 7200 residents and 2200 homes. The Town Motto is "Preserving our Rural Lifestyle." The per capita income of the residents and the median house price are among the highest in the state. ICE's statement of objectives states that they want to put between 1500 and 2200 low, medium and high security immigrant detainees in this facility. Many detainees have criminal backgrounds and mental health issues.
The Arizona State Prison Complex (ASPC-P)i n Goodyear, AZ
The Arizona State Prison Complex -- Perryville is a large state-operated complex. As of July 1986, there were 1208 males and 192 females. The ASPC-P is located within the boundaries of the City of Goodyear, approximately five miles northwest of the city's central business district. Goodyear's 1985 population, as estimated by the city was 4,595. Most of the land surrounding the ASPC-P is agricultural except for residences directly to the west of the complex. Interstate Highway 10 is one-sixth of a mile south of the ASPC-P. Within one mile are an elementary school and a high school. Three and a half miles to the east of the complex is Litchfield Park, an affluent, planned community.This sounds a lot like Southwest Ranches with the major differences are that high value planned and unplanned communities are practically adjacent to the proposed site and there are more schools near the proposed site. The impact of this prison on the community most likely will be harsher.
Age of Property Value Data
The data is quite old. For the Goodyear analysis, data was not available prior to the facility's construction in 1981. Data were examined for 1982 through 1984. The data was also divided into low income and high income areas to determine whether or not these income areas were impacted differently. High Income Area Analysis (Page 88)
As in the low income area, the houses in the target area were significantly newer than in the control area. The average year built in the target area is 1974 and the average for the control was 1961.What this means is that the area associated with the prison had newer houses than the area associated with the control (or non prison area studied). One would expect newer houses to be more expensive.
Table 4-18 shows the simple correlation coefficients of the variables to price. Most the the variables were found to be significantly correlated with price. Location and price were also significantly correlated in 1984, but with a negative coefficient, indicating that, in general, selling prices in the control area (non-prison) were higher than in the target area (within 3 miles of the prison).Table 4-19 clearly demonstrates the author's statistical modelling shows that the property located near within the prison saw a $18,277.30 reduction in value owing ONLY to the location itself. Consider that the median housing price in the high value target/prison area in 1984 was $135,894 So, location near the prison correlates with a 12% reduction in property value.
Looking at the author's analysis we are told:
The presence of the facility affected the high income areas differently than the low income areas. For all three years, the houses in target and control high income areas differed only on age. The houses in the control area, however, were higher priced than those in the target area. The regression results indicated that by 1984, three years after the facility was built, location had a significant, although small, negative effecont of the price of a house in the high income areas. [We determined this to be 12%] The possible benefits from a correctional facility such as an increase in employment might not have occurred in the high incoe area because most of this employment demand would be for low to mid range wage labor.
There are a few reasons why one may expect our property values to decrease more than what was seen in Goodyear. The first being that our houses are much closer to the facility. The second being the soft housing market with many distressed properties on the market. It's a buyer's market and any negative aspect of the property will have a buyer look elsewhere.
So, we must all be aware and vigilantly protect our property values. It is likely that this prison siting could adversely affect housing prices substantially. We have had our property values hurt too much already in the past 5 years. Many mortgages are underwater and this will only exacerbate the problem. Our economic health will not improve until the housing problem is fixed.
Southwest Ranches' selfish desire for this prison is going to hurt your property values. This will lower tax receipts and could prompt yet another ad valorem tax increase. Southwest Ranches legislators have no interest or desire to estimate the impact this immigrant prison will have on property values and quality of life. This pig headed and selfish insistence on building this prison is a sight to behold.
We heartily thank Berger Singerman and Sam Poole for directing the authors back to Goodyear circa 2011. It seems that in the ensuing 30 years since this prison was built, it became apparent that the government lied and put in way more prisoners than was originally agreed to. We have internal SWR communications which say that they will do the same thing once the 1500 bed facility is produced.
So, now Boca Raton based Geo Group is looking to build a 4000 bed facility next to the Perryville facility. However this time the town commission directed the town attorney to try something novel like FIGHT the prison. However, our Lobbyist Keith Poliakoff is doing his damnedest to get the prison IN the town.
Check out the resistance and the actions of courage by the town commission:
Oh, and this is a message to Pembroke Pines and Weston city commissions too. Grow a backbone. | <urn:uuid:d98c38ef-cb0a-416d-a9d2-894894a13c66> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.noprisonswr.org/2011/12/cca-lie-this-wont-hurt-property-values.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97027 | 2,872 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Melinda French Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, addressing leaders in government, banking, mobile communications, and international development at the Global Savings Forum to discuss how to build a new kind of financial infrastructure to bring savings to the poor.
I may have my bias as the host of last month’s Global Savings Forum here in Seattle, but I think it’s fair to say that I wasn’t the only one who felt a new, exciting energy at the gathering.
We at the foundation, as well our partners and others who attended, got the sense that we’ve reached a critical moment, that perhaps the day when people living on less than $2 a day have access to a wide range of financial services, including savings, is not so far in the distance.
Probably the best thing about the forum was the free and honest exchange of ideas that took place. We had some amazing speakers and panelists, and some fantastic audience participation, including highly charged question and answer sessions. I think it’s safe to say that this was the first time that so many key players from such a variety of industries were together in the same room, discussing a shared goal of providing the poor access to savings, and speaking honestly about the hurdles to getting there.
Yes, we had plenty of discussion about those hurdles we face—from the challenging economics for banks, to developing the right services and products that meet the needs of the poor, and delivering those right to their “doorsteps.” But even with all of these challenges, people identified viable solutions that are working right now.
It was interesting to see that the overwhelming majority of forum participants—a solid 85 percent— believe that savings is more important than microcredit. But what really impressed me was just how optimistic the group was about actually being able to mobilize savings for the poor in a reasonable amount of time.
Also at the forum, Melinda Gates announced a foundation commitment of $500 million over the next five years to support partners and projects that will improve access to savings accounts and other financial services among the poor. That includes six new grants worth $40 million to organizations such as the World Savings Bank Institute, the World Bank, and Vodacom. Our commitment builds on years of work, listening to grantees, and research.
The foundation is trying to build a community around the issue of savings, because we know that it’s going to take a wide variety of partners—from banks to telcos to regulators to academics—to finally “crack the savings nut.” Sure, the foundation plays a big role in looking for ways to solve this problem, but when it comes right down to it, without the hard work of partners and grantees, this cannot be done.
And believe me, we’re fully engaged. In fact, last week I gave a keynote address at the launch of the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion, which world leaders formed to help countries implement financial inclusion infrastructure and practices, and strengthen data collection and measurement. I am very encouraged to see the global community list financial inclusion as one of the main pillars in its development agenda.
The poor want safe, affordable places to save. Partnerships and momentum are growing. The solutions are there. Together, we can help the poor build the financial security they need so they can lead healthy, productive lives.
Global Savings Forum, Financial Services, Poverty, Savings, Banking, Microcredit, Melinda Gates, World Bank, Mobile Phones, G20, Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion, Financial Security, Community | <urn:uuid:f72aece7-4316-4a72-8a80-d89b4b2adc8f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.impatientoptimists.org/posts/2010/12/building-a-community-to-bring-savings-to-the-poor | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961588 | 740 | 1.71875 | 2 |
By ANDREW POLLACK New York Times
People with eating disorders like anorexia have opened up a new battleground in the insurance wars, testing the boundaries of laws mandating equivalent coverage for mental illnesses.
Through claims and court cases, those with severe cases of anorexia or bulimia are fighting insurers to pay for stays in residential treatment centers, arguing that the centers offer around-the-clock monitoring so that patients do not forgo eating or purge their meals.
But in the last few years, some insurance companies have re-emphasized that they do not cover residential treatment for eating disorders or other mental or emotional conditions. The insurers consider residential treatments not only costly — sometimes reaching more than $1,000 a day — but unproven and more akin to education than to medicine. Even some doctors who treat eating disorders concede there are few studies proving that residential care is effective, although they believe it has value.
“We’ve seen an increase in denials,” said Kathleen MacDonald, education and prevention coordinator for the Gail R. Schoenbach FREED Foundation, an advocacy group for those with eating disorders. “Now, I go to bed every night and I can’t answer all the e-mails I get. It’s heartbreaking.”
Both sides are closely watching the consequences of a major decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which ruled in August that insurers in California must pay for residential treatment for eating disorders and other serious mental illnesses under the state’s mental health parity law.
In the last decade or so, many states enacted similar laws, and, in 2008, so did the federal government. The laws generally require that coverage for mental and behavioral disorders be equivalent to that for physical ailments like diabetes or a broken bone.
But equivalence, or parity, can be tricky to define, and the appeals court ruling is one of the first by a high federal court to interpret the concept.
Blue Shield of California, the defendant in the lawsuit, is already seeking to have the case reheard, arguing that the decision could force insurers to pay for unlimited amounts of treatment, raising insurance costs.
While the ruling applies only to California’s law, some experts think it will influence courts, state agencies and insurers elsewhere.
“You’ll see it bleed over,” said Scott Petersen, a lawyer in Salt Lake City who often represents insurance companies in parity cases.
In New Jersey, Aetna, Horizon and AmeriHealth have agreed to end limits on the number of days of residential treatment they will cover for eating disorders, according to Bruce Nagel, a lawyer who sued the insurers under the state’s parity law.
The Parity Implementation Coalition, a group monitoring the federal parity law, has filed about 150 complaints about possible violations, according to Dr. Henry Harbin, a psychiatrist and adviser to the group. Some cases involve denial for residential treatment for substance abuse or mental illnesses by plans offered by companies like Wal-Mart and Coca-Cola Bottling.
An estimated 11 million Americans, mostly young women, suffer from eating disorders, the most serious being anorexia nervosa, in which people starve themselves, and bulimia nervosa, in which they engage in binge eating followed by purging. These disorders, particularly anorexia, have the highest fatality rate of any psychiatric disorder.
The advocates for those with eating disorders, who often cooperate or get financing from residential treatment centers, estimate there are about 75 such facilities for those specific illnesses, and many others for substance abuse and for emotionally or psychologically disturbed children.
Sam Menaged, founder and president of the Renfrew Center, which is based in Philadelphia and is one of the oldest and largest residential treatment centers for eating disorders, said only 60 percent of insurers covered the therapy and that hundreds of people were turned away from Renfrew each year.
The Blue Cross Blue Shield plan for federal employees added language to policies at the beginning of this year specifying that residential treatment for any condition would not be covered. Two months later, citing that change in policy, the Remuda Ranch closed its eastern center for eating disorders, which was in Milford, Va.
Executives at the federal plan said that residential treatment had never been covered and that the new language merely made that more explicit.
Yet Samantha Ascanio, 23, of Gaithersburg, Md., said the plan had covered her four previous stays at a residential center but denied payment this year. She instead enrolled in outpatient programs that lasted more than six months.
Most plans offered to California state employees also added language this year clarifying that residential treatment was not covered.
Advocates and some doctors who treat eating disorders say that hospitalization, which insurers typically cover, might stabilize a patient and restore weight but does not generally treat the underlying psychological issues. Outpatient treatment, which might also be covered, does provide counseling but not round the clock. Residential treatment, they say, occupies a vital niche between those two.
“I don’t think I would be alive today if I hadn’t gone there,” said Jeanene Harlick, who was the plaintiff in the recent California case.
Ms. Harlick, who is 37 and lives in San Mateo, Calif., stayed at the Castlewood Treatment Center in St. Louis from April 2006 through January 2007 to treat her anorexia. She was 35 percent below her ideal weight when she checked in and, within a month, needed a feeding tube.
With Blue Shield declining to pay, Ms. Harlick’s parents borrowed hundreds of thousands of dollars against their home.
Residential treatment can cost from hundreds of dollars to well over $1,000 a day, and even though a daily rate is generally lower than a hospital’s, patients often stay much longer — for weeks or months. Insurers also say that few standards exist for these types of centers.
“There’s a wide variation in licensing across the country,” said Jena L. Estes, vice president for the federal employee program at the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. “There’s a lack of oversight of many of those residential treatment centers.”
Ira Burnim, legal director of the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, which litigates for better mental health treatments, said that while he was not familiar with eating disorders, “study after study” had shown that residential centers for other mental or emotional disorders were not as effective as treatment at home.
Dr Anne E. Becker, president of the Academy of Eating Disorders and director of the eating disorders program at Massachusetts General Hospital, said that despite a paucity of studies, “There’s no question that residential treatment is life-saving for some patients.”
Some insurers say that there is no treatment for physical illnesses that is equivalent to residential treatment for mental illnesses, and therefore residential treatment does not have to be paid for under parity laws.
Ms. Harlick’s lawyer, Lisa S. Kantor, argued that residential treatment centers were equivalent to skilled nursing facilities, which Blue Shield did cover.
Adam Pines, a lawyer for Blue Shield, countered that residential treatment was more akin to assisted living, which the insurer did not cover.
The Ninth Circuit Appeals judges, based in San Francisco, ruled that residential treatment was medically necessary for eating disorders, and therefore had to be covered under the state’s parity law, even if no exact equivalent existed on the physical disease side.
“Some medically necessary treatments for severe mental illness have no analog in treatments for physical illnesses,” the three-judge panel wrote. “For example, it makes no sense in a case such as Harlick’s to pay for 100 days in a skilled nursing facility — which cannot effectively treat her anorexia nervosa — but not to pay for time in a residential treatment facility that specializes in treating eating disorders.”
In Blue Shield’s request for a rehearing, it argued that the decision would require insurers to pay for treatment of mental conditions “without substantive limits.” That would mean better coverage for mental illnesses than for physical illnesses, which would be inconsistent with parity, the company said, adding that it would also increase costs “to the point where some employers may simply forgo offering plans to their employees.” Even if policies cover residential treatment, an insurer could still deny reimbursement on the ground that the treatment is not medically necessary for a particular patient.
Katie Bird of St. Paul sought residential treatment last year, saying she had been exercising vigorously while consuming no more than a single hot chocolate on some days. As a result, she said, she experienced heart palpitations and frequently passed out while trying to care for her 3-year-old daughter.
She said her insurer, United Behavioral Health, would not pay the $200,000 it cost for her four months of residential treatment because her weight was not low enough. She sued and reached a confidential settlement.
It is still unclear how much money Ms. Harlick and her parents will recover from Blue Shield.
Ms. Harlick, who lost her job and insurance and is now on disability while studying social work in graduate school, said she hoped the court decision would show people that eating disorders were not just matters of weight and appearance, but serious diseases.
“I just feel like this ruling gives a little more legitimacy to the reality of what this illness is,” she said.
A version of this article appeared in print on October 14, 2011, on page A1 of the New York edition with the headline: Eating Disorders a New Front in Insurance Fight. | <urn:uuid:b07e546a-f755-40d1-9d00-4fe7621d5be8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://anabolicminds.com/forum/content/court-ruling-insurance-559/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966426 | 2,023 | 1.84375 | 2 |
— Updated on Sunday, July 1
More than 125,000 visitors attended the 2012 RAF Waddington International Airshow over two days on June 30 and July 1.
Despite a wet start, around 60,000 visitors attended day one of the show.
The main purpose of the event is to increase public awareness and understanding of the RAF and its role today.
All proceeds are donated to RAF and local charities, as £2.7 million was raised for charity since the first event in 1995.
Featuring 92 display aircraft from 18 countries, the show had 1,850 service members on duty, and 2,500 traffic cones were used.
The Boeing Trophy for the best display of the weekend went to the Korean Black Eagles, who had never been seen in the UK before.
Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, has also made a flying visit to the RAF Waddington International Airshow on Sunday. See photos form his visit.
The seven-hour flying displays featured the Red Arrows, the RAF Falcons freefall parachute team, and international appearances from the Korean Black Eagles, Saudi Arabian Hawks, Italian Frecce Tricolori and the Swedish Air Force’s Saab 340 Erieye.
Photos by Joshua Potter for The Lincolnite | <urn:uuid:420282b8-b382-4e4e-beeb-8484d9e80d43> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thelincolnite.co.uk/2012/06/in-pictures-waddington-airshow-2012/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958796 | 258 | 1.5 | 2 |
Charlie Higson’s third Young Bond novel, Double or Die, is the center pivot on which the Young Bond series turns. Double or Die both pulls from past books and points to the future. In Double or Die we get a clear sense that the Young Bond series is one large story – how James became BOND. Whereas SilverFin infused Bond with a fearless instinct and Blood Fever developed his brawn, Double or Die works his brain (and ours).
This time out, Higson builds a Young Bond novel on a metaphor. Double or Die is an adventure of the mind – the skull. This is clear from the Flemingesque prologue in which an Eton professor muses on the mind as a “hungry machine” (this might have been a good title). Higson plays this motif throughout. References to the mind and skulls abound. The henchman has an oversized skull-like head; Bond examines pickled brains at the Royal College of Surgeons; and the object at the end of Bond’s quest also perfectly ties into this theme (but I will not spoil it).
Brainpower also drives the narrative. Bond and his band of friends must decrypt puzzles and crossword clues contained within a mysterious cipher. Bond discovers he has a talent for calculating gambling odds under pressure (gambling -- a ferociously mental activity when done right -- gets terrific play in this novel). Likewise, Bond’s greatest physical struggle in this novel is also a mental one, as he must keep his mind from caving into the effects of severe alcohol posing, a literally gut wrenching sequence that makes one wonder how 007 ever developed a taste for martinis.
Where Blood Fever was bright and expansive, Double or Die is dark and contained, even claustrophobic (just as you would except the inside of a head to be). While this may make it a lesser Bondian adventure for some, the smaller canvas allows Higson to work in greater texture and detail, making Double or Die the most vivid and visual of all the Young Bond novels to date. Higson’s screenwriting skills are in full bloom here. Bond’s discovery of a dead professor in Cambridge is a powerfully cinematic moment, as is his car chase and the effects of its fiery finale.
With its various London locations -- including an illegal casino and prizefight den called “Paradice” -- Double or Die is the Young Bond novel that showcases its period setting the best. Higson peppers the book with delightful slang and idioms of the period. Long forgotten brand names are resurrected like product placement circa 1933. The book’s timeframe is compressed into an action-packed weekend, which makes it unique among Bond novels (and echoes Fleming’s own third book, Moonraker).
While the body count in Double or Die is lower than Blood Fever, Higson doesn’t skimp on the gore, especially during the terrific climax on the London Docklands and inside an abandon pneumatic railway (wonderful Bondian locations both). The gore will certainly delight the target audience, as well as seasoned Bond fans. The fact that henchmen, Wolfgang, comes away from each encounter with young James missing another body part is grisly good fun.
All the Young Bond novels contain inside references for Fleming fans to discover, and Double or Die is no exception. Noteworthy here is Bond’s use of a familiar alias; his sighting his future London headquarters; a reference to a famous casino; and his first delivery of “Bond, James Bond” across a gaming table. We even hear Bond called “Young Sherlock Holmes” at one point, which may or may not be a nod to the 1985 movie that gave us a pint-sized version of THAT classic English literary hero. Double or Die also contains a postscript unlike anything that has yet appeared in a Young Bond novel. I will leave it to the reader to decide whether it belongs in the Young Bond universe (I’m somewhat unsure myself).
Absence of a Bond Girl (or any female for that matter) is missed during the first two thirds of the book, but the arrival of the perfectly named Kelly Kelly and her “Monstrous Regiment” (a sort of cockney street urchin version of Pussy Galore's Flying Circus) is a highlight of the final third. Higson again toys with romance, but he’s mindful about offending the prepubescent sensibilities of his youngest male readers. At the risk of getting a schoolyard beating, I admit that I’m looking forward to the “love story” Higson promises will feature in his fifth Young Bond novel, By Royal Command.
As a villain, Sir John Charnage is not quite in the same league as Higson’s past creations, although his fetish for collecting poisons is pure Bond. But Higson may be underplaying Charnage in order to set up a larger villain for a future book (there is a nice climatic twist in this regard). Plot-wise, Bond’s motivations and justifications for not going to the police might not hold up under intense scrutiny -- but why scrutinize James Bond? These are adventures for the Right brain, not the Left. (Ah, there we are back talking about the brain.)
The measure of any James Bond continuation novel, and novelist, is how they compare to Ian Fleming. Charlie Higson matched Fleming with his second Young Bond novel Blood Fever. Now, with the complex and thrilling Double or Die, Higson appears to be steering the Young Bond series toward even loftier literary achievement.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Thursday, April 5, 2007
“A treacherous road trip in Mexico.... The deadliest challenge yet! Young Bond 4 will be published in the UK in hardback in September 2007. Further exciting news to be released soon.”
Aside from the Limited Collector’s Editions, this marks the first time a Young Bond novel will be published as a hardcover in the UK. | <urn:uuid:03f776f2-590c-455d-b818-d24b42b017fb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thebookbond.com/2007_04_01_archive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940983 | 1,250 | 1.726563 | 2 |
Socialist Elephants Stampede for Jobs With Hollande
The French elephants are back.
Socialist Party veterans -- known collectively as the elephants -- who held Cabinet posts for Francois Mitterrand in the 1980s are lining up for appointments under 57-year-old President-elect Francois Hollande.
The average age of Hollande’s 10 top aides is 60 1/2 and the oldest contender for a ministry post, Laurent Fabius, is 65, above the minimum retirement age. Fabius was the youngest prime minister when he was appointed by Mitterrand in 1984. Michel Sapin and Martine Aubry, potential appointees, also served in Mitterrand’s Cabinet.
“These Socialist Party leaders are reassuring figures for voters, mainly left-wing voters, because they have the experience” said Celine Bracq, co-head of opinion surveys at BVA polling institute. “It’s true they are trying to get a seat but Hollande wants them to be present as well.”
A younger generation that worked up the party ladder during its years in the wilderness is also waiting its turn.
Manuel Valls, 49, who was the campaign’s communications chief, leads the group known as the “forties.” Valls may be chosen for the Interior Ministry. Emmanuel Macron, 35, a banker at Rothschild & Cie. who advised Hollande throughout the campaign, may join him as an aide at the Elysee Palace.
A BVA poll for Le Parisien yesterday showed Valls would be the most popular choice of French voters to be prime minister, with 26 percent supporting him. Aubry, 61, was second with 16 percent of the 874 respondents surveyed via the Internet after Hollande defeated Nicolas Sarkozy in the May 6 vote.
Hollande will be France’s first Socialist president in 17 years when he’s sworn in on May 15.
Marisol Touraine, 53, and Pierre Moscovici, 54, aides who outgrew the “forties,” may also land government posts.
They’ll be competing with the elephants for the top jobs.
Fabius, a polyglot from a Paris family of antiques dealers, has held three ministerial posts in addition to that of the prime minister and may be angling for the Foreign Ministry post.
Sapin, 60, was finance minister in the early 1990s for Mitterrand and then the public administration minister in the last Socialist cabinet of former Prime Minister Lionel Jospin between 2000 and 2002. Sapin, who helped write Hollande’s economic program, may get the finance portfolio.
Aubry, best known as the author of the 35-hour work-week law in 1998 when she was Jospin’s minister for social affairs, may be one of the senior women in Hollande’s government. The Socialist Party chief, Aubry was defeated by Hollande in the party’s primary race.
Segolene Royal, 58, a minister under Mitterrand and later Jospin and the mother of Hollande’s four children, is also seeking a Cabinet post.
During his campaign, Hollande has said he’ll choose as prime minister a “uniter, who knows lawmakers well, knows the Socialist Party well and knows me well.”
That describes Jean-Marc Ayrault, 62, who has headed the Socialist group in parliament since 1997 and is the mayor of the western city of Nantes. Ayrault, a German speaker, is also a member of the defense commission at the National Assembly.
Elisabeth Guigou, 65, a justice minister in 1997 and a deputy European Affairs minister for Mitterrand in 1990, has helped Hollande to prepare to re-negotiate European fiscal rules.
Hollande promised to bring to his government a new generation and as many women as men, declining to say if he intended to put them at equal levels.
For women, “there are the usual names, Aubry and myself,” Guigou told Bloomberg yesterday. For a new generation of politicians she said that “there are some young people who don’t have the same experience, but who are very talented.”
Helping to meet his gender-parity promise on his campaign were Socialist lawmakers Delphine Batho, 39, a specialist of homeland affairs, Aurelie Filippetti, 38, a specialist for cultural affairs and Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, 34. The three were his campaign spokeswomen. Cecile Duflot, the head of the Green party may join the Hollande team if her party wins enough seats at the June legislative ballots.
“There aren’t that many elephants left at the Socialist Party if you think about it, they’ve been out of power for so long,” said Gerard Grunberg, a professor at the Institute of Political Sciences in Paris. “The seats will get free naturally if I may say so.”
To contact the reporter on this story: Helene Fouquet in Paris at [email protected].
To contact the editor responsible for this story: James Hertling at [email protected]
Bloomberg moderates all comments. Comments that are abusive or off-topic will not be posted to the site. Excessively long comments may be moderated as well. Bloomberg cannot facilitate requests to remove comments or explain individual moderation decisions. | <urn:uuid:4ccf7525-5e20-4ac7-b0cb-7e0d11d77ae7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-07/socialist-elephants-stampede-from-1980s-for-jobs-with-hollande.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957138 | 1,150 | 1.640625 | 2 |
1. Over at Politico, governor Chris Gregoire has co-written a piece with Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber arguing that raising the minimum wage to keep up with inflation, as both Washington and Oregon do each year, is a net plus for the economy, particularly as low-wage jobs dominate job growth post-recession.
If the national minimum wage had kept up with inflation, the governors point out, it would currently be $10.55 an hour; instead, it's stuck at $7.25 ($2.13 for tipped workers). "At $7.25 per hour, or roughly $15,000 per year for full-time work," they write, "the minimum wage no longer provides a path out of poverty and remains decades out of date."
2. The News Tribune profiles Washington State's two Congressional newcomers, Denny Heck (D-10) and Derek Kilmer (D-26), who joined the U.S. House on Thursday. (Suzan DelBene, D-1, got a head start because she was sworn in last year to replace Jay Inslee, the Democratic Governor-elect)."At $7.25 per hour, or roughly $15,000 per year for full-time work, the minimum wage no longer provides a path out of poverty and remains decades out of date."
Because the two new congressmen rank near the bottom of the House in seniority—382nd and 391st, respectively—Washington state will lose considerable clout in Congress with the loss of retiring Rep. Norm Dicks (D-6), who ranked 10th.
3. Sightline highlights a UW study showing that low-income people and people of color are more likely to live close to busy roads, making them more likely to suffer from poor air quality and other environmental and safety hazards as a result. Meanwhile, in a look at how the other half lives, KOMO reports on a lawsuit by U District residents complaining that light rail will bring "blight" and "undesirable" residents to their neighborhood.
4. They had me at "60' articulated coach": Seattle Transit Blog makes the case for more transit investments in Fremont, including real-time arrival signs like the ones that were recently installed downtown, elimination of parking spots in bus zones, and expanded sidewalks to accommodate the many bus riders who board at Fremont Ave. and 34th St.
5. Finally, in perhaps the most bizarre story of the day, the News Tribune reports that a "notorious local felon and publicity hound, Robert 'The Traveler' Hill" has filed two obviously inaccurate "against" statements in Pierce County ballot measures, highlighting problems with the way people who write the statements against ballot proposals are selected.
Currently, if no one steps forward to make the case against a proposal, the county takes applications on a first-come, first-served basis. But because ballot measure proponents have every incentive not to seek out opposition statements, the Pierce County system encourages "fringies"—the TNT's term—like Hill to step forward, effectively discrediting the opposition. | <urn:uuid:3ea94314-a773-4638-98c5-c283fb2f0347> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.seattlemet.com/news-and-profiles/publicola/articles/on-other-blogs-today-the-minimum-wage-washingtons-new-congressmen-and-more | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954471 | 639 | 1.5 | 2 |
Or, at least, he is in Philip Pullman's enthralling novel, The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ. I’ve recently finished reading this alternative version of the New Testament story, and I loved it! It was un-put-down-able, if I may coin a phrase.
As a student of religious studies, I was made aware that before the Bible was assembled as the book we now know, there were all sorts of different myths and stories about Jesus. Some of these stories claim that Jesus was a twin; others claim that Jesus escaped to Egypt while an unsuspecting dupe was crucified in his place. How fascinating to consider the alternatives...
The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ is a story (repeat: story!) about Jesus and his twin brother, Christ. All the familiar players are involved: Mary, John the Baptist, Barabbas, and a flock of uptight Pharisees. But, this is a story unlike the one you may have read in Sunday school.
Pullman’s writing style is effortless and spare and yet he creates such wonderfully rich characters and atmospheres.
Check this book out over the Christ(s)mas holidays! I especially recommend it for those who are interested in religious studies, Bible studies, history and spirituality, and storytelling. | <urn:uuid:8715a6ae-04eb-4f64-b459-f78cba9893d0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.calgarypubliclibrary.com/blogs/library-connect?t=book%20reviews&pg=8 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970452 | 274 | 1.789063 | 2 |
[Gerry] sent us pictures and a few details on replacing the Game Boy cartridge chip with a flash chip. For the prototype he used a PLCC and a little wire porn to interface a flash chip with the cartridge’s PCB while still having access to it for programming. In retrospect he plans to use a 32-pin ZIF socket on the next version to make things easier. It does work and he’s had some success loading his own code and getting it to run. There are other cartridge hacks that let you load code onto a cartridge but if you have the knowhow and the parts this makes for a fun weekend project. We’ve posted the rest of the photos that [Gerry] sent us after the break.
Update: Gerry is working on a video and a pinout. We’ll post info once we get a hold of it. | <urn:uuid:c78260fe-8ea9-4005-b142-6f8050e9f4c0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://hackaday.com/2010/05/26/plcc-replaces-game-boy-cartridge-rom/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=ca20eaf6a9 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932395 | 180 | 1.523438 | 2 |
More good news this week: Senate ENDA hearing announced
In what’s shaping up to be a big week for LGBT people and their families, we heard today that the U.S. Senate is going to take up employment protections in a hearing on June 12.
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, scheduled a hearing on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which if passed and signed into law would make it illegal under federal law to discrimination against employees on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation – effectively protecting the LGBT people in employment settings.
The announcement for ENDA’s hearing, which has bipartisan support, comes two weeks after the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued a decision that federal law against sex discrimination includes protections for transgender people based on gender identity. While the historic EEOC decision helps protect transgender people, a federal law explicitly covering LGBT people is still necessary in order to ensure adequate protections in the workplace.
LGBT people face discrimination on the job. We’re still fired, denied promotions and harassed, just for being who we are. Most don’t know that over half (51 percent) of LGBT people hide who they are at work to most or all of their co-workers.
Discrimination against transgender people has also been well documented, most recently by our National Transgender Discrimination Survey. Seventy-eight percent experienced mistreatment, harassment, or discrimination at work, with one in four (26 percent) losing their job because they were transgender.
The Task Force has long advocated for the passage of ENDA and in January coordinated a Lobby Day where hundreds of LGBT activists met with U.S. Senate offices urging for the passage of ENDA. We applaud Senator Harkin for scheduling a hearing on ENDA and urge the committee to pass this vital legislation. | <urn:uuid:e6caa162-2123-4ac6-82a2-dc2bdf2b5680> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thetaskforceblog.org/2012/05/10/more-good-news-this-week-senate-enda-hearing-announced/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959937 | 389 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Not even NPR is immune anymore.
This morning, WBUR, a NPR affiliate radio station in Boston, broadcast a story about the results of a poll about U.S. Senator Scott Brown and his likely Democratic opponent Elizabeth Warren.
The story reported that the two candidates were neck-and-neck. But the content of the piece centered on two major themes: money and biography. In other words, how much cash they had raised, spent and earned and which candidate was more “middle class.”
From the story:
‘Political newcomer Warren surprised the establishment when she raised millions of dollars in both of the last two quarters. She’s used that money to buy TV ads, and based on conversations with voters, the ads seem to be working.”‘
‘At a time when the middle class feels under siege, much of this Senate race has been about who is more “middle class.”’
The story went on to explore the personal history of each candidate to make the case for their middle class roots. For example, Brown receiving “government subsidized lunches” at school when he was a boy and Warren needing a scholarship to get through college because of the declining economic fortunes of her family.
The story even went into detail about where they live and the value of their houses.
The reporter (and the poll) even asked citizens if they believed Warren and Brown were middle class as if that distinction was there for them to give.
Missing from report?
I’m sure you can guess. Substance. There was no reporting on where the candidates stand on the issues. What is Brown’s platform? What is his voting record? What policies of Brown’s does Warren disagree with? What is her platform? What do each of these candidates believe in? What is their vision?
None of this is in the story. But we do learn that Brown made $700,000 as an advance for writing his biography and that Warren earned more than $500,000 last year.
I don’t mean to pick on WBUR because they generally are among the best media outlets (that’s why I’m an avid listener and donate to the station). But this is an example of how the mass media is now covering politics. It’s about money. It’s about who has the best story. It’s about personalities. It’s about insider strategy and whose message is penetrating.
It’s no longer about ideas, innovation or vision.
On the national level, we are bombarded by money-raising efforts, internal strife, petty bickering, strategy shifts and a constant stream of unsolicited political advice from “experts” – usually ex-consultants for Democrats and Republicans. You’ll be hard pressed to find hard-hitting journalism on the ideas and policies supported and opposed by the candidates.
Is it any wonder why the electorate is confused? Why the general public doesn’t fully understand the issues?
The media need to move beyond this tit-for-tat political reporting and return to the fundamentals of journalism. As I’ve noted before journalism is getting beneath the news. It’s investigation, analysis and thoughtful commentary. It’s in-depth expository reporting. It is what traditional media can do much better than bloggers and social media pundits – who are providing dump trucks worth of reactionary reporting.
Yes, political journalism costs money and is time-consuming. But without it, traditional media becomes less valuable. We can get reporting and punditry online – the web is filled with it. Journalism is one thing that bloggers and aggregation sites and social networks can’t do well.
If traditional media wants to survive – and thrive – they should refocus on political journalism that provides value and leave the vapidity of the horse race to the web. | <urn:uuid:84899e5d-fe74-4778-9e04-e691c0cf5198> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://hightalk.net/2012/02/14/the-sorry-state-of-political-journalism/?shared=email&msg=fail | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965432 | 811 | 1.789063 | 2 |
ROLE: Landscape Designer
The WRT / Urban Strategies team was selected as one of five international teams to design the public open space on Governors Island. Positioned at the heart of New York Harbor, the Island required a powerful vision to galvanize its many settings that take visitors from the historic collection of campus like buildings around Fort Jay and Castle Williams in the north, to the new 40 acre park in the south. Bounded by a waterfront promenade, the Island offers spectacular views back to lower Manhattan, across the Buttermilk Channel to Brooklyn, and out to the harbor where The Statue of Liberty waves back.
WRT designed a complex system of park programs, topography, vegetation strategies, water management, reuse of buildings, and circulation to collapse art, light, agriculture, commerce, education, retreat, recreation, history and culture all into one place. The backbones of this system were designed for longevity. The park is the modern adaptation of what in essence also draws millions of people repeatedly back to Central Park. | <urn:uuid:4caf3dd1-1d92-4c5a-904c-ba503a739c4c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.heavymeadow.com/work/vision-for-governors-island-new-york-ny-finalist-2007/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942129 | 208 | 1.8125 | 2 |
Welcome to Healthcare
Healthcare Advising at UW Oshkosh
If you are considering a career in healthcare, even if you are not certain UW Oshkosh is your college destination, we invite you to learn about pre-professional healthcare degrees we offer.
There are several healthcare careers today and new ones are created every few years as medicine advances.
UW Oshkosh’s four colleges each offer distinct educational pathways into a variety of healthcare careers. Some careers require just a bachelor’s degree while others require a doctoral degree plus post-doctoral education. Nearly all healthcare careers require continuing education throughout one’s professional life.
For many students, UW Oshkosh is a a stepping stone to graduate study elsewhere, such as medical, dental or veterinary school.
Individualized advising for pre-health students
These students are known collectively as “pre-health” students during college and require individualized advising beyond a few basics.
Once you are enrolled at UW Oshkosh, you may sign in to our system for “advanced” advising, some of which will be delivered online and some of which will be delivered face-to-face. | <urn:uuid:6240efbe-3fb0-4b51-82f5-2624f54f7eca> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.uwosh.edu/healthcare/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968134 | 242 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Upon hearing of the Gigha golf quandary, the visitor is inclined to raise a skeptical eyebrow. This is Scotland, after all. The mythology of the game has the first courses emerging with virtually no help from man. Wind and rain, we are told, designed the Old Course at St. Andrews. Grazing sheep provided the daily maintenance.
But on Gigha an odd combination of factors makes golf difficult. The island has no linksland, the sandy soil that supports wispy turf grasses, a few hardy shrubs and little else. Instead, Brown and Wight built their course on rich, black loam. "It's an old farm, and unfortunately the ground's very fertile," says Bannatyne.
Then there's the economics of the place. The Gigha Golf Club has only 16 resident members, mostly lobstermen, scallop fishermen and farmers. They pay annual dues of £60 ($94). Another dozen "country members," most of them from Glasgow and Edinburgh, pay £55 a year. The remaining revenue comes mostly from hotel guests and visiting yachtsmen like Miller, who anchor off Gigha. With an annual income of about £5,000, the club can meet its fixed expenses, but there is no money for the unforeseen. Last winter, a storm on Boxing Day (Dec. 26) felled 150 trees at the Gardens, blew the roofs off several houses and flattened the course's clubhouse, which was little more than a shed to begin with. Brown built a new shelter using scrap lumber, but it is essentially a crate with a window.
Fixing the hydraulic mower is a more daunting and expensive task. Last year it cost the club £600 just to have its blades sharpened. A complete overhaul will bust the budget, and Brown isn't sure it's a sound investment. "What we really need is a set of gang mowers," he says, referring to the nonhydraulic, independently suspended cylinder mowers that most courses use to cut fairways efficiently. Unfortunately, a new gang mower costs up to £10,000, a used one half that—"for some secondhand, cast-off rubbish that probably won't work anyway," says Brown.
Have the islanders considered cutting the grass the old-fashioned way, with sheep? Yes, they have. In the winter, when the weather is too unpleasant for golf, a mainland farmer brings his flock over to dine on Gigha's fairways. But if sheep were kept year-round, the club would, by law, lose its right to the land—never mind what sheep would do to the greens. Says Brown, "If we don't find an answer soon, there'll be sheep for certain. It'll be golfers off."
With prospects so bleak, you might expect the islanders to fold their hand. Instead, they treat the failing course as they would an invalid parent, praying for a miracle cure. Bannatyne, whose day job is skipper of the car ferry, spent £200 of his own money for two old hand mowers. Straight off the job at 6 p.m., he's on the course, either to play or to mow. Sandra Howden drives the tractor for hours on end, convinced that Gigha golf offers the kind of pastoral experience the founding shepherds envisioned. "Nobody here bothers you if you're not dressed right or you want to share a set of clubs," she says. "It's a great way to learn the game without feeling that you're being watched."
On a recent weekend the How-dens mowed for hours, and by Sunday evening the first three holes were practically deflowered. The fairways, although still bushy by golf standards, stretched out green and pure, enticing a lone tourist to play. Bannatyne and a friend were out mowing the greens after dinner, enjoying the translucent light of the Hebridean sunset, which in July lasts for three hours. The bleating of sheep carried from surrounding crofts, and a cool breeze made the red flags flutter atop the flagsticks.
"The daisies are gone," said the tourist.
"Aye, but they'll be back tomorrow," said a resigned Bannatyne.
Down at the hotel, Brown had parked his red Peugeot and was resting on a bench, enjoying the sun on the back of his neck. For a man with five jobs he seemed remarkably unhurried, but his labors tend to be episodic. "The day my daughter got married, I got an emergency call in the middle of the reception. No water! The main supply was off. So there I was, in full tartan regalia, off to man the pumps." He laughed at the memory, which testified to his ability to handle everyday crises. | <urn:uuid:e93446af-f610-4e72-9f76-e2b0d9099d1d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1016511/2/index.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974651 | 1,004 | 1.679688 | 2 |
ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 38212
Last updated: 22 May 2013
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Narrative:The pilot departed on a multi state cross-country flight and was reported missing when the airplane failed to arrive at the destination. The pilot originally had filed an IFR flight plan the night before his proposed departure and also obtained a weather briefing. The weather information contained in the briefing was substantially correct. He was delayed due to fog from his estimated time of departure and never refiled or opened the flight plan. CAP search aircraft located the wreckage 1 week after the accident. The aircraft was found at the 11,760-foot level of a mountain and about 1,000 feet below the peak. The site is about 2 miles south of the route of flight filed in his flight plan. Ground witnesses said there were gusty winds, heavy rain, and thunderstorms in the area the day of the crash, with clouds obscuring the mountaintop where the accident occurred. In his flight plan, the pilot had originally filed for 13,000 feet, and pilot reports during the morning and early afternoon indicated that the cloud bases were 10,000 to 12,000 feet over the mountains, with higher layers to 24,000 feet. Conditions were favorable for light to moderate clear and/or mixed icing in clouds and precipitation above 12,000 feet. No preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures were found during examination of the airframe and engine. A review of the pilot's logbook indicated that he had 223 hours of actual instrument time and 71 hours of simulated instrument time. About 4 months preceding the accident, he had logged 3 hours. CAUSE: The pilot's continued VFR flight into known instrument meteorological conditions, including icing, which resulted in an in-flight collision with mountainous terrain.
|C/n / msn:|| 24-745|
|Fatalities:||Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2|
|Airplane damage:|| Written off (damaged beyond repair)|
|Location:||June Lake, CA -
United States of America
|Departure airport:||Petaluma, CA (069)|
|Destination airport:||Bryce Canyon, UT (BCE)|
Number of views: 621 | <urn:uuid:9e4d1b4f-3bd5-49b3-a57c-76ed628d2946> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=38212 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937224 | 507 | 1.648438 | 2 |
High school seniors and high school graduates are putting their talents and creativity to the test in The Art Institutes and Americans for the Arts Poster Design Competition. Entries into this year's Competition will be accepted through January 31, 2013. High school seniors could earn up to a full tuition scholarship and a high school graduate could earn a $10,000 scholarship to study at one of the more than 50 Art Institutes schools.
This year's Competition challenges high school seniors and high school graduates from the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico to design a poster that best expresses the Competition's theme "You Can Create Tomorrow." Contestants will compete in two different categories: (i) high school senior or (ii) high school graduate/adult.
"Each year we are impressed by the kind of talent these students exhibit," said John Mazzoni, President of The Art Institutes. "We are honored to sponsor this scholarship Competition and assist these students on their journey to create a better tomorrow."
"Art is such a vital part of our everyday lives," said Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. "We support this Competition because we want to ensure that the next generation of artists has a solid foundation to hone their skills and thrive in these exciting fields."
High school seniors could earn up to $3,000 and high school graduates could earn $1,000 in tuition scholarships in local Competitions at participating Art Institutes schools. Winners of the local Competition in both the high school senior and high school graduate categories move on to the national Competition. In the national Competition, high school seniors could earn up to a full-tuition scholarship and a high school graduate could earn a $10,000 scholarship to attend an Art Institutes school. | <urn:uuid:eb8a4e3f-c0c2-41bf-8e04-cff63d901caf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://art.broadwayworld.com/article/You-Can-Create-Tomorrow-in-the-10th-Annual-Art-Institutes-and-Americans-for-the-Arts-Poster-Design-Competition-20130130 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966439 | 352 | 1.53125 | 2 |
This was just mentioned on Talk 1300 where Paul Vandenburgh was having a morning chat with Fred Dicker and it’s a bit frightening.
It seems that Buffalo as well as Albany appears on a financial web site’s list of “Dead Cities.”
New York and Michigan are the two states with two of these new “desolate urbanscapes” as the authors describe it (Detroit and Flint are in Michigan).
The posting is on 24/7 Wall St. and is titled America’s Ten Dead Cities: From Detroit To New Orleans.
The site looked at Census Data dating to 1950, which shows population changes as well as research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
MIT researchers looked at vanishing tax bases which they conclude undermines the ability of localities to revitalize themselves.
Buffalo ranks Number 1 while Albany is 7. They note that being a state capitol has helped develop Albany’s numerous colleges and universities and that there is a growing tech and biotech sector but that isn’t enough to reverse the city’s declining fortunes which started in the 1960s. | <urn:uuid:7892b5d2-5a12-4676-a142-70ecdd82812b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/30969/wall-st-to-albany-youre-dead/ | 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 | 0.970695 | 234 | 1.828125 | 2 |
Talk:Introduction to Wikiversity
Feel free to ask questions here
OK, I'm a total noob here, so please explain me: what's the difference between Wikiversity and Wikibooks? --188.8.131.52 19:06, 12 January 2008 (UTC)
- Hello, please have a look at the FAQ, section "What is the difference between Wikiversity, Wikibooks, and even Wikipedia?"
- As it says in the motto of Wikiversity: Open Learning Community. Everything you do normally involves learning. More info you can find at: Wikiversity:What is Wikiversity?, Template:Welcome ----Erkan Yilmaz (Wikiversity:Chat, wiki blog) 19:19, 12 January 2008 (UTC)
Thanks. But after reading, what you linked, I am still thinking that it should be still a part of Wikibooks. Just for ME, it gone too far. See ya' --184.108.40.206 23:59, 12 January 2008 (UTC) That was me. You know, I would be going around to see if I mistaken. Maybe I would change my mind --Xar' 00:12, 13 January 2008 (UTC) | <urn:uuid:d174a0f1-83cf-4b13-aa75-2ca03116f43a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Talk:Introduction_to_Wikiversity | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939419 | 252 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Meet nine Islanders who are making life in Hawaii better for those who most need the help.
(page 1 of 3)
Big donors used to write big checks to charities from behind big mahogany desks. Not so the individuals profiled here. These local philanthropists are hands-on, passionate givers—who may or may not have their own resources but who are nonetheless resourceful—raising funds by leveraging their skills and their relationships.
Today’s philanthropists often take on smaller projects, where the impact of their contributions can be felt and success can be measured. Technology is making it easier for people of all ages and means to feel a connection to problems around the world and want to do something about them … often, starting in their own backyard.
Hawaii is a leader in charitable giving, and not just from those with the highest levels of income or personal wealth. When you consider that caring for one another and a sense of our interconnectedness are important underpinnings of the aloha spirit, you can view the generosity found in these Islands as part of a long cultural tradition.
Even at a time when strained finances are causing Islanders to be frugal, the spirit of giving is abundant.
The Kapiolani Children's Miracle Network
After retiring from a career in the Army, Vince Hill started selling hot dogs outside the Hawaii Kai Costco in 1993, where he made loads of friends over the years. So many, that when he moved inside—first as a cashier and now as a marketing rep—Hill brought with him a community of customers.
No wonder he turned to them to help raise funds for an important cause—the Kapiolani Children’s Miracle Network. Vince implored everyone he encountered to help sick kids, and he was not aiming for the typical $1 donations, either. Once he shared the impact a $100 donation could make, lots of folks stepped up to help the 61-year-old grandfather personally raise $53,000 last year.
Never one to shy away from asking, Hill successfully appealed to Costco’s CEO during a warehouse visit and a senior vice president from the Los Angeles region sent in $1,000 after hearing Hill’s heartfelt request.
Starting with the 3-foot balloons he gives to $100-plus donors, Hill is a man who thinks big. In addition to organizing Costco’s “Miracle Month of May Concert Series,” he also created a “Miracle Tasting.” In 2010, Hill wants to raise $100,000 for the Children’s Miracle Network, and those who know him, know he will.
Dr. Keola Lloyd
Hawaii Food & Wine Paradise
Before launching the inaugural “Hawaii Food & Wine Paradise” in 2008, Keola Lloyd did his homework. First, he spent years organizing the Taste of Kapolei (now run by the Rotary Club of Kapolei). Second, he visited the Pebble Beach Food and Wine gala, which annually attracts 2,000 upscale epicureans. To his surprise, many of the attendees at the California event had no idea whether a portion of the proceeds would be donated to charity, or to which one.
But for Hilo-born Lloyd, giving back to the community was a key element in creating the national “Hawaii Food and Wine Paradise,” which raised $150,000 for local causes in the event’s first year. Lloyd reached beyond our shores to secure the sponsorship of American Express Publishing Corp. He then invited both home-grown and visiting chefs, winemakers and entertainers and lured an affluent crowd with ads in Travel + Leisure.
This year’s four-day extravaganza (held in May) included golf with favorite chefs, a multicourse banquet under the stars and presentations on wine pairings. The humble 48-year-old Lloyd managed to keep his eye on the smallest details, while never losing sight of the bigger picture: namely, scholarships for Leeward students and support for culinary programs in our state.
Do you like what you read? Subscribe to HONOLULU Magazine » | <urn:uuid:978c2c82-2560-435d-901b-7e44b678334e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.honolulumagazine.com/Honolulu-Magazine/September-2009/Abundant-Spirits/index.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954854 | 857 | 1.585938 | 2 |
USCIS has worked closely with the Department of State (DOS) to implement the new fee which allows USCIS to recover the costs of processing immigrant visas in the United States after immigrant visa holders receive their visa packages from DOS. This includes staff time to handle, file and maintain the immigrant visa package, and the cost of producing and delivering the permanent resident card. The implementation of this new fee is further detailed in a Federal Register notice scheduled for publication tomorrow.
In order to simplify and centralize the payment process, applicants will pay online through the USCIS website after they receive their visa package from DOS and before they depart for the United States. DOS will provide applicants with specific information on how to submit payment when they attend their consular interview. The new fee is in addition to fees charged by DOS associated with an individual’s immigrant visa application.
USCIS processes approximately 36,000 immigrant visa packages each month. Prospective adoptive parents whose child will enter the United States under the Orphan or Hague processes are exempt from the new fee.
For more information visit our USCIS Immigrant Fee webpage.
For general information on USCIS and its programs, please visit www.uscis.gov or follow us on Twitter (@uscis ), YouTube (/uscis ) and the USCIS blog The Beacon. | <urn:uuid:6421a31f-480f-40ab-9d64-bb9a028155b7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://insightnews.com/news/10028-implementation-of-new-uscis-immigrant-fee- | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937101 | 266 | 1.570313 | 2 |
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