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After Joshua and the people of Israel crossed over the Jordan and before they assaulted Jericho, Joshua had this strange encounter: Once, when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man ...
Joshua 2 describes Rahab's concealment of the Hebrew spies. Vv. 18 Unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have ...
Joshua includes a dramatic story of spies, a prostitute, and subterfuge: Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim, saying, “Go, reconnoiter the region of Jericho.” So they set out, ...
Hebrews 11 list a number of people that Hebrews 12:1 calls a "great a cloud of witnesses". Among them are the usual suspects: Noah, Abraham, Issac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses. But there are also some ...
We read that Achan confessed his sin of taking spoil that was proscribed for the Lord: Achan answered Joshua, “It is true, I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. This is what I did: I ... | <urn:uuid:bbea9a19-096f-4977-9b67-c7ca0954290f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/joshua?sort=active&pagesize=15 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948716 | 243 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Judge strikes down Prop. 8, allows gay marriage in California [Updated]
A federal judge in San Francisco decided today that gays and lesbians have a constitutional right to marry, striking down Proposition 8, the voter approved ballot measure that banned same-sex unions.
U.S. District Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker said Proposition 8, passed by voters in November 2008, violated the federal constitutional rights of gays and lesbians to marry the partners of their choice. His ruling is expected to be appealed to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and then up to the U.S. Supreme Court.
[Updated at 1:54 p.m.: "Plaintiffs challenge Proposition 8 under the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment," the judge wrote. "Each challenge is independently meritorious, as Proposition 8 both unconstitutionally burdens the exercise of the fundamental right to marry and creates an irrational classification on the basis of sexual orientation."
Vaughn added: "Plaintiffs seek to have the state recognize their committed relationships, and plaintiffs’ relationships are consistent with the core of the history, tradition and practice of marriage in the United States.“
Ultimately, the judge concluded that Proposition 8 "fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license. Indeed, the evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California Constitution the notion that opposite-sex couples are superior to same-sex couples. … Because Proposition 8 prevents California from fulfilling its constitutional obligation to provide marriages on an equal basis, the court concludes that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional.”]
[Updated at 2:28 p.m.: Both Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa praised the judge's decision. "Because a judge had the courage to stand up for the constitution of the United States, prop 8 has been overturned!" the mayor wrote on Twitter.
“This ruling marks a victory for loving, committed couples who want
nothing more than the same rights and security as other families,” added
Rea Carey, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task
Force, minutes after Walker’s ruling was released. “From the start, this
has been about basic fairness.”
Austin R. Nimocks, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund who fought to uphold Prop 8 in Walker’s court, vowed to appeal, saying “We’re obviously disappointed that the judge did not uphold the will of over 7 million Californians who made a decision in a free and fair democratic process.”]
Walker, an appointee of President George H.W. Bush, heard 16 witnesses summoned by opponents of Proposition 8 and two called by proponents during a 2½-week trial in January.
Walker’s historic ruling in Perry vs. Schwarzenegger relied heavily on the testimony he heard at trial. His ruling listed both factual findings and his conclusions about the law.
Voters approved the ban by a 52.3% margin six months after the California Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage was permitted under the state Constitution.
The state high court later upheld Proposition 8 as a valid amendment to the state Constitution.
An estimated 18,000 same-sex couples married in California during the months that it was legal, and the state continues to recognize those marriages.
The federal challenge was filed on behalf of a gay couple in Southern California and a lesbian couple in Berkeley. They are being represented by former Solicitor General Ted Olson, a conservative, and noted litigator David Boies, who squared off against Olson in Bush vs. Gore.
A Los Angeles-based group formed to fight Proposition 8 has been financing the litigation.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown refused to defend Proposition 8, prodding the sponsors of the initiative to hire a legal team experienced in U.S. Supreme Court litigation.
Backers of Proposition 8 contended that the legal burden was on the challengers to prove there was no rational justification for voting for the measure. They cited as rational a view that children fare best with both a father and a mother.
But defense witnesses conceded in cross-examination that studies show children reared from birth by same-sex couples fared as well as those born to opposite-sex parents and that marriage would benefit the families of gays and lesbians.
-- Maura Dolan in San Francisco
Photo: Proposition 8 supporters Nadia Chayka and her fiance Luke Otterstad
stand in between Proposition 8 opponents Billy Radford, right, and Ron Weaver, left, outside of the Philip Burton Federal building in San Francisco. Credit: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images | <urn:uuid:46b52b60-d36e-410b-9370-8b8030f3a205> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/08/prop8-gay-marriage/comments/page/5/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955082 | 973 | 1.695313 | 2 |
The Man Who Became God’s FriendPrint This Post
“And the scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,’ and he was called God’s friend.” (James 2:23, NIV).
His story began with a whisper, some say. One night while he was standing near a grove a mulberry trees with a group of friends, a strange breeze rushed in from nowhere and rustled the leaves a bit. Some say that’s all it was – just a strange wind. But he heard the Voice. The look on his face didn’t go unnoticed by the others, for it seemed as though he had seen a ghost. No, he didn’t see one – he only heard one. And it was a Holy Ghost.
The Voice, tender and befriending, called him by name – “Abram.” We know him today as Abraham. And the Voice that spoke to him that night we now know as the God of Abraham.
They were friends, you see.
Their friendship began when Abraham believed. And what was it exactly that Abraham believed? Simply put, he believed God. Whatever God said to him, no matter how impossible or unlikely it seemed or sounded – Abraham believed that the One who spoke was true, and able to do what He had said.
Listen to how Paul puts it in his letter to the Romans:
“When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn’t do but on what God said he would do. And so he was made father of a multitude of peoples. God himself said to him, ‘You’re going to have a big family, Abraham!’ Abraham didn’t focus on his own impotence and say, ‘It’s hopeless. This hundred-year-old body could never father a child.’ Nor did he survey Sarah’s decades of infertility and give up. He didn’t tiptoe around God’s promise asking cautiously skeptical questions. He plunged into the promise and came up strong, ready for God, sure that God would make good on what he had said.” (Romans 4:18-21, The Message).
What crazy, insane, impossible, and most unlikely thing has God promised you? And now does it all seem hopeless; certain never to happen?
Well, you are on the brink of becoming friends with God! Just believe!! | <urn:uuid:fd302cad-be96-49fe-987a-fe42c817d99f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://truthworks.org/?p=3008 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984792 | 537 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Even with Osama bin Laden out of the picture, America still has some big problems to worry about abroad. For one, there is still that looming threat of the Soviet Union. That’s what Michele Bachmann thinks, at least.
In an interview conducted today by Christian radio host Jay Sekulow, Minnesota Representative Michele Bachmann offered up her latest and perhaps funniest flub. According to the congresswoman, the USSR still poses a pretty big threat to the USA — even if the Union disbanded, oh, 20 years ago.
When asked on-air about what different people from coast-to-coast are telling Bachmann on her campaign trail, the GOP hopeful said that jobs and economy are obviously a big concern among Americans. That’s not all that’s on their minds, however.
“What people recognize is that there’s a fear that the United States is in an unstoppable decline,” said Bachmann. “They see the rise of China, the rise of India, the rise of the Soviet Union and our loss militarily going forward.”
It looks like the Cold War is still going on and hotter than ever.
In Bachmann’s defense, it’s not as if the Soviet Union’s threat of nuclear weaponry put the USSR and America at a nerve-wracking standstill for several decades that historically ended 20 years ago signaling one of the most important and world-shaping disintegrations of a governing body in modern history as we know it. No, no, no. That never happened. Apparently another thing that never happened was Bachmann opening her eyes and ears during, say, most of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Representing herself earlier this year as the embodiment of serial killer John Wayne Gacy was one thing; wishing Elvis Presley a happy birthday on the anniversary of his death this week was another. But to admit that you know nothing about international politics might be the nail in the coffin for a campaign consistently being marred by stupid sound bytes.
Maybe Bachmann just overlooked the dissolve of the Soviet Union 20 years ago, assuming it would have no effect on her or her eventual run for office. Why should foreign matters concern us Americans anyway? After all, as Bachmann previously put it, “not all cultures are equal.” | <urn:uuid:b3f2f349-2331-42d7-86d8-a7b284b7d6de> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://rt.com/usa/bachmann-soviet-union-threat/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964551 | 483 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Prolific and influential television writer Terry Nation is best remembered for two huge achievements. Firstly, in 1963, he dreamed up Doctor Who arch-villains the Daleks - an invention so iconic that they continue to grace our screen to this day. And secondly, 15 years later, Nation created BBC science fiction drama Blake's 7.
Inspired by the tales of Robin Hood, classic Western movies and war films like The Dirty Dozen, as well as real-life political conflicts, Nation devised the story of Roj Blake, a futuristic freedom fighter who is arrested and convicted on false charges. Deported from Earth, Blake escapes his captors and, with a rag-tag team of fellow dissidents and petty criminals, wages a war against the sinister Federation that rules the universe with an iron fist.
Blake's 7: Originally broadcast from January 2, 1978 to December 21, 1981
Cast as Blake, Welsh actor Gareth Thomas perhaps makes for a somewhat unlikely action hero, but so much of what worked perfectly in Blake's 7 was the result of subverting convention. It's a rather odd truth that, despite the show's title, the Blake character actually appears in just over half of the show's episodes. But for the two years that he led the series, Thomas made for a solid and compelling lead as the stoic thorn in the Federation's side.
Still, despite initially playing the lead, Thomas was always under threat of being overshadowed by co-star Paul Darrow, who played the brilliantly sly and cunning thief Kerr Avon. The most unwilling of political radicals, Avon would frequently rile Blake, challenging his authority with a never-ending stream of caustic barbs and thinly veiled insults.
But it's this writer's opinion that Blake's 7 always worked best when Blake and Avon fought side-by-side - neither is quite as effective without the other. In some ways, the two characters represent two extremes of human nature; Blake - self-sacrificing, unflinchingly noble - and Avon - self-serving, borderline narcissistic. When they're together, they're dynamite - the banter that results from their rivalry is fantastically entertaining.
Other characters who served alongside Blake and Avon, and so became part of the eponymous 'Seven', throughout the show's four-year run include glamorous space smuggler Jenna Stannis (Sally Knyvette), gentle giant Olag Gan (David Jackson), alien telepath Cally (Jan Chappell), weapons expert Dayna (Josette Simon), pilot Del Tarrant (Steven Pacey) and gunslinger Soolin (Glynis Barber).
But special mention must go to Michael Keating's Vila Restal - a genius when it comes to thievery, lock-picking and safe-cracking, but an incorrigible buffoon in practically every other way. A coward with a weakness for women and booze, Vila at times almost resembles Blackadder's Baldrick in space, albeit with sharper wits.
Despite his flaws, there's something about Keating's performance that makes the viewer love Vila. Twice during the show's second series, Terry Nation considered killing off the character, only to be dissuaded - Vila only survived series two finale 'Star One' because a recent viewer survey had seen him named the show's second most popular character.
But every hero needs a great villain, and Blake's 7 had a doozy. Going back to 'subverting convention', one of the best decisions Nation and company ever made was to avoid casting the Federation's supreme commander as some gruff, jack-booted male thug...
Instead, actress Jacqueline Pearce was cast as chief baddie Servalan, delivering a sensual, wonderfully heightened performance and creating one of sci-fi television's most truly memorable villains. Servalan was assisted, initially at least, by Travis - a ruthless Federation officer and sworn enemy of Blake who lost his left eye and arm in a previous skirmish with the rebel.
In the 1978 series, Stephen Greif is terrific as Travis - cold, cruel and the perfect nemesis for the noble Blake. It's a shame that Greif's film commitments necessitated a recast by the time series two rolled around - his replacement Brian Croucher's melodramatic, seething take on the Travis character is rather less successful.
When Blake's 7 is discussed, it's often lumped in with the Doctor Who of the same period - Tom Baker's final few years as the Time Lord. This comparison is completely understandable; the two shows at the time shared a similar visual style, as well as many crew members - most obviously Terry Nation, but also script editor Chris Boucher, director and producer David Maloney, musician Dudley Simpson, and more...
But the comparison is also rather inaccurate - in terms of tone, early Blake's 7 and late Tom Baker era Who couldn't be more different. While Blake's 7 may boast the hapless Vila and Avon's cutting remarks, it nevertheless lacks the lightness of touch that's such an important part of Doctor Who - and particularly the Doctor Who of that period.
Again, Nation's series subverted convention and made this grim atmosphere a virtue rather than an issue. Criminals, drugs and death were all rampant in Blake's 7, but perhaps the show's most shockingly dark moment comes in the first episode, in which Blake is falsely accused of child molestation. It's a strong stuff and certainly not the kind of thing you'd expect to see in late '70s Doctor Who.
That said, Blake's 7 is very much a show of two halves. As previously indicated, Gareth Thomas decided to leave the show after series two, leaving Paul Darrow's Avon to takes centre-stage. Also at this point, the show became increasingly camp and fans tend to be divided over which era of the show was more successful. Some lapped up the show's new-found theatricality - chiefly fuelled by Jacqueline Pearce's Servalan - while others yearned for a return to the gritty yarns of yesteryear.
The latter group got their wish with series finale 'Blake' - a tragic tale of misunderstanding. Finally locating the missing Blake on the formerly lawless world Gauda Prime, Avon and crew are reunited with their fearless leader. But a plot by Blake backfires and Avon soon suspects that his old friend has been turned by the Federation...
Avon shoots Blake dead - at the request of Gareth Thomas, who wanted out of the series for good - and moments later, a squad of Federation troops arrive and exterminate the rest of the freedom fighters. Only Avon is left standing - standing over Blake's body, a demented grin on his face, he raises his gun... cue the final credits.
Ironically, this was not intended to be the end for Blake's 7 - though Blake's demise was intended to stick, the 'deaths' of the other characters were supposed to function merely as a between-series cliffhanger....
Which characters survived and which actually perished was to be determined by which actors were willing to return for a fifth series. Alas, it was not to be - the BBC declined to pick the show up for another year. By pure accident, Blake's 7 gave us one of the most memorable TV endings of all time.
Since the grim events of 'Blake' aired on December 21, 1981 (hardly festive!), there have been numerous attempts to revive or remake Blake's 7. The BBC itself produced two radio plays in 1998 and 1999, while a 2006 audio reboot saw Scottish actor Derek Riddell cast as Blake, with Colin Salmon as the wily Avon. Most recently, Big Finish Productions has reunited the original cast for a new series of audio-books.
Perhaps Blake's 7 is ultimately best left untouched - the four original series are available to enjoy on DVD, from the stunning first episode through to the dark finale and every "MAX-imum Power!" in-between. The show was very much a product of its time, but, when all's said and done, it remains an unassailable cult classic.
Were you a Blake's 7 fan? Share your memories of Terry Nation's space opera below! | <urn:uuid:ba34e1f7-a46f-4470-9635-cf0c2529247c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://m.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/tubetalk/a377479/blakes-7-tube-talk-gold.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965297 | 1,693 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Registered Charity Number 221601
Established in 1934, the benevolent fund's objectives are to help chemical engineers and their families who have become necessitous, through illness, disability, unemployment or death. Financial assistance takes many forms with the main ones being a one-off payment or help over a long period. In some cases, interest-free loans are made with repayments over agreed periods.
The Trustees of the Benevolent Fund would like to thank all those members of IChemE who allowed the contribution to the Fund to stand last year, which has significantly increased the amount available to do the benevolent work. At this rate, the Fund can begin to be much more pro-active than it has been able to be in the past.
To continue helping such people, we need your support.
If you would like to support the fund by making a bequest, please contact Jo Downham.
If you would like to make a donation using Giftaid, please complete this form and send to:
Chemical Engineers' Benevolent Fund
c/o The Institution of Chemical Engineers
165-189 Railway Terrace
Tel: +44 01788 578214 | <urn:uuid:0433ba8c-eecf-4135-bedd-7746fd3d546e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.icheme.org/about_us/benevolent_fund.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941146 | 239 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Have you ever found one product that śdoes it allť? Something that is so great, you can use it to heal your body, give you a relaxing feeling at bedtime, clean your laundry and make your house smell great? If not, then you have not discovered the amazing power of lavender. Lavender is an essential [...]
Tag Archives | sleeping pills
People who have sleep disorders – whether rare or quite common – know how frustrating it can be to not get a good night’s sleep. Sometimes it is true that the rarer the sleep disorder, the less that is known about it, and therefore treatment may be ineffective or hard to come by. Many people [...]
Humans need at least 7-8 hours of sound sleep every 24 hours, to remain mentally alert and physically active during work hours. Older people may sleep less at night and have small naps during the day to fulfill the body’s requirement of sleep. But getting a restful sleep is not something that everyone enjoys. There [...]
Do you believe that you are suffering from menopause? If you are, you should know that you are not alone. As uncomfortable and as life altering as many of the menopause symptoms can be, it is a natural occurrence that many women experience, typically around the age of forty. As hard as it can be [...]
Herbs are the most popular form of alternative medicine in the United States , according to a recent Harvard study which found that 38 million Americans collectively spend $4.2 billion on herbal medicine every year. Understanding more about how medicinal herbs work can help you treat common ailments more effectively. HERBS FOR WELLNESS Some herbs [...]
Detoxification is a process that occurs within our bodies on a natural and continuous basis. Detoxifying is the process of releasing accumulated toxins and waste products that build up throughout our system. From birth, we are bombarded by toxins, externally from environmental sources and internally, our organs give off waste products that accumulate in our [...]
People are often curious about sleep disorders or else they suspect that they may have a sleep disorder and therefore they have lots of questions about sleep disorders. OK, now when you have a sleep disorder of course it won’t take a genius to know you’ll have trouble sleeping! But there are plenty of medicines [...]
Article compliments of Powerful Sleep “Here’s How To Put Your Sleep Back Into it’s, Natural Energized State, That Will Give You the Extra Energy You Deserve… And You’ll Never Have to Fight With Your Feeling Exhausted Again!” If You Wake Up Feeling Drowsy And Tired, You’re Most Likely Missing Out On 90% Of The Energy [...]
Rare sleep disorders usually merit some form of treatment through a sleep specialist. Although the form of treatment used depends largely on which rare sleep disorder is actually diagnosed, the important thing is to find a treatment that is effective while also allowing the sufferer to develop a new sleeping pattern as a habit. Some [...]
Indigestion, insomnia and itching are very common ailments in everyday life. So common in fact that we don’t even take them seriously and they tend to be left untreated. The problem is, when left untreated, they often blow up into something far more serious. So when one is feeling a little down and out due [...]
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Fill out the form below to receive our free natural health newsletter and stay informed about holistic healing therapies & effective home remedies for common ailments. | <urn:uuid:9db42594-b375-45db-8d32-9dadb1a87f6a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.natural-holistic-health.com/tag/sleeping-pills/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936536 | 804 | 1.617188 | 2 |
An Atlanta native, Jessie attended Sarah Smith Elementary School, The Galloway School and Oglethorpe University, where she obtained a B.A. in Psychology and a double minor in Spanish and Studio Art in 2008. Jessie comes to us from The Howard School, where she worked in 8th grade and Kindergarten-1st grade. She is certified in Early Childhood Education, Behavioral Science for grades 6-12 and English as a Second Language for grades K-12.
Jessie has worked extensively with special needs children and adolescents, in and out of the classroom, and has used skills and techniques for connecting with students from all learning backgrounds and incorporating differentiation in the classroom. She has used her creative talents to invent original board games and class activities to incorporate art and hands-on learning in the classroom. Jessie has been trained in Singapore Math, The Hill Center’s Phonics Program and Darkness to Light’s Sexual Abuse Prevention. Jessie has taught Literacy using the Open Court system, handwriting using the Handwriting Without Tears method, and Literacy-based math using Singapore Math, Everyday Math, Dot Math and Math Their Way. Jessie enjoys getting involved in afterschool activities, and has also taught Introduction to Drawing courses and camps, Latin American Studies minimester courses for middle and high schoolers, and founded Pet Club Jr. for ages 5-8 years.
Jessie enjoys being outdoors and doing anything active, including hiking, camping, rock climbing, kickboxing and running. She is also fond of playing board games, reading, scrapbooking, singing, spending time with family, and traveling. Jessie has spent time in Mexico, England, France, Argentina, Puerto Rico and has been all across the United States. She spent six months in Chile for a study abroad program in 2007, and returned to the U.S. bilingual in Spanish.
Jessie is thrilled to be working at The Cloverleaf School and looks forward to assisting families and coworkers to help maintain consistency and stability for the students. As the saying goes, “it takes a village to raise a child” and Jessie believes that is key in helping to shape well-rounded individuals. | <urn:uuid:2a36415a-d5dd-47b2-8176-c215934ba514> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://cloverleafschool.org/our-approach/our-people/faculty-and-staff/jessie-morris-teacher/ | 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 | 0.963527 | 440 | 1.515625 | 2 |
- Why Colby?
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The Farnham Writers' Center
Learning Difference Support
Registration with Support Services
The Transition from High School to College
On Getting Help
Academic Support Services is comprised of a number of programs that are designed to help Colby Students maximize their academic success. We want students at Colby to know that there are opportunities for them to obtain help when they need it. Our arrangements for residential living at Colby include a carefully selected upperclass hall staff and a number of resident faculty and staff members who are always eager to assist students. Each new student will be assigned a faculty advisor (who has a limited number of first-year advisees) and an advising dean who are ready to assist with schedule planning and with problems that may arise after the semester gets under way. Professors in each course are also eager to help students who may need assistance in understanding the concepts, methods, or requirements of their courses. General study skills advice is available from the staff of the Office of the Dean of Students.
In addition to these initial sources of help, we would also encourage you to consider, should the need arise, the more specific services outlined in this booklet. The most important element is to seek help early!
The Farnham Writers' Center
In the Farnham Writers' Center all students can work with tutors to develop writing abilities and acquire strategies for organizing and writing papers, essays, lab reports, proposals, and any other form of writing. Tutors are trained to work with any stage of the writing process, from brainstorming an assignment to:
• discovering a thesis • organizing material
• developing ideas • producing a draft
• finding supporting evidence • evaluating and revising a draft
• editing for error
The one-to-one tutorial format of the Writers’ Center reinforces the mutual development of writing and thinking. Director Paula Harrington, a full-time assistant director, and 17 undergraduate peer tutors suggest strategies that will work for different individuals, including those suffering from “writer’s block.” Papers will not just be “corrected” for you; the emphasis is on your continuing development as a writer. You can go just once, go once in a while, or enter into a long-term tutorial according to your needs. EN 112, a one-credit tutorial attached to any course that requires significant amounts of writing, is offered through the Writers’ Center. In this course a student works with the same tutor throughout the semester.
The Writers’ Center is located in the street of Miller Library, Room 9. The Center is open from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday through Friday, and Sunday through Thursday evenings from 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm. Appointments are recommended, 207-859-5290.
Our psychological counselors are available to help you with problems that may be adversely affecting your academic performance. They can help you learn how to structure your time better and not procrastinate. Test anxiety, which can dramatically interfere with academic performance and confidence, is another problem for which you can receive help. Remember that being nervous because you haven’t studied or been to class for three weeks is not test anxiety––that is realistic worry resulting from not being prepared. However, if you clam up and freeze although you are well prepared, that is test anxiety.
Additionally, there are times when personal problems such as family situations or stress in social relationships can interfere with your ability to concentrate. Talking with one of our therapists in a confidential setting can help get things off your chest and refocus on school and academics.
The counseling services offices are located in the Garrison-Foster Health Center. Call 207-859-4460 or talk to the secretary at the second floor desk to schedule an appointment.
Learning Difference Support
Colby has no formal program for students with learning differences and does not treat such students differently from other students in the admissions process. However, those students with learning differences who are admitted to Colby have available to them several forms of support, including the attention of Assistant Dean of Students Joseph Atkins (Eustis 210D, 207-859-4253).
In accordance with the recommendations of a qualified diagnostician, students with learning differences may be allowed several adjustments to academic procedures, including additional time on examinations, extensions on written assignments, and other variations in examinations procedures. These students may petition to take less than a normal course load each semester. Other forms of support are available and may be discussed with Dean Atkins. These include special consideration for private study carrels available in Miller Library, note takers, and the tape recording of lectures. More information on Learning Differences support and the procedures for requesting accommodations can be found at http://www.colby.edu/administration_cs/dos/.
It is the policy of Colby College to provide academic support for all students. The procedures for students with learning differences are consistent with this policy.
Study Carrels in Miller Library
There are a limited number of study carrels available in Miller Library for students who demonstrate the need for a private study area. Students with special circumstances such as honors programs, learning differences, independent study projects or senior scholar work are encouraged to apply.
Each year there are many more students who apply for carrels than the number of spots available. Priority will be given to seniors.
If students are interested in applying for a study carrel, they can download this application and return it to Barbara Moore, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Senior Associate Dean of Students, Eustis 203. Completed applications are due by the second week in September. Students will be notified by mid September as to whether they have been granted a study carrel.
Individual tutoring is available at no cost to any student having difficulty in any course. If you are in need of help, here are the steps to follow:
Office of the Dean of Students
During the academic year, feel free to contact directly: | <urn:uuid:eaa72b8d-f7ba-4bb7-8798-783be3f7119e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.colby.edu/administration_cs/student-affairs/deanofstudents/support/index.cfm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952293 | 1,254 | 1.65625 | 2 |
December 20, 2012 by Lisa Montgomery
High-tech amenities can easily take over the aesthetic of a home. But not in this remodeled house, built sometime in the 1950s. The owners chose their technology carefully and enlisted the help of custom design and installation firm Audio Video Excellence, Birmingham, Ala., to blend keypads, TVs, speakers and other electronics seamlessly into the architecture.
The incorporation of a home automation system from Savant wiped out much of the “wall acne” that may have otherwise pockmarked many of the walls of the house, according to AVE’s Mary Petty. Only a few Lutron keypads, slim and color matched to the wall surface, are mounted to the walls to enable the homeowners to quickly turn on and off the lights as they enter and leave a room; for everything else, they use the Savant app on their iPhones and iPads. From the screen of their mobile devices they can regulate thermostats, move motorized shades up and down and operate audio and video equipment. A few other tricks for downplaying the appearance of technology in this house:
• Matching the ceiling speakers to the color of the ceiling surface.
• Disguising flat-panel TVs as artwork. The ArtScreen system from Vutec covers the screen with canvas artwork the retracts into the frame when the owners press a button.
• Hiding motorized rollers for the window shades by concealing them behind custom valances.
• Minimizing the amount of buttons needed to operate electronic devices by automating several functions. For example, when the TV is turned on the overhead lights turn off for a better viewing experience.
More Info: 9 Things to Consider in a Home Control System
Follow Electronic House
Lisa Montgomery has been writing about home technology for 15 years, with a focus on the impact of electronics on a modern lifestyle.
Commenting is not available in this weblog entry. | <urn:uuid:5be37900-acda-45bf-a7f4-d9997e78fdeb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.electronichouse.com/article/modern_tech_upgrade_in_classic_1950s_home/C154/P1918/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933946 | 398 | 1.539063 | 2 |
As an architect more then 50% of your work is communication. Therefore it is important that architects also learn how to present well their projects. Storytelling is a great technique that can be adopted also for our profession. Have a look at this interesting link by Ole Tillmann.
“Follow your bliss.” - Joseph Campbell
If you are interested in storytelling or just want to watch an entertaining and deeply inspiring movie, this documentary is a must see! A wonderful story on the hero´s journey by Patrick Takaya Solomon with great insights on the impact the monomyth has on today´s culture. Love it. | <urn:uuid:092b4683-d487-4565-b3b1-fb094e1e020d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://anotherarchitect.tumblr.com/post/16283552721/as-an-architect-more-then-50-of-your-work-is | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95552 | 127 | 1.59375 | 2 |
World leaders and the people of the Czech Republic have paid their final respects to former president Vaclav Havel at a state funeral in Prague, ending a week of honoring the dissident playwright and anti-communist icon.
The 75-year old former Czech leader died in his sleep of respiratory problems on Sunday.
Bells and sirens rang out during a moment of silence in memory of the country's first democratically elected president.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron were among the world leaders who attended the funeral mass for Mr. Havel at the gothic St. Vitus Cathedral. Czech President Vaclav Klaus and Czech-born former U.S. secretary of state Madeleine Albright also paid tribute.
In a message read at Friday's mass, Pope Benedict praised Mr. Havel, recalling "how courageously he defended human rights at a time when they were systematically denied."
Since Monday, tens of thousands of Czechs have remembered their former president, filing past his casket inside a church in central Prague.
Mr. Havel took office in 1989, after leading what has come to be known as the "Velvet Revolution" that ended four decades of communist rule. He oversaw Czechoslovakia's transition to a free-market economy and democracy, as well as its peaceful 1993 split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Slovakia has declared Friday a national day of mourning in his honor.
Mr. Havel has been applauded by several European leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who described him as a "great European" who fought for freedom on the continent.
Vaclav Havel was president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 to 1992, and leader of the Czech Republic from 1993 to 2003.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters. | <urn:uuid:345d3486-fc37-4c31-ab1f-d2537d3616e0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.voanews.com/content/world-leaders-gather-for-ex-czech-president-havels-funeral-136134343/149865.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982054 | 392 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Help your child develop their self-esteem and confidence.
A wonderful CD to help your child have a peaceful night's sleep and wake up ready to focus.
A natural antidote to restlessness, anxiety and difficulties with concentration.
Exercises to help children and teens learn how to relax with ease and empty their mind of stress.
Many athletes repeat affirmations everyday to get themselves motivated for sports! Use this CD to kick start your confidence.
This CD helps angry children learn how to be calm and collected by teaching them to use their energy in alternative ways.
Help your child relax and be calm under pressure with this CD. Perfect for exam time or before school.
Many children are anxious about school and peer pressure, this CD inspires positive thinking through visualisation and affirmation. | <urn:uuid:3a33f155-f8fe-4fab-9f7d-d75d6d5484d5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hypnosisaudio.com/basket/add/accessorise/445/optionid/1140 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93564 | 159 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Sri Lanka may have looked slightly out of sorts at the World Cup so far but it has not detracted from the enthusiasm the people have for cricket - and life in general.
There are not many sports where Sri Lanka can claim to have been world champions. This is a nation that has never won an Olympic gold medal, so beyond cricketers there are few sporting heroes.
When Arjuna Ranatunga's side triumphed in 1996 over Australia in the World Cup final in Lahore it sealed cricket's place as the national sport indefinitely.
That win featured a then 23-year-old off-spinner called Muttiah Muralidaran who has gone on to be the world's leading wicket-taker in tests and one-day internationals.
Murali is revered in Sri Lanka. He comes from a region near Kandy, where the World Cup is hosting matches at an immaculate new stadium bearing his name. Social instinct suggests it would be unwise to use his name and the word "chucker" in the same sentence over the next couple of days.
Regardless of your stance on that curly one, there can be little doubt he has done good for his country, be it through cricket with his repertoire of deliveries, or philanthropy after his dedication of time and money in the rebuild after the 2004 tsunami.
It is also no stretch to state that as a Tamil, albeit from a family that owns a successful biscuit-making business, Muralidaran helped ease the unification process after years of civil war.
The residue from that conflict remains evident, despite its official end almost two years ago.
Like many Sri Lankans, Ravi, our driver from the airport is optimistic the current stability will endure but that can't take away the scars from bullet wounds on his 30-year-old arm.
He received them during a five-year stint in the army.
He says he did a lot of driving during that time and, judging by his performance behind the wheel, that is believable.
Ravi had the habit, at least from the front passenger seat, of making you feel like you were fielding at silly mid-off when Brendon McCullum is advancing to drive. His penchant for passing on blind corners that often concealed oncoming trucks was literally breath-taking.
Observations suggest that in a now peaceful Sri Lanka, people are relishing the prospect of hosting another World Cup. Everyone you talk to, from waiters to local business owners, knows the players and has a thorough knowledge of cricket.
There is disappointment Sri Lanka could not dish it out to Australia over the weekend when their match was washed out in Colombo. In fact, after listening to several locals you suspect that is the match at this tournament they most wanted to win. They have their reasons.
Australia beat Sri Lanka in the last World Cup final in Barbados; Australia refused to play in Sri Lanka during the 1996 World Cup because of terrorism concerns; Australian umpire Darrell Hair no-balled Murali multiple times for throwing during the 1995 Boxing Day test in Melbourne.
Sri Lanka might have peace but there lurks a competitive streak behind the mild-mannered, cheery dispositions. That is somehow reassuring.By Andrew Alderson Email Andrew | <urn:uuid:2c636b7d-17eb-4ec1-bb74-25a60803fa60> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10711496 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977865 | 674 | 1.5625 | 2 |
WASHINGTON, D.C. With the reinstatement of the marriage penalty looming and more than 30 million married couples facing an average tax increase of more than $300 next year, U.S. Rep. Bob Ney, R-St. Clairsville, voted to permanently remove the marriage penalty from the books of the Internal Revenue Service. Before 2001, a married couple earning similar incomes paid more in taxes than two single taxpayers filing individually. Tax relief passed by Congress in 2001 and 2003 phased out these penalties by providing couples a standard deduction that is twice that of single taxpayers, as well as making permanent the expansion of the 15 percent tax bracket for married couples. However, Ney said, because of opposition by Democrats in the Senate neither of these measures was permanently ended and both are now set to expire. This week's House action would continue the benefits of the previously-passed tax relief and permanently prevent married couples from facing the threat of paying higher taxes simply because they are married. | <urn:uuid:a1d9fb49-f4c6-4e94-9b15-1c53283560f9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.daily-jeff.com/local%20news/2004/04/30/ney-votes-to-end-tax-increase-on-married-couples | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978827 | 196 | 1.742188 | 2 |
putting the 'pr' in prc
Posted by Abe Sauer on April 12, 2012 09:52 AM
Apple's public relations connection to China supplier Foxconn has improved of late. A key report on labor conditions was not excellent, but contained no scandals. The house that Jobs built appears to have weathered the worst of the China storm.
One sign that Apple is turning the (Chinese Red) corner: a "how it's made" video of the iPad shot a Foxconn factory and broadcast by American Public Media's Marketplace, the same show that exposed Apple-Foxconn critic Mike Daisey as a fraud.
Here's how Marketplace teases its report:
Marketplace Shanghai Bureau Chief Rob Schmitz is only the second reporter ever to gain access to visit the factory floor at Apple's Chinese producer Foxconn. See highlights from his tour of the assembly line and the Foxconn facilities. Hear his full audio reports on your local public radio station or online.
It's a fascinating look for both Apple fanboys and Apple critics into the nuts ad bolts (and chips and circuits) process of how the wildly popular device is made. Continue reading... | <urn:uuid:dfa43688-a5e9-4acb-a91b-026f5b1f9ba4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.brandchannel.com/home/?tag=/American+Public+Media | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951 | 238 | 1.578125 | 2 |
View Full Version : Getting to know you...
09-25-2001, 04:51 PM
Newbie here. I just bought my 3-1 mill/lathe last week. I love building, repairing, being self sufficient to be honest. You all seem so knowledgeable, so please be patient with me. I have no clue what are the best bits, angles, speeds, etc. What i would like is some good start up advice. "These bits are the best", "Watch out for this". I am sure you all have advice so any is appreciated.
Also i love seeing ppls projects. What you have done, how you did it etc. I find it amazing the things you can do with a lathe. So if you have any pictures, send em to me or let me know where i can see them. Thanks in advance spkrman15
09-25-2001, 06:46 PM
Part of the hobby is learning (always). The craftsmanship comes from your own undestanding of your abilities and applying them to what you have on hand.
If your machine came with manuals read them first and go over them until you understand all the machines functions. You must do this with any machine. NEVER ASSUME ANYTHING.
If you can get a machinist friend to help get you started. Or check for classes at local schools. Se if any live steam clubs are in your area or machine shop clubs. Books and video tapes abound. Village Press, the advertisers in HSM, MW, & Live Steam, www.lindsaybks.com (http://www.lindsaybks.com) to name a few.
Above all else, be careful and follow shop safety procedures - have fun!
I've been at this hobby 25 years and I'm still learning new stuff all the time. I'm sure others who have been at it longer than I have will say the same thing, so don't expect quick/complete knowledge. It takes a while.
First: READ. A lot. The best lathe book I know of is "The Amateur's Lathe," by L.H. Sparey, a British guy. The Argus Worshop Series (from England) has some excellent titles. Closer to home, Lindsay Publications has some that are good. Personally, I've found the content of some of his reprints not all that great, but I've also found some of them to be really good.
And develop extreme patience. Put a box under your bench for your "learning experiences." You will have plenty of them. We all have.
09-29-2001, 07:04 AM
I bought my first 3 in 1 lathe/mill a few years ago and I have the same fix it myself make it myself attitude as you. I found that "picking the brains" of the older machinists at work to be an invaluable source of info. The older guys had the most "been there/done that" experience and were the most patient in teaching a newbie like me. I just recently discovered this board as well as the Home Shop Machinist magazine. I'm in machine shop information heaven now.
09-29-2001, 04:34 PM
1st tip is never let your guard down. If you notice alot of old timers have a missing finger or two! I've been doing this for 20+ years as a toolmaker,a cnc operator, and the last 7 in a jobshop. You break it, I can make it!
I'm still learning something almost everyday, have patence and plan on screwing somethings up. Just be careful.
Always take care of your equipment. Oil and maintian everytime you use it. Your only as good as your equipment!
one more thing , I still have all my fingers!
09-29-2001, 05:04 PM
Ditto on the fingers. I still have all mine but almost shortened 2 of them over that last few years. I got lucky. Divert your attention for a split second and BAM....spurting blood. Be careful. I also hung a sign that says "No Hurry". I've screwed up too much stuff being in a rush to do something then having to do it all over again. Take your time!
09-29-2001, 08:55 PM
I had the oportunity to watch an old fellow cutting tapered threads on some oilfield pipe one day.He never measured anything or slowed down. I asked him how long it took to learn how to work like that. He said he went to technical school after the 8th.grade and upon graduating from tech school,the instructor told him "You'll be able to get a job anywhere in a shop!".He went to a big machine shop with his papers and was put to work cutting the same threads. He said 7yrs.later he could cut threads just like this one here. Some things just take a lot of practice! George
09-30-2001, 06:33 PM
Thanks alot. Patience seems to be a virtue. Something i am lakcing. Well now i know where to improve. The other night it took me an hour and a half to bore the center of a piece of metal. An hour of sharpening, shimming and finding the right way to do it. Once i got all that figured out then i spent the next 15 minutes machining.
Luckuly i have already started with some good practices and i have been roomouving my chuck key religiously. Face sheild on all the time. All the safety stuff is a cary over from work. I am always telling the boys to weear gloves, put the sheilds on etc.
Thanks for the advice and the encouragement. Spkrman15
09-30-2001, 08:23 PM
I've been a machinist for about 35 years now and have worked on all kinds of machines and equiptment, from Evil Kniveal's motorcycles to the big generators at Hoover dam and most everything in between. The main thing I can tell you is SAFETY. Yes, I still have all my body parts. I do have a few scars from being sewn up due to my own fault.
Set up is 90% of the job. It sometimes takes days to indicate a part in and an hour or less to make the actual cut. If you don't take the time to do an acurate set up you may ruin a million dollar part in a matter of seconds.
10-01-2001, 05:08 AM
I SECOND, OR THIRD THE FACT THAT...BLOOD MAKES POOR CUTTING FLUID. AND ROLL THOSE SLEAVES UP AND WEAR SAFETY GLASSES.
10-02-2001, 03:49 AM
Worst thing I ever got was a paint sliver in my eye.
One guy on my shift changed the setup on his press to "his" liking after I had left for my own machine. An hour after I left I had people looking for thumb parts all over the shop while the abulance arrived. His thumb blew off and the bones that were left looked like a little daisy (cool!). I packed the parts in a lunch bag and put the lunch bag on ice - if you pack the body parts in ice directly it will kill the cells. He was lucky, the microsurgeons reconstructed his thumb and he never even lost the nail. It is amazing what 50Tons on a 1"x2" area can do to a thumb...
Nope, does not pay to be stupid, lazy, or not pay attention around machinery! Do not take chances!
10-06-2001, 10:42 AM
I WAS A JOB SHOP MACHINIST FOR 12 YEARS AND I'M IN MY THIRD YEAR OF A MOLDMAKER APPRENTICESHIP.I THOUGHT AFTER TEN YEARS I WOULD KNOW EVERYTHING. GUESS WHAT? YOU NEVER STOP LEARNING IN THIS TRADE. LISTEN TO YOUNG AND OLD,YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT THAT PERSON MAY POSSESS FOR KNOWLEDGE.EVERY SHOP HAS A DIFFERENT METHOD TO THEIR MADNESS.REMEMBER THE GOOD IDEAS AND FORGET THE BAD.YOU WILL DISTINGUISH THAT WITH EXPERIENCE. I'VE READ BOOKS FROM LINDSAY PUBLICATIONS AND I AM AMAZED AT DIFFERENT SETUPS INGENIOUS PEOPLE HAVE COME UP WITH DUE TO LACK OF EQUIPMENT.HAVE AN OPEN MIND.ARROGANCE IS YOUR WORST ENEMY.MOST SETUPS ARE BASED ON A FEW SIMPLE PRINCIPLES WITH DIFFERENT TWISTS TO THEM. GOOD LUCK AND BE SAFETY CONSCIENCE.I HAVE SEVERAL BATTLE SCARS, BUT ALL BODY PARTS INTACT.
[This message has been edited by Matt Barthel (edited 10-06-2001).]
My one cents worth. I've been at it for 50+ years. In my youth one old phart said:
"No matter how fast and good your work, If you can't count to 21 at the end of the day, "YOU LOSE"
P.S. Read,try,think! The only reason I still have a job is the youngsters are production oriented and I can think and solve problems!
10-08-2001, 06:33 PM
I second what you say, toff. We have had a lot of younger "machinists" working in our shop. Most of them can barely read a mike, let alone the math necessary to make calculations. Without their trusty calculator they would be lost.I don't know what is wrong with the youth of today but they just seem to appear at the job site and expect to be paid, whether or not they do anything.
10-08-2001, 09:48 PM
I agree with pop, except for the part about the calculators. Many a mistake has NOT been made because of those little devils. And the ones with sine tables built right in are a godsend. IMHO
Yeah, I sure do appreciate my calculator. I'm from the slide rule days, I can do the math, but what's the point of taking 10 or 15 minutes to do it on paper when one can do the same thing in 10 or 15 seconds on a calculator, with less chance of error?
The key thing, I think, in pop99's note is the importance of UNDERSTANDING what one is doing with the math.
10-09-2001, 06:54 PM
I don't know when I started getting interested in machine work, guess it was the machine shop class freshman year in engineering school, best class we had. I got to know the shop manager, and he'd let me do some G-jobs here and there. He was a great guy, as he knew the way to learn machining was hands on. During my senior year, after I'd finished my finals winter quarter, I built a little 30cc mini bike in 24 hrs. After I graduated, I got involved with a guy who raced out at the Bonneville Salt flats, and together we built his 3rd car, Nebulous Theorem III http://www.soft.net.uk/speedrecordclub/projects/project2.htm I welded the chassis, machined the q/c gear box, and other odds and ends. Even as an engineer, I greatly prefer hands on work, and whenever I've had a chance to get in the machine shop, I've done it.
Since starting a family, I've had precious little time or funds to put a shop together, but have done so piece by piece. I've done some gunsmithing, varied repairs around the house, and am interested in getting started in knifemaking. My kids have learned that when something breaks, papa can fix it.
I really want my kids to have a good grasp of how to build and fix things, so will be adding to the shop every chance I get, and will involve them with building model engines, and other interesting odds and ends. So far I've aquired a few sq ft in the corner of the garage, eventually I'd like a dedicated shop.
As far as how to learn, I'm a huge fan of the Lautard Bedside Reader series, great reading, many very useful projects. The Home Shop Machinist anthology books, as well as shop wisdom books are well worth buying. Read them, then read them again, then read them again.
The one overriding thing that stuck with me after building Nebulous III was, you can build anything you want, if you put your mind to it. I'd venture to say many of the folks here have a better equiped shop then Jack, but by perservearance, and enlisting the help of friends, you can achieve amazing results.
10-09-2001, 07:13 PM
The calculator is a great tool in the shop. I have a couple of them myself, but you have to know how to use it and know what to do if the batteries go dead!
I am also a firm believer in that you can build anything you put your mind to. I have built some projects that other people wouldn't even attempt.
10-09-2001, 11:34 PM
I use my HP-48GX ten hours a day and ALWAYS wave two sets batteries with me. I expect batteries to die. While at University we were expected to show all your work so that they know that you can actually do the problems.
It is indeed tragic that so many people feel so lost that they will not attempt a project - what you and I know is that the best thing to do is start somewhere and keep plugging along. Most people are so afraid of failure they do not want to even try, but that is the way you learn and grow - mistakes are just a great learning experience (had many myself)
Second cents worth.
I definitely like a calculator, saves me many goofs. Need to know what to expect for a result though. Try three times and if some thing doesn't look right try again. Cheaper than steel! Cad gives easier solutions but you still need to know geometry. Cam is real nice for prototyping when engineering can't make up their collective brain.( me once't!)Changes can be made and a LOT of time saved. Know and use any tool handy," If all you have is a hammer, the whole world begins to look like a nail!"
We have some young persons that are truely worth their salt* We even have a great 'calculating wench!' However some are not.. Some are bluster, some are toadies (smoke blowers) and without their CAD/CAM they throw a fit, won't look in a manual then break any manual machine. Have learned some machine repair and "EGO" in others gives me 10 or more hours of work a week! This in a shop of 40 persons of which only 20 can play with machines.
Be who you are! Look up and ask for what you don't know. There are still real persons around who want to pass on what they learned the hard way.
If I can't say "i don't know,but I sure will find out" Then I need to be someplace else! Over a loooonnng period God gets even and the smucks get theirs.
toff ( Token old fat F@#$%*)
*Roman soldiers paid in salt hence, salary! | <urn:uuid:1f6e8276-c61d-4dff-bdee-e80e40e2c432> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/archive/index.php/t-175.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96185 | 3,283 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Seems like a pretty small sum, a dollar a day. What can anyone do earning a dollar a day? In fact what can anyone buy anymore with a dollar a day?
If you are like most people your mind started down a very negative path asking yourself those questions. In my experience, most people begin to shut down and convince themselves that whatever can make you a dollar a day is not worth trying.
I want you to stop and realize that if you are not making any money online and if your goal is to make money online, you need to start with one dollar. Let me explain why…
The Mental Hurdle
When the picture of one dollar pops into your mind it doesn’t stand a chance when you start thinking of fifty or one hundred thousand dollars in stacks. At that point, it is when self defeat begins. More importantly its at that point when different thinking needs to kick in.
Forget about the people making millions online. Sure there are several making millions, some are on tv or on conference panels. Odds are though that there are more people making several thousand dollars online that we dont even know about! Even though its not millions, several thousand is not to bad.
Now what if the people who are making several thousand dollars a day online decided one day “Well im not making millions so forget this!” Somehow I don’t think that’s very likely, in fact people who are making thousands can leverage what they know to make millions.
Wouldn’t you agree that if I had a website that made $100,000 a year in revenue all I would need is 10 more like it to make a million?
Let me tell you it’s the same exact process with that first dollar.
Wouldn’t you agree that if I had a site making a dollar a day and on average making $30 a month. I would just need to make 10 more like it to increase my earnings to $300 a month? I went from $360 a year to $3600 a year!
Its the Process
How many people fail to do anything including making a dollar a day because they give up? What do you think the percentage is? 80%? 90%? Did you count the people who never even try? The ones that give up in their minds first before trying anything?
I know brilliant people who can tell me how to increase conversions and rank #1 in search engines. Sadly they are also masters at convincing themselves of what is impossible to do online.
To put it bluntly, you must go through the process, win or no win. You never fail until you decide to quit. Its always win or no win, like in sports. You live to play another day. The process of your idea is what is going to teach you everything you need to know. If you do not go through the process, all the books, all the blogs and all the videos will do nothing for you.
That’s why it is so important that you start out with a simple goal. One dollar a day, no matter what. If you make more, like $20 great! But it doesn’t mean you get to take the next 20 days off! The process of building your site, measuring traffic, building traffic and converting visitors to customers is the best educator in the world.
When you go through this process you begin to internalize all the little things you will never learn in school. You begin to make your own formula for success.
You ever wonder why you could never replicate someone elses money making idea? This is why, you didn’t go through the process. You understood from what you could see. Visually and intellectually you understood what it took to have a great site. But you didn’t go through the process and internally gain all the knowledge it took to create a successful revenue generating site.
Get Some Support
Support is key, especially when starting out. Friends and Family are usually obvious choices. More often than not they never understand what you are doing anyway. If you are lucky enough to get the support you need to push through and accomplish the dollar a day challenge with Family and Friends that is all you need.
Regardless of the source of support remember the following. Although most will have good intentions never listen to those who try to tell you that you can’t make a dollar a day online. NEVER!
They may not agree with your process, your idea, your strategy or whatever. The bottom line is that you must go through the process in order to learn. Most people will try to save you time, but are they really helping? If you never make a mistake, how can you really learn?
That’s why starting with a small amount a Dollar a Day is important. Its manageable and the strategies you will be driven to create will form the foundation of how you make money online.
WARNING: The Most Important RULES! – Read This!
The Dollar a Day challenge requires that you make your Daily Dollar without spending any money! That’s right, zero dollars, euros, pesos, etc…
The second rule is that you give yourself a time line. I would not recommend anything longer than 30 days or anything shorter than a week.
Here are some more suggestions and resources:
Ask a ton of questions! No question is to dumb to ask! And if you still think its to dumb to ask then search for your question in Google. I am sure someone has already asked it. Seriously though, ask your questions here, I promise no question is to dumb to ask.
Keep some kind of journal to keep track of what worked and what didn’t. It’s surprising how quickly people forget what they have tried in the past and didn’t work. Avoid repeating mistakes by writing down what you do and more importantly plan what you will do next!
Make money selling other peoples products!
Amazon.com Affiliate – https://affiliate-program.amazon.com
Google Adsense – http://www.google.com/adsense/
Chikita Ads – http://chitika.com/
Soxialize Affiliate – http://www.soxialize.com/af/
PayPal – http://www.paypal.com/
Google Analytics – http://www.google.com/analytics/
All the resources listed above is more than enough to make a Dollar a Day! Take the challenge, if for no other reason simply and selfishly for yourself.
Some of you are already making money, but are you making it consistently. For you it may not be a dollar, whatever the amount set a goal and make it consistently. Start exploring the questions you need to answer to create consistent cash flow.
If you decide to take the challenge keep us posted here by commenting below. | <urn:uuid:7cf2f86c-5046-4564-ad0b-5e323a6181f5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.soxialize.com/dollar-a-day-challenge/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959278 | 1,422 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Originally Posted by ladyjanuary
Yes, I agree. They should make many movies especially on the going to be extinct list of animals, mammals, etc. This would be a very good vehicle to inform the public and perhaps one can stop for a minute and think about the creatures in this world we all share and live in and strive to survive in on this planet called "Mother Earth". We need to respect one another.
I was just watching a documentary on all of the many species of frogs going extinct in certain places, i am convinced earths eco systems are not doing so well, they are backwards so to speak. some would argue and say it's natural cycle, but when you look at the consequences from the tropics heating and heating of other places, from the frogs and other bottom food chain creatures dieing i see insect boom, i think insect boom leads to disease. science can only keep up with the degradation of the enviornment for so long.
there are already stakes by different countries for the oil deposits when the north pole melts enough to drill. each county gets a chunk of the ocean floor.
they worry about oil while i worry about wacky weather. not to say i'm some enviornmental hippy or extremeist but more so common sense. if common sense is animal exstinction and big business then we's gots a big problem. | <urn:uuid:7449c6d1-de03-4f38-b737-decefbb1f08d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.coolantarctica.com/Vforum/showpost.php?p=409&postcount=12 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959531 | 281 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Obama’s victory gives NGLTF conference air of elation, but other losses bring in an undertone of gloom
DENVER — There’s a party mood at the nation’s largest gathering of gay activists after the inauguration of President Barack Obama. But amid the cheers is plenty of talk about what went wrong last year when anti-gay ballot measures passed, and concern that the economy has overshadowed gay-rights questions.
Some 2,000 members of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force erupted in whoops and applause whenever the president was mentioned, with the group’s head quipping that the name "Obama" will make an easy applause line before gay crowds for months to come.
But conference members also hunkered down to talk about their failures last year: Four anti-gay ballot measures that passed even as the nation voted for what organizers call the most gay-friendly president in history.
"We know that our moment has arrived," proclaimed the task force’s president, Rea Carey.
But Carey said the top priorities of gay activists — passage of a federal nondiscrimination employment law for sexual identity and repeal of the military’s "Don’t ask, don’t tell" policy among others — will have to wait until Obama and ruling Democrats deal with an economy in shambles.
"We’re not worried we’ll be left behind by the economy. Because we’re affected by this, too," Carey said.
If the group struck an optimistic tone about prospects in Washington, though, there was hand-wringing about setbacks at the state level. In California, voters overturned a state Supreme Court ruling allowing gay marriage. Arkansas, Arizona and Florida also adopted measures banning either gay marriage or gay adoption.
Conference attendees hashed out a long list of mistakes they made last fall: Not picking the right television ads in California. Relying too heavily on pollsters in Florida. Disagreement over whether campaign tactics were "too gay" in Arkansas.
In all states, activists conceded they weren’t sure how to fight religious arguments made by their opponents.
"Marriage is a hard issue. It’s not an academic question for most people, especially when they’re standing at the ballot box," said Barbara McCullough-Jones, executive director of Equality Arizona.
McCullough-Jones led an unsuccessful effort last year to defeat a same-sex marriage ban in Arizona. McCullough-Jones called the campaign "kind of a butt-kick."
The head of Florida Equality agreed that gay activists have a tough task combating emotional appeals from gay-rights opponents. Nadine Smith said academic arguments, such as appeals not to mess with the state constitution, fail against scary images of gay stereotypes.
"We connect with people in the head, and then they punch them in the solar plexus emotionally," Smith said.
The glum undertone carried through much of the conference. One session featured a psychologist from the University of Colorado talking about how to recover from political gay-bashing during divisive ballot debates.
Carey tried to rally the activists, telling them marriage equality is inevitable, though it’ll take work. She urged activists not to give up fighting, or turn against each other. She particularly called for an end to gay complaints in California that black voters were to blame for the proposition’s approval.
"The blaming of African-American voters was wrong, despicable and inexcusable," said Carey, who called on gay activists to "confront our own racism."
Activists at the conference seemed upbeat about their prospects, despite the losses in four states. They talked about the rising number of openly gay elected officials
"It’s a balance of defeat and optimism," said Rickke Mananzala, head of FIERCE, a New York-based activist group.
On the Net: National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, www.thetaskforce.org
Powered by Facebook Comments | <urn:uuid:b96f4cd3-c3b3-4c9c-8069-88f4087d9d09> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dallasvoice.com/gay-activists-map-strategy-1018720.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955819 | 826 | 1.546875 | 2 |
" Science is organized common sense where many a beautiful theory was killed by an ugly fact". - Thomas Huxley
Tom Standage is the business editor of The Economist. He started his career as the Science and Technology Editor at the Guardian, and has written several books which merge popular science and history including The Victorian Internet, The Neptune File, The Mechanical Turk. and A History of the World in 6 Glasses in which he explores a notion that six drinks in history - beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea and cola - could be seen as technological catalysts in advancing culture. He says of his books "I think the right attitude to new technologies is to regard them with historically-informed scepticism. My approach is intended as a sort of antidote to the scourge of mindless product stories: when something new comes along, I like to point out that it isn't new at all. This isn't quite as gratuitous as it sounds; it is quite often possible to learn useful lessons from history, particularly the history of technology"
Tom's latest book is An Edible History of Humanity, published in paperback by Atlantic in early March 2010. Tom has been our guest on Little Atoms twice.
Interview one first broadcast on 22nd June 2007.
Interview two first broadcast on 5th March 2010. | <urn:uuid:a18d888c-b321-4f8e-a369-d1a96ff738a4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.littleatoms.com/standage.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980888 | 265 | 1.640625 | 2 |
January 1, 2011
Vitamin D recommendation may be increased
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has submitted recommendations to the US government on the roles of vitamin D and calcium in human health. USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services are currently revising the dietary guidelines for Americans. IOM recommended 700 to 1300 milligrams daily of calcium consumption. For vitamin D, the IOM recommended daily vitamin D intake of 600 international units (IU) for those between the ages of 1-70 years and 800 IU for those older than 70 years. That’s a significant increase from previous recommendations of 200-600 IU.
The government’s dietary guidelines committee will consider the IOM recommendations but is not required to incorporate them into the final Dietary Guidelines due for release in the next few weeks.
New trade agreement with South Korea
Food producers and processors welcomed the announcement by the US government that it had reached agreement with South Korea on a long-awaited trade agreement. Grocery Manufacturers Association President and CEO Pamela G. Bailey said she hoped Congress would quickly approve the deal.
“Exports of food and other household products manufactured in the US have exceeded imports for three straight years, supporting jobs in thousands of communities across the country,” Bailey says. “Expanded access to new export markets for American businesses is vital to the future growth of the US economy.”
As with other trade agreements, the South Korea agreement would remove barriers and create a more favorable trading relationship between the two nations. Essentially negotiated during the Bush Administration, final agreement was held up after the Obama Administration requested some changes.
Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX), in an early December speech to the US Chamber of Commerce, said he believed the house would pass the Korea agreement, as well as trade pacts with Columbia and Panama, in the first six months of the 112th Congress, which begins in January. | <urn:uuid:da05a17d-9bb9-4624-b05d-db952f1f5aae> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/print/88344 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959233 | 390 | 1.8125 | 2 |
Grosse Pointe's "What up doe dog?" problem
I go to one of the top independent schools in Michigan, University Liggett School. My school is predominantly white and is in the Detroit suburb of Grosse Pointe, which is a predominantly white town. I am black and see some things in this town, and in my school, which show that society is still dealing with racism and classism. I'm not one of those people who goes around looking for problems to complain about; but I'm not one that just sits there and ignores them, either.
I came to Liggett from Detroit schools four years ago and being the “minority” has been a new experience—and not always an easy one. For example, because I am black, it is assumed that I am on scholarship, because I guess some people think that blacks aren't able to afford a school like Liggett. I am, in fact, on scholarship; but a lot of other blacks that attend my school pay full tuition, and are not struggling to do so.
The fact that I am on scholarship does not mean I am poor, which is another thing a lot of people assume. I have enough money to get what I need and want but, no, I don't have the money to pay more than $19,000 a year for my education. Personally I don't think that being on scholarship is a bad thing at all. A lot of people are ashamed to say that they are on scholarship. Not me.
People also assume that, since I am black, it is OK to walk up and greet me with, “what up doe dog?” I know that I have never used that phrase in my life. I simply respond to those people with “hey,” because it doesn't take all of that just to say hi to me.
People say that it's just ignorance that leads people to do and say these things, but I know for a fact that half the people who make these remarks are not ignorant of what they are really doing and saying. People like to use the excuse that some people are not used to being around black people, so they don't really know how to act. Well, I grew up in the City of Detroit and attended Detroit Public Schools for 11 years, with just one white student attending my middle school. I didn't make rude and insensitive comments to that person and then excuse myself by saying I'm ignorant to white sensitivities.
In any case, the ones who really feel uncomfortable in any school are the minorities, and we can all make them feel better by not making assumptions and getting to know them as individuals.
Damiana Sorrell, a senior at University Liggett School, is part of the "TIME 11", a group of Detroit area high-school students working with Assignment Detroit. | <urn:uuid:356d148f-4e06-4fdf-ab30-f5dea93fb588> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://detroit.blogs.time.com/2010/03/31/grosse-pointes-what-up-doe-dog-problem/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.986348 | 591 | 1.648438 | 2 |
We should have bought stock in Kimberly-Clark. This week’s Kleenex use could have upped our dividends.
Sniffling, sneezing and snotting are the reasons for pink noses, chapped cheeks and lots of crying. Although we’re faithfully laundering dish rags and face cloths, our current disease is spreading.
Those of us over the age of accountability eagerly look forward to 8:00 pm each day when all the small fry are tucked into bed. That’s when we gather in front of the fireplace with our simple meals to have adult conversation. Ahhhh.
Tonight talk turned to Scripture and the voice of Jesus who challenged his disciples to “change and become like little children” if they wanted to enter the kingdom of heaven. These strong words were his response to their question of who would be highly ranked in heaven. Jesus elaborated (in a dozen verses) on how important it was to become like children, little ones, if they wanted to be saved.
What did he mean?
Today we watched five little children being childlike, which translated to making endless demands and crying incessantly. How do we jive this with what Jesus said?
In our discussion tonight, we concluded he must have meant we’re to have childlike faith in him. And all the sadness and crying of five sick little people is, surprisingly, a good example of this. Skylar, Nicholas, Micah, Evelyn and Thomas are all needy, completely helpless on their own. They can’t accomplish anything without the rest of us.
So they call to us to save them from their misery, acknowledging their need in the process. Jesus was saying, “Notice that. They have faith in you. They trust you. They’re completely dependent on you. That’s exactly where you ought to be in relation to Me.”
But there’s more to it than that:
- Young children look to their parents as God-substitutes, the model standard of what’s right and wrong. If mothers and fathers are trustworthy, sons and daughters can more easily trust a heavenly father when the time comes for a faith of their own.
- Our babies know we’ll do our best to help them in their health crises, because they believe we can and will. In the same way, we ought to have faith in God to help us through our troubles, being absolutely certain he can and will. Just as children take everything literally, the Lord wants us to believe in him that way, too, literally to trust him with our lives.
- Jesus’ comments were not an attempt to elevate children but rather a challenge for his disciples to lower themselves to the humble state of young children (who had no rights in those days). In doing so, they’d become fit for his kingdom, even to becoming the greatest.
- Our five ailing babies are surrounded by the true love of their parents and also the rest of us. When we help, they warm to our care. God’s heart beats even more passionately toward us, and he rushes to our aid with love beyond our understanding, hoping we’ll warm to his activity in our lives.
And on that note, I’d better check our Kleenex inventory.
“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3) | <urn:uuid:bbddcdef-ce96-4467-9460-14d273493ee2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gettingthroughthis.com/4476/snot-what-it-seems/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978185 | 725 | 1.65625 | 2 |
OWNER CONTROL INSURANCE PROGRAMSM
PROPERTY OWNERS AND ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS
Many property owners rely upon their contractors' insurance to protect them against environmental liabilities and damage to their property. However, this may not be enough.
A real estate owner may be held liable for property damage and bodily injury during and after an environmental clean up, asbestos abatement project, lead-based paint removal, or a simple underground tank removal.
Tenants, shoppers, building visitors or others who believe themselves harmed by a remediation activity can hold the building owner liable. In addition, an owner needs insurance against unintended property damage on the owner's property from a remediation project.
AN OWNER'S BIGGEST RISK: "ACTION OVER" CLAIMS
The biggest single risk to property owners is liabilities for injuries sustained by their remediation contractor’s employees. This exposure may not be covered by the contractors' insurance. Most owners believe that these claims, called "action-over" claims, will be covered by the contractors' workers compensation-but they are not.
Action-over claims result when a contractor's employee is injured on the job and sues the property owner directly. These claims often come after the contractor's employee has exhausted all available workers compensation benefits. Action-over claims often are filed years after the remediation project is complete. In addition, action-over claims are usually for large dollar amounts.
To be certain of adequate protection, a property owner must regularly monitor the contractor’s coverage and review insurance policies, certificates, endorsements, exclusions, limits and ratings.
To protect against action-over claims, owners often attempt to shift the liability back to their contractors through indemnification agreements. However, the contractors' insurance may fail to protect the owner.
PROBLEMS WITH INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENTS
In some jurisdictions, the transfer of "action-over" liability back to the contractor is not allowed. In addition, the contractors' insurer may be unrated or unstable. Gaps in coverage may expose the owner to environmental liability, or fail to cover losses the owner may incur from the remediation activities. A contractor may let coverage lapse, or expend the aggregate limit on losses at another project.
The coverage itself may not be adequate. A contractor may have selected "claims made" insurance for remediation, which only covers claims reported during the policy period. A property owner; however; needs "occurrence-form" coverage or longer reporting periods, since injuries from pollution exposure, such as asbestos, may arise decades after exposure. The owner remains liable long into the future.
In short, an owner who depends upon the contractors' insurance coverage may be at risk. The owner takes on an administrative burden, which may still leave the owner vulnerable to "action-over" claims and additional claims regarding environmental risks and property damage.
A BETTER SOLUTION
Environmental Risk Agency's Owner Control Insurance Program offers owners a secure and efficient way to protect themselves from liabilities and losses that may arise from remediation projects. Our Owner Control Programs are available to cover environmental risks associated with environmental remediation, asbestos abatement, lead-based-paint remediation, and underground tank removal projects. Owner Control also has options that can protect an owner against "action-over" exposures.
Owner Control can be combined with other Environmental Risk Agency products, such as Remediation Stop LossSM or Asbestos in PlaceSM Insurance. Through a combination of coverages, the owner can be protected from liabilities that may arise before, during and after the remediation.
With our Owner Control insurance program, the owner purchases the insurance coverage in the name of the owner's company, and extends coverage to the contractors for their specific remediation projects. Thus, the contractors are covered-and the owner retains control of the insurance.
Owner Control insurance programs are available for large real estate portfolios and for single remediation projects. With Owner Control insurance program from Environmental Risk Agency,
- The owner's insurance is with solid, "A rated" insurance companies.
- The owner has control over the insurance and does not need to monitor contractors' coverage. The owner selects the deductibles, limits and policies.
- The owner's policy and its limits are always dedicated to the owner. With an Owner Control insurance program, the owner's limits cannot be expended on losses that originate at a contractor's other project.
- Owner Control coverage responds to the owner's needs for property damage and liability protection. Most importantly, coverage can be customized to respond to "action over" exposures. | <urn:uuid:58a3628c-5433-4f38-9962-351fb5c4c86d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ericcompanies.com/ownercontrol.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947758 | 946 | 1.804688 | 2 |
The real crisis confronting the eurozone is regaining market confidence, not the euro, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said.
"Some people wonder if we're overcoming the euro crisis the right way," said Westerwelle, speaking at the Asia Society in Hong Kong. "We do not have a euro crisis, we have a debt crisis which has morphed into a crisis of confidence. The euro is stable and is the number two reserve currency in the world."
To bolster market confidence in the eurozone, Westerwelle -- who is part of the cabinet-level entourage traveling with German Chancellor Angela Merkel for her two-day summit in China -- said it was essential that Greece and other debt-laden economies in Europe maintain paths toward reform.
Earlier this week, Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin to ask for more "breathing space" for Greece to implement austerity reforms. The troika -- consisting of the European Union, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund -- are due to report on Greece's progress next month.
"I don't want to be part of this Greece bashing, because it's a real challenge for them. I feel for the people on the streets of Greece, because the people weren't responsible for what their leaders missed in the past decade.
"We feel solidarity but we have to insist they fulfill what they promised," Westerwelle continued. "We can't allow them to weaken the reform agenda. It would have a very negative effect in trying to restore confidence to Greece and the European Union."
He also questioned how the Spanish government could be persuaded to stay on path if any agreement with Greece was weakened.
Westerwelle pointed to Germany's own debt woes in the wake of West Germany's reunification with East Germany during the 1990s. "It was only 10 years ago that Germany was the sick man of Europe. Reforms may be painful, but they will pay off and that's what we Germans have experienced first hand," he said.
Even as he advocates strict adherence to austerity measures, Westerwelle has been a strong voice against politicians who suggest Greece should soon exit the eurozone. "The bullying against individual euro countries to achieve political gains must stop," Westerwelle said after Alexander Dobrindt, the executive secretary of the Christian Social Union of Bavaria, suggested a Greek departure was imminent, the German daily Rheinische Post reported on Monday.
Earlier this month, Westerwelle warned on the "dangerous tone" arguments on European Union were taking. "We must take care not to talk Europe down," he said in a statement, released after Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti told a German paper that eurozone tensions "bear the traits of a psychological dissolution of Europe."
As developing economies like China and India create more regional centers of financial power, a strong EU is "life insurance" for Germany's future, especially as the eurozone represents only about 9% of the world population, Westerwelle continued. "Europe and European unity is not only our destiny, but our desire," he said.
"There can be no good future for Germany without a good future for a united Europe," Westerwelle said. | <urn:uuid:0b86d9b5-bd69-4355-8ee8-0b0a852a840e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.localnews8.com/lifestyle/money/Eurozone-works-to-regain-market-confidence/-/461672/16437180/-/8vdek0z/-/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96696 | 656 | 1.640625 | 2 |
July 2006, Vol. 129, No.7
Labor month in review
Health benefit costs
Coming soon in MLR
Download the PDF (34K)
Labor month in review from past issues
The July Review
Our annual review of producer price trends leads off this issue. Joseph Kowal, Antonio Lombardozzi, William Snyders, and Jonathan Weinhagen provide a minutely detailed analysis of the prices received by producers all along the processing chain. At the finished goods stage, prices roses at a rate not seen since 1990, driven mostly by prices for energy goods.
Julie Hatch Maxfield compares nonfarm employment, hours, and earnings in 2005 to their analogs in March 2001. She finds that while jobs are more plentiful, there has been a measurable amount of shift from industries with longer work-weeks to industries with shorter weeks. As a result, aggregate payrolls have not recovered from the 2001 recession as much as employment or hourly earnings have.
Christopher C. Carbone rings up the changes in telecommunications employment through an era of rapid technological change, a major boom-and-bust cycle, and a shift toward wireless communication.
Brett Theodos and Robert Bednarzik use data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics to analyze how often low-wage workers change earnings class. They find that there is a greater likelihood of increased earnings in general, and that working full time, remaining healthy, and receiving more education improve the likelihood of upward earnings mobility.
The working poor rate—the ratio of the working poor to all individuals in the labor force at least 27 weeks—was 5.6 percent in 2004, a 0.3-percentage-point increase from the prior year. Although working full-time (35 or more hours per week) substantially lowers a person’s probability of being poor, a majority (58.4 percent) of the working poor usually worked full time. Still, full-time workers were less likely than part-time workers to be considered working poor: in 2004, 3.9 percent of all persons who spent 27 or more weeks in the labor force and usually worked full time were classified as working poor, compared with 11.6 percent of usual part-time workers.
Achieving higher levels of education dramatically reduces the likelihood of being among the working poor. Individuals with higher levels of education have greater access to higher paying jobs, such as management, professional, and related occupations, than do those with lower education. In 2004, the working-poor rate for college graduates was 1.7 percent, the lowest by education level. Persons with less than a high school diploma were those most likely to be among the working poor (15.2 percent); having a high school diploma or equivalent, but no college, reduced the working-poor rate to 6.5 percent.
Type of occupation also has an impact on the incidence of working poor. For example, management, professional and related occupations had the lowest working-poor rate—1.9 percent. By contrast, the proportion of workers classified as working poor was highest for those employed in service occupations; at 11.2 percent, their rate was twice the average for all workers. Individuals who had worked in natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations also had an above-average working-poor rate—7.3 percent. For more information, see "A Profile of the Working Poor," (PDF) 2004, BLS Report 994.
Health benefit costs
The average cost for health benefits was $1.72 per hour worked in private industry (6.9 percent of total compensation) in March 2006. Among occupational groups, employer costs for health benefits ranged from 77 cents per hour and 6.2 percent of total compensation for service workers to $2.50 and 5.6 percent of total compensation for management, professional, and related occupations.
Among other occupational categories, employer costs for health benefits averaged $1.49 (7.5 percent) for sales and office occupations, $2.15 (7.7 percent) for natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations, and $1.91 (9.0 percent) for production, transportation, and material-moving occupations. To learn more about employer costs for employee compensation and benefits, see "Employer Costs for Employee Compensation—March 2006," news release USDL 06-1049.
Coming soon in MLR
Next month, we are planning a special issue on the first anniversary of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The issue features articles on disaster-related labor force changes, BLS program responses to data collection and estimation challenges in the aftermath, and the nature of the coastal economy at risk in such disasters.
Communications regarding the Monthly Labor Review may be sent to the Editor-in-Chief by e-mail to [email protected], by mail at 2 Massachusetts Avenue NE, Room 2850, Washington, DC, 20212, or by fax to (202) 6917890.
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BLS Home | Publications & Research Papers | <urn:uuid:8c7c8fb7-ad9c-4657-84bd-fc4c839e64b6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2006/07/lmir.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955167 | 1,051 | 1.765625 | 2 |
The president of the Methodist Conference in Britain has joined public figures from around the world in lighting a candle for Rwanda on camera, to highlight the consequences of the genocide there.
“I want to light a candle of hope, that it may burn brightly for all those Rwandan people who are trying to rebuild their lives,” the Rev Stephen Poxon says in the film. (www.candlesforrwanda.org/view/52/stephen-poxon )
Poxon features alongside Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, Conservative leader David Cameron and actors Clive Owen, Sandra Bullock, Sidney Poitier and Scarlett Johansson in the 100-second film.
‘Candles for Rwanda’ is a global initiative marking the 15th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide and helping destitute survivors who still suffer from its consequences.
Over the course of 100 days from 7 April 1994, around 1 million children, women and men were slaughtered in Rwanda because they were Tutsis. Hutus opposed to the onslaught were also killed.
Today, Rwanda is rebuilding and its economy is growing. But thousands of survivors whose homes, means of living, loved ones and communities were taken away from them still suffer the material consequences of the genocide.
“A hundred days of genocide will take many generations to know true healing. And today the stories are still coming out, like the story of Anne-Marie,” says Stephen Poxon.
The victim he refers to, Anne-Marie, was widowed, gang-raped and left HIV-positive, her baby killed in her arms during the genocide. Thanks to a little support, today she is able to work and provide a home for her surviving son, Patrick.
“Fifteen years ago the world turned its back on Rwanda, and today, as we light candles of hope, it's an opportunity for the world to turn its face towards Rwanda,” says the Methodist president.
“I'd like to invite all the Methodist people here in Britain to light a candle, a candle of hope for Rwanda, that in this small way a light may shine in the darkness.”
The Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury Methodist District, one of the host districts for this year’s Methodist Conference (2-9 July 209), is linked with PHARP Rwanda, an organisation that works for peace building, healing and reconciliation in Rwanda.
For more information, visit www.pharp.org . | <urn:uuid:39db5a07-ee50-4e89-9fe3-4e5109fcb612> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/print/9771 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954738 | 511 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Well this little girl had to serious research the meaning of this idiom, as although I have used it a number of times in the past I have never truly understood the meaning behind the words.
I suppose the past time I settled for something lesser, than what I could have waited for a possible better, was when I was when I moved to this house.
Yes I call this place my house but never my home, as the last place I lived before I moved here was my home. This house has never felt like my home, but rather a stop gap until I can move again.
I was told by my local housing association decided that they didn’t have the funds to get my old home up-to-standard, they sold them off to local private developer. My old home was built in the 1920-30′s it was in need of new kitchen, bathroom, wiring and new plaster throughout. In particular my house also required a wall all around my to avoid the ground falling away and my house subsiding, now the last bit I was more than willing to try and finance on my own. The rest the local housing authority was meant to take care off.
I knew there was an issue when my boiler was in need of repair and they didn’t come and fix it until I yelled at them. Then the planning permission I needed for the wall around my house kept being delayed. I didn’t have it confirmed until I asked my local member of Parliament (MP) to check into why the housing association was dragging it’s feet. The MP informed that my home had a demolition order placed on it and the local council were wondering why I was asking for planning permission for a wall with this order in place.
I put a leaflet up in our local shop to ask my neighbours who knew our six streets and the homes contained within them had demolition orders on them. The answer to my question of 40-50 neighbours who had no clue that their homes were at risk.
When the council learned that we had found out they finally decided to come clean, they asked us to all move out as they were knocking down them all. Move forward a couple months they realized that they could afford to purchase the private homes that were on the street so they decided to sell them off.
The housing association gave us tenants no choice over when and where we all moved too. We were contacted when a house became available and we were told we were to take or made homeless, so no choice really. I personally did want to test out if they would actually make my family or me homeless, so when this house was offered to me I just said yes even though it was way smaller than one we had; four bedroom down to three, it was in an even worse area than what we lived in and lastly it was in a total different town.
E, all the kids and I were not happy at all. The local housing association then only gave 10 days in which to pack a four bedroom house and also downsize our stuff to fit into a much smaller three bedroom house JOY and no pressure.
I not only packed up our home, managed to move the three kids all without E’s help may I add, also cleaned this house from top to bottom when we got here and had the kids rooms ready in under 8 hours.
I never wanted this house, it has never felt like my home and I know I can’t wait until I am able to move again. Only reason I am staying here is I gave a promise to the my kids that this would be their forever house and I would only move when they had moved out, so I am stuck here. It is one off the reasons I don’t want to decorate this house.
God for something I didn’t know anything about I have really wrote a lot. | <urn:uuid:c29293f7-4f70-4583-b35d-9918097e40fd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://daddysnaughtylittlegirl.wordpress.com/2013/02/25/daily-prompt-cliche/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.992622 | 791 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Former Calif. Gov. Gray Davis visited UCLA on Thursday to speak about propositions on the California ballot and their effect on students as part of an informational forum hosted by the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.
The event, called “Death and Taxes,” was mainly intended for students at the school to gain a deeper perspective on issues affecting them, said VC Powe, executive director of external programs at the Luskin School. It also featured Assemblyman Cameron Smyth, who represents the 38th Assembly District, which includes most of Santa Clarita and portions of Los Angeles, Simi Valley, Glendale and San Fernando Valley. Both Davis and Smyth are fellows at the Luskin school.
The 2012 Calif. ballot includes 11 propositions, which range from the repeal of the death penalty to labeling genetically modified foods.
Kelly Rytel, a graduate student of urban planning at the Luskin school, said she came because she did not know much about the propositions beforehand.
“I am hoping to just get some information about the ballot initiatives as part of my research about the election,” Rytel said.
The forum started with an introduction of political ads showing the pros and cons advertised about each side of the propositions. Both Davis and Smyth provided their views on the ballot measures, with real-life examples of their experiences with the issues during their terms in office.
Davis spoke about being on Gov. Jerry Brown’s staff his last time in office while discussing Proposition 30, Brown’s proposed tax measure.
Smyth, on the other hand, talked about his efforts to author legislation similar to Proposition 39, which closes a tax loophole for multistate businesses.
Though they came from different sides of the political aisle ““ Davis, a Democrat, and Smyth, a Republican ““ both fellows agreed on a number of issues.
For example, both Davis and Smyth advocated against Proposition 34, which would repeal the death penalty ““ but for different reasons. Smyth affirmed his belief in the death penalty, while Davis said he disagreed with the proposition going back and overturning old cases.
Though Calif. ballot initiatives can be confusing and complicated, Davis said he has always supported the initiatives process because it involves voters becoming educated and empowered.
Thursday’s forum was similar to an event held four years ago ““ which also featured Davis ““ to inform voters about initiatives on the 2008 ballot, Powe said.
I’ve always been a big proponent of citizen democracy,” Davis said. “(The voter) has an opportunity to directly pass legislation through ballot initiatives.”
Some students in attendance appreciated the two perspectives on the propositions that were represented at the forum.
“When I was researching the initiatives it was really unfortunate that (quality) information is not accessible since it’s something that voters have a lot of power over,” said Jennifer Zelaya, a graduate student in social welfare at the Luskin School.
Zelaya said she thought the event gave a balanced look at the issues and how they directly affect voters.
“I think the speakers brought their experience in government to inform voters (well),” she added.
Email Kevin at [email protected] | <urn:uuid:bf5ff0ad-ca0f-4c10-8a6c-51884bbbb30e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://dailybruin.com/2012/11/02/luskin-forum-provides-students-with-insight-on-calif-propositions/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969387 | 689 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Fair Trade Show, Nov. 26 to 29
- Union Atrium
In this era of global economic interdependence, decisions made in the United States about what to eat, drink, wear and buy affect the lives of people in other countries—textile workers in Asia, farmers in Africa, artisans in Latin America.
The Fair Trade and Fair Food movements seek to raise awareness of these tenuous relationships and other aspects of conventional trade that often exploit women, children, the poor and vulnerable.
Spiritan Campus Ministry, in collaboration with Catholic Relief Services, the Office of Mission and Identity and the Charles Owen Rice Lecture Series, hosts the Fair Trade show for campus community. | <urn:uuid:52ac50fb-c975-4605-a649-e24d337c8ab2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://duq.edu/events/fair-trade-show-nov-26-to-29 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934838 | 138 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Master of Education in Arts and Academic Interdisciplinary Education
College of Education | Apply Now | Request Info | Catalog Description and Course Requirements
As a teacher, you have experienced firsthand the challenge of finding ways to connect with a classroom full of students. Their attention spans are short, and each one has a different learning style. What works one day fails to inspire your class the next day. You need new resources to add to your toolbox to present lessons in creative ways and reach students more easily.
In Southeastern’s Master of Education in Arts and Academic Interdisciplinary Education, you will take 36 credit hours of study. In this program—which can be completed within 16 months—you will study art, theatre, music, and dance and learn practical ways to integrate these disciplines into your teaching. Instead of just having students read a story and take a test, you can—for example—lead them in creating a play that expands the story’s plot. In short, the program gives teachers a solid foundation in education from a Christian perspective while preparing them to give students new and exciting ways of learning.
You might not feel qualified to teach students art skills because you haven’t developed them yourself. But Southeastern will teach you those skills, as well as how to use them in the classroom. You will learn acting and improvisational techniques that you can use to lead your students in creating skits or plays related to your curriculum. Skills you develop in the visual arts will allow you to present lessons as drawings, either freehand or with a computer program. Our music instructors will teach you how to recognize music by different composers and how to read music so that, for instance, you can understand ways to relate counting measures and notes to mathematics.
Southeastern’s Arts and Academic Interdisciplinary Education is offered as a 36-credit hybrid program, meaning you will take classes on campus and online. Your four on-campus courses are only available during the summer and last one week each. You will work directly with our fine arts faculty to develop your skills in music, visual arts, dance, and theatre. The other eight courses are available online. Each online course is eight weeks long and requires, on average, eight to ten hours of work per week. Each semester (including the summer), Southeastern offers multiple courses every eight weeks. Students can take one, two, or three courses per semester. After each semester, you can choose either to take the next course(s) or to stop for a while. If you put yourself on a fast track—three courses every semester—your fourth semester (16 months from when you began) will end in graduation. If a more leisurely pace suits your circumstances, you can take as long as you like. The choice is completely up to you.
Integrating art into classrooms improves student performance. It can increase students’ ability to think critically while stimulating their imagination. Artsand Academic Interdisciplinary Education grads say that after they infused the arts into lessons, students begin coming to class excited and ready to learn rather than dreading being in school.
A fifth-grade teacher who graduated from the program now uses music to teach his students science. Rather than standing at the board and lecturing about the steps of the scientific method, he has them write songs incorporating the steps into the lyrics. Other graduates now teach geography and social studies by asking students to create squares for a quilt about different countries. When all the squares are combined the class can see the different characteristics of countries in a region of the world.
Interested in looking more closely at our Master of Education in Arts and Academic Interdisciplinary Education? Click here to request more information or contact our admission counselor. You can also contact the program coordinator, Terri Paton, at [email protected]. | <urn:uuid:b5b00d8b-811c-48db-88d2-9c63773a8952> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.seu.edu/graduate/med_art_academic.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947565 | 777 | 1.8125 | 2 |
Doing the Azonto
Some dance crazes are mere fads that barely last longer than it takes to pronounce their given name while others endure long enough to become cultural icons. However long they last they all have one thing in common: a unique style that delights and captures the imagination of enough people for it to acquire the status of a cultural meme. And though they emerge from all corners of the continent, the French speaking African countries have a slight edge in the sheer number and reach of their dance creations.
Below are 10 of the top African dance creations to have gained global stature either recently or, in the case of Soukous, in the last 40 years.
Ghana’s Azonto dance craze took the world by storm at the latter end of 2011. From night clubs and the streets of Accra to churches and schools, the Azonto dance threatened to eclipse the success of some of Ghana’s famous exports — its cocoa, gold and, of course, its exciting brand of football.
To prove it was truly inter-generational Azonto dance enthusiasts uploaded what seems like a billion YouTube videos showing the old, children and of course teenagers all unashamedly gyrating to Azonto-inspired songs.
The dance originated from some of the less affluent but culturally influential areas in Accra and achieved a global reach and significance that kept twitter buzzing and spawning a few viral Azonto dance videos.
The Azonto is still going strong, and was last seen on London’s Oxford Street
Hlokoloza Dance (South Africa)
Kwaito artist Arthur Mafokate, introduced ‘Hlokoloza’ to the world. In his words, “Hlokoloza is a variation on several township dances put together with a bit of the ‘Hlokoloza’ swag.”
Hlokoloza in its current form debuted in 2011 but has taken South Africa by storm with its patrons characteristically South African chant of ‘Ayo-yo!!’.
Oliver Twist (Nigeria)
Not much goes unnoticed when it comes from Nigeria. With a population of over 150 million and internet access growing in leaps and bounds, it is becoming easier to capture the world’s attention at will. Provided you have the imagination. Oh, and it helps if you already have a fairly substantial fan base. This is what happened in 2011 when Nigeria’s music stars D’Banj, Don Jazzy and the Mo'Hits crew announced a competition for fans to submit videos of themselves doing the Oliver Twist dance.
With savvy promotion flair and a massive following on social media, especially on twitter, the combined efforts of the music stars made the Oliver Twist dance a hit, even inspiring an animated version before the eventual winners My Backyard Crew were announced.
Bobaraba (Ivory Coast)
2008 saw Ivory Coast’s Bobaraba ascend the dance craze charts. The dance was inspired by Ivorian DJs Mix and Eloh’s hit song Bobaraba.
Bobaraba means “big bottom” in Ivory Coast’s Djoula language. In an interview with the BBC the pair stated that “We made Bobaraba as a tribute to women, because African women are defined by the shape of their bottoms.”
Well, we wouldn’t put it like that ourselves, but any dance craze that revolves around booty shaking is quite likely to catch on. A pity some unscrupulous individuals decided to start cashing in on the fun with "bottom enhancers" (see "Ivory Coast’s Big Bottom craze" – The BBC), and the desire for a bigger booty has led to at least one fatality.
South African Ball Room Dancing (SA)
No, ballroom dancing in South Africa’s townships was not initiated by well-off white South Africans reminiscing about their forefathers’ traditional dancing styles.
In 1993 the LA Times did a feature on this in which Jabu Vilakazi, chairman of South Africa’s dance academy, was quoted as saying “Dancing is changing many peoples’ lives. People have changed from being hooligans to well-behaved people because of it. You learn a lot of manners in dancing. And you have to maintain your discipline. You can’t just go into the hall with your cap on. You’ve got to behave yourself, man.”
Whatever your opinion about this particular dance craze you have to admit it’s not often you get one that manages to be socially-responsible, gets the blessing of parents and retains its street cred.
Bird Flu Dance (Ivory Coast)
As you probably guessed this particular craze was inspired by the deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza. Reacting to adversity with humour is not uncommon, and you’ll find the same in Ivory Coast.
In 2006 a local DJ named Lewis created a wacky bird flu dance that caught the imagination of Ivorians and the international press alike. The dance had people shaking uncontrollably, clucking like birds and flapping their arms all in the name of mimicking a dying bird flu-infected chicken. This wasn’t just silly attempt at dark humour though. As DJ Lewis said to the BBC “I created the dance to bring happiness to the hearts of Africans and to chase away fear—the fear of eating chicken.”
Soukous/Lingala (Congo, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania)
Some know Soukous only as a genre of music but it started life as a dance craze in Francophone Congo in the 1930s and early 1940s. It is now just as popular in East Africa where it is said to have been brought over by Congolese political exiles.
The dance, alongside the music it spawned, can now be found in night clubs in London and Paris. The word Soukous came from the French word secousse – “shake”, and the dance is also known as the African Rumba, an Afro-Cuban dance.
Mapouka (Ivory Coast)
If you can shake and move your backside rhythmically without moving your hips then you can do the Mapouka.
The dance became popular in Ivory Coast in the late 1990s before spreading to countries like Togo, Niger, Burkina Faso, Senegal and Congo.
In its heydays Mapouka was considered scandalous and banned from Ivorian TV for its overtly sexual overtones (it's also known as, "La danse du fessier" or "the dance of the behind"). The ban and fanatical anti-Mapouka commentary in media outlets ensured that Mapouka became a hit and a symbol of youth rebellion.
Like Soukous, Mapouka is now a well established dance and a cultural icon.
The Yahooze (Nigeria)
Critics of the Yahooze dance claimed it glorified 419 scammers and their online "yahooze" activities. That didn’t stop Colin Powell, the former US Secretary of State and perhaps its most famous dancer to date, from giving it a good go.
Look into the history of any dance craze and you’ll usually find an advocate who was instrumental in popularising it, and in the case of the Yahooze dance it was Nigerian singer Olu Maintain. He showed the world how to do it and do it right, with his feet firmly “glued” to the dance floor and lots of rather simple hand movements while he sang his hit single Yahooze.
Shangaan Electro Dance (South Africa)
There’s a good chance the Shangaan Electro Dance is the fastest dance of African origin that you’ve ever seen. If so, that’s exactly what was intended, at least according to the creator of the music genre that accompanies the dance.
In an interview with CNN, Richard Hlungwani stated that “When I came [to Soweto] it was not moving, so I said to my guys, let’s make it 168 [beats per minute] and I said, no it’s still not fast enough. Now this is 175 … now 180!” He added “The world will go faster. It won’t go at the pace it’s going now, It will go a little bit faster, because Shangaan electro is going to do that.”
The videos of the Shangaan Electro dance will have you staring in sheer amazement at the energy, humour and vigour on display. Be warned you will be left breathless without moving an inch.
Edited and re-published with permission of MyWeku | <urn:uuid:ef415914-7ce7-445d-ab27-58739314c60d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thisisafrica.me/other/detail/19369/Booty-shaking-from-Azonto-to-Yahooze%3A-The-Top-10-African-dance-crazes | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952234 | 1,845 | 1.570313 | 2 |
The classic cars from the ‘70s and ‘80s you want to save from extinction the most
2013 McLaren P1: more details
The McLaren P1, the successor to the mighty F1, will go on sale a year from now McLaren has confirmed.
Expected to cost in the region of £800k, the flagship hypercar is said to have 600kg of downforce though McLaren won't be drawn in to commenting at what speed this occurs.
Testing is already underway at Italian proving ground Nardo by McLaren's chief test driver Chris Goodwin but the current development phase is taking place on the intricate handling circuit rather than the high-speed bowl.
McLaren says it isn't trying to break any top speed records, but instead build something that can lap a track faster than any other road car.
The P1 will be unveiled in production form at the Detroit Motor Show in January 2013 and McLaren says that while the show car isn't final, it is very close to how the finished product will look.
Potential customers have seen the P1 even before it appeared at the Paris Motor Show. Among the lucky visitors to McLaren's HQ in Woking to see the new car was Rowan Atkinson who is rumoured to have said the P1 is 'astounding'.
It faces tough competition with both Ferrari and Porsche launching hypercars at around the same time. By the middle of this decade McLaren aims to have a three-model line-up - that means we should see a Porsche 911 rival before 2015.
Driven: McLaren 12C Spider
McLaren P1 supercar at Paris 2012
On Bing: more pics of the McLaren 12C Spider
Buy a used McLaren MP4 on Auto Trader
Watch a video of the McLaren MP4-12C hitting 190mph
Read a road test of the McLaren MP4-12C
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Latest Cars videos
On the road with the landmark Lambos for special golden anniversary drive.
Date 13/05/13, Duration 4:26, Views 8220 | <urn:uuid:5ce7b5a5-70b4-4973-bb50-0eda314693dd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://cars.uk.msn.com/news/2013-mclaren-p1-more-details | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940396 | 424 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Here’s a look at a few cats up for adoption at Anne Arundel County Animal Control.
Anne Arundel Animal Control
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Thursday, November 29, 2012
During the "Thanks for Giving" event, Anne Arundel County Animal Control was able to adopt out 64 animals thanks to an anonymous donor.
Thanks to an anonymous donor, 64 animals were adopted from Anne Arundel County Animal Control during a week in November, which is more than twice the normal adoption rate. According to a release, from Nov. 13-17, Anne Arundel County Animal Control was able to adopt out pets at no charge thanks to a donation from an anonymous benefactor. The donor paid the standard adoption fees for adopters during the time period. Animal control as well as the police department are calling the “Thanks for Giving” adoption event a “huge success.” Animal Control staff and volunteers saw 64 animals adopted during the promotion—21 dogs/puppies and 43 cats/kittens. During the same week in 2011, animal control adopted out 34 animals, according to a release. On …
Monday, November 12, 2012
From Nov. 13-17 all standard adoption fees at Anne Arundel County Animal Control will be paid for by an anonymous donor.
An anonymous donor is giving homeless pets and potential adopters something extra to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Starting Nov. 13 and until Nov. 17, all standard adoption fees will be paid for by the benefactor, making pet adoption from Animal Control free for approved adopters. According to a release from the Anne Arundel County Police Department, it is the goal of the donor and the shelter to increase awareness about the thousands of adoptable animals searching for homes at Anne Arundel County Animal Control each year. The organization would also like to increase the number of animals adopted from the shelter. All adopters will still need to pass the screening process at Anne Arundel County Animal Control before taking home a new … | <urn:uuid:2b55c870-566f-46e7-838f-9714a822adfd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://severnapark.patch.com/topics/Anne+Arundel+animal+control | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937873 | 425 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Surviving in business sometimes means jumping over seemingly insurmountable obstacles — or moving faster than a speeding bullet.
It’s one of the lessons entrepreneurs Blair MacDonald and Virginia Marcolin, a couple with Nova Scotia connections, learned after conceiving of superhero-branded performance wear for kids and finding themselves skating to success with a North American licensing deal with Warner Bros. for Superman and Batman products.
“Having four young boys and spending a lot of time at the arena also helped,” said MacDonald in an interview Monday.
He said hanging out at the arena is like residing full time in a marketing laboratory, with lots of input from kids and parents available on which DC Comics characters are most popular and which products would sell at a particular price point.
“Remember when kids would just roll out of bed and head off to the arena with their pyjamas still on?” said MacDonald, a Kentville native with lots of family and friends in the province.
“The pyjamas would be covered with superheroes. And we noticed with the popularity of today’s high-performance undergarments, the superhero thing was lost.”
Lots of people get good business ideas. A difference with MacDonald and Marcolin is the couple quickly put together a winning presentation and scored an audience with top executives at Warner Bros.
“We’re just a small startup, but it was a novel idea and they liked it,” said MacDonald.
Now the couple are loading up a Montreal warehouse with shirts, mouth guards and athletic tape featuring Batman and Superman logos for distribution across the country.
Their company, SuperJock Inc., based in Hudson, Que., has the fledgling line of junior performance gear at about 70 retail outlets across Canada after inking a deal with Dartmouth-based Cleve’s Sporting Goods Ltd. for sales in the 16 stores the chain has in Atlantic Canada.
The line of junior performance hockey gear (for the 5-to-14 age range) is marketed under the Bullion brand.
With new instalments of both the Batman and Superman film franchises on the horizon and hockey season swinging into high gear, the partners are already starting to think about future DC Comics-licensed performance gear for girls and adults.
They are also planning a heroic assault on the highly competitive United States market, said MacDonald. | <urn:uuid:ba19c798-8167-4640-b532-c3480d5b8751> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://myconnect.ca/business/39664-kids-activewear-business-gets-superhero-jolt-warner-bros | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948335 | 485 | 1.523438 | 2 |
In The Atlantic, Conor Friedersdorf does a wonderful job of dismantling David P. Goldman’s column in the Asia Times.
Goldman’s notions are truly pathetic, involving solving Mexico’s problems by waging war against the poor and locking them all up, and Conor handily smacks him down.
But there’s one area in particular I wanted to highlight, because we hear this argument from prohibitionists so often.
Here’s a rebuttal [to legalization] that the author apparently finds persuasive. “Libertarians used to argue that arresting criminals was futile as long as crime paid, because there always would be someone willing to take the job; the only remedy, they added, was to legalize drugs, bring down the price and eliminate the economic incentive,” he writes. “The trouble is that the Mexican gangs do not restrict their predations to drugs, as the frightful incidence of kidnapping makes clear.” He is apparently blind to the fact that those gangs would be far less powerful, far less formidable to stop from kidnapping people, if they weren’t enriched with obscene amounts of wealth the likes of which they could only plausibly obtain from one source that can in fact be eliminated: drug profits. Prohibition era gangs committed crimes besides producing and selling alcohol. Do you know what made them less powerful? Or why they’ve long since ceased to terrorize law-abiding Americans?
But this is the illogic of a drug warrior. His solution requires locking up vast swaths of a country’s population in cages while the folks that remain free are caught in a hopeless attempt to eliminate a black market. He nevertheless points at the libertarian solution and says, as if its a commensurate complaint, “Even if you legalize drugs there will still be other crime in Mexico.”
Yet his side is still driving policy in the United States.
It drives me crazy when I hear that argument.
Now I bring in about $100 a month from advertising and donations to this blog, enough to cover hosting costs. And I have a full-time job that pays my rent, food, and everything else. Imagine someone saying “It wouldn’t matter if Pete lost his job. He’s got a blog.”
If you eliminate the black market drug profits for the traffickers, then they don’t have the money to hire as many soldiers, which are used to intimidate people when they commit other crimes. They also don’t have the money to bribe police, judges, and government officials to look the other way when these crimes are committed.
Sure, when drugs are legalized these really bad people will try to operate in other areas, but they’ll have lost the bulk of their funding and be easier to stop. And this time when we catch or kill one, there will no longer be the same incentive for someone else to take their place.
Update: It still amazes me how this argument refuses to die. I think part of it is that some people look at the problem and correctly recognize that if we legalized all drugs today, the bad people in Mexico who are decapitating rivals wouldn’t suddenly disappear in a puff of smoke like some suddenly irrelevant cartoon creature. Of course not – we never said that they would.
They’ll try to do other things that they already do (kidnapping, etc.), but they’ll no longer be drug trafficking organizations. They’ll merely be murderous criminals. And when they are caught or killed, there will be nobody to take their place, because there will no longer be billions of dollars — close to the entire national budget — coming in to their organizations from drug trafficking.
There isn’t enough money in Mexico to replace the money they get from drugs.
Is getting rid of the cartels the ONLY reason to legalize? Of course not. It’s just one of many very good reasons. | <urn:uuid:3bd28d41-e7e1-4c0a-a0f9-68d1b42d8014> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.drugwarrant.com/2012/03/the-worst-argument-for-not-legalizing/comment-page-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 | 0.959974 | 818 | 1.789063 | 2 |
http://www.spiegel.de/international/wor ... 92,00.html
"Fleeing the People's Paradise
Successful Chinese Emigrating to West in Droves
By Wieland Wagner
Despite their country's stunning economic growth, many successful Chinese entrepreneurs are emigrating to the West. For them, the Chinese government is too arbitrary and unpredictable, and they view their children's prospects as better in the West.
Though the room is already overcrowded, more listeners keep squeezing in, making it necessary to bring in additional chairs for the stragglers. Outside on the streets of Beijing, the usual Saturday afternoon shopping bustle is in full swing. But above the clamor, in the quiet of this elegant office high-rise, the audience is intent on listening to a man who can help them start a new life, one far away from China.
Li Zhaohui, 51, turns on the projector and photographs flicker across the screen behind him. Some show Li himself, head of one of China's largest agencies for emigration visas, which has more than 100 employees. Other pictures show Li's business partner in the United States. Still others show Chinese people living in an idyllic American suburb. Li has already successfully arranged for these people to leave the People's Republic of China.
Li's free and self-confident way of speaking precisely embodies the Western lifestyle that those in his audience dream of. Originally trained as a physicist, Li emigrated to Canada in 1989. In the beginning, he developed microchips in Montreal, but he says he found the job boring. Then he found his true calling: helping Chinese entrepreneurs and businesspeople escape.
Of course, Li doesn't use the term "escape." Emigration from China is legal and, with its population of 1.3 billion, the country certainly has enough people left over.
Likewise, hardly anyone in the audience is actually planning to burn every bridge with their native country. Almost everyone in the room owns companies, villas and cars in China.
Many of them, in fact, can thank China's Communist Party for their success. But along their way to the top, they've developed other needs, the kind only a person with a full stomach feels, as the Chinese saying goes. It's a type of hunger that can't be satisfied as long as the person is living under a one-party dictatorship.
These people long to live in a constitutional state that would protect them from the party's whims. And they want to enjoy their wealth in countries where it's possible to lead a healthier life than in China, which often resembles one giant factory, with the stench and dust to match.
These longings have led many people in China to pursue foreign citizenship for themselves and their families. The most popular destinations are the US and Canada, countries with a tradition of immigration. "Touzi yimin" are the magic words Li impresses tirelessly upon his listeners. Loosely translated, it means "immigration by investment."
Benefitting at Home, But Hoping to Get Out
Several months a year, Li says he travels through the US selecting suitable investment projects for his clients -- construction projects, for example, that would qualify Chinese investors and their families for long-term American visas.
Li's clients value discretion. A hyped-up sales pitch would only scare them away or push them into the arms of competitors. There are more than 800 similar agencies throughout the country, all offering their services in procuring "touzi yimin." Some simply send their advertisements as text messages.
Zhang Yongjun, 41, and his family already have one foot out the door. Zhang sits at his company's long, leather-upholstered conference table on the 31th floor of Beijing's Overseas Plaza. Outside his window, the sun's rays barely penetrate the brown smog. In just a few weeks, Zhang plans to start a new life with his wife and two daughters in Vancouver, Canada.
It took the entrepreneur four years to obtain a "Maple Leaf Card," the Canadian equivalent of the American green card. Canada's permanent resident card also offers the option of applying for citizenship after three years. To obtain it, Zhang put the equivalent of €300,000 ($400,000) in a Canadian investment fund.
"I'm taking this step for my children's sake," Zhang says. The plan is for his wife to settle permanently in Canada with the children. There, they can breathe clean air and attend schools that will teach them to be more cosmopolitan. Zhang himself will hold onto his Chinese citizenship and commute between Beijing and Vancouver since he doesn't want to lose the source of his wealth back in China.
Zhang pushes his two smartphones back and forth on the table in front of him. He brings in several million euros worth of profit each year from making software and devices for the national lottery. Although he dresses modestly, he owns property in Beijing and two other cities. His wife is a homemaker. Urban couples are legally only allowed to have one child, but for a 60,000 yuan (€7,200/$9,500) fine -- an amount it would take a migrant worker three years to earn -- Zhang bought himself the right to a second child. "The expense was worth it," he says.
In January, the family celebrated Chinese New Year abroad, as they do every year. Zhang estimates that he was on vacation for about half of the last year........" | <urn:uuid:5cfe6e54-c91d-40b1-b72a-c89e01a5f753> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://forums.bharat-rakshak.com/viewtopic.php?p=1247921 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973586 | 1,131 | 1.726563 | 2 |
Wenever one of the transportation authorities that take people's money successfully imposes fare and toll hikes and the sound and fury die down, there's usually a false sense of security. People think, "It can't happen again, at least for some time. They wouldn't dare."
But the truth is that financially overwhelmed authorities such as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority are already plotting the next fare and toll increases.
History shows the MTA has sought and gotten three hikes since 2007 alone, the last one in 2011. And it plans to seek more fare and toll increases in 2013 and again in 2015. In the past, the agency was able to get increases just once or twice a decade, but now appears to have settled on an every-other-year timetable.
The elected officials who have veto power over fare hikes always go along with the proposed increase because they dread the alternative — a possible crippling shutdown of mass transit and transportation infrastructure.
The more optimistic among us might conclude that the MTA will use the additional revenue to restore service cuts it made in the past or improve subway and bus service.
Not so. According to a report in the Daily News on Thursday, all of that added money will be eaten up by labor costs.
Everyone has known that the largest chunk of the MTA's budget goes to personnel — pay and benefits for tens of thousands of employees. But last week came the ominous news that personnel costs are higher than anyone thought.
So high, in fact, that all of the $1.9 billion in increases the MTA expects to get next year and in 2015 will go straight to paying the skyrocketing pension and health-care costs for MTA employees.
That's because the MTA's employee benefits costs are rising by $1 billion a year. They will have increased by 47 percent over what they were just two years ago, according to the News report.
And that can only mean that the MTA, which is required by law to balance its budget, will be looking for fare and toll increases (and service cuts) more often in the future. The era of every-other-year-hikes will seem like the good old days.
Of course, MTA workers and their union officials insist that they are worth every penny — indeed, they say they are underpaid for all the hard work they do and the indignities they suffer.
We won't dispute that claim. But what we will dispute is the delusion — identical to the fiscal fantasy being parroted by unionized public employees all over the country — that this can and should go on forever.
Fiscal reality is coming. If the MTA continues to incur unsustainable cost increases as a result of this trend, it will no longer be anything resembling solvent and there could someday be no MTA to provide benefits to anyone. | <urn:uuid:e1e07c85-6421-445d-8666-a2c361b12c2a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.silive.com/opinion/editorials/index.ssf/2012/06/the_mta_benefits_dilemma.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970937 | 566 | 1.625 | 2 |
Splunk Hogs is a quick Perl script that was written to find what systems are sending too many events to Splunk and using up all the licenses. This is good for several reasons: developers will turn debugging on and use up all the licenses, which will help catch it early; INFO messages get turned on and useless events will be sent, filling up the licenses; issues will be detected that were being ignored by others. The advantage over Splunk's SaveSearch is that it outputs the raw data, so you can import it into Nagios or other tools. It collects raw data from Splunk that consists of the host, Splunk server, and the count of events that took place.
Nfsight is a Netflow processing and visualization application designed to offer a comprehensive network awareness solution. Developed as a Nfsen plugin, it constructs bidirectional flows from unidirectional flows and leverages these bidirectional flows to provide client/server identification. | <urn:uuid:f9fc5154-eff6-48ee-a528-fddb2cb93e02> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://freecode.com/tags/linux?page=1&sort=updated_at&with=437%2C2897&without= | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961824 | 196 | 1.632813 | 2 |
When you think of wreck diving: powdered wigs and opulent feasts may not be the first things that come to mind. But photographer and digital artist Andreas Franke blends two aspects of humanity’s past in a striking and unexpected way. The Vandenberg Project Franke’s project, The Sinking World, first [...]Read more ›
Post Tagged with: "Wreck Diving"
Shipwrecks have fascinated divers from the early history of diving. The thirst to unravel the mystery of what lies beneath our oceans is a common trait in a diver - What happened to the ship? Why did it sink? What is in it? Who were the people sailing her, and what [...]Read more › | <urn:uuid:9775532b-8860-470f-bcca-7a47d05dfe04> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.padi.com/blog/tag/wreck-diving/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948019 | 147 | 1.578125 | 2 |
$500M in Readmission Prevention Funds to Bypass Hospitals
"The fundamental flaw in this model is that hospitals are the only entity eligible to be penalized for readmissions, yet hospitals are not eligible to directly receive any of the technical assistance funds available," she said.
It's a sea change in thinking. The CBOs that stand to receive funding are the same CBOs that now distribute food, run transportation, housing, or eldercare programs, and which already work with old, sick people in need and already have strong links to downstream providers, such as rehab facilities and nursing homes, or even Meals-on-Wheels.
Jane Brock, MD, Chief Medical Officer for the Colorado Foundation for Medical Care, the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) for Colorado, has been working with care transitions project models for years and is enthused by the idea.
QIO programs that tested the concept with "transition coaches" prevented 30% to 50% of readmissions, not just those that happened in 30 days, but over longer periods as well, Brock says.
As you might imagine, the program has hospital leaders asking lots of questions. Will CBOs be bound by medical confidentiality rules? Can a CBO competently do this difficult work? Who will these CBOs select to hire and train? The CBO will also have to a perform root cause analysis when a readmission occurs, and keep track of whether its interventions actually work.
- Patient Harm Data to Remain on Medicare's Hospital Compare Site
- Quiet ORs Better for Patient Safety
- Tavenner Confirmed as CMS Administrator
- Leapfrog Hospital Safety Scores 'Depressing'
- Building a Better Healthcare Board
- CMS Seeks to 'Rapidly Reduce' Medicare Spending with $1B in Grants
- Hard-Nosed About Physician Teamwork
- Healthcare Leaders Sound Off on Organized Labor
- Case Study: Advance Care Conversations
- Esther Dyson's Population Health Dream | <urn:uuid:8a9b4aaf-9e89-46ba-8335-d5b87b01ce91> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/page-2/QUA-272088/500M-in-Readmission-Prevention-Funds-to-Bypass-Hospitals | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950969 | 406 | 1.53125 | 2 |
I have just given my annual lectures to some postgraduate students about what it’s like doing usability in the real world (i.e. the world where you can’t spend three months redesigning the perfect interface to a toaster).
And one of the issues I cover is why it seems to be so difficult to design usable products. It must be difficult - there are lots of clever designers and few really usable products.
One of the reasons for this is that too many people confuse usability with ‘easy’.
I argue frequently that this marginalises usability, which we and the International Standards Organisation (ISO) believe has three elements – effectiveness, efficiency and user satisfaction.
If it’s just ‘easy’ (which relates to satisfaction and possibly efficiency in ISO terms), it becomes a luxury, not a necessity.
I can see an IT project manager saying: “We would have liked to make the new billing system a bit easier but we really didn’t have time and we did not want to delay it.”
I can see the hard pressed business manager saying: “OK, that would have been nice but we didn’t want to wait.”
However, if you use the ISO 9241-11 definition of a usable system, then the picture changes.
Can you honestly imagine the project manager saying (out loud): “We know the system is not going to work but we wanted to be able to tick the ‘delivered on time’ box”?
And can you imagine the customer saying: “OK, it would have been nice if it had worked but we’d rather pay for a failed system than take a bit longer getting it right”?
No, of course you can’t!
But one of the reasons why business systems are not as effective as they should be is that designers often fail to fully understand the way the users work in practice.
And this is where I’d like to mention the iPod (again).
OK, I admit that I am a fan of Apple – I love my iPod and I bought a Mac mini just because it was beautiful (even though I do all my business on a PC).
But apart from their beauty, I find that the ipod just works so well. The clickwheel is very effective (and efficient and satisfying). So why can’t more products be like iPods?
As I tell my students, I think there are two main reasons.
Firstly, many designers find it really hard to ‘get into the heads’ of their users.
I suspect everyone who worked on the iPod really wanted one and therefore had a good starting point for getting the design to work for users. Of course, I’m sure that was then followed up with intensive testing.
Secondly, not every product can be as desirable as an iPod.
In a recent article on our website I explained that we sometimes have to do usability on products and systems that the end users do not really want (voice response systems for example) but which still need to be usable.
And this is part of the complexity – the difference between needs and wants.
There is a tale (probably apocryphal) of the Black and Decker executive, who changed the fortunes of the company thirty years ago by declaring that its customers wanted ‘holes in walls’ not electric drills.
He argued that the company could only succeed in selling more drills by focusing on that underlying customer need - emphasising what you could do with the tool, rather than marvelling over the product itself.
I am not sure that this still holds true. In fact I am certain that it doesn’t – I have to show great restraint not to buy myself yet another tool.
Perhaps this also explains the phenomenal growth in the popularity of satellite navigation in cars, the subject of another recent article.
I guess we have all experienced the frustration of getting lost so a sat nav seems like a ‘no-brainer’.
But how many of us drive to new places often enough to actually need them? Mind you, since we use them infrequently, and often while performing the difficult and demanding task of driving (despite the instructions not to use while under way – yeah , right!), making them usable is certainly worthwhile.
Tom Stewart is joint MD of System Concepts. | <urn:uuid:76746b16-8cea-45f9-b65b-77c4c6b1aaef> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://econsultancy.com/ca/blog/874-who-needs-or-wants-usability | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972394 | 908 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Unite against college radicals, urges writer
Think tank head advises students to keep hate preachers off campus
Writer and think tanker Douglas Murray has urged pupils at UCL to “make their voices heard” following the university’s decision to cancel a talk by an extremist preacher.
Mr Murray, who is director of the Centre for Social Cohesion, a think tank, spoke to more than 50 pupils at the London university in a lecture organised by the JSoc and asked them to ensure preachers of hatred are not invited on to campus.
Opening the lecture, entitled Truth and Error in the Media’s Portrayal of Israel, Mr Murray said: “Radicalisation on campus is one of the most troubling upsurges of hatred of our time.
“My centre has repeatedly asked this university and others not to host people who are active members of terrorist organisations, and time and time again we come across universities not willing to make a moral judgment.
Make your feelings known to your seniors
“I ask that you make your feelings known to your seniors.”
Last week, the university cancelled a lecture due to be given by Islamist preacher Abu Usamah, who has been recorded saying homosexuals should be “thrown off a mountain”.
During a Q and A session, Mr Murray was grilled by pupils on his view of Channel 4’s Dispatches programme about the Israel lobby, which he described as “p*** poor journalism”, what Gilad Shalit’s release will mean for Israel and his opinion of UN resolutions.
He added: “One of the most important things that can be done by students on campus is to stand up and act to stop people coming on campus preaching murder and hatred.
“It’s astonishing in 2009 that people still come onto campus who support the murder of Jews and homosexuals.
“The only way to stop this is for students to make their voices heard and say it’s unacceptable that such a state of affairs goes on.”
Miriam Trent, education officer at UCL’s Jewish Society, said: “I thought the lecture was excellent. It’s nice to see someone so supportive of Israel and give a different outlook.
“These subjects are often discussed here and it reminded us to keep an eye on what speakers come in to campus.”
Meanwhile, the Israel Society and Middle East Society at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London jointly hosted a talk by members of the Israeli-Palestinian Parents Club — who have lost their children to conflict — in an attempt to build bridges by empathising with the suffering of the other side.
Students from both societies listened to Robi Damelin, who lost her son David to a Palestinian sniper, and Ali Abu Awwad, who lost his brother, Yousef, to an Israeli soldier, speak about their grief and belief in dialogue.
Ayya Harraz, co-president of the Middle East Society, said: “If two people take the initiative to join hands and work together, we set an example. We should address our similarities, not our differences.” | <urn:uuid:722c8b8e-dee2-4ed5-bbff-4ac05664b545> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thejc.com/campus/campus-news/24575/unite-against-college-radicals-urges-writer | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965548 | 658 | 1.625 | 2 |
How a 401(k) plan, (which may be employer-matched), could help you fall in love with the thought of a comfortable retirement.
There can be a lot of confusing numbers floating around when you try to invest. 529s, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, it can get hectic. One thing which isn’t confusing is knowing you want the opportunity to retire in comfort. General George S. Patton once said, “I always believe in being prepared,” and while he may not have been talking about retirement specifically, he makes a good point. Be ready.
So what are your best options for being prepared to live out your golden years? Well, for many years there has been the theory of the three-legged stool in preparation of retirement. The three legged stool consists of Social Security (public), your own investments and savings (private), and some sort of employer involved retirement plan such as a pension plan or a 401(k). No matter what political party you come from, you know you probably shouldn’t rely heavily on Social Security for retirement. Your personal savings are extremely helpful in retirement, but the beauty of the employer sponsored retirement plan, in this case, a 401(k), is that in many cases your employer will make some sort of matching-contribution. That’s free money for your retirement!
What is it?
401(k)s got their start back in 1978, when the IRS established a new provision to allow employees to defer some of their compensation into an account with their employer. The beauty is that in many cases, your employers will match your contributions to a certain point. Employer matches come in a wide variety of options depending on the employer’s discretion. Some employers match contributions dollar for dollar. Others match 25 or more cents on the dollar. That means each time you contribute, your employer adds money, for free! Often times your employer will only match up to a certain percent of your salary. But regardless, they’re adding to your retirement for you!
When you first enroll in a 401(k) plan, you’ll be given a list of investment options. It’s best to sit down with a financial professional and figure out how you wish to invest your money. Your options for investments will vary from conservative fixed income investments to aggressive stock portfolios. You are able to allocate your money into investments in different combinations depending on how much growth you want to achieve, and how much risk you can tolerate.
Benefits of a 401(k)
All the contributions you make to your 401(k) are on a pre-tax basis. By deferring money to your 401(k) before taxes, you not only avoid paying taxes now, but you reduce the amount of taxable income that Uncle Sam can take. You will have to pay federal and state income taxes when you withdraw from your 401(k), but there’s always a chance you’ll retire in Florida, or another state which doesn’t have a state income tax. According to the IRS, those states, besides Florida, include: Alaska, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming.
Another added benefit of an employer-matched 401(k) (besides the free money!) is that the money is available in case of an emergency withdrawal. In some cases, you may be able to borrow money from your 401(k), penalty free. However, if you quit your job or are laid off, before paying back the loan, you may be required to pay the full amount at termination. Always check with your financial professional before borrowing any money from your plan.
Keeping your 401(k) prepared
Besides being prepared for retirement, you also want to be prepared with your individual 401(k) and the restrictions and limits placed on it. These limits and rules can apply to switching jobs, borrowing from your account, and the penalties that may be incurred if you withdraw early from the account.As soon as you enroll in a 401(k), you should receive a Summary Plan Description. Your employer should provide it to you. If not, ask for it. This will describe your retirement plan and the options available to you regarding withdrawals, rollovers, and collections. You want to share this document with your financial professional so the two of you can decide what options fit you best when planning for the future. Many companies have restrictions on what can and can’t be done with your retirement fund. As with most financial planning, a little education goes a long way, and knowing the details of your plan will help make future job transitions a bit smoother.
A Few Restrictions
No such thing as a free lunch, you say? Well, there are restrictions, and in the case of 401(k)s you can only contribute the lesser of $14,000 or 100% of your compensation for the year 2005. If you work multiple jobs and have more than one 401(k), you are still limited to $14,000 a year total. However, that number will increase to $15,000 in 2006. If you’re over 50 and you’re trying to catch up, the law allows you to defer an extra $4000 for the year 2005. There is also a limit to when you can withdraw from your account penalty free. You must wait until age 59 ½ until you withdraw from your 401(k). Withdrawals before age 59 ½ are subject to a 10% penalty.
401(k)s aren’t the only option for retirement, but they’re definitely one of the most attractive. In a lot of cases, they offer free money and are relatively easy to roll over when you change jobs. You also have the convenience of deferring taxes and paying less each year to the government. Social Security probably shouldn’t be relied upon, and personal savings don’t often give you the chance for free money, so it only makes sense to participate in your employer’s 401(k) to add to your retirement plan.
By sitting down with a financial professional, you can make sure you’re prepared for retirement with a 401(k) that fits your investment style and your stage in life. You can also make sure that your financial well-being is prepared for any changes of career or investment styles by working with someone closely to handle it all with ease. Who knows, with a small amount of effort working with your financial professional, your preparation might even make General Patton proud.
Securities offered through Securities America Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC and advisory services offered through Securities America Advisors. Armstrong Advisory Group, Money Matters Radio and Securities America Inc. are unaffiliated. Representatives of Securities America Inc. do not provide legal or tax advice. Please consult with a local attorney or tax advisor who is familiar with the particular laws of your state.
Securities offered through Securities America, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC and advisory and financial planning services offered through Securities America Advisors Inc. Susan Powers, Paul Hundley, Brendan Hayes, Kim Harris, Chuck Zodda, Representatives, Money Matters Radio, Armstrong Advisory Group and Securities America, Inc. are separate entities. | <urn:uuid:fab86f82-9b9f-435a-9c8f-be939f363f17> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.moneymattersradio.net/index.cfm?fuseaction=feature.display&feature_id=283 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946504 | 1,494 | 1.5 | 2 |
AMMAN // Israel is waging a campaign to block Jordan's nuclear energy ambitions, Jordan's King Abdullah II said yesterday.
The king, whose country needs atomic energy to meet its energy needs and power water desalination plants, said "strong opposition to Jordan's nuclear energy programme is coming from Israel".
"When we started going down the road of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, we approached some highly responsible countries to work with us. And pretty soon we realised that Israel was putting pressure on those countries to disrupt any cooperation with us," the king said.
"A Jordanian delegation would approach a potential partner, and one week later an Israeli delegation would be there, asking our interlocutors not to support Jordan's nuclear energy bid," King Abdullah said.
Jordan signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994.
"Against this backdrop, I feel that those who oppose our peaceful nuclear programme for all the wrong reasons are furthering Israeli interests more efficiently than Israel could ever do," the king said.
An Israeli official in Jerusalem dismissed the charge.
"The king's accusations sound [like] a hollow excuse," the official said. "We were consulted and we always said that of course if this was done according to NPT [Non-Proliferation Treaty] regulations and supervision and everything, then fine, we have no objection."
Jordan, which imports 95 per cent of its energy needs, is struggling to find alternatives to Egyptian gas, which normally covers 80 per cent of power production. | <urn:uuid:88dc3ae2-30b2-4273-9302-768b997bbf8f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/middle-east/king-abdullah-says-israelis-are-thwarting-jordans-plans-for-nuclear-power-stations | 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 | 0.964032 | 303 | 1.726563 | 2 |
Young, Black and Nominated: Enough?
With few roles for people of color, a long post-Oscar career isn't guaranteed for Quvenzhané Wallis.
(The Root) -- A dream came true for Academy Award nominee Quvenzhané Wallis recently when she met actress China McClain on the set of McClain's show, A.N.T. Farm on the Disney Channel. Upon learning of her Oscar nomination, the 9-year-old Wallis reportedly expressed more excitement about the chance to meet her favorite teen TV stars than she did about hearing she will walk the red carpet on Sunday with Hollywood's elite.
It is fitting that Wallis would make a stop at Disney headquarters in what looks like a fairy tale year. Turning in a powerful performance in the critically acclaimed independent film Beasts of the Southern Wild, Wallis became the 10th black actress ever to be nominated by the academy for a leading role, receiving recognition that continues to be elusive for African-American performers.
But celebrating Wallis' nomination as a historic black achievement is not as simple as it has been for Gabby Douglas' gold medal wins at the Olympics last summer in London. Or for Halle Berry's watershed, first-time win for a black actress in a leading role for Monster's Ball in 2002.
Wallis is not only the youngest actress ever to be nominated for an Academy Award (Tatum O'Neal was 10 when she won the best supporting actress award in 1974 for her work in Paper Moon), she is also an amateur with no previous acting experience. This combination of factors has raised questions about whether Wallis deserves her Oscar nomination. Where is the acting in Wallis' performance?
We might wonder if Wallis can have a career in Hollywood post-Beasts. As she gets older, will she lose the innocent and raw qualities that make her performance as Hushpuppy so powerful and distinctive? Will her performance in the upcoming Steve McQueen film Twelve Years a Slave, in the company of Chiwetel Ejiofor and Brad Pitt, be a litmus test of her Oscar-worthiness? Answers to these questions are important, because the selection of Wallis over more experienced actresses for one of the five most coveted spots in the entertainment industry evokes longstanding beliefs about black authenticity and persistent anxieties about African-American competence and achievement.
From ongoing debates about affirmative action, such as the Fisher v. University of Texas case currently pending in the U.S. Supreme Court, to the rapid rise of Barack Obama from the Illinois Legislature to the U.S. presidency, black advancements in predominantly white fields continue to be tinged with skepticism and jealousy.
As a result, those who would defend Wallis' portrayal of Hushpuppy as one of the year's best film performances risk charges of knee-jerk political correctness that pushes for diversity over merit. On the other hand, those who might question the appropriateness of the academy's nod to Wallis risk the charge of mean-spiritedness, if not racism. | <urn:uuid:e16209bb-bc71-42a9-9f2f-43bea7f3a942> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theroot.com/views/young-black-and-nominated-enough | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954206 | 628 | 1.703125 | 2 |
DUKE UNIVERSITY NEWS
Duke University Office of News & Communications
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, Dec. 8, 2008
CONTACT: Wendy Hower Livingston
(919) 684-3314 (office)
(919) 247-8223 (cell)
NASHER MUSEUM OF ART AT DUKE PRESENTS BLOOMSBURY EXHIBIT
DURHAM, N.C. -- A comprehensive exhibition of art made in the British avant-garde community known as the Bloomsbury Group will open Dec. 18 at Duke University’s Nasher Museum of Art before traveling around the country.
“A Room of Their Own: The Bloomsbury Artists in American Collections” is part of a year-long series of events at Duke celebrating the contributions of this group of artists, writers and intellectuals that included Virginia Woolf, E.M. Forster, John Maynard Keynes and Lytton Strachey.
The Bloomsbury exhibition was organized to coincide with the 100-year anniversary of the group’s beginnings. It will examine the American reception of the art produced between 1910 and the 1970s by the Bloomsbury artists and their associates and collaborators, including painters Duncan Grant, Vanessa Bell, Dora Carrington and Roger Fry.
”This exhibition is exciting for those of us who know of Bloomsbury through the writings of Woolf and Forster, or even through popular movies such as ‘The Hours,’ ‘Howards’ End’ and ‘A Room With a View,’” said Kimerly Rorschach, Mary D.B.T. and James H. Semans Director of the Nasher Museum. “The art of Bloomsbury can teach us more about the group that was so brilliant and whose ideas are relevant today. We are excited about this unique opportunity to present this work to audiences in Durham and the Triangle.”
The Nasher exhibition, which runs through April 5, will include 200 paintings, works on paper, decorative arts and book arts borrowed from public and private collections throughout the United States and Canada. It also will focus on how this small group of artists made its imprint on the cultural thinking of their day.
Complementing “A Room of Their Own” is a panel discussion Jan. 29 at the Nasher led by exhibition curator Nancy Green, the Gale and Ira Drukier Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University. Other events include two lectures at the Durham County Library, a Bloomsbury film series, a family day event, teacher workshops and a theater production of the play, “Vita and Virginia.”
The exhibition was inspired by, and draws from, the collection of Craufurd Goodwin, James B. Duke Professor of Economics at Duke, as well as other collections in the United States and Canada. It is organized by the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell, in Ithaca, N.Y., in conjunction with the Nasher Museum.
To complement the exhibition, Duke has organized a campuswide program, “Vision and Design: A Year of Bloomsbury,” that includes panel discussions, theatrical performances, a film series, an online book chat, a “Duke in Depth” symposium and a related exhibition at Duke Library’s Perkins Gallery. These events all take place between September 2008 and April 2009.
After premiering at the Nasher Museum, the exhibit visits the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell. It also will travel to the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.; the Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, Mass.; the Mills College Art Museum, Oakland, Calif.; and the Palmer Museum of Art, Penn State University, University Park, Pa.
“A Room of Their Own” is funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, promoting excellence in the humanities. At the Nasher Museum, the exhibition and related programs are sponsored by the Mary Duke Biddle Foundation, the Provost's Common Fund, Duke’s Graduate Liberal Studies Program, the Wachovia Foundation and the Josiah Charles Trent Memorial Foundation.
_ _ _ _
The Nasher Museum of Art is located at 2001 Campus Drive at Anderson Street on the Duke campus in Durham. The museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday; and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The museum is closed Mondays. Suggested admission is $5 adults, $4 for seniors and members of the Duke Alumni Association, $3 for non-Duke students with identification and free for children 16 and younger. Admission is free to Duke students, faculty and staff with Duke Cards. Admission is also free to Nasher Museum members and Durham city residents who present a valid identification with proof of residency.
Additional information is available at www.nasher.duke.edu.
Image credit: Duncan Grant's "At Eleanor: Vanessa Bell" (1915), an oil on canvas
SOURCE: Nasher Museum at Duke University | <urn:uuid:bc9a417b-7257-4513-b173-b0459cef3f42> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://iheartartblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/nasher-museum-of-art-at-duke-presents.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936552 | 1,120 | 1.5 | 2 |
While credit unions are often asking Congress to do something, when it comes to taxation no news is good news.
The apparent inability of the House-Senate deficit reduction panel to agree on a plan means that at least for the time being the credit union tax exemption is safe.
Media reports indicate that the committee, which Congress created last summer during the negotiations leading to the raising of the debt ceiling, will conclude its business this week without issuing recommendations.
As a result, tax expenditures, the name given to the credit union tax exemption and similar policies, won’t be touched, even though some budget specialists said that eliminating those expenditures could be part of a bigger plan to reduce the deficit.
Lawmakers could revisit the tax issue at a later time and there have been calls by both Democrats and Republicans to attempt comprehensive tax reform.
The House-Senate committee apparently failed to come to an agreement because Republicans wouldn’t give sufficient ground in allowing tax increases while Democrats wouldn’t agree to enough cuts in some of the spending on domestic spending programs. | <urn:uuid:b4e6297e-3a6e-425e-90f4-2fada7a80510> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cutimes.com/2011/11/21/supercommittee-collapse-means-no-targeting-of-cu-t | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966393 | 214 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Me and a friend of mine has been thinking about joining forces and make a comic. She is an excellent drawer/illustrator while I perform better in the story/character/writing part of things.
I guess the best way to start would be to throw ourselves into it, but I like to read about things first, to get some inspiration and hints about common pitfalls.
So, are there any good books (or online resources) about making commics? Would be particularly interesting if they focus on collaboration between writer and drawer. | <urn:uuid:b9976ffb-4a6b-4821-a855-370e5223e396> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/834/good-books-on-writing-for-comics | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975985 | 108 | 1.695313 | 2 |
ViaSat recently signed four new contracts to augment the total Ku-band capacity of its global mobility network by more than 60 percent. This investment in additional bandwidth will be used for the business growth of the government and general aviation, as well as customer requirements for high data rates for mobile satellite communications.
“This expansion phase is an overlay to our mobile network in key regions around the globe,” ViaSat Global Mobile Broadband GM/VP Paul Baca said in a statement. “This addition will raise the bar for baseline broadband performance and provide a foundation for new service plans.”
The expansion will also help broaden the coverage in Asia, Africa, Europe, North America and the Pacific Ocean, among other areas.
ViaSat’s continuous growth in airborne satellite communications was recently highlighted with the company’s delivery of its 500th VR-12 satellite terminal. The ultra-small aperture system has been known as a key technology used by the general aviation and government mobility markets for “office-in-the-sky” business applications, as well as in-flight command and control intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance services for military customers. | <urn:uuid:d01e994f-fd36-4701-9234-0c518a278249> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://kubandsatellite.wordpress.com/2013/01/30/viasat-increases-ku-band-capacity-on-mobile-satellite-network/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938543 | 236 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Once all the bargaining has come to an end, you’ll have
to make a decision. All those years of hard work and study have
now come to this. Which college will you choose? Your decision will
hinge on far more than which school offers you the most money.
The Best Deal
Figuring out the best deal might seem like a relatively
straightforward task: Look at overall college costs and see which
school’s financial aid award will leave you with the lowest amount
of debt upon graduation. The best financial aid awards have a high
percentage of gift aid and offer institutional scholarships/grants
that you can easily renew. Though rare, some colleges do entice
students to enroll by offering one-year-only scholarships that leave
students with higher-than-anticipated costs over the course of four
years. Make sure you ask which scholarships you’ve received are
renewable and what the criteria are for keeping them.
The Best Decision
Ultimately, you need to choose a college that meets your
overall goals. It makes little sense to accept a great financial
aid award if the college doesn’t offer the classes you want to take.
Similarly, you might think the prestige of attending a certain college
is an investment worth the added costs of a lesser financial aid
package. You should also consider nonfinancial factors like the
college’s size and location. | <urn:uuid:e0d010ec-0e04-44f6-830d-dc7a6897dc7f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sparknotes.com/college/financial/page10.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955623 | 299 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Day 4 of the New River Birding and Nature Festival found me at a place called Muddlety. It’s a location as much as it’s a state of mind. Muddlety is an area with a troubled past, a troubled present, and a troubled future. Part of the area is reclaimed strip mine. Unfortunately, part of the area is the site of a future strip mine. Throw in a variety of clear cut logging zones over the decades and you have a very unusual mixture of habitat.
The morning started with a stop for a Blue-winged Warbler. The bird did not disappoint as it was quickly located at the expected spot. We were also treated to some nice views of a Common Yellowthroat at the same spot but the bird was not real cooperative for photos. The witchity, witchity, witchity call is common in marshes and is a sign that a particularly beautiful bird is nearby.
A bad photo of the Common Yellowthroat.
As we walked along the roads I was amazed by the diversity of plant life. It seems a real shame that all of this might be gone one day so we can run our light bulbs and toaster ovens for a little while longer. Muddlety is a special place.
I learned something on this trip. I was not aware that black birch trees were once harvested to get the oils in the sap to make oil of wintergreen. Jim McCormac spotted a black birch and pulled off a branch. When the branch is stripped and placed in your mouth you can very clearly taste the wintergreen flavor. Quite cool. Almost like those flavored toothpicks but much better.
At our lunch stop we had a couple of nice treats. In a tire rut in the road were dozens of Pearl Crescents greedily lapping up the minerals in the soils. The photo is poor but the little butterflies were really pretty.
The other nice treat at lunch was a giant Tulip Tree, one of the largest in West Virginia. The tree is in the dead center of the photo. The tree was so big it took 6 people linking hands to reach all the way around.
Finally, i couldn't resist this really pretty fungi growing on a stump. I don't the species but I will find out.
The day wrapped up nicely. The next day featured a hunt for a rarity. | <urn:uuid:4e5b8c24-0ad2-4726-b873-698d0aff90f5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://boringbirding.blogspot.com/2010/05/muddlety.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977866 | 488 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Microsoft Corp chief executive Steve Ballmer has signalled a new direction for the world’s largest software company, pointing to hardware and online services as its future, taking a page from long-time rival Apple Inc.
Ballmer’s comments in his annual letter to shareholders published
on Tuesday suggested that Microsoft may eventually make its own phones to build on its forthcoming own-brand Surface tablet PC and market-leading Xbox gaming console.
“There will be times when we build specific devices for specific purposes, as we have chosen to do with Xbox and the recently announced Microsoft Surface,” wrote Ballmer.
The new approach mimics Apple Inc, whose massively successful iPhone and iPad demonstrated tight integration of high-quality software and hardware and made Windows devices feel clunky in comparison.
Alongside the shareholders’ letter, Microsoft’s annual proxy filing, showed that Ballmer, got a lower bonus than he did last year, partly for flat sales of Windows and his failure to ensure that the company provided a choice of browser to some European customers.
He earned a bonus of $620,000 for Microsoft’s 2012 fiscal year, which ended in June, down 9% from the year before.
His salary, which is low by US standards for chief executives, remained essentially flat at $685,000. | <urn:uuid:aac1fbf8-aee2-470b-b3b2-23a01c39df00> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hindustantimes.com/technology/Technology-IndustryTrends/Microsoft-strategy-now-mimics-Apple-Ballmer-memo-reveals/SP-Article1-942723.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959062 | 272 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Tegral Building Products Ltd.
Since 1936, Tegral Building Products has made a significant contribution to the Irish building industry. From its manufacturing base in Athy, Co. Kildare, Tegral supplies the widest and most diverse range of quality products for the building envelope through its fibrecement processing and metal forming operations. Tegral is the only manufacturer of fibrecement roof slates in Ireland. It provides a wide range of slates to suit all tastes, including the market leading ThrutonePlus slate, all produced to the highest international standards and backed-up by industry leading levels of technical support and customer service. Additionally, Tegral supplies a wide variety of quarried natural slates as well as clay tiles and roofing accessories. Tegral market their products through a countrywide distribution network of Builders Providers. Tegral’s comprehensive range of metal roofing, cladding and flooring systems is designed to suit most applications in modern commercial, industrial and agricultural construction. Also available from Tegral is a range of fibrecement façade systems that can be employed to great effect in a wide variety of applications including rainscreen façade systems.
Tegral has been a member of the Etex Group since 1988. The Etex group is an industrial group that produces and markets high-quality building materials and systems across the globe. The group has over 90 subsidiaries across 42 countries and employs 13,500 people. As part of this international group, Tegral benefits from the best technical research available globally and the financial strength to continue investment in Tegral’s Irish operation.
Tegral Building Products aims to comply with the principles of sustainable development. The company has fostered a strong environmental awareness among its workforce and invests a range of resources into achieving tangible environmental progress through its ongoing environmental improvement programme, as part of the ISO 14001 standard. Tegral is also fully committed to the maintenance of a healthy and safe environment for its employees, for its customers and the local communities in which it operates through its ongoing certification to the OHSAS 18001 safety management system. In line with the environmental policy of the Etex Group, Tegral’s main objectives to help reduce its impact on the environment are:
- to minimise the use of raw materials
- to minimise waste, energy and water use
- to avoid adverse impact on air, water and soil
Tegral is a Guaranteed Irish manufacturer and all of its products are manufactured to the highest international standards. Manufacturing in Athy meets with the stringent requirements of the ISO 9001 Quality Management System and the Environmental Management System is certified to the Environmental Standard ISO 14001. Tegral has achieved the Excellence through People Award, Ireland’s national standard for human resource development.
Tegral is a member of the Building Materials Federation, Octabuild, the National Federation of Roofing Contractors, the Irish Farm Building Association, the Irish Grassland Association, the Irish Hardware and Building Materials Association, the Metal Roofing and Cladding Manufacturers Association (UK), and the National Roofing Contractors Association (USA). Tegral is a recognised professional development training provider by the Royal Institute of Architects in Ireland (RIAI) and the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).
Tegral takes its corporate social responsibility very seriously and is actively involved in all aspects of the local community with its sponsorships of people, teams and events that cover sports, education, social, arts and culture. | <urn:uuid:3eedc889-f11b-488c-8c52-72469531e575> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tegral.com/index.php?page=about-us | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941804 | 712 | 1.53125 | 2 |
“We can dwell on the fact that the TSPLOST didn’t pass or we can say let’s move forward, let’s see what needs to be done,” said Ken Wright, director of business and industry services at the Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce.
Wright said he is staying tuned to the governor’s position and the Department of Transportation’s position in response to the overwhelming failure of the TSPLOST referendum.
“The message is the same; they’re going to determine, the existing priority lists,” Wright said. “Now it’s up to defining what are truly the main priorities.”
The three projects on the Floyd County transportation wish list involved widening of Ga. 140 from U.S. 27 in Armuchee to Interstate 75 at Adairsville, the widening of Ga. 101 from Rome to Rockmart and of course the long languishing U.S. 411 Connector, Route D-VE to Interstate 75 in Cartersville.
But voters in the region said no to the tax.
“We’ve got to get the message to our state legislators, to the governor, to the DOT what is truly the most important for us,” Wright said. The chamber is already working toward that goal through its transportation and governmental affairs committees.
Wright couldn’t help but note a twist of fate in connection with the failed SPLOST vote.
“What’s going to happen across Northwest Georgia now will be what opponents of the TSPLOST feared the most. They didn’t trust that the money would not go to the DOT and they (the DOT) would end up doing their own projects,” Wright said. “By voting against the TSPLOST that’s what they’re going to get. They’ll choose the projects they’re going to build and they’ll build them.”
On top of that, instead of local communities only having to come up with a 10-percent match, Rome and Floyd County will have to come up with a 30-percent match.
State officials called the local match reduction, should SPLOST have been passed, a carrot to induce a pro SPLOST vote.
Opponents call it punishment.
The Ga. 140 project is the perfect example of what the state was trying to do with a regional approach to funding transportation.
Widening of the approximately 15 miles from Armuchee to Adairsville is considered an important project not only to Floyd County, but to Bartow and Chattooga counties as well.
“We’re going to have to lobby hard along with our partners there in Floyd County to get Highway 140 on the governor’s priority list,” said David Tidmore, president and CEO of the Chattooga County Chamber of Commerce. Tidmore suggested that the better than 2-1 no vote did not send a good message to potential industry that citizens were not willing to invest one-cent when industries like Lowe’s in Shannon and Mohawk in Summerville are investing over $100 million in the communities.
Chattooga County Commissioner Jason Winters called the Ga. 140 project crucial to his community and said the problem will now be rooted in the 30-percent match that will be required by the state. “The projects do not get funded, local governments do not have the 30 percent to match,” Winters said. “We simply have to push projects further and further back.”
The sole commissioner in Chattooga County said he’s got several bridges that he needs to focus on. “To do a 30 percent match on these bridges is going to be $750,000 to $1 million dollars,” Winters said. “Our entire public works department budget is only $1.5 million. This will be a major hardship.”
Summerville City Manager Russell Thompson echoed Winters’ thoughts about the 30-percent match. “We have transportation issues not limited to street resurfacing, but also sidewalk projects that funding would become available for,” Thompson said. “Obviously Highway 140 would have opened the door to promote economic development in this area so we’ll just have to find another way to get that project funded.”
Rome Assistant City Manager Sammy Rich said that at the end of the day there is never enough local money for trans
portation. “Now, to say we’ve got to increase the local match, just flat out it’s going to be a burden,” Rich said. “It means we’re going to have to evaluate project by project and it’s going to be an exercise in prioritization and where do we put our dollars and what’s the most essential need.”
David Newby at Profile Extrusion in Rome said that one of the keys to his success and growth at Profile has been the service he’s been able to give customers. “By that I mean a quick turnaround of orders. Part of that is having a good infrastructure to get it from Point A to Point B,” Newby said.
“It’s disappointing to know that we couldn’t convince the people that infrastructure is need for the industry now, espe-
cially for someone coming in new. They’re going to be thinking about those things, how quickly they can get access to the interstate.”
Up in Summerville, Winters was also disappointed with the loss of the discretionary funds that would have been returned to the counties from the TSPLOST. He said that money could have resulted in the repaving of every mile of county road in Chattooga County on a 10-year cycle.
Wright, at the Rome Chamber, said that if the general public had gotten message about the importance of the specific projects in the individual’s counties across Northwest Georgia, as well as the ramifications of not approving the penny tax, the outcome might have been different.
Winters and Wright both agree that the huge TV budget supporters of the tax in metro Atlanta used probably didn’t help Northwest Georgia tax proponents at all.
“Those TV ads permeated all the other regions. While their focus was primarily on Atlanta, that was part of the misperception,” Wright said. “People in the outlying regions thought this was primarily an Atlanta initiative and it was not.” | <urn:uuid:f29a477e-13ed-4417-af9d-51fdc1b9e711> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rn-t.com/pages/full_story/push?article-All+roads+leading+to+Rome+still+need+help%20&id=19684784 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962675 | 1,364 | 1.585938 | 2 |
For the 1969 model year, the Ford Mustang received a major redesign and restyling that, again, changed many 1969 Ford Mustang parts from those of previous model years. In addition, competition was increasing, so many new 1969 Mustang parts were added to gain more power and performance, and resulted in several new special models including the Mach 1, Boss 302 and Boss 429 Mustangs that were sold alongside the already established Shelby GT350 and GT500. Two notable changes were made with 69 Mustang parts. First, the 1969 Mustang parts on several engines were updated to produce more power and resulted a few new engines, including the Boss 302 V-8, two new 351 V-8s, the 428 Cobra Jet/Super Cobra Jet V-8 and the massive Boss 429 V-8. The second change to 69 Mustang parts was with the design of the car itself. New sheet metal was used in 1969, sitting on a larger body, with a new grille design that used quad round headlights for the first time. Just shy of 300,000 were sold in 1969.
With these changes, CJ Pony Parts continues to offer nearly 5,400 1969 Ford Mustang parts for customers. 1969 Mustang parts from Battery Tender, Classic Auto Air, KEE Auto Top, March Performance, Superior Axle and many other vendors are all available. CJ Pony Parts also has nearly any accessory for 69 Mustang parts, too.
If you need to upgrade or replace 1969 Ford Mustang parts, contact the knowledgeable sales and customer care staff at CJ Pony Parts. They are available to help all of our customers with any of their 1969 Mustang parts needs. Contact CJ Pony Parts by phone or online for technical help or to place your 1969 Ford Mustang parts order with free shipping! | <urn:uuid:e852c9f2-d0f1-4088-9bbd-a67d611505be> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cjponyparts.com/Category.aspx?ss=&c=9_1001_7&sb=&sd=&pgnum=397&pgsize=&filter= | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966533 | 350 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Gen. John C. Bennett, who was Jo Smith's lieutenant, at Nauvoo, has been lecturing in New York, exposing the villanies of Jo, and his Saints. There is no doubt but that Bennett tells the truth about Jo, because his statements are corroborated by other testimony. But Bennett is no Saint. He is the man to whom the Illustrious Chancellor, Dr. Cook, is indebted for some dozen or two Degrees, constituting him DD. LLD. & c. & c. conferred in the Mormon settlements, in one of their distinguished colleges, located in the second story, of a grocery store. We are acquainted with some amusing facts, connected with Bennett and the illustrious Chancellor, which we may dish up some of these days.
Click tabs to swap between content that is broken into logical sections. | <urn:uuid:30fd67d7-bc74-4764-8f1c-8a33eb0ca203> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/19CMNI/id/6466/rec/2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979053 | 171 | 1.5625 | 2 |
What is a Post-it without the highlighter-yellow paper? Is it still a Post-it, or is it just a sticky note? For the past 100 days, Andrew Miller has been painting some of the world’s most recognized objects in white--from Campbell’s soup to U.S. pennies--and sharing the results on his blog, Brand Spirit. The only requirement? It has to cost $10 or less.
The experiment was sometimes funny, like when he painted a bottle of White Out in white (and you could still totally tell it was White Out), and sometimes just a bit strange (if an albino Twizzler doesn’t give you the creeps, I don’t know what will). But it was always fascinating, an equalizing litmus test to which of our favorite objects are brands, and which are just objects.
For instance, Red Bull is one of the most recognizable drinks on the shelf. But without its blue/red/yellow/silver color palette, it’s just a skinny can of something…maybe a Starbucks coffee drink? But a Corona, despite being shaped exactly like every other beer bottle on the market, is instantly distinguishable, thanks to a lime sticking out from the top (yes, that’s technically a bit of a cheat, but I’ll give it to them--Corona has clearly used the beer bottle to brand the lime).
Marlboro cigarettes, generic. Kleenex, horrifyingly identical to Puffs. Tabasco…absolutely unmistakable, even without the fire engine red contents showing. Elmer’s glue, a Pringles chip, Pez and a Reese’s cup and even McDonald’s fries--all are instantly recognizable.
In some cases, of course we’d recognize the white products, because it’s their form that makes them marketable and valuable. (Pringles are a perfect example of that idea--it’s the potato chip that’s stackable--as is the original NES controller, which imagined 2-D controls in an elegant way.) The most fascinating objects are those that should just be like anything else, like the Blow Pop sucker or OXO peeler, that distinguish themselves through otherwise mundane packaging, permeating our social consciousness to recognize their branding, even though it hasn’t been marketed to us through ads every day.
Indeed, there’s at least a college course worth of design lessons to be taught from Brand Spirit, but then again, like so many of the products in its collection, the idea sort of speaks for itself. | <urn:uuid:a012fefa-8c2c-4566-8fd6-3adfea2a0357> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fastcodesign.com/1670093/when-your-favorite-products-are-painted-white-theyre-charming | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940813 | 549 | 1.828125 | 2 |
Having problems with false temper on dark chocolate setting. The tempering instruction on the box (Callebaut Fleur de Cao) shows a graph, with a different temperature cycle. Which should I use?
Thanks for this. That's what I've been setting it for - it reaches temp, asks for seed but then only drops to 87-88F (should be 81F for this chocolate). This means it's a fairly short time before the 'seed remove' button flashes, so we remove a lot of seed as it then only cycles to 88-89F. Have been following cycle with digital thermometor. Do you think the machine may need recalibrated?
It's a Rev2. I did check different layers and took reading near the thermo gauge. We think we need to change the scraper - would that be it? Have tempered white this morning and all okay - it just seems to be the dark?
Thanks f9r this. | <urn:uuid:03c8eb28-3035-4a0c-8e39-9d2b0bb0d2a4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thechocolatelife.com/group/kitchenconfectionery/forum/topics/should-i-override-the?commentId=1978963%3AComment%3A44547&xg_source=activity&groupId=1978963%3AGroup%3A8262 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947096 | 198 | 1.53125 | 2 |
John Walker Lindh, infamously serving a 20-year prison sentence for aiding the Taliban, is now seeking new ways to insult the United States, including insulting the many liberty-minded Muslims who value our nation’s freedoms.
The prison where Lindh is held has had a generous policy for its many Muslim prisoners. Until they were disciplined for not responding to a fire alarm, the prisoners were permitted to gather in congregation for three of the five daily prayers. Now, the prisoners are only permitted to gather for the Friday afternoon “jummah” prayer.
Lindh is not satisfied with this accommodation of his religious beliefs and practices. He has asserted that the prison’s restriction on gathering for prayer is an infringement on his religious rights, and that he must gather with other Muslims for the daily prayers. He has even brought his case to court, suing the Federal Bureau of Prisons for the right to pray in congregation more than once per week.
Islam does not require Muslims to perform their daily prayers in congregation, and allows for Muslims to miss the Friday prayers if circumstances make attending them impossible. Imam Ammar Amonette of Richmond, Virginia has commented on Lindh’s case, affirming this widely-known Islamic guideline. Despite this, Lindh continues to insist that he receive special treatment.
This kind of arrogance is no surprise coming from a notorious terrorist convicted of numerous crimes against the United States and innocent people everywhere. It is also a hallmark of the Islamist mindset, which seeks to use the freedom and reason of the West in its quest to defeat it. Islamists relish the opportunity to demand even accommodations well outside of mainstream Islamic practice: niqabs (face-veils) in the courtroom, extra congregational prayers for terrorists. Islamists make these absurd demands with full knowledge that they act against both non-Muslims and the majority of Muslims worldwide. They view their mission as a holy war, in which they seek to defeat all people who believe in freedom and the preservation of human rights. To them, no sacrifice is too great – and those Muslims who won’t fight alongside them are primary targets.
This is not the first time Islamists in the prison system have petitioned for special privileges: in 2009, Randall T. Moyer (a former spokesman for the Muslim American Society, or MAS and member of the “Virginia Jihad Network”) was housed in the same prison as John Walker Lindh, and also sued the Federal Bureau of Prisons for additional congregational prayer rights. Louay Safi, former director of leadership development for the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), backed Moyer’s request, saying that Moyer’s demands followed the “prophetic tradition,” and that Muhammad promised greater rewards to those who pray in congregation. (Read more about Safi and his career in ISNA’s leadership here and here.)
The ACLU is defending Lindh, and they may be well-intentioned in doing so. We certainly support protecting civil rights for all Americans. By choosing to support Lindh, however, the ACLU seems to be trying to support an identity group – Muslims – but are instead supporting Lindh’s Islamist interpretation of Islam, which actually subjugates individual Muslims and restricts their rights. Islamism doesn’t value individual liberty, freedom of expression, or civil rights.
As liberty-minded Muslims, we are intensely grateful for the freedoms granted we enjoy in the United States, where we are freer to practice our faith than we would be anywhere else in the world. We believe that John Walker Lindh’s demands for greater privileges are not just unreasonable, but also dangerous. He, like other Islamists, seeks to define Islam as a faith utterly incompatible with modernity, freedom, and human rights. We urge those who may be swayed by Lindh’s argument to recognize that they may be setting a dangerous precedent by helping to advance a jihadist’s interpretation of Islam, which seeks to strip us of the very liberties that make us who we are.
Disturbing: a jihadi song in in honor of John Walker Lindh, aka Mujahid Sulayman al-Faris. | <urn:uuid:1e187960-0fd1-4992-85c5-c608b0eb9879> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://aifdemocracy.org/john-walker-lindh-a-terrorist-manipulating-islam-aided-by-western-islamists-and-their-sympathizers/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959396 | 861 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Can you think of the lessons that life has taught you over the years?
When you look back, you can clearly see the best life lessons which you have implemented in your life and shared with others.
However, there might be some missing threads in your life which has forced you to read this article.
Guess, I am right ..!
Let’s together dwell into the 44 best life lessons, which will help you in tackling your everyday life challenges! I am sharing these lessons of life which I have learned over the past 29 years …Now, you know my age as well , don’t you???
Have you ever wished to be the inspirer who can bring out the best in people?.. I know the answer would be yes; otherwise you would have not stopped by the post to master the ways to inspire others
You might be wondering how some people bring out the best in others? These people who we are familiar as successful leaders, chief executive officers, coaches, mentors and of course parents seems to have that extra talent with them to inspire others.
However, each one of us is born with the talent to help others to bring out the best in them in one or the other situation.
You can also be the inspiration to bring out the best in others if you master these 10 smart ways followed by others inspirers, to bring out the best in people.
Please don’t read further if you are ready to face the death in a terrible fashion!!!
Thank you, dear friend!! I wish you a long and healthy living from the bottom of my heart.
I am writing this special article for genuine and committed people like you..I am least bothered about those who left this page after reading the second line, because I know they may come back to this page or some other similar articles in a few years from now ..!
I think Neil Patel is going to be the next Mark Zuckerberg, because he has already built 3 companies, which are all million dollar companies.
What makes it more interesting is the fact that Neil is just 28..
Well, it is an honor and a great privilege for us to share this insightful interview with Neil Patel, which was done by Mohammed Rafi.
1.) The best autobiography you have ever written, in less than 100 words, please.
Neil Patel is the co-founder of 2 Internet companies: Crazy Egg and KISSmetrics. Through his entrepreneurial career he has helped large corporations such as Amazon, AOL, GM, HP and Viacom make more money from the web. By the age of 21 not only was he named one of the top influencers on the web according to the Wall Street Journal, but he was also named one of the top entrepreneurs in the nation by Entrepreneur Magazine. He has also been recognized as a top 100 entrepreneur under the age of 30 by President Obama.
Have you seen a man who has qualities such as care for others, creativity to the core, dynamic by birth and a fighter by circumstances? He has overcome stammering in his life and currently he is coaching people to be more confident and communicate effectively…
Well, it is my great honor and pleasure to introduce Mr Hiten Vyas who has kind heartedly agreed to write this article for inspiring citizen..Its great moment for us in our blogging journey because this is the first guest post on our site..
You are going to listen to the words of Hiten, where is showing you the benefits of having a good mentor and also he explains about the characteristics of a good mentor.. | <urn:uuid:8ff56156-7fc6-4cca-a143-d4b130046141> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.inspiringcitizen.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97202 | 728 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Summer Fridays off are a growing job perk
Summer Fridays are a way for companies to sweeten benefits at little cost.
Tess Vigeland: Today is a holiday for many Americans. And it also marks a schedule shift at many companies. It's known as "summer hours" or "summer Fridays." Basically, it's an abbreviated work-week where employees may clock a half-day on Fridays -- or get the whole day off. More and more companies offer this perk.
Marketplace's Jeff Tyler explains why.
Jeff Tyler: A recent survey found that about 30 percent of the top public companies in the U.S. plan to offer some version of summer Fridays.
Brian Kropp: That's actually a doubling in terms of the number of companies compared to last summer that are offering a similar type of benefit for their employees.
Brian Kropp is with the Corporate Executive Board, a business consultancy that conducted the survey.
Kropp: Companies are looking for low-cost or ideally no-cost ways to provide benefits and rewards for their employees to try to keep them engaged within their workforces.
For the most part, that strategy seems to work. Bonnie Creason is an art director for a utility company in Minneapolis. She logs nine hours a day for nine days and gets every other Friday off.
Bonnie Creason: I absolutely love it.
The schedule allows her to take long-weekends without using vacation time. On those Fridays when she is in the office, she says it's quiet -- so she tends to get more done. Not to mention the impact on company meetings.
Creason: One nice thing that's come out of it is that we no longer have Friday meetings. You know, let's be honest, who wants to go to a meeting on Friday?
At some companies, the schedule isn't just a summer thing. It runs year-round. Molly Jackson is a mechanical engineer for a company that builds circuit boards for satellites. She appreciates having every other Friday off, but...
Molly Jackson: It does make for long hours. So year-round, nine hour days, it does take a little bit out of you. If it were just a summer program, I think I would like it a lot more.
Some companies offer these schedules as a benefit in lieu of more money. Jackson says she doesn't like the perk that much.
Jackson: I don't know if that would be much of a consolation for not having a raise.
Still, in and of themselves, these schedules can improve morale. And that can be significant for companies trying to retain employees nearing retirement.
Again, Bonnie Creason.
Creason: For them to offer this kind of benefit to employees, it makes them want to stay longer.
The condensed work week can also serve as a recruiting tool. Research shows that these perks make companies more attractive to job seekers.
I'm Jeff Tyler for Marketplace. | <urn:uuid:3c603715-b3c3-478a-964c-da088c7ac181> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.marketplace.org/topics/economy/summer-fridays-are-growing-job-perk | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968126 | 608 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Acknowledgement of Donations
Ingrid, her friends and clients in Canada have spent an extra $1,500 to purchase more supplies for the clinic, plus travel and hotel expenses.
Want An Intensive Crash Course in Emergency Care?
This is a crash course in emergency care and keynote prescribing for Kati from France. If anyone else wants to pay their own way to Haiti, you would be grandly welcomed. There is enough place for you to stay. Edouard is recovering from an upper respiratory illness. Ingrid is surveying what needs to be accomplished with the house.
The Population of Haiti
Did you realize that over 50% of the population in Haiti
is under 21 years of age? They are one of the youngest populated countries on the planet. Now, there are 20,000 orphans from infants to 18 years old. Ingrid's intention. In time, the three-story house will be transformed into 'home' for 25 orphans with a homeopathic clinic, God willing.
The schools are now closed due to holiday season. This means that the children are on their own outside all day.
The Earthquake Aftershocks
Almost every day or night there are unexpected rumblings with tremblings of 4-5 on the Richter scale. This brings continued fear to the population. The building infrastructure is crumbling and weak. Kaviraj says these do not appear to be doing further damage to the house. They can expect the aftershocks for at least one year according to an updated scientific analysis by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Water is Precious
The only safe drinking water is purchased bottled water. All other useable water must first be boiled, that includes for bathing and cooking.
News media say the rainy season will not start for another month. But, this is only indicative of the major heavy rainstorms. The rains have started for an hour or two each day.
Electricity and Power
Energy is intermittent. Municipal power comes for one or or so each day, and then turns off as suddenly as it comes on. Fortunately, they have the small generator. Even when they will get the water truck supply onto the roof, they do not know that the pump will be in working order.
Heightened Epidemic Risks
A recent report says that Malaria will increase due to overcrowding in the tent cities, inadequate shelter and sanitation, overburdened medical facilities, and ruptured sewer systems. The clean up of the damaged areas is slow to non-existent. The stench from rotting bodies under the rubble fills the air. Improvised open-air rainwater baskets are good habitats for mosquitoes that carry disease. Reports indicate that insecticidal nets and distribution of drugs will be their answer. We must teach them about the homeopathic malarial remedies. So far, we have not heard reports of these epidemic diseases in the locations that have been visited by our team.
The other potential risk diseases include typhoid, dysentery, measles, tuberculosis, influenza, dengue fever and other respiratory illnesses.
The death toll now climbs to 300,000 and if contagious disease begins that number may go higher. Due to the aftershocks, people cannot go inside the fragile buildings and 700,000 are living outdoors in make-shift tents and tarps.
You Should Be Proud
Our tiny little group with little resources has acted quickly. This rapid response team can help thousands of people. They can send out bottles of remedies to tent cities. Based on news this week, there has been delayed action in establishing tent cities and much needed medical assistance.
This effort to resettle 1.2 million Haitians is not happening fast enough. Officials are sending people back to the damaged neighborhoods, where they have no water, shelter, or support systems.
Thankfully, they are well stocked for basic foods of rice, pasta, dried fruits and nuts. Vegetables are readily available at the marketplaces.
Treating The Sick and Injured
How can you treat 600 people a day? Using keynote signatures. The team asks questions and those who respond get into a group to be administered their remedy selection.
A wide variety of remedies are needed. Aconite, pulsatilla, lycopodium, argent-nit, nitricum-acid, sepia, natrum mur, sulphur, thuja and many more.
The Population and History of Haiti
Did you realize that over 50% of the population in Haiti
is under 21 years of age? They are one of the youngest populated countries on the planet.
Kaviraj was perturbed by the hundreds of soldiers who do
not seem to be doing anything to lend a hand. They are there, supposedly to maintain order, and to prevent riots and violence. However, Kaviraj mentioned that everything is peaceful. He explained that the people are submissive in nature.
Recent Independence of Haiti
Their nation developed from a history of slavery, and Haiti only became an independent free state 1804 when Britain fought France under Napoleon Bonaparte’s regime. Then in 1957, a new dictator, François 'Papa Doc' Duvalier was elected as President in Haiti and ruled until his death in 1971. Papa Doc even used a torture chamber constructed in the basement of his palace in Port au Prince to watch people suffer and established his own secret police force. After the death of Papa Doc, his son Baby Doc followed in his footsteps as a despot.
There is No violence, Riots or Disorderly
People the people of Haiti have been living in great poverty and persecution for many Now you can understand why Kavi says these people are very submissive in their behavior. They were not provided much of an education, the cities were poorly constructed, and the economy was in shambles. So, now they must rebuild from the very bottom up.
Thanksgiving During These Festive Holidays
I personally want to send gratitude to those who have already contributed remedies and monetary donations. I will be getting ready to send the HWC team a new Western Union soon. Please give now, so I can include your donation.
HWC has not yet attained non-profit status.
Please understand this is a pure giving opportunity
Help Establish A Homeopathic Clinic in Haiti.
We need to reach our goal of $5000.
Congratulations Jana Shiloh & Heidi Stevenson
HOME & GARDEN AGROHOMEOPATHY BOOK
DRAWING OF WINNER WILL BE MIDNIGHT FEBRUARY 28, 2010 | <urn:uuid:cab9cb19-00c3-450d-94af-f09d29d9717e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://homeopathyworldcommunity.com/group/haitidisasterrelief/forum/topics/hwc-relief-effort-february-28?page=2&commentId=3101571%3AComment%3A63997&x=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959381 | 1,344 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Some of the most traded fish for consumption are tilapia, tarpon, sabalete and sawfish. The gaspar is traditionally eaten as a traditional dish at Easter. In the photo below, Alex, one of our chefs at Jicaro, is preparing a meal of guapote, another species found in the Lake which is highly coveted for its exquisite taste.
One of the many activities we offer at Jicaro is the opportunity to try out "artisanal fishing". During your stay at Jicaro you will notice fishermen in their wooden boats using fishing lines or nets to catch fish. You can have this same opportunity by exploring the beautiful “isletas” in search of the perfect fish and learning from your captain about life on these little islands. If you catch a good fish like tilapia, snook or rainbow bass, you can bring it back home to the lodge and our Chef will be happy to prepare it for you. | <urn:uuid:6f5a5444-312a-43a9-ac83-aa0fd933f950> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.jicarolodge.com/2011/04/lake-nicaraguas-underwater-world.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959644 | 197 | 1.546875 | 2 |
A lyrical lynch mobb
The context here is lyrical. In the literal sense mob means “a crowd bent on or engaged in lawless violence”. To my understanding Mob is a term often connected to the italian mafia.
To help improve the meaning of these lyrics, visit "100 Bars" by Canibus Lyrics and leave a comment on the lyrics box | <urn:uuid:9b706f27-3765-4223-8c65-4ed20cd5b342> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://rapgenius.com/161265/Canibus-100-bars/A-lyrical-lynch-mobb | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939537 | 79 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Due to the rapid development of the area between them, Athens and Piraeus have really become one big city, the boundaries between them being more of an administrative nature rather than real ones. The city of Piraeus, planned by the architect Ippodamos from Melos, was built in the middle of the 5th century B.C. Ippodamos' plans were used as guidelines for replanning the city in 1834.
You can walk around the central harbour, shared by cargo and passenger ships alike, and watch the constant comings and goings of goods and people from around the world. Then, continue your walk to Kastella, a hill full of beautiful houses, with a great view of the Saronic Gulf and visit the city's archaeological Museum. In Mikrolimano you can treat yourselves to an ouzo accompanied by seafood mezedes, in one of its many tavernas and restaurants. People from all over Attica come here for a meal of fresh fish. In the afternoon, a stroll around the yachts and sailing boats moored in the marina Zeas, can prove to be very beneficial to the weary traveller. If the night finds you in the area, you can try one of the many bars found nearby. The pace of life in Piraeus is set by the sea, which seems to encompass the whole city. Actually it once did, as Piraeus was an island in ancient times. Travellers were then ferried from the mainland to the island (the verb in Greek being: die-perae-ounto) and this is probably how its name came to be Piraeus.
Its ancient name was Kantharos and nowadays it is the centre of the city's life. This is where you will get a ferry to all of the Aegean islands (with the exception of the ones belonging to the Sporades) and Crete.
Zea's marina is the place where some of the most impressive yachts and cruisers in Greece are moored. The coastline is full of restaurants, tavernas, bars and shops catering for the needs of yachtsmen. This is also where you will find the Flying Dolphins (hovercrafts) if you want to go to the Saronic Gulf islands.
This port, once protected by the goddess Mounichia Artemis is today a popular hang-out for tourists. It is a lovely little harbour full of fishing boats, small vessels and some very beautiful yachts. If you like fish and seafood, try one of its famous tavernas.
Built on a hill which is also known as Prophetis Elias, Kastella is Piraeus' most fashionable neighbourhood. If you walk towards the top of the hill you will find yourselves in narrow streets surrounded by picturesque houses. The view of the central harbour, Zea and Mikrolimano, from here Is unique.
It dominates one of the city's central squares. It was built in the 1880s. Korai Square in front of it, is one of the spots most frequented by the residents of Piraeus and is their favourite meeting place.
A flea market like the Athenian one of Monastiraki. One can find real bargains here. It takes place every Sunday on Dragatsaniou and Mavromichali Streets.
The Piraeus Museum contains objects, mainly sculptures, discovered in Piraeus and the area of the Attic coast. The exhibits are representative of the history, the acme and decline of the ancient city.
Pay particular attention to the five bronze statues discovered in Piraeus in 1959: The Archaic Kouros-Apollo, two statues of Artemis, the Piraeus Athena and a tragic mask (4th century B.C.).
You will find it on Akti Moutsopoulou and its exhibits cover 3,000 years or so of Greek naval history. | <urn:uuid:070c1a8f-d83d-452b-bde5-c088d97bd480> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.focusmm.com/greece/pirae_1.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962024 | 801 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Puppies can make you feel complete, teach the kids responsibility and even add some excitement around the house. Find everything you need to know about owning a puppy from the big decision ‘til he’s all grown up right here!
The Big Decision
The decision to get a new puppy is an exciting time for any family! Make sure to choose a puppy whose personality fits in with your family. Then, stock up on supplies and puppy proof your house before bringing your new family member home. You don’t want him to sniff out your favorite shoes!
Try our FAMILY DOG FINDER to find the puppy that's right for your family!
Becoming a Dog Family
Having a new puppy around is going to be tons of fun, but remember that the first few days lay the groundwork for a long, happy life to come. Be a leader for your new puppy, and help him adjust to his new home and family slowly. That means giving him lots of hugs and kisses!
It's time to start training!
Learn how to get the whole family involved with our Puppy Training Videos.View All Training Videos »
They grow up before you know it, but do you know just how fast? It takes children 14 years to do all of the growing and developing that your puppy will do in just one year (2 for large breeds)! With all of that growth, you better believe he has special nutritional needs! Be sure to feed him a complete and balanced dog food that’s specially formulated for puppies.
Dog Family Fun
The best part about becoming a dog family is all of the family bonding and fun you’re going to have! Set aside at least 30-45 minutes a day for family exercise and play. Games like fetch and find-the-toy are great ways to teach your puppy retrieving, searching and obedience skills. Your whole family can even benefit from taking after dinner walks and running around in the park. This is just the start of a healthy, happy life together.
Now that your puppy is all grown up, you’re off to the next stage of your long and happy life together. Your family should still enjoy lots of exercise and play everyday, and you should think about switching to a complete and balanced adult dog food like Purina® Dog Chow® that will provide your dog with the nutrition he needs for years to come.
You Should Read: | <urn:uuid:614bd54f-43e2-491d-8016-7a3fb6a4c059> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://dogchow.com/puppyhood | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962016 | 495 | 1.5625 | 2 |
The 500-pound steer, a tri-colored brindle with a black face, is coming from a ranch in Illinois. Johnston Legal Group, a Fort Worth law firm that is a member of the Herd board, bought him from a Texas Longhorn breeder and donated him to the Herd, Kristin Jaworski, the Herd’s trail boss, said.
Texas Red is the 19th steer in the Herd, joining recent newcomers James and Joel, donated by a farm in Missouri.
The Herd will look to retire one of its older steers to keep its numbers at 18, Jaworski said.
"I want to use 16 every day and have a couple of spares," she said.
Texas Red, who currently has just nubs for horns, will be an important addition to the Herd’s youth educational programs, Jaworski said.
His horns will reach full length at age 10, so children will be able to see the difference between Texas Red and a mature Longhorn.
"This’ll give the kids an opportunity to learn more about the Texas Longhorn," she said.
Former Fort Worth City Councilman Jim Lane headed up the formation of the Herd in 1999 to honor the city’s heritage. The Herd initially started at 15 steers, one for each decade of the city’s history, and grew from there.
The Longhorns take a twice-daily stroll through the Fort Worth Stockyards and are a popular tourist attraction.
- Scott Nishimura, Star-Telegram Fort Worth City Hall reporter | <urn:uuid:23aaa1e4-def5-4cd1-8fd4-6cfd77b9d57f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.star-telegram.com/politex/2012/10/fort-worth-herd-adding-another-new-steer-texas-red-from-illinois.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949658 | 330 | 1.578125 | 2 |
REPORT: The 2014 Super Bowl might get played on a Saturday
People familiar with New York and New Jersey weather already know that February 2 is not always a banner day for sunny and pleasant conditions. February 2 is a date more conducive to storms that are given nicknames like "Nemo", "Snowicane", and "That One in 1978 that You Kids are Too Little to Remember".
The NFL is determined to not get caught flat-footed like they were at this year's Super Bowl power outage. Sports Business Daily dug into the NFL's extreme weather contingency plans for Super Bowl XLVIII, and finds that NFL is considering moving the Super Bowl to Saturday in the possibility of inclement weather.
"The league is considering various options that include the possibility of delaying the contest several days in the event of a weather emergency on game day," writes the crack reporting team of Daniel Kaplan, Terry Lefton, and John Ourand. "The league even could decide to play the game on Saturday if faced with an ominous forecast."
Listen, I can handle the idea of a Super Bowl being played on a Saturday. I cannot, however, handle the idea of performers like Madonna and Beyonce covering up their cleavage and thighs because of cold weather.
The NFL has held Super Bowls in cold weather cities before, like those Super Bowls played in Indianapolis, Detroit, and Minnesota. And you probably remember back in 2011 when Dallas was hit by a snowstorm the weekend they were hosting Super Bowl XLV.
Those are all cities with domed stadiums or retractable domes. MetLife Stadium does not have a dome, making this the first-ever outdoor Super Bowl in a cold weather city.
But at least at MetLife Stadium you don't have to worry about the dome roof collapsing underneath all the snow. | <urn:uuid:872be445-e23b-45bb-a7e7-b2e88617690f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.faniq.com/blog/REPORT-NFL-may-move-Super-Bowl-to-Saturday-Blog-61838 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971889 | 369 | 1.734375 | 2 |
A young girl was trudging along a mountain path, trying to reach her grandmother’s house. It was bitter cold, and the wind cut like a knife. When she was within sight of her destination, she heard a rustle at her feet. Looking down, she saw a snake. Before she could move, the snake spoke to her. He said, “I am about to die. It is too cold for me up here, and I am freezing. There is no food in these mountains, and I am starving. Please put me under your coat and take me with you.”
“No,” replied the girl. “I know your kind. You are a rattlesnake. If I pick you up, you will bite me, and your bite is poisonous.”
“No, no,” said the snake. “If you help me, you will be my best friend. I will treat you differently.”
The little girl sat down on a rock for a moment to rest and think things over. She looked at the beautiful markings on the snake and had to admit that it was the most beautiful snake she had ever seen.
Suddenly, she said, “I believe you. I will save you. All living things deserve to be treated with kindness.”
The little girl reached over, put the snake gently under her coat and proceeded toward her grandmother’s house.
Within a moment, she felt a sharp pain in her side. The snake had bitten her.
“How could you do this to me?” she cried. “You promised that you would not bite me, and I trusted you!”
“You knew what I was when you picked me up,” hissed the snake as he slithered away.
The last few weeks and months I have been thinking back to my own dating experiences. I was fortunate in many respects in that my dating career *clears throat* provided me the opportunity to learn what I wanted and what I didn’t want in a relationship. Some items were negotiable and some were non-negotiable. One thing that I can confess to you ladies is that I tried many times to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear when it came to men and relationships. Don’t know what I mean? Well, I have tried to convert many of the variations of the following: the commitment phobe, the bad boy, the playa’, the artist (Aw baby…I’m just trying to get my thing together), the substance abuser (alcohol), and the gym-shoe wearing guy. Each of these types deserves their own post, but I have learned this lesson well…when people show you who they are, believe them. Mother whit also says “a leopard doesn’t change his spots.”
I wasted a lot of time and emotional energy thinking that “love would conquer all” and that “I can change him.” I never said these things out loud but my behavior showed that I felt that “I can change him and that I can make him different.” Ladies, take it from me, you can’t. Don’t try.
People typically develop patterns and habits of relating that are ingrained and that are predictable. These patterns don’t change on their own. They are predictable, so if we are discerning and watchful, these patterns and habits will be made clear!! Watch and listen!! The man who has had a string of fiance`s whom he has left at the altar won’t change because of your love. The man who is a chronic and pathological womanizer won’t change because of your love (and whatever root you attempt to put on him). I could go on, but you get the point. Don’t even waste your time, your energy or your resources to convert of reform him. It doesn’t work, and there is sooooo much better for you out there.
So, as you get on the path toward having a husband find you (yes, he finds you, but I am not talking about sitting at home “waiting on the Lawd” unless you plan to date and marry the UPS man) I want to encourage you to get your team together. These are the women who can regularly meet you for coffee and who can support you and in turn also hold you accountable to your goals. Some great books to kind of organize your discussions would be The Rules, (of course) andFinding Mr. Right and Avoiding Mr. Wrong (Arterburn).
When I was preparing for marriage, I had a group of older women who essentially mentored me towards the altar. These women were married, they shared my faith, they supported and encouraged my desire to be married and they helped me to identify the “snakes on the road.” These were women who poured into me wise counsel. I am praying that each womanwho sincerely desires to be married in the near future would find a group of SAFE Women***. (For clarification on what I mean by ”Safe People” read Henry Clouds “Safe People” it is excellent)
These women are your team and they are women who first of all support and affirm your desire to be married!!! These are the women with whom you can confide with what is going on. These women should share your values, who don’t/won’t judge you and who can listen and discern and help you to properly “vet” the man or men** (smile) in your life because she is not emotionally involved or attached. These women can be married of single. It really doesn’t matter. Most importantly though is that they see that marriage as a blessing and also it is not a reward for good behavior.
I can think back to being on an emotional roller-coster with one man in particular. I was wined and dined and he was very emotionally attached to him. He was very charismatic and whenever the relationship seemed to be moving toward a deeper commitment he would pull away. We cycled through this several times. I would break things off with him only to have him chase me again promising marriage and then he would pull back. Finally, one of my friends said to me gently “Karen, he isn’t ready.” Now that I am older, I would be able to spot a guy like him coming. Even reading this, I am struck that I cycled through this relationship as many times as I did. But at the time, I was 20-something and emotionally caught up. Each time the relationship ended, I wound up feeling used and depressed. I am appreciative of supportive women who had the wisdom to tell me to “cut the chord.” These are the women you can call at night after a date or before a date!!!
For example, this woman needed a team:
Cops: Man steals woman’s car on 1st date
Dinner goes from bad to worse when he first skips out on restaurant bill
updated 11:43 p.m. ET, Sat., Aug 29, 2009
FERNDALE, Michigan – A first date went from bad to worse when a man skipped out on the restaurant bill, then stole his date’s car, police said.
Police say 23-year-old Terrance Dejuan McCoy had dinner with a woman April 24 at Buffalo Wild Wings in the Detroit suburb of Ferndale. The woman said the two met a week earlier at a Detroit casino and she knew McCoy only as “Chris.”
The woman told police that McCoy said he left his wallet in her car and asked for keys. He then sped away in the 2000 Chevrolet Impala.
The Daily Tribune of Royal Oak reported that police identified McCoy by a photo he’d sent to the woman’s cell phone, and his phone number.
McCoy was charged with unlawfully taking the car, a five-year felony. He waived a preliminary exam and was bound over for trial Thursday.
Can you even imagine?! I think if this woman had a group of wise women in her life, the scenario MAY have been avoided. After gathering the preliminary information, the scenario may have gone something like this:
Mentor: So where did you meet ______?
Single Lady: At the casino!
Single Lady: Yeah, he seems really nice. I am picking him up Friday and we are going out to eat.
For those of you who are familiar with The Rules, what is it about this date that makes it a big fat “no!”??
On the road of life, we sometimes need tour guides-women who have blazed the trail before us and can point out the potholes and the snakes. We need to have our team because no man is an island and there is wisdom in a multitude of counselors. | <urn:uuid:109cabcb-a1cb-44e3-9cbc-66fb20fdfbd3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mocharulesgirls.wordpress.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982704 | 1,875 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Part 1 is here.
How To Destroy A Country — Part 2
by Paul Weston
The Marxist left/liberals have now completed their Long March Through the Institutions. They claim the varied lunatic policies they enacted were for the benefit of society, but can this really be the case? When viewed through the prism of reality, much of socialism’s ideology appears to have one aim and one aim only: the total destruction of society. This is not an overreaction by any means — if societal destruction was your bag, would you not carry out the following?
Destroy Industry. What is the difference between booming Germany and bankrupt Britain? Simple: Germany manufactures and Britain consumes — but this was not always the case. Britain once had a dominant engineering and ship-building industry, and was Europe’s biggest manufacturer of cars and motor-cycles. It was therefore essential to sabotage our industrial base — our means of production — in order to destroy capitalist Britain. Many Trades Union leaders of the 1950s through to the 1980s were Communists or Communist sympathisers who organised strikes and “downed-tools” so successfully that Britain’s industrial base went to the wall. Writing in the Spectator last year, Douglas Eden outlined the infiltration of British Trades Unions, and how their pro-Soviet ideology was tolerated by Labour Prime Ministers up until the election in 1979 of Margaret Thatcher. Mrs. Thatcher, incidentally, is hated so viscerally by the left/liberals because her defeat of the unions was perceived to have ended the dream of International Communism.
Destroy Education. Having defeated the Unions, Margaret Thatcher, inexplicably, never promoted British industry in the aftermath. She decided instead that Britain’s economy should be based around a Service Industry, which essentially meant paper-shuffling and number-crunching. As paper-shufflers and number-crunchers need to be educated to a reasonable standard, so the left/liberals took their Marxist war against the economy into the classrooms. The British state school curriculum essentially revolves around the Frankfurt School ideology of anti-Western Critical Theory, with traditional education placed second best. An exposé of the overt socialist propaganda in our schools may be read here, but the results of Britain’s progressive educational policies are visible all around us. Semi-literate and semi-numerate university graduates sit atop a pile of the most badly educated young people in Europe, many of whom are completely unemployable, according to the heads of British business — just as was intended by the hard Left, and implemented by their eager armies of liberal Useful Idiots.
Destroy the family. Feminism has often been described as a war against men, but it is more than just that. Feminist ideology is really about war against the family, because families tend to be self-sufficient and therefore less reliant on the state. As Socialism is all about state control, then the family must be smashed.
Betty Friedan, Simone de Beauvoir and Germaine Greer, Communist supporters all, took their dysfunctional ideology from Friedrich Engel’s statement in The Origin of the family: “The modern individual family is founded on the open or concealed slavery of the wife…within the family he is the bourgeois and his wife represents the proletariat.” Germaine Greer is in complete agreement with Engels, and her book The Female Eunuch is essentially a clarion call for destruction, anarchy and Communism, as we can see from the following quote: “Women’s liberation, if it abolishes the patriarchal family, will abolish a necessary structure of the authoritarian state, and once that withers away Marx will have come true willy-nilly, so let’s get on with it.”
Greer goes on to say: “But man made one grave mistake…he admitted women to politics and the professions. The conservatives who saw this as the undermining of our civilisation and the end of the state and marriage were right after all; it is time for the demolition to begin.” Well, thanks, Germaine! The demolition not only began; it is now all but over. Surveys suggest children raised in conventional families are far less likely to go off the rails, but in the Socialist world the ends justify the means, so feminists ignore the broken lives and thwarted ambitions of fatherless, state supported children, particularly those of West Indian origin and the white working-class members of the abandoned proletariat. In addition, brainwashed British women have put abortion and careers before motherhood and give birth to a new generation 25% smaller than their own, which effectively destroys any hope of an equal or growing future tax-payer base to fund the welfare state.
Eradicate Religion. All great civilisations have been built around great religions. Western Civilisation is built on the foundations of Judeo-Christianity, so if Western Civilisation is to be destroyed then its religious pillars must first be undermined. Again, this destructive ethos is derived from Communist ideology. Christianity and Communism are fundamentally incompatible — one is a spiritual creed, the other materialist. Christianity lays down that a man’s responsibility to his neighbour is personal, a matter for his individual conscience, while communism decrees that all duties are collective, to be enforced by the state. Karl Marx stated:
“The social principles of Christianity preach cowardice, self-contempt, abasement, submission, humility. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.”
Communists believed the Ten Commandments to be a form of “class morality” that served only the interests of the Bourgeoisie. Anatole Lunarcharsky, a Russian Commissar of education declared: We hate Christianity and Christians…they preach love of one’s neighbours and mercy, which is contrary to our principles. Christian love is an obstacle to the development of the Revolution! What we want is hate, only then can we conquer the world.
In Britain, Christianity is not outlawed, just sidelined, sneered at, and its practice sometimes criminalised. The persecution of British Christians has reached such a level that in 2010 Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, and six prominent bishops, penned an open letter to the Labour government stating: “We are deeply concerned at the apparent discrimination shown against Christians and we call on the Government to remedy this serious development. In a number of cases, Christian beliefs on marriage, conscience and worship are simply not being upheld. There have been numerous dismissals of practising Christians from employment for reasons that are unacceptable in a civilised country.”
Perhaps Lord Carey actually understands that the Marxist elites in Britain share the same hatred of Christianity, for precisely the same reasons, as did the Communists. The BBC recently appointed a controversial Muslim, Aaqil Ahmed, to head up their religious affairs department.
In 2006 the BBC was shamed into rewriting an anti-Christian pro-Islamic text aimed at schoolchildren, which described Christianity as a religion of racism, sexism, colonialism, enslavement and murder, whilst Islam, with its arranged marriages, honour killings and second class status for women under Sharia law, was deemed a female friendly religion. Britain’s left/liberal elites clearly consider Christianity to be an impediment to the ideology of the New Socialist Man they seem intent on building.
Eradicate Morality. There is little point in eradicating religion without ensuring the concomitant destruction of morality, hence the invention of moral relativism which argues there is no such thing as right or wrong. Lenin invoked the same ideology, but did so in a more honest manner when he said, “Morality is that which furthers the revolution.” The Marxists and liberal/left who now control the education and media establishments in Britain know that massive social change cannot be brought about by outright revolution, so realise that anarchy must first prevail — just as espoused by Georg Lukacs. A sure-fire way to create an anarchic situation is to remove the young from the codes of behaviour that religion and morality demand.
Destroy the Community. Like families, communities tend toward self-sufficiency and are the bed-rock of Nation States. The community is simply part of a chain — family, community, village, town, city, country, nation state. Communities are capable of acting together in defiance of the State — ergo, they too must be smashed. How to do so? Demolish streets of family houses and build impersonal blocks; close down local schools and hospitals and build mega-versions controlled by faceless bureaucrats rather than locally known people; close local Post Offices where the elderly meet and gossip once a week; outlaw smoking and make pubs (the nerve centres of individual resistance) prohibitively expensive. In short, fragment and isolate the population so they feel alone and powerless before the all-powerful state and its ever growing army of interfering bureaucrats.
Destroy the Middle-Class. Shortly after the jailed dissident turned president Vaclav Havel came to power in Czechoslovakia in 1989, he stated that the rebuilding of Socialism’s shattered economic, moral, spiritual and environmental forty-year catastrophe could not take place until a new middle-class had formed. This is exactly right. The middle classes are the backbone of any functioning democracy. They pay taxes; they participate in their children’s education; they form committees and pressure groups; they raise money for local causes; they are self-sufficient and require little or nothing from the State. Such independent actions make them an acute threat to the State and must therefore be smashed. Disguised as the promotion of a “Classless Society” Britain’s middle-classes have been systematically traduced by the educational and media establishments, because they represent the bourgeoisie in ideology, if not in income.
Destroy the Working Class. Britain has been importing a low-skilled “workforce” from less developed countries for decades, whilst simultaneously exporting low-skilled jobs abroad. Whilst it is pleasant for highly paid BBC liberals to employ cheap nannies and cleaners, the working class find themselves in direct competition with immigrants, which is an area where they simply cannot compete. A Polish builder who works for half the rate of a British builder does not have to pay a mortgage or support a family, and is happy living fifteen to a house for a few years before moving back to Poland with a large pot of money. Big business has no problem with this, nor do the Left/liberal elites who are happy to create an unemployed British under-class which can be relied on to keep foolishly voting for them, simply because they offer the highest rewards for enforced unemployment.
Destroy The Nation State. This is more about the European Union than internal British politics, but it is very important. The Unelected Commissars who run the EU are fully aware they cannot control fully-functioning Nation States, which is why the United Kingdom has been broken up into twelve regions. The recent Labour government even went so far as to appoint Regional Ministers for each area. This destruction of our ancient counties and governance — with the word “England” actually removed from EU maps — is otherwise known as “Divide and Rule.”
To be continued…
Paul Weston is Chairman of the British Freedom Party.
Previous posts by Paul Weston: | <urn:uuid:978bf0bb-ed89-40db-8f49-cde26e93095f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://gatesofvienna.blogspot.com/2012/01/how-to-destroy-country-part-2.html?showComment=1326863037922 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957914 | 2,348 | 1.578125 | 2 |
BlaKK wrote:LOL @ dude and his nazi linguistics.
HIV and AIDS in South Africa are a major health concern. HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is the retrovirus that causes the disease known as AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome). South Africa has more people with HIV/AIDS than any other country.] Many are treated at South Africa's Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, the world's largest hospital.
Most researchers believe that HIV originated in sub-Saharan Africa during the twentieth century. The South African National HIV Survey estimated that 10.8% of all South Africans over 2 years old were living with HIV in 2005 . Furthermore, the ASSA2003 model estimates that 345,640 South Africans died of AIDS in 2006
MOGADISHU, Somalia (Reuters) -- Somali insurgents dragged soldiers' bodies through the streets of Mogadishu before burning them on Wednesday in heavy fighting that killed at least 13 people and injured scores more, witnesses said.
The corpses of five soldiers -- either from the Somali government army or their Ethiopian allies -- were desecrated during some of the worst clashes in the lawless capital since the interim government took over in December, witnesses said.
In one place, men dragged two semi-naked corpses by the feet while members of a crowd chanting "God is Great" kicked and pelted them with stones, a Reuters reporter said
johnnnny wrote:^--- and people wonder why there moving to north america.....
-when they say go back, and people are confused at why they say no.....
-this would be a HUGE reason not to go back
se11 wrote:thousands of blacks all over africa, haiti, and sout america would love to espace poverty wherever they are and come to america, and what is your advice to them? they come here and drive cabs, and wash cars to make $12 an hour to have a better life because where they come from is so _____, and your saying all this shit about how truely opressed you are. if you were born in #%@&#%@ south africa or the congo, you'd have a totally different attitude on america. but, because you were born here, just like every other SPOILED AMERICAN, you only think of yourself
Mcminister wrote:african hospitals are so bad....some people get shot in the legs and die bleeding in the hospital
i got family members who went to hte hospital and died off of nimonia not coz the doctors cudnt cure them but jst coz they didnt kno wat it was
In recent years over three hundred dispossessed white farmers left Zimbabwe at the invitation of the Zambian government and have taken up farming in the southern region.
johnnnny wrote:Not all africans in africa are racist, take this note from wikipedia for exampleIn recent years over three hundred dispossessed white farmers left Zimbabwe at the invitation of the Zambian government and have taken up farming in the southern region.
compare the white population of zimbavwe(0.3%) to zambia (1%), Mugabe is a #%@&#%@ psycho...... Not everyone in Africa hates whites....
The Zambia government supported the blacks in south africa and it APPEARS they dont hold grudges to white people.... mabye im wrong
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests | <urn:uuid:4f4d74cf-0f75-4133-ab26-fdccfa093930> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.streetgangs.com/billboard/viewtopic.php?f=235&t=16123&start=100 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953017 | 727 | 1.804688 | 2 |
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A hand is a strange thing: It's delicate, intricately composed of dozens of tiny bones and tissues, tendons and ligaments. And damage to one, be it chronic pain or a traumatic injury, can be life altering.
That's why Scott Ciaccia likes it.
Ciaccia is a hand and upper extremities specialist in orthopedics with the Charleston Area Medical Center Physician's Group. He's the only hand specialist at CAMC, and a relatively new addition to Charleston; He's been here since August.
Ciaccia works in orthopedics, that's the branch of medicine that deals with deformities in bones or muscles. But he was drawn to a specialization in the upper extremities because of all the soft tissue we have in our hands.
"I was most intrigued probably by my love for orthopedics and the carpentry that goes into it — how you keep something stable, what you need to protect," he said. "All those things are still present in hands but you have this whole soft tissue aspect that comes out of plastic surgery too, and that's interesting."
Before Ciaccia came to the area, people were still getting their hand troubles treated, sometimes through referrals to far-off specialists, but often through plastic surgeons locally. But he thinks his background in orthopedics prompts him to look at problems in a different way, a way that can benefit patients in many cases.
It's rewarding work, he said, because of the simplicity of many of the procedures he uses, and the rewards that those procedures reap for patients.
"They're quick," he said of his techniques. "They're elegant in design and the patients find value in that."
Carpal tunnel syndrome, for example, can be debilitating for patients, causing extreme pain in the wrist and hand leading to limited use of the extremity. But the solution is relatively simple and pain free — and often improves the quality of a patient's life manifold.
A lot of what Ciaccia does is deal with that type of procedure, simple fixes for chronic conditions. But another portion of what he does deals with traumatic injuries to the extremities. Since coming to West Virginia he's certainly seen coal miners with crushed digits from mining accidents, and had to go in and rebuild the limb.
"It's everything from the most horrific trauma and even the need for replantation to the simple things like the older lady with carpal tunnel," he said. "It's just kind of neat."
There are certainly complications at times, but generally the work is associated with good outcomes and satisfied patients, he said. And satisfied patients mean a satisfied doctor.
Contact writer Shay Maunz at [email protected] or 304-348-4886. | <urn:uuid:2e506f03-fbd4-4445-a0b1-2ba64eea7bda> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dailymail.com/foodandliving/201302140266 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971065 | 584 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Send in the Clowns: Celebrities Take Over Indonesian PoliticsShut down the Institute of Governance Studies and close the State Administration Academies. Send the students to study acting at the Jakarta Art Institute instead.
The way regional elections are going in Indonesia today, the stars of the sinetron (soap operas) are more likely to succeed in politics than their better qualified peers.
The Institute of Governance Studies (IIP) and State Administration Academies (APDN) are the institutions that traditionally provided capable candidates for regional elections. APDN graduates used to work as sub-district chiefs, while those from IIP became regency or district chiefs .
But now, that logic has been turned upside down. To become a regent or district chief, mayor or governor, one does not have to attend APDN or IIP, because popularity rather than academic qualifications is what counts in today’s regional elections in Indonesia.
This euphemistic conclusion was raised by a friend at a Jakarta coffee shop this week as we discussed why it was so easy for celebrities to sell their platform during elections, even when they do not meet rational requirements such as knowledge of state governance and bureaucratic leadership experience.
Entertainment stars can easily beat graduates of APDN and IIP in today’s political landscape. A high-school graduate who plays a role in a soap opera can attract more votes than a state administration expert, or even a US-educated PhD graduate. Put them together in a regional election, and the experts are sure to lose.
The reason is because in Indonesia today, academic qualifications, global vision, integrity and leadership capacity are not what drives the people to elect a candidate. Instead, what matters is the popularity that comes from his or her appearances in television shows, films, music concerts and on studio albums. The mass media amplifies such gimmicks and, to some extent, makes the problem even worse.
That is why dangdut singer and musician Rhoma Irama is moving ahead against all odds to become a 2014 presidential candidate — though skeptics say he won’t have a chance against the better-qualified opposition.
Political parties are mandated by law to conduct proper civic education and groom members to fill legislative and executive bureaucratic positions. Instead, they are simply riding on the popularity of celebrities without even bothering to upgrade the qualities of these vote-getters.
If a celebrity is believed to be a good magnet for voters, the least a party could do is upgrade his or her capabilities. Instead, parties today feel a greater obligation to upgrade the popularity of candidates than their ability to do the job.
Look at the track records of Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Clint Eastwood and many other American movie stars turned political leaders. Being movie stars propelled instead of obstructed their rise to executive positions.
In Indonesia’s experience, it is a confusing mixture. Sometimes politicians are the jockeys and parties the horses, sometimes it is the other way round. Some political parties ride on the popularity of their members, while others are ridden on by those who act like corporate owners or heirs of a dynasty.
As a result, proper candidate grooming is depressingly absent, leaving Indonesia with the problem of finding the right candidates to fill many positions in both the legislative and executive branches of government. This explains why finding a proper presidential candidate is now considered a luxury in Indonesia.
A further consequence is that we will continue to have a weak House of Representatives, because the human resources provided by political parties will continue to be far from qualified. And a weak parliament can only produce a lot of rubbish.
A senior lawyer in a private meeting on Friday with a parliamentary leader, during which the Jakarta Globe was also present, said that in its history, the Indonesian parliament had produced approximately 600 laws, some 100 of which were full of errors. The laws had many legal defects because the lawmakers involved did not have sufficient knowledge of the content and background for legislation.
Why has this happened? Because the lawmakers prefer to rely on their narrow-minded perceptions of the bills instead of finding the experts on Indonesian campuses to draft them properly.
More than 32,000 PhD holders, professors, and well-qualified experts are there in the academic world, but their expertise is not being used or even respected as a national asset by lawmakers.
When clowns produce laws, the result must be fascinating — because at the end of the day, the Constitutional Court will annul them. And that’s what has happened.
During the term of Mahfud M.D. as chief judge, 60 laws have already been annulled, simply because they ran counter to the Constitution — not a big surprise to me.
Because Indonesian legislators are incapable of producing sound laws, even though the country has been freed from colonial powers for almost 68 years, it still relies heavily on the laws that were produced by the Dutch colonial government. The criminal code, for instance, was produced in the 1800s and is still being used to date.
The bottom line of this thesis is the question of how to produce credible political leaders and lawmakers.
Legally, it is the duty of political parties to groom such human resources to run the state. Alas, according to opinion polls, political parties are the “least trustworthy” institutions in the country, though they claim to represent the public.
The House of Representatives, which is the product of political parties, is just as unreliable because “70 percent of House members are carriers of disaster,” according to its own speaker, Marzuki Alie.
That means we have allowed our laws to be written and adopted by unqualified lawmakers, who claim to have the legitimacy as the people’s representatives.
A bigger tragedy is that nobody in the state leadership thinks this is wrong.
To correct the situation, political parties must upgrade their recruitment procedures to enable qualified politicians to contest elections. The parties must make it compulsory for members to compete in visionary ideas and problem-solving concepts through party conventions, and this mechanism must be mandated by law.
In this way, politicians who will later fill executive and legislative positions will be qualified people known for their state governance expertise, visionary ideas, problem-solving concepts and leadership capacity.
To make this happen, a starting point would be to amend the law on political parties to include mandatory requirements for the parties to conduct proper recruitment of members based on academic qualifications, integrity, global vision and leadership traits.
The parties must cooperate with universities to set objective criteria for the selection of its members.
Parties must also be obliged to conduct leadership conventions, so that the appointment of leaders is based on fit and proper tests that are open to the public, including presentation of a visionary national development strategy and concrete problem-solving concepts — unlike what is happening today, where only financiers or top leaders of political parties can put themselves forward as candidates.
Once the right filtering measures are in place, the casting process can truly begin.
Pitan Daslani is a senior political correspondent at BeritaSatu Media Holdings of which the Jakarta Globe is a subsidiary. | <urn:uuid:efef3dca-4bc7-465d-b264-27b9d8277be2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://kerrycollison.blogspot.com/2013/01/send-in-clowns-celebrities-take-over.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968634 | 1,455 | 1.757813 | 2 |
Young people are being offered the chance to try out a range of watersports activities for free at a one-day watersports festival being organised by the Isle of Wight Council.
‘Making Waves’ will take place between 0930 – 1630 on Saturday 11 September along East Cowes seafront. The event aims to encourage young people onto the water to take part in regular healthy activities afloat and raise awareness of the wide range of watersport opportunities on the Island for young people.
The event is being supported by a host of top Island watersports organisations who will be offering taster sessions in sailing, windsurfing, kayaking and paddleboarding. The water based coaching sessions are available to young people aged eight or over, however, the council play ranger team will be offering land based water themed activities for children.
Sailing and Windsurfing simulators will be on the shore for those people who wish to experience the sport first on dry land.
Those taking part should wear clothing and shoes that can get wet (no denim), and if possible waterproof jacket and trousers. Buoyancy aids will be provided and all activities are run by fully accredited and trained coaches. It is recommended that participants are able to swim.
Places on each taster session will be limited throughout the day so booking is essential when arriving at the event. Each of the sports will be running a number of coaching sessions during the day.
For further information please contact Isle of Wight Council’s Sports Unit on 823818. | <urn:uuid:43ad591f-da99-4f88-9671-258f2538ff0f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://iwchronicle.co.uk/2010/09/watersports-activities-on-offer-for-young-people/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950711 | 310 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Tony Smith has a pretty great article in today’s Post. I’m just going to quote a bunch of it:
Iraq had flustered the congressional Democrats because Democrats don’t have an agreed position on what America’s role in the world should be. They want to change the Bush administration’s policy in Iraq without discussing the underlying ideas that produced it. And although they now cast themselves as alternatives to President Bush, the fact is that prevailing Democratic doctrine is not that different from the Bush-Cheney doctrine.
Many Democrats, including senators who voted to authorize the war in Iraq, embraced the idea of muscular foreign policy based on American global supremacy and the presumed right to intervene to promote democracy or to defend key U.S. interests long before 9/11, and they have not changed course since. Even those who have shifted against the war have avoided doctrinal questions.
But without a coherent alternative to the Bush doctrine, with its confidence in America’s military preeminence and the global appeal of “free market democracy,” the Democrats’ midterm victory may not be repeated in November 2008. Or, if the Democrats do win in 2008, they could remain staked to a vision of a Pax Americana strikingly reminiscent of Bush’s. . . .
The early positions of the 2008 Democratic presidential candidates illustrate their party’s problem. The front-runner, Hillary Clinton, has not moved from her traditional support of the DLC’s basic position — she criticizes the conduct of the war, but not the idea of the war. Former senator John Edwards and Sen. Barack Obama are more outspoken; both call the war a serious mistake, but neither has articulated a vision for a more modest U.S. role in the world generally.
It isn’t easy to offer a true alternative. The challenges to world order are many, as are the influential special interests in this country that want an aggressive policy: globalizing corporations, the military-industrial complex, the pro-Israel lobbies, those who covet Middle Eastern oil. The nationalist conviction that we are indeed “the indispensable nation” will continue to tempt our leaders to overplay their hand. The danger lies in believing that our power is beyond challenge, that the righteousness of our goals is beyond question and that the real task is not to reformulate our role in the world so much as to assert more effectively a global American peace.
As I say, I agree. | <urn:uuid:6e6038de-ac4f-4aa3-934e-47fe89cf8c1f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thinkprogress.org/yglesias/2007/03/11/178744/a_lazy_post/?mobile=nc | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937383 | 512 | 1.625 | 2 |
“We thought we’d see a little snow,” McNeel recalled this week. “We saw a lot of snow.”
McNeel and five of his friends, who brought along four dogs, didn’t realize what they were getting into when they packed up their pickups and left Marietta on Friday March 13, 1993. They are among many Cobb residents who won’t forget the blizzard that hit 20 years ago this week.
“We weren’t too smart as kids,” McNeel recalled this week. “We really didn’t have a plan.”
The friends drove about five miles off the main road, where they set up a campground. The snow was coming down softly when they went to bed around 2 a.m. When they woke up Saturday morning, McNeel said their tents had caved in and trees were down everywhere.
“We were lucky no one was killed,” said McNeel, who was fresh out of college and working at his family’s business, McNeel Builders Inc, at the time.
Challenge in Cobb County
The group was stuck in a blizzard, dubbed the “storm of the century.” The storm hit Cobb County that Friday with 50 mph wind gusts and sleet and rain that turned to snow early Saturday when temperatures dropped into the low 30s. A wind chill factor of 10-to-20 degrees below zero was felt Saturday night. Cobb received between 8 and 10 inches of snow, while the north Georgia mountains saw up to 20 inches. The storm killed more than 100 people, six of them in Georgia.
Back in Cobb, officials were dealing with snowed over roads, and more than 3,350 911 emergency calls, mostly on Saturday. County Manager David Hankerson, who had just taken the job on about a month earlier, remembers riding the streets with then-transportation director Jim Croy to see the work county employees were doing to get the roads ready when people started heading back to work Monday.
Hankerson said it was a blessing that the snow came early in the weekend, giving the county time to prepare.
“You’ve got to have a plan and every one of them is different,” he said. “Even if it’s flooding, even if it’s ice or snow, there’s something different about each one of these.”
Current Marietta Mayor Steve Tumlin, a tax attorney, said he was busy preparing tax returns when the storm hit. He wasn’t able to stop work.
“I couldn’t find the rule where they extended April 15 that year, so I had to keep plugging,” he said.
While he had a four-wheel-drive truck, not many others made it into work, Tumlin said. School was also closed on Monday.
“It was like the world went way back to the 1800s,” he said. “Things slowed down, so it was kind of nice.”
Tumlin did have one issue to deal with. Two of his teenage children had friends sleep over Friday night. They ended up staying for three days.
In the mountains, the Mariettans dug their way out of their tents Saturday, surrounded by snow three to eight feet high and fallen pine trees. They tried in vain to move snow out of the way to allow their four-wheel drive trucks to make it through, only to have the space they just cleared refill with snow. So, on Sunday afternoon, they decided to start walking to try to get help.
“As we trampled through the snow, we realized that walking was a difficult task,” McNeel said.
After walking for about an hour, the young men came upon a cabin. But the sign declaring “All trespassers will be shot on site,” wasn’t exactly welcoming. Still, they decided to knock on the door for help, with McNeel being the lucky one selected to knock.
“He came to the door with a gun pointed at us,” McNeel said.
The mountain man said it would likely be another week before anyone got to the house, which had no electricity, telephone or running water. McNeel said he offered no help.
At that point, the group decided to split up, with McNeel and Trey Ingram continuing to look for help, while Clay and David McKinnon, David Pendergrass and Chattanooga resident Jim Smith, the only non-Mariettan in the group, tried to find their way back to the campsite.
With no food, water or camping gear and darkness falling, McNeel and Ingram hiked another two miles in snow up to three feet high, coming upon another cabin just as they became exhausted. Luckily, the owners of this home were much friendlier than the proprietor of the previous cabin. They let them sit by the fire they had started and sleep in a nearby cabin.
“They were super nice,” McNeel said.
The next morning, McNeel and Ingram hiked into Cisco. At a store there, they hitched a ride to a ranger station, where they were able to point out the location of the campsite on a map.
McNeel and Ingram were able to find a place to sleep in an extra room that was used for storage at a booked-up motel. While they were there, they heard that their friends had been safely airlifted to a hospital in Chatsworth.
Dealing with emergency
Cobb Fire Capt. Chris Sobieski, who then held the rank of firefighter, remembers responding on a “lot of calls” around the blizzard. They used smaller four-wheel drive trucks that were able to respond on calls the department’s larger vehicles might have had trouble with. While responding to one call, a car hit their truck.
“It was more damage to their vehicle than ours,” Sobieski said. “We stopped and looked and made sure they were OK, and continued on to the emergency call.”
Sobieski, whose been in Cobb 24 years, said the blizzard was the worst snow storm he’s had to deal with since he left Washington, D.C. The only one to come close was the 2011 storm that dumped more than four inches of snow on parts of the county.
“It was a long 48 hours,” he said of the 1993 storm.
While McNeel and Ingram were searching for help, the other four campers retraced their steps about two miles back to the camp. Once they got back, Clay McKinnon said they started rationing the little bit of food they had left — some raw chicken and a can of cheese balls.
“We didn’t know when we were going to be rescued,” he said.
Late Monday afternoon, they saw a helicopter fly by. While it didn’t land the pilot saw the campers because another chopper flew in an hour later, and park Ranger Mike Davis dropped in.
“They told us to load up and lock up (our trucks),” Clay McKinnon said.
Two of the campers got in one small helicopter while the other two got in another. They were taken to an open field, where they changed over to a larger National Guard Huey helicopter, which took them to the hospital. Clay McKinnon said they got warm blankets, soup, pecan pie and milk there, before being taken by taxi to a closed motel in Chatsworth, where they stayed.
After they were reunited with McNeel and Ingram, the father of one of the campers came and picked them up and brought them to Marietta. They were able to return to pick up their trucks a week later.
Clay McKinnon, now 42 and a supply chain manager for a plastics molding company, does admit to having one regret. He said they brought some flares with them, in case something went wrong, but they didn’t have them when they could have come in handy.
“I think we shot them off Friday night having a good time,” he said.
Clay McKinnon, now a Powder Springs resident, said he looks back on the trip fondly.
“We chalk it up as a good time and a fairly good experience,” he said. “We weren’t scared at all. I think everybody was enjoying the time.”
McNeel, now 44 and living in northwest Cobb, said their experience was something out of a reality show that hadn’t debuted yet.
“You didn’t have all the survival shows back then,” said McNeel, now a vice president at McNeel Builders. “We were mainly just running off adrenaline.”
Editor's Note: For more on the blizzard view Damon Poirier's Thursday, March 14th MDJ Time Capsule - The Blizzard of 1993. | <urn:uuid:e4b3da98-084c-4657-bb14-e0400a2249f6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mdjonline.com/pages/full_story/push?article-On+20th+anniversary+of+Blizzard+of+%E2%80%9993-+residents+recall+being+out+in+the+cold%20&id=21997728&instance=home_lead_story | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.986021 | 1,920 | 1.617188 | 2 |
John Waggoner writes about mutual funds in his USA TODAY personal finance column. (Gannett, H. Darr Beiser/USA TODAY/File)
Not too long ago, if you approached many large mutual fund companies with a modest sum to invest, they would fling you out of their offices and into the snow, sneering, "Begone, you groveling workshy! Your money is too small for us!"
OK, they didn't really do that. But many fund companies, particularly no-load fund companies, did have minimums that were above the average person's reach.
Fortunately, you can often start an investment program for relatively little money using an automatic investment program, or AIP. ... | <urn:uuid:296fb446-e891-4149-8d65-b5d506d9751b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rgj.com/proart/20121217/biz10/312170026/john-waggoner-don-t-lot-money-you-can-still-invest?pagerestricted=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973535 | 150 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Audio Archive: Safety and Sustainability in Business
The Sustainable Business Forum brought together an expert panel to explore the strategic connection between safety and sustainability, and suggest best practices. This event was originally aired March 2nd, 2011
Listen to the audio:
or download here (right-click, save as)
Today most companies claim to care about workplace safety, but some feel that sentiment is not always present in corporations' day-to-day operations. After a chain of high-profile accidents that have had both human and environmental costs, some large corporations have been accused of putting profits ahead of workers' safety. But the resulting accidents have instead cost those companies dearly. Shouldn't a safe, responsible operation also be a productive one? Posturing aside, what exactly is the relationship between safety and business sustainability?
Webcast participants include...
Dr. Bruce Piasecki is the president and founder of AHC Group, Inc., a management consulting firm specializing in energy, materials, and environmental corporate matters since 1981. Dr. Piasecki facilitates leadership workshop seminars focused on linking sustainability, enterprise risk and safety. He is the author of seven seminal books on business strategy, valuation, and corporate change, including the Nature Society's book of the year, In Search of Environmental Excellence: Moving Beyond Blame. His articles have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the Baltimore Sun, the MIT Technology Review, and more. His latest book, The Surprising Solution, is available online as an e-book.
Dr. Mei-Li Lin is Senior Director of the Research & Statistical Services Group of the National Safety Council. She is the founder of the Robert W. Campbell Award and the Campbell Institute, and editor of the Journal of Safety Research. Dr. Lin has served on several national advisory boards and committees, including the NIOSH Board of Scientific Counselors, the BTS Advisory Committee, and the CDC NCIPC Initial Review Committee.
Patricia B. Walters is a Public Affairs Consultant in Crisis Management for DuPont Global Public Affairs. Patti manages the many processes that maintain crisis management preparedness for DuPont worldwide. Over the years, she has established standards and developed guidelines for DuPont crisis management facilities, a database for housing global crisis team information, and a notification system to activate emergency response and crisis teams. Patti's role involves guiding the crisis team leaders so they are in compliance with DuPont standards for crisis management plans and related materials. Her responsibilities also include developing and facilitating full-scale drills and tabletop exercises with the crisis teams.
Richard McGill Murphy moderates the Sustainable Business Forum. Murphy is a journalist and media consultant with 15 years of experience covering business, technology and international affairs. He writes for Fortune and BusinessWeek and serves as managing partner of Walled City Media LLC, a media strategy firm. Previously, he has worked as a top editor at Fortune Small Business and CNNMoney.com, and earlier served as editorial and program director at the Committee to Protect Journalists. He holds a bachelor's degree in literature from Harvard and a doctorate in social anthropology from Oxford University.
Other Posts by SustainableBusinessForum Admin
Sustainable Business Forum | <urn:uuid:f8bd395d-db41-44ef-8513-9c7b05b85832> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://sustainablebusinessforum.com/50488/audio-archive-safety-and-sustainability-business | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942264 | 639 | 1.78125 | 2 |
Episode 12: Cairns Royal Air Station
They returned to the island to recover Fleming’s Lilienthal glider. The
simple aircraft had proved surprisingly useful and Everett had a feeling it
might prive useful again. By now they’d gained some experience handling the
captured airship, and her adjustable-pitch propellers -- a surprising
feature for a vessel of this class -- made it easy to maintain station
while they brought it aboard.
"What shall we do about the wreckage, Captain?" asked MacKiernan, pointing
at the bow section of their old ship, which still rose above the jungle
where they’d set it down three days before.
"It’s difficult to say," mused Everett. "If this was wartime, I suppose we’d
take measures to prevent it from falling into enemy hands, but this
situation is quite irregular." And indeed it was. They were aboard prize
of unknown provenance that they’d taken during peacetime. This vessel had
turned out to carrying smuggled arms. What the Admiralty Court would make
of this affair, he had no idea.
After some thought, he decided to leave the wreck as it was, set a course to
the southwest, and get clear of the island. As evening fell, he ordered the
engines secured and the crew to go off watch. With no land in any direction
for hundreds of miles, they could drift through the night while the men got
some much needed sleep.
The control car was quiet after the others were gone -- a dim narrow
compartment with nothing but instruments and starlight for company. Above
him, the bulk of their ship loomed against the sky like a cloud. Everett
checked the altimeter, then unwrapped their old log book to make an entry.
June 24, 1926, 2100 hrs. Lat, 23 42’ Long 169 52’. His Majesty’s Airship
Flying Lady, R-212. Our search for survivors turned up nothing, so we are en
route to the Royal Air Station at Cairns aboard the prize. With only eleven
on board, counting our passengers, it has been a challenge to work the
vessel, but the passengers have been of considerable help, and spirits
remain high. We have found no clues as to who built this ship, and our
prisoners claim to be mere hirelings, with no knowledge of the owners or
what they were about. We have radioed the Admiralty to inform them of
Setting down his pen, he studied the battered tome. It had been through a
lot: the attack, the crash, their trek through the jungle, the capture of
this ship. Soon it would become evidence at his hearing. What would happen
Cairns, Australia, was a dingy jungle town on the base of the Cape York
peninsula, some distance north of Brisbane. The southern part of the
settlement was given over to warehouses that lined the estuary and the
shores of the bay. To the north, a small residential district gave way to
fields of sugarcane and rice. A rutted dirt road, impassible in the rainy
season and not much better during the dry, ran along the beach to the
marshy field that served as an air station.
A handling party was waiting when they arrived. Everett conned the ship
through the approach, watching with approval as the ground crew picked up
the handling lines and hooked the vessel up to the traveling mast. A short
time later, they were trundling along the track to the hauling out circle,
where the ground crew would connect the stern dolly prior to hauling the
ship to one of the giant sheds that lined the end of the field.
After he was satisfied all was in order, Everett gathered up his papers and
made his aft. The station’s commanding officer, a senior captain named
Michaelson, was waiting for him at the foot of the accommodation ladder.
"Captain Everett," Michaelson asked sourly, "what the blazes is this all
about? Where is your ship? And where did this... vessel... come from?"
"It’s a long story."
"I rather imagine it is. Admiral Wentworth will be arriving from Sydney
tomorrow aboard the Tower Hill. You can explain it all to him."
Everett had given his men leave -- this seemed only fair after all they’d
been through. Now he and Iverson were escorting their two erstwhile
passengers to town. Pierre examined the houses they passed with what
Everett suspected were a jewel thief’s professional sensibilities. Ahead,
Iverson was pointing out the sights to Sarah. Everett wondered how the
townsfolk would react if they werre aware of the New Caledonian girl’s
rather alarming origins.
It was good to be back on English territory, even if it was rather different
from the well-tended village in the Midlands he called home. But parrots
seemed a fair substitute for starlings, the jungle-covered hills were a
satisfactory shade of green, and the sound of children singing in a nearby
schoolyard brought a wave of nostalgia.
"How old is that tooloo in the rilyay?
The one with the waggley nose!
How old is that tooloo in the rilyay?
I wish that its time would get close!"
"Your lieutenant seems enamored of the young mademoiselle," said Pierre,
indicating the couple ahead of them. "I hope he’s prepared to accept zee
Everett had been wondering the same thing himself. "She seems like a
remarkable young lady," he observed. "I don’t mean to be untoward, but did
"The thought most certainly crossed my mind," said Pierre. "As a Frenchman,
I have a reputation to uphold. But she had a spear, and eet was very sharp.
She also has a tendency to talk, at great length, at the most inappropriate
moments. This ees the very antithesis of romance."
Everett nodded, recalling the girl he’d fled to join the Service, years
ago. He’d often wondered what had become of her. He imagined she’d found her
calling as a telephone operator, racetrack announcer, or auctioneer.
"Was Sarah’s father really a cannibal who worshipped pagan gods?" he asked.
"I do not think so. I gather that he was an enthusiastic reader of Thomas
Huxley’s essays and a confirmed vegetarian. But hees wife was another
matter. She was trained as a Presbyterian missionary, but she seems to have
developed a novel interpretation of church teachings, particularly with
regard to the Doctrine Of Transubstantiation. And the young mademoiselle
appears to have taken after both of her parents."
"Interesting," said Everett, turning the implications over in his mind.
"Well, young Iverson comes from a good family, so I suppose he’ll make the
best of it. If she doesn’t make the best of him first."
"What will happen to us now?" Pierre asked.
"As our passengers, you’re free to go," Everett replied. "You’re outside
French jurisdiction, and I imagine you’ll have plenty of time to disguise
yourself and assume a new identify before they learn of your escape.
Assuming, of course, that you are not in disguise aready."
The Frenchman smiled.
"As for the girl," continued Everett. "The Admiralty can provide her with
papers, and I can see to it that she receives proceeds from some of the
cargo we impounded, so she won’t lack for resources. I suppose the rest is
up to her."
"What about you?"
Everett glanced at the Frenchman, surprised by the man’s concern. "The
Admiralty will hold a hearing tomorrow. If they approve of our actions, all
will be well. Indeed, I would expect most of the men to receive
"And if they don’t approve?"
"Oh, they’ll execute us as pirates."
Next week: Admiralty Court... | <urn:uuid:999002d2-d789-42e3-82c7-e2366ed30ba3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://airships.paulgazis.com/012/FlyingCloud012.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972269 | 1,785 | 1.671875 | 2 |
(version anglaise uniquement)
Discours de Svétovar Marovic, Président de la Serbie-Monténégro
Ladies and gentlemen,
At the very beginning I want to thank our today’s hosts for excellent organization of the third summit of Council of Europe.
Polish leadership and Polish people have proven again that they are extraordinary organizers and kind hosts. On behalf of the delegation of Serbia and Montenegro, thank you.
By choosing to speak about the topic “European unity European values”, I primarily had in mind the need of the region I come from – Western Balkans - to speedily go through changes in order to have the European values become a reality in our countries, thus contributing in the building of the unified Europe.
We are convinced that European unity is based on common values and common heritage, but also on the respect for differences that are invaluable and embody, I would say, the charm of Europe. It is a duty of eight hundred million Europeans to build a stable and prosperous Europe founded on parliamentary democracy, respect for human and minority rights and the right to be different – in a word, founded on the rule of law.
Here I want to mention and emphasize the support of Council of Europe to the network of schools for political studies in our region. The future political elite of our countries is being educated in these schools. They the leaders of tomorrow will have a task to continue building our common European future. Their education will enable them to deal with this task.
The building of Europe with no new or changed borders, with no division lines – be it political, cultural or psychological, is the objective unifying all of us here in Warsaw. This objective is Europe, where all the citizens communicate easily, progressive and modern ideas flow freely and where the economy is open for free competition of talents and qualities. In this process Council of Europe played a very important role in the past, and I am convinced that it will continue playing the same role in the future.
That is why, in my opinion, today's summit has a great importance.
Serbia and Montenegro deems its membership in Council of Europe very important. For us, being a member of the Council means more than mere geographical affiliation. It means acceptance of all the values Council of Europe tirelessly supports, as well as their respectful enforcement in everyday life.
As a responsible and trustworthy member of the Council of Europe, Serbia and Montenegro wishes to continue contributing fully to the strengthening of Europe’s democracy and stability.
In our opinion, the best way to do so is to offer a tangible contribution to the region we live in; as you well know, this region is still burdened with numerous problems. We are convinced that they can be solved if we keep to the above mentioned principles that serve as a foundation for 21st century Europe.
The only way to reach a modern democratic society for all peoples of Western Balkans is to accept compromise and mutual understanding while respecting the basic principles of international law.
For Western Balkans, only mutual understanding and dialog open perspectives of tolerant, multiethnic, and modern European society.
Role and importance of Serbia and Montenegro in solving the remaining regional problems – with respect to the European standards is of a great importance not only for the geo strategic and security reasons, but also for the affirmation of European values in the region.
The greatest challenge facing not only Serbia and Montenegro but the region and Europe is the issue of Kosovo and Metohija. The only possible way to solve this problem is to implement European standards while searching for the agreed sustainable solution that would be acceptable for all sides.
Today I want to send a message that on these basis Serbia and Montenegro is prepared to have a dialog with provisional authorities of Kosovo about all issues, including the most complex ones. Only so can we and, I hope, our soon-to-be partners from Kosovo and Metohija prove to Europe and the world that we respect European values and truly opt for unified Europe of 21st century.
Every retreat to the dreams of past centuries is pushing the societies of Western Balkans further away from the ideals and life of this century's Europe. As responsible politicians, we have a duty and a responsibility to today's and future generations not to let this happen.
As I mentioned young generations, I would like to add that the future of Europe belongs to them. I welcome the results of the European Youth Summit held here in Warsaw. On behalf of Serbia and Montenegro, I support all the objectives and expectations of young people in 21st century Europe.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Third summit of Council of Europe needs to help establish the future role and importance of the Council of Europe in the climate of changed European relations - especially after the enlargement of European Union – and offer answers to new challenges by defining a plan of activities.
Serbia and Montenegro attach great importance to this summit; within the limits of our abilities, we are prepared to take part in solving all the problems tackled by Council of Europe. I mentioned the specific European problem – Kosovo and Metohija – as the key problem in the region. I also wish to emphasize that Serbia and Montenegro will offer their full contribution to the fight against terrorism, organized crime, human trafficking, all forms of intolerance and other problems facing a modern world. We are prepared to do so primarily for our own sake, for it is the only way to build a modern European society based on rule of law, where every citizen knows their human and civil rights are well protected, in line with the highest democratic standards.
Serbia and Montenegro is aware of the importance of Council of Europe's cooperation with European Union and Organization for European Security and Cooperation. It is our opinion that the differences in their priorities and membership represent more of an asset, not an obstacle to successful cooperation.
In this context, allow me to express our respect and acceptance of Declaration on cooperation between Council of Europe and Organization for European Security and Cooperation and of guidelines for Memorandum of understanding between Council of Europe and European Union.
Ladies and gentlemen,
All institutions, all relevant political factors and leaders in State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, as well as in Republic of Serbia and Republic of Montenegro, have defined the accelerated process of Euro integrations as their priority in year 2005. This year is considered to be a year of rapid advancement towards European and Euro Atlantic organizations and integrations. There is a full consensus in our country that no problem can jeopardize this strategic goal.
Serbia and Montenegro support Europe without division lines of any kind, Europe as a home to all its citizens and nations unified by common values of great European family. Our joint highest interest was and is a loyalty and respect for modern Europe's values, their nurturing and developing. I will name these values once again: the highest democratic standards, civil society and rule of law. All of us in Europe support these standards; this summit proves it. This is, I am sure, our essential interest and a guarantee for our peaceful and prosperous future. | <urn:uuid:8b6e9335-6e40-4a75-8494-3baa8e8b7f34> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.coe.int/t/dcr/summit/20050516_speech_marovic_FR.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944233 | 1,441 | 1.78125 | 2 |
All News & Blogs
Housing sticker shock continues to be rampant in the Fredericksburg area.
By RICHARD AMRHINE
IN MY OTHER job as the real-estate editor for this newspaper, the one issue I get grilled about more than any other is the rising cost of housing around here. The sticker shock is universal, whether I'm talking with government officials, builders, real-estate agents, parents whose children are setting out on their own, or casual observers of the housing marketplace.
No one I've run across claims to have the definitive answer. But almost everyone cites the age-old rule of supply and demand. Demand has been so great over the past few decades that the supply of available land has dwindled. Efforts to curtail growth, such as downzoning, may be well-intentioned but have spiked the cost of the land that's left.
Once land is sold to a developer, the proffers that local governments obtain during rezoning negotiations are adding tens of thousands of dollars to the cost of a house before it is built.
With such a great outlay before the first nail is hammered, the cost of the house is already way higher than it was just a few years ago. And if he chooses to build under a parcel's existing zoning, no builder is going to construct an "affordable" home on an expensive, multi-acre lot.
Just to remove any question about how home prices have soared in the Fredericksburg area, here are some numbers:
The average area sales price in 1996 was $130,139.
The average area sales price in 2001 was $169,480.
The average area sales price in January was $303,877.
Even town houses in the city's new Idlewild Village subdivision are selling for more than $300,000.
Houses may cost more to build from year to year as the cost of materials and labor rises, but the sharp increases we're seeing here reflect much more than the price of lumber and carpenters.
Insurance companies can provide some insight here. These days, agents set the replacement cost of a house in this area at $100 per square foot of finished living space. They are saying that the cost to replace your 2,500-square-foot, two-story colonial with the unfinished basement would be $250,000. If you had that house refinanced recently, you learned that the market-value appraisal is knocking on the $400,000 door.
(Check your policy. You don't need enough coverage to buy your house, but you do need enough to rebuild it.) | <urn:uuid:9dc32197-da3d-49d1-a30e-83369d2ea5b1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2005/032005/03202005/1703190 | 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 | 0.967152 | 538 | 1.695313 | 2 |
In 1985, my brother Wayne wrote the first version of MacClade, a graphical program for studying branches of a phylogeny (“clades”) and phylogenies more generally. It was a very small program, that did just a few things, but was notable in introducing graphic manipulations of phylogenies on the screen. I started working on the MacClade code a few months later, when I acquired my first Macintosh Plus computer.
By about 1989 I had more or less taken over MacClade development; version 3.0 came out in 1992, and the last release was version 4.08 in 2005. MacClade celebrated its 25 anniversary in 2010, and was still being widely used and cited. However, in July of 2011, Apple released a new operating system, and removed from it compatibility with older code such as that contained in MacClade, and MacClade could no longer function.
In 1997, while I was working on version 4 of MacClade, Wayne started a rewrite of the whole program, and Mesquite was born. We have been developing Mesquite ever since. Mesquite is modular, and very flexible, and it now does much more than MacClade ever did. That comes with a downside, however – Mesquite’s interface is much more complex than MacClade’s, and so it has taken people a bit longer to get used to it.
Wayne and I abandoned MacClade for our own empirical work quite a few years ago, but the community has continued to use it. Even though MacClade’s development stopped in 2005, as late as 2008 there were twice as many citations that year for MacClade as for Mesquite.
Yesterday, as I was looking up some statistics for a report, I realized that the changing of the guard had been completed: for the first time, Mesquite’s citations for a year topped MacClade’s. In fact, in 2012 Mesquite was cited more times than MacClade had ever been cited:
Number of citations each year
This is both good, and a bit sad… sometimes I miss MacClade. | <urn:uuid:6d7d363a-0596-4051-be30-a7a921a90838> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://subulatepalpomere.wordpress.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983239 | 445 | 1.75 | 2 |
I finally upgraded all the MediaWiki code on Discourse DB to the latest version. I mention this because one of the neat features of the new Semantic MediaWiki code (which is essentially what our site runs on, with some of our own modifications) is timelines. It’s a plugin of the Timeline tool developed by MIT’s Simile project, and it lets you see items with dates along a scrollable graph of time, as opposed to just in a list or table.
As a test of the capability, I set it up for a timeline to appear by default at the bottom of the page for each “topic”. As an example, you can see it at Military Commissions Act of 2006; just scroll to the bottom. If you click on either one of the bars to scroll the timeline sideways, you can see all the editorials/posts/etc. that were written about the act, by publication date. Clicking on any name pops up the basic information about it.
When you show the data this way, various trends become apparent. You can see, for instance, that there’s a large “clump” in which almost all of the commentary was written, basically from early September to early October, 2006; that corresponds to when Congress was discussing and voting on the bill. The other topic pages all show this same pattern of clumping during a period of days or weeks. You can also the days in which nearly everyone is talking about that topic; those tend to correspond with real-life news events.
Another way to visualize the data, for what it’s worth. | <urn:uuid:86cae896-629f-4a5b-a3f2-8a661c519c73> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://yaronkoren.com/blog/?m=200612 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9538 | 335 | 1.804688 | 2 |
At left, Berlin, Germany. February, 2012.
At right, Kabul, Afghanistan. March, 2013
The year of haircuts and narrowed eyes.
At left, Berlin, Germany. February, 2012.
At right, Kabul, Afghanistan. March, 2013
The year of haircuts and narrowed eyes.
River Town - Peter Hessler
True North - Jim Harrison
Thy Neighbor’s Wife - Gay Talese
Officers and Gentlemen - Evelyn Waugh
Cobb - Al Stump
The Year 1000 - Danny Danziger
The Gun - CJ Chivers
The Forever War - Dexter Filkins
Europe: A History - Norman Davies
Game of Thrones - George R.R. Martin
A Time Traveler’s Guide to Medieval England - Ian Mortimer
The Art of Fielding - Chad Harbach
Wartime - Paul Fussell
You Know When the Men Are Gone - Siobhan Fallon
The Places In Between - Rory Stewart
Everything Is Illuminated - Jonathan Safran Foer
A Hologram for the King - Dave Eggers
Black Coffee Blues - Henry Rollins
In The Woods - Tana French
The Savage Detectives - Roberto Bolaño
After every war
someone has to clean up.
straighten themselves up, after all.
Someone has to push the rubble
to the sides of the road,
so the corpse-laden wagons
Someone has to get mired
in scum and ashes,
and bloody rags.
Someone must drag in a girder
to prop up a wall.
Someone must glaze a window,
rehang a door.
Photogenic it’s not,
and takes years.
All the cameras have left
for another war.
Again we’ll need bridges
and new railway stations.
Sleeves will go ragged
from rolling them up.
Someone, broom in hand,
still recalls how it was.
and nods with unsevered head.
Yet others milling about
already find it dull.
From behind the bush
sometimes someone still unearths
and carries them to the garbage pile.
Those who knew
what was going on here
must give way to
those who know little.
And less than little.
And finally as little as nothing.
In the grass which has overgrown
causes and effects,
someone must be stretched out,
blade of grass in his mouth,
gazing at the clouds.
(translated from the Polish by Joanna Trzeciak)
Almost unbelievably, six months of my time here has elapsed. In one sense I feel as though I just arrived yesterday and woke up this morning without knowledge of what happened in the intervening half-year. In another sense, it’s like I haven’t slept at all. For 182 days I’ve been a semi-insomiac, a jittery and pulsating organism that absorbs new knowledge and regurgitates some of it. The fast pace and high stress has me acting on instinct and without rational calculation. In short, I’m an ameoba with glasses and a short temper.
So it’s with ravenous anticipation that I head home on vacation next week. While I’m screaming to get out of this place, part of me finds it hard to break the spell. I’ve talked before about the crippling working schedule here, but now I find comfort in the lack of variation in my days, the rote hours of and the absence of choice I have in what I can do with my days. I sit at my desk for twelve hours, I read the news and intel and groan about the state of things, stress over short-deadline missions, steal away for meals and exercise when I can, sleep when I’m able - usually dozing off 15 minutes into a rerun of The Sopranos to remind me of home. On Fridays I treat myself to extra-long workouts, but otherwise every day is the same.
I make no choices, I weigh no judgments. I just act. Grueling yes, but difficult no. I live in an eternal present tense of toil.
So even though it’s a short break home, I’m feeling off about a world with unfettered movement, no daily itinerary, no enemy to be furious at. Maybe I’m institutionalized, maybe I’ve reached a plane of enlightenment.
Part of my job is paying close attention to the news. I’m disgusted several times per week at stuff happening back in America. A political rally (Democrat? Republican? Does it matter?) where a demonstrator claims “These policies are going to have us living in a third-world country!!” The demonstrator is overweight, clean, well-groomed and standing in front of a laden picnic table next to a meat-filled grill.
The next day I drive from ISAF to Kabul airport, along the streets of the most prosperous city in this country. I’ve been driving more often to keep things interesting, to break away from the endless hours at my desk. There are invalids lying in the gutters. There are dusty, hungry children running in traffic. A lone aging goat carcass hanging on a hook, for sale I suppose. A man defecating against a wall on a primary thoroughfare. The only foodstuffs in abundance are doormat-sized loaves of naan bread. A row of stalls is selling what seems to be gnarled, rusty scrap metal and old tires for burning. To whom are they selling? From where do they get their inventory? I’ll show you third-world, TV fat lady.
Or yesterday, when we watch CNN raptly to see how protests against an anti-Islamic film are taking root in various Muslim countries. We sit with unspoken dread, hoping the anger doesn’t spread to the streets of Kabul (I have a silent, shameful personal stake, as a city in chaos would delay my trip home). There is footage of streets aflame, of fanatical rioting, the corpse of a US ambassador. CNN cuts away to a ‘story’ about the impending release of the fifth iteration of the iPhone, and the salivation of expectant purchasers. It’s slightly smaller, and will make its users’ lives immensely better. There is no more footage of the middle eastern riots.
Last Saturday, a person-borne suicide bomb detonated just outside our gates. Though the bad guys claim the attack was intended to strike a US CIA base, the only victims were Afghan civilians. The ‘attacker’ was a fourteen-year old carrying a backpack full of explosives. The victims were street children who sell trinkets to people like me. The blast shook the windows of my office, and was located about 50 meters from where I sleep (though a 20-foot concrete blast wall intervenes). There were pieces of children strewn in all directions.
One of the major complaints about the newest iPhone is that there’s a different-sized plug on the bottom.
Ode to Kirk. Arbon, Switzerland. July, 2007.
2nd Lt. Abdullah Muhammad, ANA Explosive Ordnance Disposal. Camp Shaheen, Balkh. July 2012
District gathering to celebrate opening of a road. Tarin Kowt, Uruzgan. July 2012.
Among the bright spots of this long, lonely, dusty year is the rare honor to work among uniformed service members. When among those truly sworn to dedicate themselves to this cause in Afghanistan (not casual, timid participants like myself, or other civilians that seem like mere tourists), there’s a rare sense of solemn meaning in everything that happens.
Over the nearly four months I’ve been here, I’m finding it difficult to feel as cynical as I once was. Sure, we trade daily cracks around the office to the effect of our frustration with our Afghan government counterparts. There’s regular, necessary gallows humor about the gruesome stories spinning across our desks every day, snide barbs about our regular cast of bureau journalists, or sarcastic levity about the general hopeless circus it sometimes feels like we’re in the middle of. But about my own actions, everything is nearly too momentous for these young shoulders. In short, I’ve been a soft touch lately.
So it was with complete earnestness and thanks that I stood among a gathered crowd of 150 assorted US Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors and Marines this morning. Gen. John Allen joined a holiday visitor, Sen. John McCain for an Independence Day ceremony that included speeches from both powerful men. A younger me would have poked fun at the Republican legislator and the stern military commander from the back of the room. But, reader, I wept.
McCain has spent 3 of the last 4 Independence Days in Afghanistan. He was funny (“Don’t thank me for my service, it didn’t take any talent or bravery to intercept a surface-to-air missile with my own airplane”). He cited the rare bravery and sacrifice of the uniformed folks standing before him. He laid out the grisly, decisive conflicts in our history, and deemed himself lucky to be able to spend his 4th of July in the company of servicemembers. I’m with you, old man.
Gen. Allen holds a special place in my heart, if for no other reason than I work in his imposing shadow every day. Sidebar—last week, on Sunday morning, I was enjoying a quiet, hard work out while everyone else slept late. Maybe 5 other souls were in the upstairs weight room at the gym. I had my headphones on, jamming. While picking up a dumbbell, I felt a welcoming clap on my back. I looked over my shoulder and saw the boss himself, sweating and smiling in US Marine Corps green PT kit. “Good morning,” he said with a smile. I mouthed hello, dumbfounded. He’s compassionate, decisive, calculating, personable, experienced, fearless and sorrowful, all wrapped into one. A man that powerful (commanding 130,000 troops in theater) cuts a wide swath.
So after I got over the starstruck feeling of watching McCain from 15 feet away, I settled into the familiar voice I hear every week, the face I see every few days walking around camp. Allen drew a tenuous, poignant metaphor between the American Revolution (aided by myriad Britain-hating countries) and the current coalition of nations here at ISAF. He quoted Eisenhower, he mourned the civil war, he noted the foreign contributions of Kosciuszko, von Steuben and Lafayette during the Revolution.
Oh, Lafayette. The French nobleman that renounced his title and fortune in the name of aiding the cause of Liberty in America. Leading troops into fiery battle. A genius, youthful commander fearlessly charging in service of a country that wasn’t his own. I’ve always shed tears amidst talk of Lafayette, and this morning was no exception. At this point in the speech, I didn’t even bother to wipe my cheeks.
But despite my raw emotion, the boss was missing a point. If I was his speechwriter, I’d try this:
“Today we celebrate not the official founding of a nation, not the naming of our first president, not the signing of our constitution, not the decisive battle of our war for independence or the signing of the surrender treaty that untethered us from the Crown. The only thing we commemorate on the 4th of July is a declaration. A common agreement among forward-thinkers that was committed to paper, etched in history.
The only act the signers of that declaration accomplished was a mutual promise between themselves and the people they represented that something, somehow, some way would have to change. They’d figure out the means later. They were years away from facing the most difficult struggles of the fight for independence or the most soul-plumbing acts of courage necessary to win their freedom. When they signed the declaration, nobody knew if that promise would ever be fulfilled, if that pledge for freedom would ever come true.
But then, as now, we were a determinist band of citizens. Succeed or fail, we’ve never been deterred by a seemingly insurmountable struggle. We’ve never been stood down by the looming uncertainty of a doomed future. We’re a nation of believers, settled by dreamers, expanded by malcontents. And this sheer will to achieve, to accomplish, to change; this is what’s impelled us through over two centuries. No matter how daunted, we’ve insisted things will get better.”
And that’s all I feel today. I’ve never been more juxtaposed: the day commemorating independence is spent in a confining pen, in a foreign country that I’m restricted from moving around. But my goofy, misguided, naïve American insistence that life is better than it seems tells me I’ll see sunnier days, and so will the Afghans I’m working on behalf of.
Or maybe I’m just a wrong-headed amnesiac, weeping at the 1st Infantry Division Brass Band belting out patriotic songs in the style of J.P. Sousa, silently composing even sappier lines than the maudlin politician is saying himself, queuing in line to have a photo snapped of me shaking the war veteran’s hand in front of a flag, saying I’m thankful for the bravery and service of Soldiers who are fighting in a war I protested in the first place and cowered in fear from for a decade. Or maybe I mean everything I say nowadays.
Like I said, I’m not cynical anymore.
Afghan Army recruits, hand in hand. Kabul, June 2012.
Soldier praying in the Afghan artillery school. Kabul, June 2012. | <urn:uuid:2516baa9-37ff-4c06-9f2e-e7aa43752f37> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://chazzmeister.tumblr.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941 | 2,959 | 1.5 | 2 |
When I was a kid, I used to hate peas.
It had to do with eating them from a can–they taste so utterly vile and wretched that way that I cannot blame my younger self for despising them.
And then, even when the peas were fresh or frozen, through most of my childhood, they were overcooked. To this day, I cannot even abide the smell of overcooked peas.
The only way I would eat them when I was a kid was raw, straight from the vine.
Now, of course, that I am an adult and can avoid canned peas and cook whatever wee green legume that comes my way as little as I want to, I adore them. They are sugary sweet and filled with the verdant breath of spring. They pop in your mouth when you bite them, unlike the sad olive drab little canned things that just lay there and squish against your teeth, extruding mushy innards in an unappetizing drizzle of goo.
So, now that I like them, I keep trying to find new ways to prepare them, new dishes to add them to and have found that I particularly love them in curries.
Which is why I chose this curry–Creamy Lamb Curry with Peas as the first recipe to test from 660 Curries.
This is an easy dish, where the lamb is marinated in yogurt mixed with ground chilies, turmeric and a paste made from fresh ginger and garlic for a period of time. Then, onions are cooked in oil, with whole spices, and the lamb is added, marinade and all, to cook until it releases its juices. Then, it braises in its own juice until it is nearly done. Then milk solids or cream are added, along with peas, and the dish is cooked to an intensely flavored, creamy, rich finish.
The original recipe specifies the use of khoya, which is milk solids. It is what you get when you boil milk, stirring the whole time, over medium heat, until all of the water boils away–only the solid fat, protein and sugar are left. Khoya is the basis for the northern Indian milk-fudge sweet called barfi or burfi. It is made from milk solids, sugar and usually ground up nuts and flavorings.
Making khoya is easy, but when I tested this recipe, I didn’t really have the time or inclination to spend a half hour simmering the water out of milk, so I used the author-suggested substitute–heavy cream. The next time I make this recipe, I will make the khoya, photograph the process and post about it, because as he says, khoya is a great way to enrich a creamy sauce without all of the fat of heavy cream.
The only other change made in the ingredients is I added about four cardamom pods, and used more peas–1/2 cup more to be precise. I also used a pressure cooker, because I am impatient. However, I will give the instructions as written by the author for those who do not have a pressure cooker.
One interesting thing I noted about this recipe is that Iyer specifies that the cook use red onions. He seems to specify the use only of red onions in his dishes–he says that in India, red onions are preferred, but I wonder if that is a regional preference on his part. The northern Indian and Pakistani cooks I learned from preferred yellow onions, saying that red onions were too juicy and sweet to cook with. They saved red onions for raw garnish, chutneys and the like, or used them barely cooked for their color, while yellow onions, well browned, contributed the flavor base to the dish.
Khoya Muttar Gosht
2 tablespoons yogurt (I used strained Greek yogurt)
2 tablespoons fresh ginger ground into a paste
1 tablespoon fresh garlic ground into a paste
2 teaspoons ground Kashmiri chilies (or 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne and 1 1/2 teaspoons Aleppo pepper flakes ground to a powder)
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 1/2 pounds lamb leg and shoulder meat, fat trimmed and cut into 1″ cubes
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon whole cloves
3 3″ long cinnamon sticks
2 fresh or dried bay leaves
4 green cardamom pods
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced red onion
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream or khoya
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher or coarse sea salt
2 1/2 cups frozen green peas, unthawed
handful roughly chopped cilantro leaves for garnish (optional)
Mix together the yogurt, ginger and garlic pastes, the chilies and turmeric in a medium sized bowl. Add the lamb and toss well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least thirty minutes to overnight in order to allow the flavors to perfume the meat. Do not leave longer than overnight as the yogurt will tenderize the meat and you do not want the meat overtenderized and mushy.
Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed dutch oven or soup pot over medium high heat. Add the whole spices, and cook, stirring until they sizzle, crackle and release their fragrance–about thirty seconds. Add the onion and cook until it is softened, stirring constantly. Keep cooking until it lightly browns. Add the meat and the marinade, and cook, stirring, until the meat starts to release its juices. At this point, it is essentially braising in yogurt and its own juices. This will take ten to fifteen minutes. If you use the whole milk solids, add them with 1 cup of water. If you use cream, just pour in the cream and about 1/4 cup of water. Add the salt. Bring to a boil.
Turn heat down and simmer, covered until the lamb is tender–about twenty to twenty-five minutes.
Stir in the peas, cover the pan and turn off heat. Let pan sit covered off heat for five minutes to barely cook the peas–this way they retain their brilliant color.
Serve over rice with a garnish of cilantro leaves if you like.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time. | <urn:uuid:d9d9fd6d-d96f-4be9-88b4-6d34e4d25d35> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tigersandstrawberries.com/2008/05/23/from-660-curries-khoya-muttar-gosht-creamy-lamb-curry-with-peas/ | 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 | 0.957364 | 1,293 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Excerpt of Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher by Timothy Egan
(Page 2 of 2)
Printer Friendly Excerpt
Angeline ignored the treaty and the ordinance. She refused to move; she had no desire to live among the family clans and their feuds on the speck of reservation land that looked back at the rising sun. The Boston Men, as older Indians called the wave of Anglos from that distant port, allowed tiny Angeline to stay put??a free-to-roam sovereign outcast in the land of her ancestors. She was harmless, after all: a quaint, colorful connection to a vanquished past. Poor broken Angeline. Is she still here, in that dreadful shack? God, what a piteous sight. She was even celebrated in verse by the early mythologists of Seattle:
Her wardrobe was a varied one
Donated by most everyone.
But Angeline deemed it not worthwhile
To put on others' cast-off style!
And much preferred a plain bandanna
To 'kerchief silk from far Havana.
The children of the new city, the American boys in short pants, had no verse or kind words for her. Angeline was prey. Great fun. They taunted the gnarled Indian, threw rocks at her. These urchins would lurk around the waterfront after school, looking to catch Angeline by surprise, then they would fire their stones at her and watch her squawk in befuddlement.
"You old hag!" the boys shouted.
But she gave as good as she got. Under those layers of filthy skirts, Angeline carried rocks for self-defense. She didn't leave the shack without ammunition. She didn't hide or retreat, but instead would sink an arthritic hand into one of her many pockets, find a stone and let it rip back at the boys. Take that, you bastards! Once, she hit Rollie Denny, he of the founding family whose name was all over the plats of the fast-expanding city. Hit him square with a rock for all to see, at the corner of Front Street and Madison. This also became part of the verse, the poetic myth: the crippled, sickly, elfin descendant of Chief Seattle nailed the snot-nosed kid, heir to much of the land taken from the native people.
For once he hit her with a stone
And she hit him back and made him moan!
No one was certain of Angeline's age. Some accounts said she was near one hundred, though that surely was an exaggeration. Most placed her at about eighty. The year 1896 was particularly hard on the princess. For days at a time she kept to her cabin, which she shared off and on with a roustabout grandchild. The boy was born to Angeline's daughter, who had been living with a white drunk, Joe Foster, who beat her on a regular basis. After putting up with the abuse for years, the woman strung a rope from the rafters of her home and hanged herself. From then on, Joe Foster Jr. was in Angeline's care. When the Indian was sick, people left baskets of food on her doorstep, though feral dogs would sometimes get to the food before the princess could. Whenever a church lady stopped by, Angeline would wave her off. A glimpse inside her cabin found dirty dishes stacked high, a cold bunk, cobwebs in the corners, Joe Foster Jr. nowhere in sight.
She had a deep cough, from tobacco smoke and the ambient chill. They cared about Angeline, these fine women of new Seattle, because for all her surface squalor she was believed to be saintly.
Excerpted from Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher
by Timothy Egan. Copyright © 2012 by Timothy Egan.
Excerpted by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights
reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted
without permission in writing from the publisher. | <urn:uuid:9eb356a3-338c-4a94-ba4e-31147e549601> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bookbrowse.com/excerpts/index.cfm/book_number/2769/page_number/2/short-nights-of-the-shadow-catcher | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976131 | 833 | 1.703125 | 2 |
What is Quorum ?
Quorum is a calendar system for cooperative events. I guess that's a fancy way of saying that Quorum is designed for group scheduling: who will definitely be at an event, who will definitely not be there, and who doesn’t yet know. I wrote it for my morris dance team, the Pokingbrook Morris Dancers of Albany, New York, so that we could determine if we had enough people available to accept performance gigs; I believe that makes it the first ever open-source application to come out of the morris dance community!
How do I use Quorum ?
Quorum was designed to be a snap to use, and in fact its early users have consistently remarked on how easy and intuitive it is. I hope to have screenshots and documentation available in the near future, but most features were designed to be self-evident.
However, until I have some screenshots available, here's a description. The main interface is based around a list of events, with a control to toggle your own attendance status and a list of who else is and isn't attending. But it doesn't stop there.
- Everything is geocoded, so that the event list also displays the distance from your house to any event. In addition, a map is available for each event, with one-click access to Google directions to the event from your house.
- Any event can be exported in iCalendar format.
- Quorum can generate an attendance report suitable for printing (in PDF format).
- The event list is marked up with microformats.
I know that verbal descriptions of Web applications leave something to be desired, but I hope that this will give you some idea of Quorum until screenshots are available!
Quorum is a Web-based application, so it can be used from any computer, phone, or PDA with a Web browser. (Browser requirements are deliberately minimal, and all output is valid HTML 4.01, so there should be no surprises. I use Quorum frequently on my BlackBerry!)
What are Quorum 's server requirements?Quorum is written in Ruby on Rails , so you'll need a server enviroment that supports that. (It's packaged with a local copy of Rails, so the system Rails gem shouldn't matter.) It should run on any Unix-like operating system (BSD, Linux, Mac OS X, ...); it will probably not run on Windows, due to its dependency on the rdiscount gem. (That said, if you do get it running on Windows, please tell me!)
Currently, my development environment is Mac OS X 10.5.7 (Leopard), with Apple's Ruby 1.8.6 and Mongrel; my deployment server runs Ubuntu Linux 8.10 (Intrepid) with Phusion Passenger and Apache. Quorum runs beautifully on both, with no noticeable environment-specific differences or incompatibilities.
Sounds great! How do I get it?
There are no official releases quite yet, but you can get the source code from the repository. Each more-or-less consistent version has a branch (or, before beta 2.4.5, a tag) to identify it.
Quorum is distributed under the BSD license.
I love Quorum ! How can I help improve it?
Jump right in! If you're a programmer, feel free to get in touch with me at marnen AT marnen DOT org. I'll have a coding standards guide ready shortly; until then, try to match what you see. :)
If you're not a programmer, you can still help! If you see a bug or have a feature request, please report it on our issue tracker; we could also use help in the following areas:
- Graphic design
- Translation (Quorum is localizable, but at the moment English is the only interface language available)
- User and acceptance testing
- Anything else that you think would be useful!
Who are you, anyway?
My name is Marnen Laibow-Koser; I'm a Web developer and musician in Albany, New York. I started the Quorum project not only to create a great piece of software, but also to help improve my Rails skills and explore agile, user-focused development processes. | <urn:uuid:079990b2-a434-47ed-bf85-c91935ba7868> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://quorum2.sourceforge.net/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93588 | 892 | 1.78125 | 2 |
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
This damselfish is commonly called a "Humbug".
It is aggresive & should be kept with more agressive fish. It can take care of itself, but can antagonize more peaceful fish.
In the header, a Turbina leads the pack. The others behind it are different Zoas.
Today as shown on Planet Earth, I found a clam shell.
In one of the images, I included a soda can for scale.
It took me almost an hour to dig it out of the dirt & vegetation.
I was walking in an overgrown yard, when I glimpsed the unmistakeable convolutions of a clam from the Indio Pacific coral reefs. At first glance & even upon closer inspection, I still had no clue of it`s size , nor did I imagine it would be all there.
At least a beautiful half anyway.
So, good luck on your treasure hunts & you may find a heart. | <urn:uuid:83c8b7ca-0aa0-4acd-b472-6dd9049a6769> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://frenchpirate.blogspot.com/2007/10/humbug.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956469 | 204 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Tracy Winder: Gun-free-zone laws and school safety
Editors note: The following letter consists of several letters to the editor about gun-free zones submitted by Tracy Winder. Due to the consistent subject matter and a lack of space restrictions online, the letters appear here together
To the editor:
The United States Congress enacted the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990 (GFSZA), which was amended later to circumvent a Supreme Court ruling regarding constitutionality. The U.S. Code defines “school zone” as any public, parochial, or private school which provides elementary or secondary education (K-12). Other federally-mandated ‘gun-free zones’ were created later.
States and local jurisdictions quickly followed suit with their own ‘gun-free zones’, including Colorado. Since then, nearly all multiple shootings in the USA have taken place in public or private ‘gun-free zones’. The common feature of mass shootings in Europe is that they all take place in gun-free zones.
Since 1990, I count 14 mass shootings in the USA that have taken place on ‘gun-free zone’ school properties, including the latest in California.
Prior to passage of these ‘gun-free zone’ laws here at home, we in the firearms community warned repeatedly that this legislation would backfire, that these new laws would make schools and public areas more vulnerable, not less. Despite our reasoned protestations to legislators, newspapers and the public, lawmakers proudly passed these laws anyway.
Back in late July, I wrote a letter to the editor referencing a book by John R. Lott, Jr., entitled More Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun Control Laws. Lott’s scrupulous research reveals that the overwhelming majority of mass shootings take place where Concealed Carry Permit holders are barred. The evidence from recent shootings in Aurora, Colorado, Oregon, and Connecticut add more credibility to Lott’s findings.
The idea of ‘gun-free zones’ was never a workable idea, since a plan for funds necessary to guarantee compliance was never provided at any governmental level. Unless each affected location is operated much like an international airport, at all times when citizens are present, and with all the expense and inconvenience that goes with it, compliance will always be completely voluntary. Few governments or school districts have this type of funding available and never will.
Even with all the mandatory, costly protection measures in place at major airports, laws now allow commercial pilots to carry guns (voluntarily and anonymously), and armed U.S. Air Marshals travel on random flights (anonymously). Why? Because lawmakers had to concede that even the best security measures can be evaded, and there simply is no substitute for an immediate, armed defense, particularly when an attacker cannot determine where or from whom the defense might come. Sadly, legislators did not extend this thought process beyond the airline industry.
Apparently, the Moffat County School District held two community meetings in December to discuss safety in local schools. Unfortunately, most in the community were never aware of the meetings until afterwards. As the Daily Press will verify, notice of these meetings never appeared in the printed version of the Press; notice appeared only online. Many of us would have attended had we known of the events.
The lethal impact of governmental ‘gun-free zone’ laws cannot be overstated; the statistics confirm it. Worse, since there is usually no comparable alternative to venues such as public schools or hospitals, citizens are forced to visit these zones to obtain benefits paid for by their own tax dollars.
Here’s a brief summation of current laws concerning guns and schools, as I understand them: Although federal law prohibits guns in schools, it does provide for states to allow licensed (or permitted) individuals to possess firearms in school zones. However, except for law enforcement personnel, Colorado Statutes now disallow carrying of firearms anyplace prohibited by federal law and on K-12 school property. As stated by MCSD school resource officer Mark Brown, school security guards may not be armed.
Even if it were affordable, an armed police officer at school entrances during the day falls short of the goal. Two armed police officers inside the school during the Columbine tragedy distracted the killers and saved lives, but two easily-identifiable officers responsible for a school with hundreds of students simply aren’t enough.
Furthermore, the school is still an unsecured ‘gun-free zone’ when school isn’t in session, and outside the building. Who protects teachers and kids during after-school activities, like basketball, cheerleading, and play practice? Who protects patrons during community concerts, school plays, sporting events, public assemblies, political caucuses, and community club meetings? Who is on the field for gym classes and football practice?
Attacks do not always take place inside a building, nor are guns always involved. On the day of the Newtown, CT shooting, 22 students and one adult were viciously stabbed by a man outside a primary school in Chongping, China.
Undoubtedly there are measures that could enhance any direct-defense school safety protocols. For example, a basic wireless alarm system seems essential; insufficient warning systems have played a key role in many school shootings.
Fears about persons with psychological disorders and use of psychotropic drugs are certainly legitimate, and candid studies should commence. Aberrant behavior in K-12 children and/or prescription drug treatments may prove to be a link to violent crime later.
Regardless, unbalanced individuals will seek ways to create lethal mayhem. Psychopaths are crazy, not stupid. They will avoid places where citizens are legally armed, and find easier targets.
During the coming months, we are going to face a myriad of gun-control measures proposed or enacted in response to the recent multiple shootings, coming from both Washington D.C. and our own state legislature. None of these will likely address the problem head-on, and all will be costly in terms of funding, theft of personal liberties, and future loss of life.
Pay attention to those advocating more gun-control; these are the same people, institutions, and news sources who told us that the solution was to make our schools (and other locations) into ‘gun-free zones’. They got it egregiously wrong 23 years ago, and they’ll get it wrong again rather than rectify their initial mistake.
There has been little in the way of news coverage about the recent mall shooting in Portland, Oregon. Perhaps it is because the circumstances don’t bolster the arguments for more gun-control. The shooter’s weapon was stolen; the shooter’s high-capacity magazine caused his gun to jam (a common event which has actually saved lives in 3 multiple-murders, including Columbine); and had the executioner’s gun not jammed which led to the killer committing suicide, an ordinary citizen with a legal concealed carry permit was armed, ready, and in a position to shoot the attacker. Gun-control advocates in the media would prefer you didn’t learn how well legal concealed carry can prevent and stop crime.
Fortunately for the Oregon man who carried his ordinarily-legal firearm into a private ‘gun-free zone’ (just like the Aurora theater), he did not have to use his weapon. He would have been crucified by the media for his heroism, and possibly punished through the legal system for defending innocent human life.
In this case, as in so many others, mandating registration of all guns, creating more ‘gun-free zones’, closing gun-show loopholes, longer waiting periods for guns sales, more stringent background checks, banning private sales, more restricted concealed carry laws, banning assault weapons/ high-capacity magazines – none of these measures would have affected the probability or the outcome of this event. These are not solutions to a school or public safety problem; they are simply blatant use of public fear to promote more unnecessary gun regulation.
And lest we forget, our Department of Justice found that the former federal ban on high-capacity magazines and assault weapons between 1994 and 2004 had no statistical impact on gun violence, including the number or lethality of mass shootings.
Germany – a country that has some of the strictest gun-control laws in the world, including psychological screening and a one-year’s wait to buy a gun – has been the site of 3 of the worst multiple-victim, K-12 public school shootings in the world, all in the last decade, and all in ‘gun-free zones’.
Change is overdue; but enacting more unsuccessful gun regulations on top of existing, faulty legislation will avail us nothing but more heartache.
Among all the self-serving, agenda-driven politicians in Washington (and Colorado) – those who are loathe to acknowledge that our laws are the underlying cause of school massacres - one man stands alone: Back in July of 2011, Ron Paul, a U.S. House Representative from Texas and a pediatrician by profession, introduced legislation to repeal the 1990 Gun-Free School Zones Act. Predictably, however, his bill had no cosponsors and languished in committee.
Dangerous, governmental ‘gun-free zone’ mandates must be repealed. Creating laws that leave schools with no adequate options to protect themselves affordably is simply unconscionable, and there is blood on the hands of our legislators.
Individual school districts and local governmental jurisdictions should have control of security measures that they can afford and will work best in their area.
If the federal government refuses to budge on repealing the GFSZA, there are clear signs that states and local governments might choose to disregard federal law. In fact, some already have.
Hawaii, New Hampshire, and Oregon already allow people to carry legal concealed weapons into public schools. In Ohio, it is legal to bring a concealed weapon onto school grounds if the district has granted permission.
A small Texas school district has already decided to let faculty members carry firearms.
A day before the CT shooting, Michigan’s legislature approved a bill allowing teachers with additional firearms training to carry concealed weapons ‘gun-free zones’, such as schools. Michigan’s Governor, however, afraid of public outcry over the recent shootings, vetoed the bill.
Oklahoma’s State Representative Mark McCullough says he will introduce legislation next session to allow principals and teachers with proper firearms training to carry guns on school property.
Utah laws have allowed teachers to carry legal concealed weapons in schools for the past twelve years. Additionally, Utah Concealed Carry Permit records are closed to the public so that no one knows how many teachers are armed, and protects addresses of unlisted gun owners like police officers.
Meanwhile, Colorado law prevents us from addressing the core problem.
In my estimation, concealed carry of firearms by school personnel and legally armed citizens are the only reasonable responses to school safety that meet the following essential criteria: Preservation of personal liberties; affordability; immediate and effective defense should an incident occur; and deterrence and prevention of potential incidents.
If we want to take back control of our schools, we’re going to have to demand it from our Colorado legislature. I fear it will be a battle like we’ve never seen before in this part of the country, so prepare yourself if you choose to be involved.
Make no mistake; given the current balance of political power in our state, the trend will be for more intrusive and futile state gun-control laws, rather than repeal of the laws that have left us nearly helpless.
As for federal laws, our advocates may be few there, also. When I phoned their offices in late December, both Senators Bennet and Udall were ‘undecided’ on how they would vote on Senator Diane Feinstein’s (D-CA) proposed gun-control bill in the Senate.
So while anti-gun zealots in the U.S. Congress tinker around with passing more gun laws, schools still won’t have any more immediate defense against murderers than they did before.
Legislators at every level of government need to remember two fundamental guidelines: (1) To the greatest extent possible, the guaranteed liberties of ordinary citizens must be preserved, and only when no other solution is possible should any law intrude upon the rights of those who have committed no offense; and (2) Legislation should directly impact the problem at hand.
Instead, we get invasive laws that sound good to the uninformed public, but in fact make no measurable impact on the problem at hand. The outcome can be deadly.
Summary of facts:
• Since 1990, nearly all multiple shootings in America have been in ‘gun-free zones’, and 14 have been school shootings;
• All mass shootings in Europe have taken place in gun-free zones;
• Despite meticulous security, laws allow commercial pilots to carry guns;
• Two armed officers inside Columbine were helpful, but not enough to stop two shooters;
• Attacks also take place outside schools, and guns are not always involved;
• The assault weapons ban of 1994 made no statistical difference in mass shootings (or violent crime);
• In the past decade, three of the deadliest K-12 school shootings took place in Germany, despite some of the world’s strictest gun-control laws;
• Hawaii, New Hampshire, Oregon, Ohio, Utah, and one Texas school district already allow teachers and staff (and some citizens) to carry authorized concealed weapons into public schools; Michigan and Oklahoma may follow suit;
• Utah Concealed Carry Permit records are closed to the public so no one knows who may be armed in schools.
Incidentally, the comments “Nobody needs an assault weapon!” or “What are the chances any of us would really need an assault weapon anyway?” reveal either a lazy intellect or a mental disorder. We’re talking about civilian pistols and rifles, not rocket launchers.
In a situation of the gravest extreme, to profess clairvoyance as to what type of firearm will be required or how many bullets will be enough or how fast they will be needed goes beyond stupidity.
No person can predict when or where or to what degree disaster could strike, nor what it might take to stay alive. History teaches us of deadly widespread epidemics, solar flares affecting all things electronic, multiple earthquakes, and giant tsunamis. We have yet to see a military invasion of this country or an organized terror attack on our aging power grid, but to deny the possibility of such events is lunacy.
If soothsaying or gambling on the odds is the game we’re playing when it comes to personal safety, then why bother seeking methods to make our schools secure when, after all, the chances that any of us or our kids will be involved in a mass shooting are less than crashing in an airplane?
If you wish to gamble, go buy a Lotto ticket; then contact your Colorado and U.S. Senators and Representatives and tell them that we won’t go along as sheep to the slaughter under new or existing incompetent legislation.
Insist on repeal of all governmental ‘gun-free zone’ laws so we can enact measures that make sense, are statistically likely to succeed, and that we can afford.
More gun-control never was the right answer; further carnage will follow. And each time a free nation punishes itself in response to egregious, criminal acts of violence - by revoking the liberties of law-abiding citizens with costly, inappropriate legislation - we pay lasting tribute to the murderers. What an inspiration. | <urn:uuid:28658e3b-456f-46d7-a97d-8898bd20dabe> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.craigdailypress.com/news/2013/jan/18/tracy-winder-gun-free-zone-laws-and-school-safety/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953218 | 3,248 | 1.757813 | 2 |
From the Office of State Senator Kevin Witkos
In recent months, concerns have been growing over the state’s new early prison release law.
Before it was adopted, legislative Republicans raised serious questions about its potential effects on public safety. Unfortunately, it appears that the consequences have been all too real for victims of violent crime. Last week, members of the Judiciary Committee organized an informational hearing after several inmates were charged with new crimes after being released through the program.
During the 2011 legislative session, the Risk Reduction Earned Credit Program passed in the Senate by a vote of 21 to 14. Supporters of the program believe that it offers incentives for inmates to participate in their own rehabilitation and ultimately lessen the chance of recidivism, or a relapse into criminal behavior, after release. Opponents warned that it would allow violent felons to get weeks and months taken off their prison sentences. Believe it or not, those sentenced to prison for crimes such as rape, arson, child molestation and animal abuse can be eligible for early release under the program.
Following the murder of a Meriden convenience store owner, these concerns were once again brought to the forefront. On June 27th, Ibrahim Ghazal was shot and killed during an armed robbery at the Meriden EZ Mart store. Today, Frankie Resto faces murder charges in connection with this killing. Had he been required to serve the full 75-month sentence for two previous armed robbery convictions, Resto would have been in prison until October of this year. Instead, he was released in April after receiving 199 days of Risk Reduction Earned Credits.
Last week, Republican legislators came together to hold an informational hearing on the early release program at the Legislative Office Building. Hosted by Sen. John Kissel and Rep. John Hetherington, the two ranking members of the legislature’s Judiciary Committee, the meeting was an opportunity to publicly review the early release program and seek more detailed information from the state Office of the Victim Advocate.
Also in attendance were Senate Minority Leader John McKinney, House Republican Leader Larry Cafero, one Democratic vice chair and several Republican legislators. Unfortunately, several invited guests with detailed knowledge of the program declined to attend, including Under Secretary for Criminal Justice Policy and Planning Mike Lawlor, Department of Correction Commissioner Leo Arnone and the Democratic co-chairs of the Judiciary Committee.
During the meeting, State Victim Advocate Michelle Cruz gave a presentation about the program and some of the major concerns regarding recidivism. On July 25th, the Department of Correction announced that 7,589 inmates were released in the nine months of the program after these credits were applied to their sentences. During this time, 773 inmates returned to state custody for a recidivism rate above 10 percent. While some argue it is too soon to judge the program’s success, many are concerned over the issue of public safety.
Some of the concerns that were shared during the meeting included the retroactive application of credits to the year 2006, credit awarded for programs or behaviors that do not target the root cause of an inmate’s criminal activity and an inability of the state to adequately manage, supervise and monitor the increased caseload. This means that the prison population has effectively shifted from the Department of Correction directly onto our communities. To learn more about the Office of the Victim Advocate, please visit their website at www.ct.gov/OVA.
In the end, we simply cannot continue to risk public safety over this program. While some programs can help rehabilitate criminals, this program should be suspended and fully reviewed before it results in another unnecessary tragedy. The informational hearing was a sobering opportunity for legislators to learn more about the program and seek answers for some of the more pressing questions. It is my hope that common sense will prevail and the legislature can reevaluate the program next session.
Sen. Witkos (www.SenatorWitkos.com) represents the 8th Senate District, including the communities of Avon, Barkhamsted, Canton, Colebrook, Granby, Hartland, Harwinton, New Hartford, Norfolk, Simsbury and Torrington. He can be reached by phone at 1-800-842-1421 or by email at [email protected]. | <urn:uuid:fb9867ea-0614-458e-9d6a-973a9987a821> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://avon.patch.com/groups/kevin-witkoss-blog/p/bp--capitol-connection-questions-raised-over-early-pr3fe48591d7 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962577 | 872 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Savvy Tips for Traveling on a Student BudgetBudget Travel, Finances & Savings, Health & Safety, Ideas, Leaving & Coming Home, Packing & Wardrobe, Planning, Traveling Solo & Together — By Kerilee H on August 11, 2011 at 6:00 am
By KeriLee Horan
While studying abroad in Europe, I was lucky enough to be able to backpack through nine cities while on Spring Break. My friend Ricky and I had never been to Europe before and were on a pretty strict budget after a semester in Edinburgh. Unfortunately for us, the trip resulted in a few, somewhat ignominious, money-saving tactics. But our follies are your benefit, as three weeks of non-stop travel has allowed me to hone down on some money-saving tricks for the budget-conscious traveler.
Here they are:
Plan Your Trip Out
I’ve always loved the idea of packing a bag, getting on a train and beginning a trip with no real agenda. As exciting as that would be, however, it comes down to a simple matter of finance. No plan = higher prices. Showing up at a random hostel or hotel and hoping for the best could not only mean hiked up prices but also the potential of not having a place to stay.
Train and plane tickets are also more expensive the closer to the day you want to travel. Instead of taking a chance on an available bus seat, plan out the skeleton of your trip: accommodation and transportation from city to city. You can still leave the day-to-day activities up to spontaneity if you want to travel without a plan.
Another way you can save money by planning out your trip in advance is through cheap accommodation options. Personally, I’ve had a lot of success with Couch Surfing. While I wouldn’t recommend it to someone traveling solo, but with a friend or two it’s a fantastic way to save some cash and get a local’s perspective on a city. Again, Couch Surfing requires a little bit of legwork before you leave. Do your homework and research on the person or people you’re thinking about staying with.
Finding other students or people around your age is a good start; then check their references. The last thing you want to do is put yourself in an unsafe situation. There are great people out there looking to host travelers, so find someone you’re comfortable with and enjoy a unique experience!
Stick to the Itinerary
Now that you’ve done all the work of planning out your trip, make every possible effort to stick to it. If you’ve booked a train ticket from Geneva to Montpellier, make sure you catch the right bus that’s going to get you to the train station on time.
If you miss your train, you’re going to lose the cash you spent on your ticket, and could also end up paying part or all of the money you’d be spending at your hostel. Hostels typically ask for a non-refundable down-payment at the time of booking. You’ll be kicking yourself if you have to throw that money away, and then spend more on a last-minute hotel room because you missed your train.
When making your itinerary, do a little research into the activities you want to do in each city. More often than not you can plan your trip so that you’re put in cities offering free events. For example, most museums in Paris offer free entry on the first Sunday of every month. If it doesn’t matter to you what day you arrive in Paris, why not plan to be there on a day that museums are free? Other cities may offer discounts on weekdays for certain events or during the day when there’s typically less public interest in what they have to offer.
Figure Out What You’re Willing to Splurge on Before You Leave
To do this, it helps to be traveling with someone that is like-minded. When Ricky and I set out on our trip, we had the same money-saving mentality. We decided to splurge on one nice meal in each city we visited. The rest of the time carried around what we endearingly called the “Bag of Life”: a shopping bag full of bread, a jar of peanut butter, and a spoon with which to make sandwiches (we couldn’t find a knife). This was what we ate for the majority of our trip to save on food expenses.
We also decided on one or two big things we wanted to see in each city before taking off. Prior to leaving, Ricky and I knew prior we would not be spending money to go on a gondola ride or a tour of the Coliseum. We were there, we saw it, and that was enough for us. We did, however, spend the money to visit the Louvre, and to take a picture in a photo booth at Gare de L’Est, since we’re big fans of Amelie.
If you’re traveling with a friend, it helps to discuss what you want to make a priority before you leave. Trust me, tensions can get a little high when you’re alone with the same person for three weeks. Having arguments over whether or not to spend on a ticket to the Guinness Storehouse tour won’t help. Talking it out will also ensure you don’t miss the attractions you really want to see.
Ask the Locals
The internet and travel guides are a great resource for finding out what to see, but nothing beats local opinion. Even if you don’t try couch surfing or another hosting program, ask some locals what they’d do if they only had one day in their city. You’d be surprised how many hole-in-the-wall restaurants, clubs, and even museums and parks you’ll find by asking, and the tourist traps that should be avoided.
On a local Parisian’s advice, we skipped going to the top of the Eiffel Tower and instead headed to the top of the Arc de Triomphe. It was cheaper, offered amazing views of the city (especially at sunset), and is something fewer people have done on a trip to Paris.
If you’re a little shy or can’t get past a language barrier, look for a tourist office. Most cities have one or several locations and will give you free maps, information on transportation and what to see, and tell you about seasonal fairs and festivals. Many offices can also give you information on free walking tours such as in Dublin and Barcelona. These tours are a great way to get an overview of an unfamiliar city and then find your way back to what you’re interested in exploring further.
If you have a student ID, shamelessly ask for student discounts everywhere you go, even at bars and clubs. You’d be surprised how many places will give you a discount.
Try (Your Hardest) Not to Get Robbed
Nothing will annoy you more than skipping out on parasailing in the Mediterranean to save money than having your purse or wallet stolen and losing it anyway. On our grand Tour D’Europe, I fell victim to this in Barcelona. After a long walk around the city, I sat down on a bench and put my purse next to me. When I got up to leave, it was gone. Luckily I only lost some cash, but when living off of peanut butter sandwiches for three weeks, losing $80 for no reason really gets you down.
Pick pockets can be crafty and aggressive, but there are a lot of more subtle ways you can get robbed while traveling. Beware of those you’re sharing a room with you at your hostel, falling asleep on a bus or train, and people trying to give you back incorrect change. Group rooms at hostels (some holding up to 30 people) are much cheaper than private rooms (and are a great way to save some cash), but if you choose to stay in a group room, make sure your hostel has a safe you can use.
Some will have free safes for each guest located in the room, others will allow you to rent one or keep your valuables in behind the concierge desk. Whatever the case may be, be certain your extra cash, passport, and valuables are protected while you’re sleeping.
Now That You Know…
…you may not have to live off of peanut butter sandwiches or sleep in a train station to afford your backpacking trip. Keeping these tips in mind, I commission you to go forth and explore the world and, if you’re lucky, come home with a couple bucks in your pocket.
Check out these related posts: | <urn:uuid:3510a9df-4c6c-439c-8133-efde00dcf590> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lostgirlsworld.com/2011/08/savvy-tips-for-traveling-on-a-student-budget/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952685 | 1,834 | 1.632813 | 2 |
January 14, 2004
The U.S. Import Price Index increased 0.2 percent in December. The increase was led by a continued rise in petroleum prices.
The price index for overall imports rose for the third consecutive month. From December 2002-December 2003, the index was up 1.9 percent, following a 4.2-percent increase over the previous year.
The December increase was led by higher petroleum prices, which were up 1.8 percent in December, after rising 2.1 percent in November and 1.5 percent in October. From December 2002-2003, import petroleum prices rose 9.1 percent, after surging 56.9 percent during the previous year.
Prices for nonpetroleum imports edged up 0.1 percent in December, following a 0.2-percent increase in November. Nonpetroleum import prices rose 1.0 percent over the past year.
Export prices advanced for the fourth consecutive month, up 0.2 percent in December. Export prices rose 2.2 percent over the past 12 months, following a 1.0-percent increase during the previous year.
These data are from the BLS International Price program. Import and export price data are subject to revision. Learn more in "U.S. Import and Export Price Indexes - December 2003" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 04-27.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Editor's Desk, Import prices in December on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2004/jan/wk2/art03.htm (visited May 19, 2013).
This edition of Spotlight on Statistics examines labor productivity trends from 2000 through 2010 for selected industries and sectors within the nonfarm business sector of the U.S. economy. Read more » | <urn:uuid:bcd7861d-68ad-4eeb-bd6d-90aae597049c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/print.pl/opub/ted/2004/jan/wk2/art03.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942002 | 379 | 1.671875 | 2 |
The 'easiest' workflow solution is probably shooting .jpg in sRGB colorspace and doing simple adjustments afterward. You'll have a file that contains the viewable image, is easily shared and looks pretty much like what you see on the back of the camera. A large host of software will handle these files such as PS-Elements, Picasa, etc. Not a lot different than using a P&S camera.
Many of us choose to shoot in raw format though to obtain the advantages of greater bit-depth and much more latitude in post-processing than a directly rendered JPEG or TIFF allows. As you are using NX2, I assume you're shooting raw? Getting a grasp on the fundamentals of raw sensor data (.NEF) + rendering recipe (all those sliders) = viewable output file (.jpg/.tif)?
Lightroom was designed to be a photographic-centric environment that includes a raw image editor, image management tools, multi-image printing layout, as well as web-hosting and slideshow viewing. Some folks like to minimize the number of apps needed in their workflow so LR accomodates this pretty well, others like to choose specific "best-in-class" apps for each step and build their own workflow environment. These choices are highly individualized which makes it difficult to recommend a specific solution - and is why most sw vendors offer 30-day trials of their apps.
I won't try and summarize the nuances of the which sw is better debate - search the threads for some insight there and give them a try. I will say that making an informed choice - AND REALLY LEARNING - the software you choose will go a long way to having a productive workflow. | <urn:uuid:4f5bce0d-e4c7-47f0-9279-1b86f167052f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nikonians.org/forums/dcboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=133&topic_id=292&mesg_id=297&page=34 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948849 | 348 | 1.570313 | 2 |
The local retailer Marks & Spencer will open 50 bank branches at its stores over the next two years in a joint venture with HSBC.
While the British government is expected to recoup the £37 billion it injected into Northern Rock, the loss would result from the discounted loans the government handed to the lender, the National Audit Office says.
Britain agreed to sell Northern Rock, the bank it had to nationalize more than three years ago, for nearly $1.2 billion.
Wilbur Ross, the billionaire investor, had boarded a consortium led by Dublin-based Cardinal Asset Management to bid for EBS, the Irish building society, he told CNBC on Wednesday.
A swath of private equity firms are throwing their hats into the ring for Royal Bank of Scotland’s Global Merchant Services, which includes the Worldpay payment-processing unit, The Wall Street Journal reported.
U.S. billionaire investor Wilbur Ross will buy a stake in Richard Branson’s Virgin Money, backing the British entrepreneur’s bid to buy hundreds of branches of the government-owned Royal Bank of Scotland, The Associated Press reported.
Wilbur Ross, the billionaire investor, said on Sunday he is prepared to commit up to $760 million to support Virgin Money in its bid to buy the branch network of the Royal Bank of Scotland.
Brian Pitman, the banker who led Lloyds TSB to become one of Europe’s largest financial groups, has died at age 78, the British Bankers’ Association said Friday.
Banco Santander is leading the bids to acquire 320 bank branches in England from the Royal Bank of Scotland, The Times reports, without citing sources. | <urn:uuid:997f13ae-8e64-4515-b046-e6fe99adc4e8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://dealbook.nytimes.com/tag/virgin-money/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94058 | 342 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Tuesday, 19 May 2009, 12:58
S E C R E T CAIRO 000874
NEA FOR FO; NSC FOR KUMAR AND SHAPIRO
EO 12958 DECL: 05/17/2019
TAGS PREL, PGOV, KDEM, ECON, EG, IS, IR, IZ
SUBJECT: SCENESETTER: PRESIDENT MUBARAK'S VISIT TO
Classified By: Ambassador Margaret Scobey for reasons 1.4(b) and (d).
A secret American assessment suggests Hosni Mubarak intends to seek another presidential term in 2011 despite his advanced years, that the election will not be free or fair, and that he will likely stay in office until he dies. It also records Mubarak's critical view of George Bush and his Middle East policies. Key passage highlighted in yellow.
- Read related article
1. (S/NF) Introduction: President Mubarak last visited Washington in April 2004, breaking a twenty year tradition of annual visits to the White House. Egyptians view President Mubarak's upcoming meeting with the President as a new beginning to the U.S.-Egyptian relationship that will restore a sense of mutual respect that they believe diminished in recent years. President Mubarak has been encouraged by his initial interactions with the President, the Secretary, and Special Envoy Mitchell, and understands that the Administration wants to restore the sense of warmth that has traditionally characterized the U.S.-Egyptian partnership. The Egyptians want the visit to demonstrate that Egypt remains America's "indispensible Arab ally," and that bilateral tensions have abated. President Mubarak is the proud leader of a proud nation. He draws heavily from his own long experience in regional politics and governance as he assesses new proposals and recommendations for change.
2. (S/NF) Mubarak is 81 years old and in reasonably good health; his most notable problem is a hearing deficit in his left ear. He responds well to respect for Egypt and for his position, but is not swayed by personal flattery. Mubarak peppers his observations with anecdotes that demonstrate both his long experience and his sense of humor. The recent death of his grandson Mohammad has affected him deeply and undoubtedly will dampen his spirits for the visit which he very much wants to make. During his 28 year tenure, he survived at least three assassination attempts, maintained peace with Israel, weathered two wars in Iraq and post-2003 regional instability, intermittent economic downturns, and a manageable but chronic internal terrorist threat. He is a tried and true realist, innately cautious and conservative, and has little time for idealistic goals. Mubarak viewed President Bush (43) as naive, controlled by subordinates, and totally unprepared for dealing with post-Saddam Iraq, especially the rise of Iran,s regional influence.
3. (S/NF) On several occasions Mubarak has lamented the U.S. invasion of Iraq and the downfall of Saddam. He routinely notes that Egypt did not like Saddam and does not mourn him, but at least he held the country together and countered Iran. Mubarak continues to state that in his view Iraq needs a "tough, strong military officer who is fair" as leader. This telling observation, we believe, describes Mubarak's own view of himself as someone who is tough but fair, who ensures the basic needs of his people.
4. (S/NF) No issue demonstrates Mubarak,s worldview more than his reaction to demands that he open Egypt to genuine political competition and loosen the pervasive control of the security services. Certainly the public "name and shame" approach in recent years strengthened his determination not to accommodate our views. However, even though he will be more willing to consider ideas and steps he might take pursuant to a less public dialogue, his basic understanding of his country and the region predisposes him toward extreme caution. We have heard him lament the results of earlier U.S. efforts to encourage reform in the Islamic world. He can harken back to the Shah of Iran: the U.S. encouraged him to accept reforms, only to watch the country fall into the hands of revolutionary religious extremists. Wherever he has seen these U.S. efforts, he can point to the chaos and loss of stability that ensued. In addition to Iraq, he also reminds us that he warned against Palestinian elections in 2006 that brought Hamas (Iran) to his doorstep. Now, we understand he fears that Pakistan is on the brink of falling into the hands of the Taliban, and he puts some of the blame on U.S. insistence on steps that ultimately weakened Musharraf. While he knows that Bashir in Sudan has made multiple major mistakes, he cannot work to support his removal from power.
5. (S/NF) Mubarak has no single confidante or advisor who can truly speak for him, and he has prevented any of his main advisors from operating outside their strictly circumscribed spheres of power. Defense Minister Tantawi keeps the Armed Forces appearing reasonably sharp and the officers satisfied with their perks and privileges, and Mubarak does not appear concerned that these forces are not well prepared to face 21st century external threats. EGIS Chief Omar Soliman and Interior Minister al-Adly keep the domestic beasts at bay, and Mubarak is not one to lose sleep over their tactics. Gamal Mubarak and a handful of economic ministers have input on economic and trade matters, but Mubarak will likely resist further economic reform if he views it as potentially harmful to public order and stability. Dr. Zakaria Azmi and a few other senior NDP leaders manage the parliament and public politics.
6. (S/NF) Mubarak is a classic Egyptian secularist who hates religious extremism and interference in politics. The Muslim Brothers represent the worst, as they challenge not only Mubarak,s power, but his view of Egyptian interests. As with regional issues, Mubarak, seeks to avoid conflict and spare his people from the violence he predicts would emerge from unleashed personal and civil liberties. In Mubarak,s mind, it is far better to let a few individuals suffer than risk chaos for society as a whole. He has been supportive of improvements in human rights in areas that do not affect public security or stability. Mrs. Mubarak has been given a great deal of room to maneuver to advance women's and children's rights and to confront some traditional practices that have been championed by the Islamists, such as FGM, child labor, and restrictive personal status laws.
7. (S/NF) The next presidential elections are scheduled for 2011, and if Mubarak is still alive it is likely he will run again, and, inevitably, win. When asked about succession, he states that the process will follow the Egyptian constitution. Despite incessant whispered discussions, no one in Egypt has any certainty about who will eventually succeed Mubarak nor under what circumstances. The most likely contender is presidential son Gamal Mubarak (whose profile is ever-increasing at the ruling party); some suggest that intelligence chief Omar Soliman might seek the office, or dark horse Arab League Secretary-General Amre Moussa might run. Mubarak's ideal of a strong but fair leader would seem to discount Gamal Mubarak to some degree, given Gamal's lack of military experience, and may explain Mubarak's hands off approach to the succession question. Indeed, he seems to be trusting to God and the ubiquitous military and civilian security services to ensure an orderly transition.
MUBARAK'S EGYPT: 1982 -- 2009
8. (C) Egypt continues to be a major regional economic, political, and cultural power. However, economic problems have frustrated many Egyptians. Egypt's per capita GDP was on par with South Korea's 30 years ago; today it is comparable to Indonesia's. There were bread riots in 2008 for the first time since 1977. Political reforms have stalled and the GOE has resorted to heavy-handed tactics against individuals and groups, especially the Muslim Brotherhood, whose influence continues to grow.
9. (SBU) Economic reform momentum has slowed and high GDP growth rates of recent years have failed to lift Egypt's lower classes out of poverty. High inflation, coupled with the impact of the global recession, has resulted in an increase in extreme poverty, job losses, a growing budget deficit and projected 2009 GDP growth of 3.5% - half last year's rate.
10. (S/NF) Mubarak himself refuses to discuss economic assistance to Egypt, but other interlocutors may raise it. On May 7, Egypt formally and publicly accepted FY 2009 and FY 2010 assistance levels, ending a stalemate over the FY 2009 program, linked to levels, a perceived lack of consultation, and political conditionality. Based on our assessment of Egypt's most pressing assistance needs, and broad public consensus in Egypt that the educational system is seriously deficient, we would like to focus on education. We believe the Egyptians would welcome a new presidential level initiative in this area, which would also be in U.S. national interests given the critical role education will play in Egypt's political and economic development.
MUBARAK'S REGIONAL OUTLOOK
11. (S/NF) Israeli-Arab conflict: Mubarak has successfully shepherded Sadat,s peace with Israel into the 21st century, and benefitted greatly from the stability Camp David has given the Levant: there has not been a major land war in more than 35 years. Peace with Israel has cemented Egypt,s moderate role in Middle East peace efforts and provided a political basis for continued U.S. military and economic assistance ($1.3 billion and $250 million, respectively). However, broader elements of peace with Israel, e.g. economic and cultural exchange, remain essentially undeveloped.
12. (S/NF) Camp David also presented Mubarak with the perpetual challenge of balancing Egypt,s international image as a moderate with its domestic image as pan-Arab leader. Mubarak has managed this strategic dichotomy most effectively in times of regional stability. However, the Gulf wars, and especially post-Saddam regional crises, have taxed this equation. For example, during the 2006 Lebanon war, the Bush Administration asked Egypt to side against Hizballah; at the same time Egyptian protestors demanded the peace treaty with Israel be vacated. The Egyptians were frozen, and relegated to waiting for the situation to stabilize. More recently, with Iran bringing the battlefield closer with Hamas' actions in Gaza and discovery of the Hizballah cell in Egypt, the Egyptians appear more willing to confront the Iranian surrogates and to work closely with Israel.
13. (S/NF) Mubarak has been effective as an intermediary during various phases of the Israeli-Arab conflict. In the Arafat era, Egypt worked between the Palestinian Authority and Israel. At the outset of the Abbas era, Egypt,s role was unclear as the Israelis and Palestinians communicated directly, and Mubarak for a time was left with no deliverable either to the West or his public. He firmly believes, incorrectly, that the Bush Administration "forced" the Palestinian legislative elections of 2006 (which Hamas won). Hamas' June 2007 takeover of Gaza allowed the Egyptians back into the game as a go-between, and Mubarak,s team has made clear they will not cede the "Palestinian file" to another Arab state. In general, the Egyptian-Israeli strategic relationship is on solid ground, as they face a shared threat from Hamas.
14. (S/NF) The ongoing intra-Arab dispute, which pits Egypt and Saudi Arabia against Syria and Qatar and is primarily driven by Iran's regional influence, is the current test for Mubarak. For the moment the Egyptian-Saudi moderate camp is holding. Mubarak has maneuvered with reasonable effectiveness, brandishing Egyptian clout through a hastily prepared but effective summit in Sharm el Sheikh in February, but Iran,s Arab surrogates (especially Qatar) continue to unsettle the Egyptians. Mubarak will rail against President Bush,s decision to invade Iraq, contending that it opened the door to Iranian influence in the region. That said, the Egyptians recently told Special Envoy Ross they expect our outreach to Iran to fail, and that "we should prepare for confrontation through isolation." Mubarak and his advisors are now convinced that Tehran is working to weaken Egypt through creation of Hizballah cells, support of the Muslim Brotherhood, and destabilization of Gaza. Egypt has warned that it will retaliate if these actions continue.
15. (S/NF) Egypt views the stability and unity of Sudan as essential to its national security because of concern over its access to Nile waters and the potential for increased Sudanese refugee flows. The GOE is using development assistance in South Sudan to encourage unity. Here too, the Egyptians are jealous and sensitive to the Qatari foray into resolving Darfur, a crisis squarely in Egypt's backyard. Mubarak may ask about the potential for cooperation with the U.S. on Sudan and will probably want to hear how the Administration will approach the issue. If he agrees, Mubarak can use his stature and credibility with Bashir to make progress on Darfur and human rights issues.
16. (S/NF) MUBARAK REGIONAL TALKING POINTS
Israeli-Arab peace: He will ask for continued U.S. leadership and highlight Egypt's role as moderate interlocutor. He will stress the primacy of the Palestinian track over efforts with Syria. He will press for concrete action on settlements and resist Arab gestures to Israel until the Arabs can see whether or not Netanyahu is credible.
Iran: He will rail against Iranian regional influence and express pessimism about U.S. outreach to Tehran. He will make clear that there should be no linkage between Israeli-Arab peace and Iran but will agree with the President's assessment that such linkage as does exist argues for progress on the Israeli-Palestinian track to undermine Hamas and Hizballah.
Sudan: He will highlight Egypt's role as provider of humanitarian and military assistance, and stress the need to maintain stability.
Intra-Arab strife: He may criticize Qatar, and perhaps Syria, as Iranian surrogates. He may ask about our plan to engage Damascus and suggest we coordinate our efforts.
Iraq: He may be circumspect, but harbors continuing doubts about Maliki and his Iranian ties. He will say Egypt is open to bilateral improvement but is awaiting Iraqi actions. | <urn:uuid:069d9c0f-3bfa-4b2e-a6a2-fd7a03b62149> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/us-embassy-cables-documents/207723 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960804 | 2,919 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Pope Benedict Resigns, Cites Health Reasons
In news that rocked the Vatican, Pope Benedict announced on Monday he was resigning as leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics, making him the first pontiff to step down since the Middle Ages.
The Pope told cardinals that in order to govern "...both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me."
The Pope continued, "For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter."
He also referred to "today's world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith."
Following the death of the popular Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict was elected to the papacy on April 19, 2005 when he was 78.
His papacy has since been plagued with numerous problems in the church, including a child sexual abuse crises, the Pope’s address in which he upset Muslims, and a scandal over the leaking of his private papers by his personal butler.
According to Yahoo News, the last Pope to resign was Celestine V in 1294 after reigning for only five months. His resignation was known as "the great refusal" and was condemned by the poet Dante in the "Divine Comedy.” | <urn:uuid:6d570854-10b0-4619-a11c-f7b881653953> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.extratv.com/2013/02/11/pope-benedict-resigns-cites-health-reasons/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984201 | 311 | 1.765625 | 2 |
The Desert Sun, the daily newspaper of Palm Springs, owned by the Gannett media company, which includes USA Today, launched an LGBT monthly magazine on Sunday, becoming the first mainstream newspaper to target the LGBT community with a monthly magazine. Desert Outlook will, according to its mission statement, celebrate the people who help “define southern California, our world and the future by living proudly and openly.”
The inaugural issue includes an in-depth interview with Senator Dianne Feinstein, about the California Democrat taking the lead in the Senate to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, by award-winning retired gay journalist Hank Plante, who is also a columnist at the Sun.
“To my knowledge, this is the first time that a mainstream newspaper has put out an LGBT magazine and this is groundbreaking,” Plante told the Sun. “I'm really proud that The Desert Sun and Gannett would get behind this. I think they're betting on the future.”
Plante is a history-maker himself, one of the first openly gay broadcast journalists in the country, known for groundbreaking reporting on AIDS for KPIX in San Francisco in the 1980s. In June, Plante will be honored by the Associated Press, accepting the 2012 Stan Chambers Award for Extraordinary Achievement from the Associated Press Television and Radio Association.
Our friends at Towleroad report that the AP made it's decision based on this news reel: | <urn:uuid:59779d94-50b6-447d-9142-95c063caec43> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/08/desert-outlook-new-lgbt-magazine_n_1410984.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9616 | 292 | 1.742188 | 2 |
S/Sgt. Robert E. Peterson
Robert E. Peterson was born on March 6, 1921, to John E. Peterson and Maibel
I. Schwarz-Peterson in Chicago, Illinois. With his brother, Roy, and his sister, June, he was
raised at 906 South Ninth Avenue in Maywood, Illinois. His father
was the Chief of Police in Maywood. After high school, he worked
as a underwriter for Aetna Insurance Company.
Bob attended school in Maywood and was a 1938 graduate of Proviso Township High School. At the age of fifteen years old, he got his parents to sign his enlistment papers to join the 33rd Tank Company of the Illinois National Guard on June 12, 1936. He remained in the National Guard until June 11, 1939, when he was discharged.
On October 1, 1939, Bob reenlisted in the National Guard with his two best boyhood friends, Jim Bainbridge and Ray Vadenbroucke. A few weeks later the company was sent to Fort Knox, Kentucky, for what was suppose to be a year of training.
From November, 1940 to the late summer of 1941, the men of the 192nd Tank Battalion trained in offensive tanks tactics. During this time Ray attended cryptology school. In the late summer of 1941, the battalion was sent to take part in maneuvers at Camp Polk, Louisiana.
It was after the maneuvers in Louisiana that Bob and the other members of the battalion learned they were being sent overseas. Bob was given leave, said his goodbyes and returned to Camp Polk to prepare for duty overseas.
From Angel Island in San Francisco Bay, the 192nd sailed for the Philippine Islands. After stopping in Hawaii, the battalion arrived in Manila on Thanksgiving Day, 1941.
On December 8, 1941, just ten hours after the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Bob lived through the attack on Clark Field. The tankers were assigned to guarding the perimeter of the airfield to prevent the Japanese from using paratroopers.
After the Japanese landed troopers at Lingayen Bay, Bob and the other tankers were sent north. From this time on, the tanks were used as a rear guard to hold a position so that the Filipino and American troops could withdraw.
On January 31, 1942, Bob wrote a letter to his parents. His family received the letter on March 31st. In the letter he stated, "Things are a terrible mess." He told his parents he was getting enough food and that they should not worry about him.
The tanks of B Company and C Company engaged the Japanese and wiped out what became known as Tuol Pocket. Next, Bob and the rest of B Company was given the duty of guarding the east coast of the Bataan Peninsula from possible Japanese invasion.
During the day, the tanks would hide under the jungle umbrella. At night, the tanks would pull out onto the beaches. One night, while he was on this duty that Bob and the other tankers were involved in a firefight with Japanese barges that were attempting to land troops.
On February 3, 1942, while on this duty, Bob lived through a strafing and bombing by the Japanese. Everyday, "Recon Joe" would fly over attempting to locate the tanks. After one member of the company attempted to shoot him down, the Japanese sent in fighters to strafe and bomb. Three members of B Company died during the attack. Bob was wounded and awarded the Purple Heart.
On April 9, 1942, Bob and the rest of the 192nd became Prisoners Of War when Bataan was surrendered to the Japanese. Bob and those members of the company who did not escape to Corregidor made their way to Mariveles at the southern tip of Bataan. After being searched, Bob started what became known as the Death March.
Bob, Jim Bainbridge and Ray Vadenbroucke made the march together. Jim Bainbridge was ill with dysentery, so Bob and Ray carried him between them. At San Fernando, the three soldiers were packed into a boxcar. At Capas, they disembarked and walked the last miles to Camp O'Donnell.
Since conditions at Camp O'Donnell were extremely bad, Bob, Ray and Jim went out on a work detail to collect scrap metal. The POWs would tie ropes between cars or trucks and then tow them to San Fernando. Each man sat in a vehicle and steered it as it was pulled. He remained on the detail until November 1942.
When the detail ended, Bob was sent to Bilibid Prison outside of Manila because of malnutrition. He remained at Bilibid until April 1943, when he was sent to Cabanatuan. During his time as a POW, in addition to malnutrition, he also suffered from dysentery, beriberi, and pneumonia.
On August 13th, the POWs were taken to the Port Area of Manila. They boarded the Noto Maru and were packed into the holds of the ship. Bob and the other POWs were put into the hold of the ship back to back while standing up. When the hold was full, the Japanese closed the hatches. There was very little water and no sanitary facilities. For the men in the hold, food was not as important as water. Men began going crazy and would attack each other for the smallest reasons.
During the voyage, the prisoners heard a "bang" under the ship. They assumed that it was a torpedo from an American submarine. Another ship in the convoy that was carrying POWs was hit by torpedoes resulting in the deaths of almost 1500 Americans. The trip to Japan took eleven days to complete and resulted in the deaths of fourteen men. The prisoners were only allowed on deck once a day for about fifteen minutes.
The ship sailed on August 27, 1944, and stopped at Formosa before sailing to Moji, Japan. Bob landed in Japan on September 4, 1944. On September 9th, he arrived at Hanawa POW Camp which was also known as Sendai #6. The camp was located on the Island of Honshu.
The POWs in the camp mined copper. The work was extreme dangerous. The POWs often did work that the Japanese considered too dangerous for the Japanese workers to do. The POWs at this camp were so isolated that they had no idea how the war was going.
One morning, the POWs fell out for assembly. Bob and the other men were
told to return to their quarters. Bob and the other men had no
idea that the war was over. For the next several days, this
When the rail line was repaired, Bob and the other men rode the train into Yokohama. From there, they boarded U. S. ships and were returned to the Philippines. In the Philippines, Bob was reunited with his boyhood friend Ray Vanderbroucke. His other boyhood friend, Jim Bainbridge, had died while a POW. On October 8, 1945, Bob left the Philippines for home.
Bob returned home and was sent to Billings General Hospital at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana, to recover from his years as a POW. He was next sent to Percy Jones Convalescent Hospital in Battle Creek, Michigan. He was discharged from the army on April 22, 1946. Bob married Lillian Gorka. Together, they raised three children; Ray, Cathy and Steve. Bob opened his own insurance business in Maywood and remained in the National Guard and rose to the rank of captain before leaving the National Guard. Bob was also active in the Maywood VFW and American Legion.
Robert E. Peterson passed away on May 6, 1965. He was buried at Concordia Cemetery in Forest Park, Illinois. | <urn:uuid:dc6d1818-064f-4929-8b13-1465b307afcd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.proviso.k12.il.us/bataan%20Web/Peterson_R.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.988426 | 1,597 | 1.632813 | 2 |
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