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I really don't get this LEFT JOIN. Can someone explain this pretty easy?
Let's say I have 2 tables.
Table A: a_id, name, info
Table B: b_id, title, a_no
In table A I have everything complete and in table B I only have some people from Table A
that are linked (via a_no -> a_id).
Let's say in A I have:
1, james, a good friend
2, sean, likes coffee
3, linda, vegetarian
And in Table B I have:
1, teacher, 1
2, nurse, 3
As you can see all 3 friends in table a need to be listed and Sean (No 2) is not linked to Table B,
but I need him listed as well.
So, now I want a list of all my friends in Table A (even if they don't have been added to Table B).
I think the correct way is to use JOIN LEFT, but in what way?
Can someone explain this by using this easy example. Then I hope I will understand how it works. | <urn:uuid:6189b8c7-c2d4-4e05-a494-a73dc49962b7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/showthread.php?215644-Left-Join&p=1545936 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939348 | 243 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Illegal immigrants are one step closer to paying in-state tuition at Oregon colleges. A controversial "tuition equality" bill cleared a major hurdle Monday in the Legislature.
The bill would grant in-state tuition for undocumented students. But even if it passes and is signed into law in current form, many illegal immigrants might not be able to take advantage of it.
From grade school to graduation, undocumented students are considered equal to their citizen classmates. But once in college, those same students are denied in-state tuition.
"This wasn't a choice they made as children, but sending them back to Mexico isn't even an option," Latino community organizer Greg Delgado said.
House Bill 2787 would allow illegal immigrants to apply for in-state tuition.
"It's a piece to develop our communities, not to take from them," Delgado said.
"I'm dabbling in a lot of bills," said Rep. John Huffman, who has gotten backlash over his support of the legislation.
"I would get hundreds of emails from people saying, 'You better not give undocumented people free education'," Huffman said.
The bill only focuses on getting illegal immigrants in-state tuition rates.
However, federal law still prevents illegal immigrants from qualifying for student assistance.
"You'll have a hard time finding people against it ," at Central Oregon Community College, said full-time student Kurt Killinger.
Killinger, director of legislative affairs for ASCOCC, is watching the bill for tuition equity closely.
"It's gaining momentum, and we're just happy to see it heading in the direction it is," Killinger said.
A representative for Oregonians for Immigration Reform, Jim Ludwick, gave his point of view Monday afternoon.
"The proponents of it call it 'tuition equity.' I counter, how can it be tuition equity if an American citizen has to pay $20,000 more in tuition than an illegal alien?" Ludwick questioned.
Leah Neil, a COCC student paying in-state tuition, told NewsChannel 21 she hopes the legislation passes, but only for people whose parents were responsible for their lack of citizenship.
"If they made the choice and moved here and tried to get discounts on things and were sending money back home and what not, I'd say that's not right," Neil said.
The bill now goes to the full house for a vote that's expected next week.
As currently written, the bill would not give all undocumented immigrants in-state tuition. To qualify, they have to have attended school in the U.S. for at least five years. They must study at an Oregon high school for at least three years, and graduate.
They also must file an affidavit with an Oregon university system, saying they have or will apply for citizenship. | <urn:uuid:f291f3a9-7fb7-4eaa-add2-0c163cb81ff1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ktvz.com/news/Will-illegal-immigrants-get-in-state-tuition/-/413192/18977406/-/1xy1tbz/-/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979136 | 578 | 1.640625 | 2 |
CBN TEACHING SHEETS
Choosing a Church
Church is the "body of Christ." It can be a group of two or
three Christians meeting in a house, or an assembly of hundreds meeting in a beautiful
sanctuary. According to Matthew18:19-20, as long as we gather together in Jesus'
name, He will be in our midst.
Why is church membership so important?
As a Christian, it is essential to your spiritual growth to fellowship with
other believers (Hebrews 10:25). We should not be isolated from the rest of the
body of Christ, but should share our gifts and our wisdom for the benefit of all
(1 Corinthians 12:7). Worshipping together unites our voices and spirits in praise.
Hearing the Word of God from the pulpit feeds us scripturally and spiritually.
Congregational prayer encourages the sharing of our burdens, while drawing support
and strength from members of our church "family." ("Carry each other's burdens,
and in this way you will fulfill the Law of Christ." Galatians 6:2) Finally, testimonies
about God's work in the lives of others encourages our faith.
How do you
find a local church that is right for you?
Finding a church that is right
for you and your family is one of the most important decisions you will ever make.
Ask the Holy Spirit for guidance, and then consider the following important factors:
to find a local church near you.
Fellowship. Most active churches conduct Sunday morning and evening
worship and mid-week services. Other opportunities for fellowship should involve
people of all ages, such as children's clubs, youth groups and adult gatherings.
Church picnics, vacation Bible school, and annual Christmas and Easter programs
often contribute to the year's activities. Bible studies or home fellowship groups
will help you meet other church members and help you to grow in your faith. Children
shouldn't be left out, either. Look for cleannursery facilities and attentive,
caring nursery workers. Older children will eagerly attend and participate in
a lively Sunday School with a strong emphasis on Christian training.
Can you respect the pastor? Are the church leaders demonstrating a life style
you would want to follow? (Hebrews13:17). They should know God and believe and
preach the Bible.
Ministry. How can you minister to others? Look for
a place where you can not only be served, but one where you can serve and contribute
your talents. Aside from teaching and singing, many churches need people with
organizational, leadership and planning skills.
Doctrine. Select a church
that believes that the Holy Spirit is at work in the lives of Christians today.
This view includes the power of prayer for salvation, healing and God's intervention
in the lives of individuals. A time of worship, praise and prayer should be a
central part of the service. Not to be overlooked are a strong missions program
and outreach to the disadvantaged.
Church Size. Whether you choose a
small or a large church depends on your personal and family needs and on where
the Holy Spirit guides you. The intimacy of a smaller church offers a greater
opportunity for individual care and a chance to develop relationships within the
body. Larger churches possess the capacity, financing, talents, numbers and other
resources to undertake larger projects.
Ultimately, you should worship in a
place where you feel the presence and the power of God. Through His power, you
will grow and develop into the person God wants you to be, ready to meet the challenges
of daily living. And as an active member of a church family, your life will also
be enriched through the many blessings and the transforming power of united worship.
more about being a Christian
Scripture references are taken form the New American Standard translation of
Find a local
church near you
CBN IS HERE FOR YOU!
Are you seeking answers in life? Are you hurting?
Are you facing a difficult situation?
A caring friend will be there to pray with you in your time of need. | <urn:uuid:931f1f00-1de9-4884-b856-c0c6718c5660> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/cbnTeachingSheets/Choosing_A_Church.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939 | 869 | 1.742188 | 2 |
In this highly competitive corporate world, big organizations take help of several marketing techniques to get their business on map. Few companies choose some aggressive marketing techniques such as telemarketing and door-to-door selling to create brand recognition. On the other hand, several businesses prefer to stick to some other effective forms of business promotion such as letterbox advertising via pamphlet distribution canberra.
Globalization and networking has touched almost every aspect of human life, from personal relationships to business. With businesses and companies operating without barriers of physical boundaries, globalization has made markets highly competitive. Cut-throat competition faced by companies has entirely changed the way companies market their products. From traditional to modern, companies use a mix of methods to reach their target customer base. So, whether it is GCL direct lead generation, social media marketing,
Whether it is designing adverts, producing graphics, images or copywriting that is your calling then the world of creative advertising is the career path that you will be wanting to progress through. There is a vast array of creative advertising jobs and these include Video Producer,
Verbal offense is considered a crime in many countries, which could limit the freedom of speech.This law is usually imposed by the government to penalize speech offenses.
A lawsuit called as SLAPP (Strategic lawsuit which is against public participation), is proposed to censor, silence and intimidate critics to pay legal defense cost, until they discard their opposition or criticism.
Page 1 of 2 | <urn:uuid:fd7ef1e6-a4ca-4f80-be9b-453819efd5b7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mediatrips.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971371 | 296 | 1.742188 | 2 |
If polls are to be believed, our next president will likely preside over a divided Congress. The latest RealClearPolitics model predicts Democrats will retain control of the Senate with Republicans gaining one seat overall. The House remains solidly in the hands of the GOP. If this happens, the next president will need the ability to close partisan divides.
Mitt Romney has shown he can do just that. On Sunday, the Des Moines Register, which has been endorsing Democrats since 1976, gave its nod to Mr. Romney this election. Iowa’s biggest newspaper wrote, “Romney succeeded as governor in Massachusetts where he faced Democratic majorities in the legislature. If elected, he would have an opportunity to renew the effort.”
Twenty-seven other editorial boards across the country flipped their support from President Obama to Mr. Romney, including the Orlando Sentinel, Houston Chronicle, New York Observer and Chicago’s Daily Herald.
President Obama has burned bridges by ramming through legislation like the stimulus and Obamacare without bothering to consult Republicans. That’s not how Mr. Romney would operate. “I know there are good Democrats who love America just like we do,” he told supporters in Celina, Ohio, Sunday. “I want to reach across the aisle to them, work together, put the interests of the people ahead of the politicians.”
He noted that as a GOP governor of a deep blue state, he worked with a legislature that was 87 percent Democrat. He still managed to decrease spending and cut taxes 19 times. “We were able to balance our budget. The $3 billion budget gap in our first year became a $2 billion rainy day fund,” Mr. Romney explained to cheering crowds. “We did that together, Republicans and Democrats. And we’ve got to do that in Washington.”
The Obama campaign is trying its best to deny this bipartisan record. “The American people can’t trust a word Mitt Romney says, especially when he claims he’d work across the aisle as president,” said campaign spokesman Danny Kanner. “As governor, he refused to work with Democrats in the legislature.”
Not so, according to the Bay State’s former Democratic House majority leader. “The governor did work with the legislature,” James Vallee told The Washington Times in an interview Monday. “There were issues of difference, but I had a very productive relationship with the Romney administration. They reached out to legislatures and did an effective job working with us.”
Mr. Vallee, who left the legislature in June and is now a lawyer at Nixon, Peabody, believes Mr. Romney would be most effective with a bipartisan cabinet and team. “If he says he’s going to reach across the aisle, I think he will,” he said.
If control of the Senate does remain in Democratic hands and Mr. Romney wins the presidency, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid won’t be an easy negotiating partner. That said, Mr. Romney has a well-established history of finding areas of agreement with the other party. Voters should keep that in mind as they choose who is best capable of ending Washington gridlock.
Emily Miller is a senior editor for the Opinion pages at The Washington Times.
© Copyright 2013 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.
Emily Miller is senior editor of opinion for The Washington Times. She is the author of the upcoming book “Emily Gets Her Gun … But Obama Wants to Take Yours” (Regnery, Sept. 3, 2013). Miller won the 2012 Clark Mollenhoff Award for Investigative Reporting from the Institute on Political Journalism. | <urn:uuid:5942d9aa-b530-4e74-ad2a-50bda8f7d288> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/oct/29/romney-hearts-democrats/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963429 | 766 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Below I will be explaining a lot of things that I just think needs to get out in the open. There are a lot of people that just don't understand the ins and outs of android and that go on faith that something is true right off the start, without any proof whatsoever. I hope to just explain some of this information a little better than it has been before.
This is generally a false statement but actually lies in the gray area between true and false. What people don't seem to realize is that android is designed to have a large number of tasks stored in memory at all times. Why? Well basically we are talking about a mobile device. On a mobile device things tend to be slower. The hardware isn't as robust as say a desktop or a laptop, so in order to get that same “snappy” feeling, there have to be workarounds.
One of these is how android deals with memory. Android will load up your apps and then keep them running until they absolutely HAVE to kill them. This is because that way, if you want to re-open an app, the system already has it loaded and can then just resume it instead of reloading it. This provides a significant performance increase.
What a lot of people don't realize as well is that android kernels have their own task manager. This means that:
There is only one case where having a task killer is a good idea, and that is when you want to kill ONE SPECIFIC APP. Killing all apps is never a good idea. You don't know what operations they are performing or if they are necessary.
This is a horrible idea. I will keep this short because it is simply just not a hard thing to understand. What is the benefit of having Xmb of FREE memory? Free memory is basically wasted real-estate. The worst part about it is that these scripts that set it are designed to tell the kernel-level task killer to begin killing apps when you have less than Xmb of memory free. Some people claim this is great because it keeps their task list clean, but it's a horrible idea and just leads to problems with redraws and instability. Android is built as an OS to run with its memory full at all times, because that allows it to run faster.
Ok, I'm sorry but it has to be said. Quadrant/Linpack/[insert random benchmark tool here] do NOT measure your phone's overall performance in a way that is meaninful, and benchmarks on mobile devices are basically nothing more than the placebo effect. Let me explain a great example of what I mean.
A perfect test of how arbitrary these numbers are is to try running quadrant/linpack under different types of strain. You will NEVER reproduce your exact results in any way meaningful. And you might say “well the numbers are generally the same if I run it over and over”. This may be true but let me then ask you this: What about if you run it while in a phone call? What about if you run it while playing music? What about if you run it while downloading apps from the market?
Sure you can get a 2000 quadrant score if you wipe out half of your apps and kill all of the processes running, but THAT'S NOT A BENCHMARK. Of course the numbers are going to be high when you do stuff like that, but would you actually USE the phone in that condition? A benchmark should be run under regular working conditions, not under some perfect conditions that are unreasonable and would never exist in the field.
So what do I mean by this. A GREAT example of how benchmarks are generally just a load of crap is Sapphire 1.0.0. In that release, I disabled stagefright media player by default. The thing is, stagefright decodes H.264-encoded video significantly faster (note: FASTER is not necessarily the same as BETTER) than opencore, which was the replacement. It also turns out that Quadrant bases some of its score on how fast you can decode said video format. The result? A stock Sapphire 1.0.0 release would score ~700 on Quadrant. I then released an update that would re-enable stagefright for those who wanted to, and the Quadrant scores jumped back up to ~1400. So what does this mean? Of the people who have installed that update, I have yet to hear anyone claim that their phone's overall performance has doubled, which is what the benchmark would suggest. Also, prior to re-enabling stagefright, the phone ran just as fast as after in the general case. The only difference was that opencore would take a few extra seconds to begin decoding H.264 whereas stagefright wouldn't. How this equates to a 50% reduction in speed is beyond me.
So what do I mean by this? Benchmarks are historically done to compare multiple systems that all claim to do the same thing. However, typically they would include a “base” or “gold standard” system in the mix as well. This base system would then be analyzed to determine how it performs under normal operating conditions, and then specify how it scored based on the methods of benchmarking that would be imposed. These scores would basically be seen as the “baseline” for the entire benchmark. The purpose for this was to then say that the systems being tested either did better or worse than what you would typically have standard anyway, and then from there measure which ones were the MOST better.
This is something glaringly absent from any of the benchmark programs out there. That is because it's a benchmark program. A benchmarking program is only aware of the system that it is running on. It may be able to compare the score of the system it ran on with other scores over the internet, but it still fails to explain what it is considering to be a baseline and what the scores even mean.
People who rant and rave about benchmark scores generally don't understand them or realize that they are mostly a lot of smoke and mirrors. I have NEVER used a benchmark to determine whether Sapphire was ready for release versus needing work, and the above reasons are why.
Also, these benchmark programs make a mockery of the whole idea of “benchmarking”. Performing a good benchmark is not done in 15-30 seconds by a program and the click of a button. A good benchmark involves hours of testing under multiple conditions as well as hours of determining testing methods and benchmark scoring rubrics. After all of this has been done, a good benchmark is explained in a lengthy article describing all of the work that went into the benchmark as well as all of the scoring rubrics, the test methods, and exactly what each part of the score means and why. It is then left open for others to examine the method and critique where the benchmark may be incorrect. This entire process is cut out in these so-called benchmark apps.
This is a hugely common thing for people to comment on, but generally has little to no bearing on source-based distros. Very few people actually rip apart new leaks and verify what has changed from build to build, but there are two important distinctions to make:
So what do I mean by this? Source based ROMs are those such as Sapphire or CyanogenMOD. We pull our source on a regular basis directly from AOSP (Android Open Source Project), and therefore anything we build from source will always be at least as up-to-date as the day it was built. There are a few exceptions.
There are a small number of files that are proprietary and therefore are obtained through leaks. The thing is that with the exception of a major release leak (i.e. the first eclair or froyo leaks), these files generally change little to at all. I personally looked at the FRG01B vs FRG22 leaks that recently came up, and so far as I could tell, only one file that source distros use changed, and it was a minor change to the IME Keyboard.
Needless to say, source distros do not generally care about intermittent leaks, but that doesn't mean that they are “behind the curve”.
Now on to hack-based ROMs such as Bugless Beast and stock leaks. These ROMs actually depend on these steady leaks to keep themselves up-to-date, as they have no way to upgrade the source that has been pushed to AOSP (since they don't build from source). In that respect, there are changes to AOSP reflected in these leaks that would make them very useful to these ROMs.
Thus, it's important to know that different builds are very different from each other, but for source distros it doesn't matter, whereas for hacked distros it does. If you can keep that in mind it will help you to understand whether or not your ROM is as up-to-date as it can be. :) | <urn:uuid:9b69d9d5-763e-4daa-b291-251fd43fab94> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://howto.ccroms.net/ongoing/android_myths | 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 | 0.974259 | 1,849 | 1.8125 | 2 |
Okay, now I'm just confused. I'll answer first the question that I understand best. I am using Windows 7 Ultimate x64, and am trying to connect to the shared drives with an Ubuntu Linux (Lucid Lynx) system. When I had things running before, I had to enter no special commands at any time. It was all done through the GUI on the Windows machine.
Now, when I enter that command, I get the following:
Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7600]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
C:\Users\Mollydog>net use * \\mollydog-pc\c$
Drive Z: is now connected to \\mollydog-pc\c$.
The command completed successfully.
I have no idea what that did, or why you had me type it, but there you go.
Now, I am NOT using Homegroup. I do not WANT to use Homegroup. I do not know how, nor do I really care to learn how to use Ipv6. It's far too complicated for what I want to do, which is simply transfer files from the Ubuntu machine to the archives on the Windows machine without having to use a flash drive. When I connect to Network on my Ubuntu machine, I see "Windows Network," which I click to access. It then shows "Mollydog-PC" and "Ubuntu-PC." I click on the Mollydog-PC and it says I need to enter a username and password. So, I set up a Username and Password on the Windows machine. Still no access, it says invalid username or password.
I hope this information clears things up. If not, please tell me what else I need to add/do, and I will give it a shot. I have never had such difficulty in setting up my network before. I don't understand why it's such a chore this time. Thanks again for your help! | <urn:uuid:fababc68-e5c8-4578-8e6e-cd06611188c5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sevenforums.com/network-sharing/83001-cannot-connect-network-2.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943071 | 408 | 1.59375 | 2 |
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|Indiana Jones and the Year 2001 (youngsters:adventure, 1207 words)|
|Author: Indiana Jones||Added: Sep 27 2001||Views/Reads: 2437/893||Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)|
|This is an Indiana Jones story that features James Bond and Mack Bolan.Read it. Thank you.|
Indiana Jones and the Year 2001 Chapter 1 Princeton, New Jersey July 11,2001 "Archeology is lots of paperwork, but not much field work, and X never marks the spot," said Indy to his students. Then Indy said, "Cathy, when was the mummy Imotep found?" Cathy said, "In the year 1500 AD." Indy said, "No, He isn't real, he was a character in the movie The Mummy, and The Mummy Returns." "Oh, and by the way if you want to pass you shouldn't day-dream during class." The class then started laughing. RRRIIINNNGGG the school bell rang and Indy said, "Don't forget to study for the test on next Wednesday." Indy then told Cathy the Blonde, "I am sorry for being so hard on you, I am just in a bad mood, because my best friend, and actor Rick O'Connel is missing." Cathy then said, "That is OK I shouldn't have been day-dreaming during class." "I hope your actor friend Rick O'Connel is found." Indy said, "You may leave now, Bye, I'll see you tomorrow." Cathy then said, "Bye." Marcus Brody then came in with two men and shut the door. Marcus said, "These men are secret agents, the one to the left of you is James Bond of the British SIS (Secret Intelligence Service) and the one to your right is Mack Bolan of an extremely top secret American Intelligence agency called Stony Man Farm." Marcus said, "We are very honored to be entrusted with this information." Mack Bolan then said to James, " explain about the Union, you know more about them than I do, after all you have been involved with them twice before." James said, "The Union is a terrorist group led by an unknown man and has many locations." "They are brutal and there only goals are power, money, and destruction." "You can't threaten them with death, or they will just say go ahead, kill him, I don't care." James then said, "Mack, take it over." Mack said, "OK" "They somehow hijacked our top secret flying machine that resembles a flying saucer." "It can travel up to 2000 miles per hour, it has 20 missiles, ten top of the line special nukes, and can carry up to 600 men." "That could destroy North America, England, and some other countries." James said, "They also stole the latest nuclear sub from England." Indy then said, "Then why do you need me?" Mack said, "So James doesn't get seduced by an enemy agent, and get stripped of his rank as Captain." "We have reason to to believe your friend Rick O'Connel was captured by them, and we know there Click here to read the rest of this story (135 more lines)
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a message below. It will be sent to the author by email. | <urn:uuid:d53fdacd-835a-4499-adaa-7627318214a2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nicestories.com/unreg/y/story.php?id=1560 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965454 | 783 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Colombia. On the wrong side of political justice
12 December 1995
18 September 2006
12 January 1998
9 July 2007
12 May 1995
12 January 1998
COLOMBIAN human rights lawyer Luis Perez thought he was safe. Death threats last year forced him to move his pregnant wife and young son to a secret location outside Bogota. He even stopped defending political prisoners and families of the tortured, murdered and disappeared. But it wasn't enough.
Colombia's paramilitary death squads run a wide network of terror and secretly benefit from the training and intelligence support of local police and military commanders.
As a representative of the Jose Restrepo Lawyers' Collective - a group of human rights advocates founded in 1980 - Perez agreed to speak at a European Parliament conference in Brussels last February.
Under the campaign banner, Basta La Impunidad. Derechos Humanos Ya! he attacked the "total impunity" from prosecution enjoyed by members of the military, police and paramilitaries - the three groups held responsible by international human rights organisations for the vast majority of violations in Colombia. Representatives of the Colombian military, also present at the conference, disguised their anger. Days later the death squad struck. Having located his wife through the birth certificate of their newly born daughter, a sinister calling card was left for all to see.
"The name of my eight-year-old son was graffitied on the apartment wall, which in Colombia represents a death threat," Perez explains. "Armed men stood outside the flat day and night to make their presence known."
The Perez family sought political asylum in Europe, where Luis joins other exiled human rights lawyers who denounce state-sponsored terrorism in Colombia. "The struggle for human rights is a struggle for justice, truth, dignity and for those who have died fighting the barbarity of state terrorism," the 32-year-old lawyer declared during a recent talk in London's Bethnal Green. "The struggle for justice implies the need to create a democratic society in which no authority is above the law. Above all, it is a struggle against impunity."
Colombia is the battleground of three wars: a war against the cocaine and heroin cartels; a dirty war against the popular movement - a loose coalition of leftist parties, trade unions, NGOs and human rights campaigners; and a counter-insurgency war against Latin America's biggest and oldest guerrilla movement.
Most of the past 50 years have been spent under a state of emergency, a situation used by politicians to pass draconian laws which seriously undermine civil liberties and make due process subservient to the military's 'national security' considerations. The Colombian judicial system has been both victim and protagonist in these three conflicts. While the drug cartels continue to corrupt, kill and intimidate the judiciary, in the other two theatres of war, the law itself has become a repressive political tool against 'subversion' and a protector of human rights abusers in the Colombian security services.
But it is the war on drugs and drug-related violence, or narco-terrorism, as the Colombian government calls it, which persistently grabs international headlines. Huge drug profits lubricated the Colombian economy in the 1980s, allowing cartel bosses to buy politicians, judges, banks and large tracts of land. Soon these violent neo-capitalists became the protected neighbours and political allies of Colombia's traditional elites in the fight against peaceful political reform and social justice.
When the US government forced Colombian politicians to confront the cartels, the narcos unleashed a 'total war' against extradition plans and threatened to kill 10 judges for every drug trafficker extradited in 1989. Members of the judiciary were offered plomo o plata - lead or silver. Many took the money. Others resigned en masse, went on strike or were assassinated. "Nowhere in the world do judges and lawyers work at such risk," said the Geneva-based International Commission of Jurists.
In the long run, narco pressure on bent politicians ensured that in 1991 extradition was declared unconstitutional. And although the entire Cali Cartel leadership was recently captured, years of corrupting the judicial system and secret negotiations with the government have led many, including Perez, to predict Colombia's suited narco-terrorists will be treated leniently.
Cali Cartel boss of bosses Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela, el ajedrecista, the chess player, is 57. He faces a maximum sentence of 24 years but is more likely to serve fewer than 10 with mitigation and a law preventing any prisoner over 65 from serving time. The Cali and Medellin Cartel bosses, says Perez, will leave prison with their money and business washed for their Harvard-educated children to inherit.
Local politicians and Western governments and companies are quite happy to allow the war on drugs to obscure the much longer and more bloody guerra sucia, or dirty war, against Colombia's unarmed popular movement. For years unionists, teachers, doctors and lawyers like Perez have been the victims of a reactionary alliance between the Colombian armed forces and paramilitaries representing the 'anti-Communist' interests of business elites and drug-traffickers.
Political violence in Colombia makes The Troubles in Northern Ireland seem like a pub brawl. Colombia has the highest violent death rate in the world, said Carlos Mejia of the Andean Commission of Jurists in a recent interview.
"Each day 10 people die for political reasons. Five of these are political activists, unionists or peasants and three the victims of guerrilla activity," he said. "In 1994 there were over 1,200 kidnappings. A disappearance is registered every three days and a case of torture every two. Last year 35 per cent of political assassinations were carried out by the guerrillas. The rest were committed by the state and paramilitary groups."
Perez refutes government claims that abuses by the military are isolated cases. They are "systematic" and on the increase, he says, a view shared by Amnesty International.
The UN Human Rights Commission has agreed to send rapporteurs to Colombia. But violations will continue, warns Perez, until the investigation and trial of military officers and their paramilitary agents are brought within the jurisdiction of civilian courts.
The root of the problem is the fuero militar, a constitutional device which means Colombian soldiers can only be tried by a military court.
"The military try their own members for any crime from rape and all sexual offences to human rights violations. The result is complete impunity," says Perez. "Even those who have been discharged are not punished for the actual crime, because under the military penal code these crimes were committed during active service and are therefore immune from prosecution."
In 1991, the Colombian government reformed the constitution after public demands for greater democracy. The judicial system was re-modelled along US lines with the introduction of public prosecutors and defenders. But the fuero militar remained and was widened to include the police, who now function under military command and justice.
Recently, the government human rights prosecutor Dr Fernando Valencia Villa discharged a senior military commander for his role in the torture and disappearance of several M19 guerrillas. However, the president decorated the officer, while Dr Villa, after anonymous death threats, had to seek asylum in Spain.
The 1991 constitutional reform was also instrumental in turning ad hoc anti-terrorist legislation passed during one of the many states of emergency into permanent law. The most disturbing examples of this were the craftily titled Statute for the Defence of Democracy and the institutionalisation of the Regional Justice system.
The statute was introduced under a 1988 state of emergency and used an ambiguous, catch-all definition of "terrorist" and "incitement" to allow state security forces to arrest and imprison those seen as suspicious without a judge's order.
But it was the introduction of Regional Justice which constitutes the true assault on the due process of law. Special courts were set up throughout Colombia to exclusively try drug traffickers and so-called 'subversives'.
Judges sit behind a one-way mirror and talk through voice distorters to special prosecutors whose identity is also secret. Supporters say this is necessary to avoid reprisals, but critics, like Perez, argue the system of justicia secreta, as it is known locally, is simply another instrument of the dirty war against the popular movement.
Why else, he asks, can the prosecution rely solely on affidavits from witnesses whose identity they do not have to reveal? Why is there no presumption of innocence, no bail and no prospect of a fine in place of a custodial sentence?
Recent events in Colombia make Perez fear a further assault on the legal rights of those accused of political crimes and an increase in unpunished human rights abuses.
President Ernesto Samper is currently being investigated by a Congressional Committee after allegations that millions of narcodollars from the Cali Cartel financed last year's election campaign. He is still in power, thanks to a bi-partisan pact and US government support.
Last August Samper declared a state of emergency. Citing "national security" reasons, the military budget has been increased, human rights promises ejected and peace negotiations with the guerrillas rejected - the price exacted by the far right, say observers, for keeping him in power. Shopkeepers who unwittingly sell goods to a guerrilla, doctors who treat a wounded insurgent and human rights lawyers who defend political prisoners are now liable to arrest and imprisonment. Furthermore, Amnesty is concerned about the government's obstruction of a draft law to exclude 'disappearances' from military jurisdiction.
In addition, despite government rhetoric that paramilitary groups will be pursued and punished, plans were recently announced to organise 500 Rural Defence Groups by the end of 1995. The civilian opposition see this as an attempt to legitimise underground paramilitary groups and harness their terror tactics to the army's counter-insurgency war.
If the government is serious about cracking down on paramilitary death squads, asks Perez, why does Colombia's most notorious paramilitary chief continue to live and work freely in Northern Colombia?
The answer, says local human rights organisation Justicia y Paz (Justice and Peace), is the judiciary, which represents "the spinal cord in the protective wall around the paramilitaries".
As Perez tries to rebuild his life in exile, Latin America's oldest democracy prepares for another bloody week. | <urn:uuid:69607eb7-a0a1-4ed8-9ba5-0dee5a455346> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thelawyer.com/colombia-on-the-wrong-side-of-political-justice/85233.article | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961617 | 2,107 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Egypt: Stop Attacks on Peaceful Protesters
|Publisher||Human Rights Watch|
|Publication Date||3 February 2011|
|Cite as||Human Rights Watch, Egypt: Stop Attacks on Peaceful Protesters , 3 February 2011, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/4d5101952.html [accessed 20 May 2013]|
|Disclaimer||This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.|
(Cairo) - The Egyptian government should stop what appear to be organized attacks on pro-democracy demonstrators, which resulted in three deaths and several hundred injuries, and hold all those responsible to account, Human Rights Watch said today. The Egyptian security forces failed to protect those peacefully assembling in Tahrir Square in Cairo on February 2, 2011, from pro-government provocateurs armed with petrol bombs, sticks, and whips.
The United States and the European Union should use their leverage with the Egyptian government to ensure that there is no further violence against peaceful protesters, Human Rights Watch said. They should tell President Hosni Mubarak and Egypt's military commanders that the army's actions on February 2 raised serious doubts about its willingness to protect pro-democracy protestors from violent attacks, and that their failure to uphold fundamental human rights, including prohibitions on extrajudicial killings, torture and enforced disappearances, will prompt an immediate suspension of all military assistance.
"The events in Tahrir Square and elsewhere strongly suggest government involvement in violence against peaceful protesters," said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch. "The US and other allies should make clear that further abuse will come at a very high price."
The Egyptian government has a responsibility not only to respect the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression, but also to protect protesters from violent attack, Human Rights Watch said. This includes ensuring that sufficient and properly trained security forces are deployed on Tahrir Square and other demonstration sites and that they intervene immediately to prevent injury. The Egyptian army has acknowledged the protesters' right to peaceful protest and assembly, and Human Rights Watch said the role of the security forces is to uphold those rights.
Human Rights Watch also warned that soldiers and officers could face prosecution if they unlawfully fire on demonstrators or give orders to do so, or ill-treat people in custody.
The army, which had been controlling access to Tahrir Square very tightly, with tanks at all the main entrances to the square, checking identification cards and searching bags, allowed pro-Mubarak protesters into the square, including men riding horses and camels and brandishing whips. Soldiers mostly stood by and did not act to protect peaceful demonstrators or try to stop the attacks on them. The Egyptian Health Ministry said three people were killed in the violence and more than 600 injured.
The use of force by state security forces is governed by international standards, and subject to international legal obligations that are binding on Egypt. Egypt is a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibits arbitrary killings including those resulting from unlawful or excessive use of force. This prohibition imposes an obligation on states to investigate, and where appropriate prosecute, any such alleged killings. The UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms applies to all those who exercise police powers, including soldiers when they are acting in this capacity. The Basic Principles state that lethal force may only be used "when strictly unavoidable in order to protect life." When doing so, the security forces must act with restraint and in proportion to the seriousness of the offense and the legitimate objective to be achieved; minimize injury; and respect and preserve human life.
In addition to numerous media reports suggesting official involvement in the attacks on pro-democracy demonstrators, a number of witnesses have described their belief that the government has coordinated the activities of the pro-Mubarak demonstrators. One source told Human Rights Watch that staff at a state hospital was told to go and protest in favor of Mubarak on February 2. A female pro-democracy protester told Human Rights Watch that men standing near the TV building on the Corniche had offered her 50 Egyptian pounds early in the morning to go into Tahrir Square and demonstrate for Mubarak.
"It boggles the imagination that armed pro-Mubarak demonstrators on camels and horseback could have assembled themselves and passed through army checkpoints without government complicity and coordination," said Roth.
Journalists were also targeted for attack, with several Egyptian and foreign reporters describing beatings at the hands of pro-Mubarak supporters or plainclothes police and several others arrested and still in detention. An Al Arabiya reporter was in intensive care after being attacked by pro-Mubarak demonstrators. A BBC crew was detained for several hours and at least two other journalists, including a correspondent for the Belgian daily Le Soir, were still being held last night. A pro-Mubarak crowd in Alexandria attacked a television crew, who had to be rescued by the army. | <urn:uuid:a05234eb-01a1-4a83-8efd-78b87f719382> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.refworld.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/rwmain?page=topic&tocid=4565c2252c&toid=4565c25f35f&publisher=HRW&type=&coi=EGY&docid=4d5101952&skip=0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959103 | 1,035 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Mobile voice service revenues are on a trajectory to reach their peak in 2010, after which they are likely to start declining, according to the latest forecasts from ABI Research.
“Mobile voice has had a meteoric rise since digital cellular networks such as GSM were deployed in 1992. ABI Research forecasts annual mobile voice revenues to reach $580 billion in 2010. From 2011 on, rising subscriber saturation will increasingly erode mobile voice revenues, not just in developed markets but also in a number of emerging markets. By 2014, mobile voice revenues will have contracted by 9.6%,” vice-president for forecasting Jake Saunders comments.
While mobile operators have received a substantial boost from value-added services such as messaging and mobile Internet, competition is squeezing margins for a variety of services and carriers. Total mobile data services should generate $169 million in 2009 and will grow at a CAGR of 9% until 2014.
By the end of 2009 the declines in annual average revenue per user (ARPU) will have been felt most severely in Asia-Pacific (-8.7% to $105) and Africa (-7.8% to $134). ARPU in 2009 in North America will have contracted, but only by -0.6% to $526). Mobile Internet revenue ($52) from use of smartphones, netbooks, etc. will help to prop up overall service revenue for the region.
Wireless capital expenditure, on the other hand, shrank 5% in 2009 to $132.5 billion. The global recession was widely felt in all parts of the world. Saunders
“As handset sales plummeted in 4Q-2009, end-users did not return their handsets nor did they put their handsets aside and refuse to use them. They did, however, try to cap tariff plan usage. Carriers therefore held up a number of CAPEX-related projects to free up some cashflow,” noted Mr. Saunders.
As the economy has stabilized in the second half of 2009, carriers have started to resume capital expenditure. Key areas of spending are core network and radio access network upgrades to support higher data throughput. | <urn:uuid:db238463-ab2b-4abc-a674-57140879278b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/networking/display/20091122113428_Voice_Communications_Set_to_Decline_in_Two_Years_Analysts.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966187 | 437 | 1.609375 | 2 |
It’s Not Personal
We must stop taking each encounter and thought personally. It no longer is about the personality or content of the mind. If you remember that thoughts are merely conditioning that we have identified with, then it is easier to see that whatever arises in consciousness, whether it looks to be outside in the world, or appears in our inner landscape, is to be considered a clue as to what is the next step in our collective healing. Approaching all content of the dream as markers that point to the unfolding of awakening, we see the direction we must go and the actions we must take. But it never is directing us towards further separation. The idea we should shield ourselves in any way, is entrenched in duality. In Oneness there can be no enemy.
That doesn’t mean we are required to play a part in the dream that would override our sense of integrity. Some behaviors and scenarios are dead ends and lead to further fragmentation. Since the goal of any organism is wholeness and coherence, we continue in that direction and avoid any enticement that would distract emotionally and pull us into drama. The “I” thought that differentiates, with its “own” values, perceptions, beliefs, etc. is the program, not the truth. We are Consciousness, aware of ITSELF, evolving through this dimensional dream world, and discovering its nature. It is always attempting to divulge its true nature, to look more closely and pierce the veil. It attempts this through us as its agents. So the invitation is to relinquish individuality, not to another belief system as presented by another teacher, but to LIFE ITSELF as it moves through us, breathing the new paradigm into existence.
There are always opportunities, more so now than ever, to surrender our personas of protection and become transparent and vulnerable to LIFE in its constant expression. Love is its language and would speak through action, not words. I do not mean action necessarily in the form of doing, but is more about the nature of Being. The intellect cannot reason out the manner in which the flow will appear, as each moment makes itself known completely fresh, neither encumbered by the past nor expectant of a future. It knows intuitively its directionality through time-space. It is like water, tumbling from stream to river as it seeks finally joining its mother, the ocean. It is inevitable. It is HOME.
When we enter this flow, surrendering control and entering the stream of alive Consciousness, we become instruments of harmony, joining the frequential and vibratory undoing of anything unlike the essential truth of Being, of Life ITSELF. We are the change agents as soon as we walk into a room. When you feel tension arising, know you have ushered in an invitation to freedom. There is nothing need be said, but Life’s presence through you will begin the adjustment necessary. It has nothing to do with you, so stay out of it. Be still. Allow. Love. That’s all.
Opinions and viewpoints are transitory and are constantly changing as we are upgraded in our understanding. Do not be a disseminator of viewpoints, please. Relinquish all viewpoints and join the infinity of Life’s awareness, which, of course, includes EVERYTHING in existence, including that which you cannot yet perceive. That means you cannot take a stand, anywhere. It is like an endless free fall, where you become accustomed to the inability to orient yourself to any reference point, where you finally stop trying to grab onto something to stop the sense of certain death. In fact, you stop trying to avoid anything, but instead become curious as to what it is you’ve been afraid of. It’s time to come to grips and get to know your inner terrorist, to face it head on and see what happens. When you’re ready, the universe will align with your intent, and your situation will morph to provide the perfect opening for you to transcend your self-imposed limitations.
True freedom is awakening from the illusion of everything you thought was true and encountering Truth directly, alive and always brand new as it moves through time-space moment by moment. It is the death of your fictional identity and the relinquishing of all desire to recreate a new one. It is not just getting off the carousel; it is leaving the amusement park altogether. What happens after that is anyone’s guess.
Love to All, Suzen | <urn:uuid:f9a7ad31-a8fc-4f76-a629-60281d5dbfc0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.zengardner.com/its-not-personal/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966748 | 921 | 1.546875 | 2 |
News | 19/02/2011
Call for solidarity from Indonesia
We are small loose collective (informal) in Yogyakarta, located in central Java, a region considered as “special territory” inside the democratic state due to its historical role as a Kingdom of Java, and for the same reason, some of the old feudal rules still preserved inside the so called democratic state. Since 2007 we have involved in creating solidarity with the peasant struggle in Kulon Progo which located inside Yogyakarta region. The struggle was about resisting iron mining which ARE a joint cooperation of Australian Kimberly Diamond (Indomines) and its local “puppet” branch company named “Jogja Magasa Iron (Mining)”. Jogja Magasa Iron are owned by the Sultan of Yogyakarta’s (Sri Sultan Hamengkubowono X) daughter, GKR Pembayun.
The planning of Iron mines are just a gateway for other mega-project to come, that we recognised as a development proposal from Asian Development Bank. Kulon Progo territorial are a crucial point in making further capitalist infrastructure in java, that is to create alternative highways, international airport, and other industrial infrastructure that would be a pivotal role for other minings and industrial project in surrounding area. These projects involved companies and investors from other countries include: Czech, Australia, and South Korea (some of the foreign investor that we already acknowledge).
As laws are easily made up by the rulling class. The former agrarian laws that protects peasants land after the independence were threatened to change due to the political-economic interrest of the elites:
In according the original to state laws, the peasants have the most legality to cultivate the land. But it is not really permanent since there is also a law that says “Every natural resources are owned by the state”. Feudal claiming of the land by the Sultan also create a mystification of “Special Territory” and its historical justification as a kingdom. Which fortunately until now, no law were officialy justifying the Sultan’s need to officially owned all of the land in Yogyakarta: Wonosari, Bantul, Sleman, Kulon Progo.
Recently there have been a a political “fight” between the pro’s and con’s of the democratic-state take over of Yogyakarta since Sultan wanted the government to approved its feudal inheritance of land (so that the mining project and other mega-project would be smoothened by him and he himself will play the` major role for other mega-projects planned in Yogyakarta). This create an illusion of the democratic state versus the special territory of Yogyakarta. Some important point to be considered is that Yogyakarta accomodates intellectual life and the city received the central reputation for student city due to the existence of the most good education and universities across Indonesia. For example, in urban areas of Yogyakarta, most of its inhabitants are students from all over Indonesia. This creates a multicultural relationship and a growing intellectual life and lively art scene. In the recent spectacle of opposition between Sultan and President, the Sultan were praised by the “bribed” progressive academics, the so called “radical artists”, and the opportunist leftist, as more democratic, progressive, pluralist (and other nonesense) than the president on chair. This tendency were falsely seen by many “progressives” as true fight against the regime and most of them were rallying in solidarity for the “ETERNAL” preservation of special territory of Yogyakarta and the eternal authority of the Sultan’s blood to rule Yogyakarta inside Indonesian democratic state and of course with some hidden from public planned laws, that is: an eternal ownership of the so called Sultan and Paku alaman’s ground. To our view, as one of its inhabitants, if pluralism and multiculturalism, and also the freedom of expression were really exist, it has nothing to do with the Sultan. It simply an urbanised life of the students with various backgrounds of culture that made it possible, and in some cases cultural and ethnic clashes also appear, just as in other major cities in Java. But since most of Yogyakarta’s inhabitants are students and not workers, its already explained that free-time can create “special” atmosphere and not because of its feudalistic special territory where a very low-wage were praised as dedication and loyalty to the Sultan.
(See “A Tale of Sand” , a brief history and struggle of Kulon Progo’s peasants, Interview: Kulon Progo – The Government Forces us to Fight Back)
Approximately 10 thousand people will lose their land and house due to the feudal claiming of Sultan and Paku alaman ground. Ever since the issue of the mining project and its preliminary operation were conducted, the peasants of Kulon Progo were resisting very fiercely, these peasants notable came from several villages: Trisik, Karangwuni, Bugel, Pleret, Garongan, Karang Sewu. The mining projects threatened to make use of the land as much as 2987 – 3000 acres of land. The struggle which was started since 2007 creates a peasant umbrella group named PPLP-KP (Coastal Farmers Association of Kulon Progo). PPLP-KP such as the daily organizing of the noted Kulon Progo’s village, though still had informal hierarchy (such as those who are considered as elders), were very horizontal in nature. These villages have their tradition of consensual meetings where every village send their delegates and were responsible back to its people, and this is not function as leader. Oftenly in some serious events, these informal leaders cannot do anything to calm down the peasants anger.
PPLP-KP have conducted lots of demonstration, and in almost every demonstration, thousands of people always showed up. These solid network of village people were pure and sterilized from outiside interference such as Ngos, political party, and leftist organisation. And the peasants council have made it clear that to maintain their solid unity, PPLP-KP and the struggle of Kulon Progo’s peasants should be controlled by the peasant itself and not some organisation or other specialist. This strategy were seen as crucial so as to avoid any danger in the future if there’s any hidden political interrest in every political organisation that would want to interfere the struggle. And by time it is proven right, as the struggle became more solid through the years and some of the political organisation have showed their true face. Also to be noted, since the struggle have emerged, local authority belongs to the local or central state were no more functioning as the villagers decided to control everything into their own hands.
Criminalisation and the so called “Independent Advocates” (LBH)
In recent cases of struggle, some incidents have occurred. Every night and day, men and women patrolled their villages if there’s any government or other institution responsible come to their village without any permission from the villagers. During December last year and January this year, two incidents happened where the investor’s car’s were damaged and some of the person inside the car were held hostages for three hours. The villagers have made their own laws, and according to them, if any institution wants to come to the area, especially those who are involved in the mega-project, should face the community first, otherwise it would be an offense to the community law.
16 December 2010: held hostaged six car belong to the investors and damage some of the cars
17 Desember 2010: The outrage community destroyed the mining office and made it sure it cant be operating again.
12 January 2011 – Community destroyed researcher’s of the company car These action conducted by the villagers were criminalised and the company have hired a well known lawyer in Indonesia to sue the community. Every time there’s a case such as this, the law aid institution officially named LBH (Lembaga Bantuan Hukum) were trying to convince the community that a successful struggle would be inside the law and further illegal acts should be stopped—although police only issue a warrant and never able or dare to pick-up the suspect or witness, as the community would be the human shield if there’s any individuals would be hostages of the state because of defending their own rights. LBH is a problem for the struggle, not only because they believe in political struggle in front of the court, and they firm attachment to the laws and state, but because most of the individual lawyers in that institution involved in the network of institutional leftist and leftist-environmental organisation which historically have bad reputation in the grassroot: political intrigues, corruption, dependency, etc. In recent cases they were trying to influence some of the community members to expel the small minority of anti-authoritarians who are deeply involved with the PPLP-KP but didn’t have any organisation whatsoever. Fortunately, the conversation were recorded by the community itself, and it was heard in their internal meetings. The LBH were trying to expell the small minority of anti-authoritarians because of its hostile position to every network of NGO’S and other insitutional leftist that is so oftenly in close connection with the elites and politicians. LBH were accusing the anarchists of provoking the villagers to conduct illegal actions, of which all of these accusation are based on lies, because most of these actions were conducted spontaneously and that the community itself are already hot headed in their position against the minings and its people. LBH also wanted their network to infiltrate the struggle but were at pains because of the agreement of the PPLP-KP councils to not accept any interference of NGO’S or other political institution. LBH are problematic to the struggle, which its narrow political interrest cannot be an independent help for the movement. It only can make intrigues to the whole movement and threathening its solid and self-organised struggle.
Considering these political implications and the revolutionary tendency of the peasant struggle, we urge to have a solid international solidarity. And on the behalf of the peasants, we need input on how to challenge these laws on international scale. We have made infrastructure of struggle in the village: community radio and social center. And also there’s twice of solidarity actions conducted by our comrades in Melbourne and Perth (due to the involvment of Australian Kimberly Diamond). We are in dire need for help to make this struggle successful without any interference of the leftist institution and its disgusting network. Please contact us for furtrher collaboration and we will update you with a more extensive and comprehensive data of the struggle. This letter are not our own initiative but were a result of our meetings with the PPLP-KP.
On behalf of the peasants,
Kulon Progo Solidarity Network
Taken from: Info Shop News
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Once upon a time, a long time ago -- well, about forty years ago -- there was a big debate among women about the usefulness of the princess in the fairy tale. What sort of role model was that? A princess waiting to be rescued?
There were early attempts to rewrite these tales, in children's books, mostly, and some of them were good. But in the big wide world of Hollywood films and their associated marketing to kids, glitz and bubble reigned, and the idea of girls as little princesses became really commercial again. Look around any child care centre or supermarket and you are sure to see a tiny female tot or two running round wearing spangly skirts. With no irony at all, I should add. It's hard for four-year-olds to do irony
The second wave of Hollywood has hardly made much of an impact on this princess story, despite Princess Fiona from the Shrek stories, and a slew of female warriors in action films like Terminator; and so forth.
Brave is a really heroic attempt to recast the princess myth. It’s from Pixar, in partnership with Disney, and set in Scotland, where, back in the days of the warring clans, the days when bears still roamed the forests -- a young girl called Merida is being raised to take the place of her mother Queen Elinor. By tradition, the first-born of the other three clans must compete at tournament to win her hand.
But Merida is a tomboy and a champion archer who roams the forests on her one free day. When assorted first-born sons arrive for the tournament, she nominates archery and decides to compete herself. And, of course, wins.
Her mother is furious, and as Merida flees in the forest she meets a rather absentminded witch who gives her a spell to change her mother’s mind, and hence Merida’s destiny.
And Merida’s mother, Queen Elinor, is changed into a bear. A huge female black bear, alternating between the apologetic and maternal, and bursts of bearish savagery. Which is a pretty dicey situation, because Merida’s Dad, King Fergus, is The Champion bear slayer of the clans.
This is a sweet film. While it may not be as edgy as other Pixar animations, it has enormous resonance. Because it is told, quite clearly, from the point of view of the princess, with princelings relegated to the periphery. They are McGuffins. Indeed, one of them is from the clan McGuffin. They are all very grateful to be liberated from their destiny.
Indeed the real dramatic conflict in Brave is between Princess Merida, voiced by the lovely Kelly McDonald, and her mother (Queen Elinor), voiced by Emma Thompson.
Psychologically, it rings absolutely true. In terms of characterisation expressed through animation, Queen Elinor, even as a bear, is a wonderful maternal figure, alternating between embarrassment and care.
They are two smart women, and the conflict between the Queen and her teenage daughter is psychologically astute. Every woman who has ever had a stompy, tearful teenage daughter, or indeed, been one, will recognise what’s happening here. Merida, feisty and attractive, has to separate from her mother and assert her own independence, but also learn to marry her female, maternal side with the masculine.
The story was created by Brenda Chapman, who drew on her own conflicts with her daughter, and is co-credited as screenwriter and director. She was replaced by Mark Andrews some way through the film. So there may have been a behind the scenes tussle at Pixar.
There are brawny Scottish brawls, and capers from Merida’s three red-headed young brothers, to divert boys big and small. Maybe this was Andrew’s contribution.
But it’s a female take on the fairy story, all right. Angela Carter -- another Scottish lass -- would have been proud.
Brave is rated PG. Oh yes, and Billy Connolly’s Fergus does bare his braw bum as well. But then, I always enjoy men in skirts.
- Julie Rigg | <urn:uuid:ddbb2961-bb62-4ef7-ae61-a887f28c88bf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/movietime/brave/4084436 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971742 | 886 | 1.796875 | 2 |
(Are you stuck in the wrong…)
Are you currently sitting at your desk, with your head in your hands, unsure whether you're in the right place? We give you a low-down on the signs that tell you're ready for a new job.
When is it a risk well worth taking:
'Boring' becomes your favourite word
If you're so bored at work that updating your status on Facebook or re-tweeting posts is the only exciting thing that you do during the day, it's time to start updating your resume . Sometimes, things are a little slow if you're just learning the ropes or if you're in between projects, but if the idleness persists, you have to think about the situation and your career seriously.
You get mood swings often
How happy are you? If you're in a bad mood every other day, it is one major thing that indicates that you should leave your current job. It is absolutely normal to have a bad day once in a fortnight. It is a part of every job. But if you're dragging yourself to work forcefully everyday and then just sulking all day, start typing out that letter of resignation. Being depressed 8 hours a day, 40 hours a week is not acceptable where quality of life is concerned. If you're that unhappy in your current job, divert all your efforts in finding a better one instead of crying over it.
Lack of opportunities to grow
At some work places, you might like the kind of work you are doing and the kind of people you're working with but there's just no room to climb the ladder. That might be OK for a while, but after a point you might want to get better at your job. If you're already at the top of where you can go in your company but have started to crave something more, look at your current job as a stepping stone and resume-builder rather than somewhere you have to stay for good. If you're not feeling challenged, you're just going to end up feeling unhappy.
No social life
You have to put your best in whatever you do. There are times when you are expected to take on extra tasks or pitch in to finish up something on a tight deadline. But if you can't remember the last time you met your friends or went out on a family outing, you might want to opt for a job that consumes a little lesser time. Your work might be giving you the desired job satisfaction but having no life outside the office is unhealthy and can eventually lead to stress and anxiety.
This might be the case with you. You have the skills that would be beneficial to your employer but you're not just getting the chance to prove your mettle, especially if you are hired for one thing but you're getting stuck with administrative tasks. Ask for some one-on-one time with your boss and explain the kind of work you would be interested in doing. Bring forth a clear picture. If you're still relegated to menial tasks, it may be time to move on.
You dream about quitting
If you're already at the stage of wishing for a new job or even thinking about doing anything but what you're doing, take those thoughts seriously and figure out what you want to do next. You need to be proactive when it comes to your career. Research on the vacancies at various companies, polish your resume, and start applying for anything intriguing that comes up. | <urn:uuid:9d0cb8ed-a023-4cf8-87c3-76b85523bb93> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-05-19/work/30197742_1_new-job-bad-day-mood | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970824 | 698 | 1.539063 | 2 |
The deadpan exchange sets the tone for the rest of Bonsai, which cuts deftly back and forth in time between their college affair and Julio’s life in Santiago eight years later. Now an aspiring novelist in an apparently casual relationship with his neighbor Bianca, Julio applies for a job typing a novel for a famous author named Gazmuri. He doesn’t get the job, but instead of telling Bianca, he passes off his own true memories of his first love as Gazmuri’s manuscript. Bonsai takes shape as both a tragicomic love story and a subtle, formally precise meditation on the complex relationship between life and art. Director Cristián Jiménez spoke with Sheerly Avni about Proust, potted plants and the existential crises facing the youth of post-Pinochet Chile.
SHEERLY AVNI: Where does the title of your film come from?
CRISTIÁN JIMÉNEZ: A bonsai has two parts, the pot and the tree. It’s the pot—the artificial—that gives the bonsai its structure. Our lives are the same way. Their raw materials need to be imagined, told, structured through narrative. So the bonsai becomes a metaphor for the complex relationship between life and art. You need both the tree and the pot.
AVNI: Julio lies nonstop—about the books he’s read, the novel he’s writing, even about how he makes his living—yet he seems to do so without malice or duplicity. Is this all part of the “pot?”
JIMÉNEZ: Yes. In Julio’s world, lying doesn’t have that typical Catholic quality of being associated with sin. It’s more about not being fully satisfied with the world as it is. He is trying to find a personal truth, one he might not find by sticking to the path of literal truth itself.
One could think that Julio is not just willing to live as a reader and a writer, but also as if he himself were a fictitious character. He is on a search to make sense of who is, and his “lies” are part of that search, part of that construction.
AVNI: According to the film’s timeline, you and Julio would be about the same age. And you are exactly the same age as Alejandro Zambra, who wrote the book on which your film is based. What do the three of you have in common, and how does this all fit in with Pinochet?
JIMÉNEZ: Alejandro and I are the same age, 36. We were both 14 when Pinochet lost power. The generations before us shared a strong sense of purpose: They were either changing the country, or changing society, and finally getting rid of the dictator. So we grew up in a society with more wealth, and more relaxed social rules, but we were also part of the first generation that lacked a collective project.
Alejandro and I have talked about this—our generation experienced a new kind of loneliness that our parents couldn’t guide us through. When we started college, we were hearing things like “history is over,” “there is no more ‘etiological’ debate,” “it’s the end of the big stories.” Emilia and Julio are also in college at this same moment, when Chile is really buying into that worldview.
AVNI: So they’ve lost a specific unifying narrative and now they have to come up with one of their own?
JIMÉNEZ: Exactly. They have to find out what their story is.
AVNI: Of all novelists, why Proust?
JIMÉNEZ: Proust is both a reference and an anti-reference. As a book, Bonsai was so short that some critics complained it should not even be considered a novel. So in both the book and the film we are working with a certain formal economy that is the very opposite of what Proust signifies.
What is important to me, more than Proust, or Carver, or any of the other authors mentioned in the film, is the power of the idea of them for Julio and the other characters. Literature as an idea doesn’t just give them something to read, it gives them something to hold onto, something that adds up to more than the contents of the books themselves. And that is something very important to me, personally, the idea that art can give shape to your life.
AVNI: So does that mean that like Julio, you’ve also lied about reading certain books in order to impress women?
JIMÉNEZ: I should have an answer ready for this to get ready for promoting the film, shouldn’t I? You know, I don’t think I ever have.
AVNI: You’ve never lied?
JIMÉNEZ: Oh, I’ve lied (laughs). But never about literature.
Sheerly Avni is a San Francisco-based writer.
Chile, 2011, 102m
Director: Cristián Jiménez
Adaptation of a novel by Alejandro Zambra | <urn:uuid:cfc7265c-e52a-4bc8-be57-391d2eebff9d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.watchnewspapers.com/view/full_story/15290701/article-Secrets-of-the-Unread?instance=special%20_coverage_right_column | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96793 | 1,113 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Comment: It really shouldn’t come as a great surprise, but white supremacist elements are targeting the Tea Party movement for infiltration and co– option. With the GOP’s history of involvement with Nazi and fascist elements, they shouldn’t be too far out of the Republican mainstream.
Excerpt: Billy Roper is a write-in candidate for governor of Arkansas and an unapologetic white nationalist.
“I don’t want non-whites in my country in any form or fashion or any status,” he says.
Roper also is a tea party member who says he has been gathering support for his cause by attending tea party rallies.
“We go to these tea parties all over the country,” Roper said. “We’re looking for the younger, potentially more radical people.”
Accusations about racism within the tea party have rumbled for a year, but they suddenly exploded this week with a resolution at the NAACP convention in Kansas City saying the party is attracting people and groups hostile to minorities.
The allegations prompted irate denials from tea party supporters, and even critics make it clear that they’re not accusing all tea parties or party members of racism.
Indeed, it’s difficult to answer the racism question because the tea party is split into hundreds of shards, and the issue of racism depends somewhat on perceptions.
Still, it’s clear that some with racist agendas are trying to make inroads into the party.
In several instances, tea party members with racist backgrounds such as Roper have played a role in party events. At the same time, The Kansas City Star has found, white nationalist groups are encouraging members to attend tea parties. One organization based in St. Louis is sponsoring tea parties of its own.
“There definitely is racism within the tea party movement,” said Daryle Lamont Jenkins, an African-American and a spokesman for One People’s Project, a Philadelphia-based group that monitors racism. “I’ve seen it, and it’s something they need to deal with now.”
The tea party absolutely rejects the racist label, for a number of reasons.
Many deny outright that any incidents of racism have occurred. They point out that there are minorities in the tea party and that tea parties are endorsing minority candidates in some races.
Others say racism may be occurring, but only on the fringes of a movement that is so decentralized that 69 tea parties exist in Missouri and 24 more in Kansas. Nonetheless, some in the party have tried to police incidents of racism and turn away white supremacists.
Brendan Steinhauser, director of campaigns for FreedomWorks, which organizes tea parties, acknowledges that some racist groups may be trying to “glom” onto the movement. But “where we see that behavior, we’re going to call them out,” he said.
He noted that one tea party in Houston helped expose a tea party leader who allegedly made a racist poster.
“Racism is something we find morally repugnant,” Steinhauser said. “It damages the movement, and it’s just not good for our image or our message.”
At the same time, Steinhauser downplays actual racist incidents, saying he hasn’t seen any himself.
“Are there infiltrators coming in to try to make it look racist or extremist? Yes,” he said. “Are there people that may have those kinds of views that are showing up at our events trying to be a part of the movement? Sure. But if you talk to 99.9 percent of these people, that’s not what they believe.”
But for Leonard Zeskind, who has written a history of the white nationalist movement, the problem is obvious.
“There are hard-core racists brewing inside the tea party movement,” said Zeskind, author of “Blood and Politics” and a Kansas City resident. “They see tea parties not only as recruitment opportunities, but as vehicles to cross over into mainstream American politics.”
Is it racism?
For many tea partiers, racism is in the eye of the beholder.
Take Ron Wight, who stood with dozens of tea party activists at the J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain in April, complaining about the Obama administration, its socialist agenda and being called a racist.
Those like him who complain about President Barack Obama are accused of racism, lamented the semi-retired music teacher from Lee’s Summit.
Then he added: “If I was a black man, I’d get down on my knees and thank God for slavery. Otherwise, I could be dying of AIDS now in Africa.”
Wight doesn’t consider that comment to be racist.
“I wish slavery had never happened,” he said. “But there are some black people alive today who have never suffered one day what the people who were black went through in the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s. Has somebody said something stupid or done something stupid? Yes, there have been incidents.
“But with everything that has been done in this country legally and socially for the black man, it’s almost like they’ve been given a great leg up.”
Signs at tea party events that have drawn criticism also have defenders.
One poster says: “What’s the difference between the Cleveland Zoo and the White House? The zoo has an African lion and the White House has a lyin’ African!”
Another depicts Obama as a tribal witch doctor, wearing a headdress and a bone through his nose, with the words “Obamacare: Coming soon to a clinic near you.”
While some tea party events turn away signs that might be offensive, it’s not always clear that they depict racism, party members say.
Another concern — even within the tea party — is the actions of some who are in leadership positions.
A photo circulating on the web shows Dale Robertson, founder and president of Houston-based TeaParty.org — also called the 1776 Tea Party — at a 2009 rally carrying a sign that said: “Congress = Slave Owner, Taxpayer = Niggar.”
In an interview, Robertson denied his sign was racist, saying someone altered the picture on the web.
“The original sign said ‘slave,’ and somebody changed it to the N-word,” he said. But then he defended the use of the word.
“I looked the word up in Webster, and it says it means politically unrepresented,” he said.
Robertson also sent a fundraising e-mail that contained a picture depicting Obama as what some describe as a stereotypical black pimp with a thin mustache and wearing a zebra-striped fedora trimmed in white fur with a black feather on top.
Robertson said allegations of racism in the tea party are coming from “people who have an agenda, and all they want to do is slander this movement.”
But some tea party groups have denounced Robertson.
“We do not choose to associate with people that use his type of disgusting language,” the Houston Tea Party Society said in a statement issued on its website.
The Tea Party Patriots also shunned Robertson.
“We stand firmly against any expression of racism and the kind of language and opinion expressed in his (N-word) sign,” the group said.
The Council of Conservative Citizens, a St. Louis-based group that promotes the preservation of the white race, has sponsored its own tea parties in some Southern states.
The council’s website has referred to blacks as “a retrograde species of humanity” and said non-white immigration would turn the country into a “slimy brown mass of glop.”
Gordon Baum, the group’s founder, told The Star that the council encourages members to participate in tea parties.
He described the tea party rallies as “mainly a white thing, because there’s not a whole lot of blacks that participate, and the ones that do get to be speakers.”
That leads some groups into a bizarre hypersensitivity, he said.
“They have black speakers, and sometimes when they can’t get one lined up, they just get some poor devil that’s on their side, black guy, in the audience and drag him up on stage,” he said.
Some other white supremacy groups also see tea parties as recruiting grounds.
Roper, a former organizer for the neo-Nazi National Alliance and now chairman of White Revolution, said he has been attending tea party rallies to recruit members and garner support for his 2010 write-in campaign for Arkansas governor.
Roper, a member of the ResistNet.com tea party, said in an interview that he sees tea parties as a base of support.
Have tea parties been receptive?
“It varies,” he said. “If I go to some of the larger tea parties, I’ll find a few dozen people at least who are seeing the world through the same lenses I have.”
Roper said he was kicked out of one tea party rally by a man who said racists weren’t welcome.
“I told him I’m not a white supremacist,” Roper said. “I’m a separatist.”
Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke has posted a video on his website addressing tea party supporters. Duke says in the video that the majority of tea party activists “oppose affirmative action and diversity, which are nothing more than programs of racist discrimination against white people.”
Tea party on racism
Last fall, the Council of Conservative Citizens put fliers promoting the group on cars at a tea party event in Virginia. In response, leaders of the Roanoke Tea Party publicly disavowed the council.
In April, an Alabama attorney who was scheduled to speak at a tea party rally in Wausau, Wis., was asked to withdraw after it was revealed that he had a history of speaking at white supremacist events.
Those are among several examples of tea parties making it clear they don’t support racist views.
At the same time, though, supporters want to make sure racist incidents aren’t blown out of proportion.
“We’ve got to recognize that there are freaks at both ends and they will attempt to attach themselves to legitimate movements,” said Woody Cozad, a former chairman of the Missouri Republican Party who has spoken at tea party events.
“But that does not say anything about the movement unless the movement endorses or embraces them, which the tea party has not done that I know of.”
Indeed, some tea partiers say they haven’t seen racism at all.
Lloyd Marcus, a black conservative and musician who has both spoken and entertained at tea party rallies, said he has been to 200 events and never witnessed any racist incidents.
“It’s women, it’s families, it’s grandparents, it’s kids,” Marcus said. “The decent folks that I meet at the tea parties, to be called a racist is devastating to them.”
Ward Connerly, a conservative African-American who has spoken at numerous tea party events, said he has no qualms about the tea party movement.
“I’ve probably spoken at over 20 tea party events in the last three months, and I’m convinced that these folks are ordinary people who are frustrated with government,” he said.
Connerly acknowledged that minorities are scarce at tea party events he’s attended, but he attributed it to “the attitude that minorities often have about the political process.”
Sometimes language differences hold back blacks and Latinos, he said, while those of Asian descent don’t participate in political events unless it relates to what they see as their own identity.
Many also are complaining about racism on the other side. They accuse the NAACP of failing to denounce racist incidents by African-Americans, such as voter intimidation by the New Black Panther Party during the 2008 elections.
“There’s no room for that kind of vitriolic language in a civilized democratic society,” NAACP spokesman Chris Fleming said Thursday about the voter incidents.
Those who monitor hate groups are worried about racism in the tea party.
“There are probably close to a couple thousand of these local tea party chapters now,” said Devin Burghart, vice president of the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights, which is finalizing a special report on tea parties.
“A number of these groups have been either thoroughly infiltrated by more hard-core folks, or at least those more hard-core folks are allowed to swim in that same ocean.”
As examples, Burghart cited Robertson, as well as some speakers promoted by tea parties, such as Red Beckman, an anti-Semite who was once evicted from his land by the Internal Revenue Service for refusing to pay taxes.
The racism isn’t coming only from the fringe, Burghart said.
“This is not just a nut showing up in the audience with a crazy sign,” Burghart said. “It’s someone who they vetted and decided to give a platform to.”
Zeskind said racist tendencies may be broader within the party than even critics realize. . . . | <urn:uuid:0ed322b9-10e9-44a0-b714-2140ffff7397> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://spitfirelist.com/news/white-supremacists-targeting-tea-party-movement-for-infiltration-possible-takeover/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966974 | 2,880 | 1.570313 | 2 |
ST. PAUL, Minnesota (AP) — A six-day-old government shutdown in Minnesota is costing taxpayers millions — a toll that will only rise the longer it lasts.
The nation's only government shutdown already means that people aren't spending their normal $1.25 million a week on lottery tickets. State auditors aren't pursuing tax cheats. And 22,000 laid-off state workers are due to start collecting unemployment checks next week.
State officials won't be able to calculate the full cost until the shutdown ends.
Budget talks are expected to continue Wednesday, but Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton and legislative Republicans are still divided over raising taxes and cutting spending as they seek to erase a $5 billion deficit.
The government closure also threatens to slow an already sluggish economic recovery as those who lose state-dependent jobs tighten their spending.
© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | <urn:uuid:4e30f36e-4715-48f8-b69e-31ef914e0fda> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newsmax.com/US/MinnesotaGovernmentShutdown/2011/07/06/id/402738 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951655 | 198 | 1.804688 | 2 |
There is a definite power structure at Trinity high school. Brother Leon and The Vigils use violence and manipulation to control the student body and teachers who might have a problem with their awful tactics. Jerry, The Goober, and some other students try to destroy this power structure by refusing to participate in it. Unfortunately, it's not that easy. The Chocolate War shows just how hard it is for a small group or a single person to stand up to the majority – regardless of who's right and who's wrong.
Jerry is empowered when he says "No" to selling chocolates, but he loses this power when he follows his violent impulses and punches Emile during the raffle. | <urn:uuid:36a555ba-3a6b-4177-9bc0-49a0871839a5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.shmoop.com/chocolate-war/power-theme.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966561 | 140 | 1.625 | 2 |
Mon April 30, 2012
George Zimmerman's Defense Takes Case To The Web
The legal defense team for George Zimmerman, the man accused of second-degree murder in the shooting of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, has created a website, Facebook page and Twitter account to protest his interests.
Zimmerman, 28, has said he acted in self defense on Feb. 26 when he shot the 17-year-old African-American teen in Sanford, Fla. Martin's family and supporters, however, allege that neighborhood watch volunteer Zimmerman racially profiled the young man, followed him and that local authorities did not move swiftly enough to investigate the case and arrest Zimmerman.
As Martin's family became increasingly frustrated, word of what happened spread and protests were held in cities across the nation. The case has renewed the national discussion about race relations and racial profiling.
The online sites made for Zimmerman by the Mark O'Mara Law Group were created, according to that attorney's staff:
-- "To identify, discredit, and eliminate fraudulent websites and social profiles that pretend to represent George Zimmerman or his legal defense team."
-- "To distinguish (when appropriate) fact from the rest."
-- "To discourage public speculation about the facts of the case."
-- "To provide a voice for Mr. Zimmerman, but only when it is appropriate to do so."
-- "To raise funds on behalf of our client."
Martin's parents have been online for many weeks. It was a Change.org petition about their son's case that helped bring it national attention. | <urn:uuid:13a306ab-a159-4815-878d-8c45c39ec935> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://krvs.org/post/george-zimmermans-defense-takes-case-web | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961421 | 315 | 1.796875 | 2 |
- Last Updated: 1:25 AM, November 11, 2012
- Posted: November 11, 2012
Gov. Cuomo will get to make his first mark on New York’s highest judicial body in the coming weeks by filling two vacancies on the Court of Appeals.
Judge Carmen Beauchamp Ciparick reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70 next month, creating one opening.
The other vacancy was both unexpected and sad: Judge Theodore Jones, the court’s only African-American, died Monday, apparently of a heart attack, at 68.
Jones was a product of the city public schools and St. John’s Law School; he also served a tour of duty in Vietnam.
He was named to the high court in 2007 by then-Gov. Eliot Spitzer after a stint as the first black administrative judge of state Supreme Court in Brooklyn.
It was there that he rendered perhaps his most important service to the rule of law — and to every New York City resident.
In 2005, he became the first judge ever to take the state’s Taylor Law seriously.
After transit workers defied his injunction and staged an illegal Christmas week strike, Jones fined their union $2.5 million, sent union leader Roger Toussaint to prison for 10 days and imposed smaller fines on two unions that had conducted sympathy boycotts.
For good measure, he ended the Transport Workers Union’s long-cherished right to automatic dues checkoff — imposing a considerable financial burden on the TWU’s coffers.
His strict enforcement of both the letter and the spirit of the Taylor Law may well have cost him what would have been a well-deserved appointment as the Court of Appeals’ chief judge in 2009.
With his death, the machinery is set in motion for Cuomo to name a replacement.
The Commission on Judicial Nominations must prepare a list within 120 days, and Cuomo must name a replacement between 15 and 30 days later.
We hope he does not follow the lead of his predecessor, David Paterson, who passed over Jones and picked a crony of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver as chief judge. The Court of Appeals needs judges who deserve to be there, as well as philosophical balance.
It’s up to the governor to ensure both.Follow @NYPostOpinion | <urn:uuid:eac12abf-8ba8-4c00-b995-49e3ad1c6c4a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/editorials/balance_for_the_court_eLQvRUtBzXom4XsFFcmCgP | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970551 | 479 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Saw-Whet Owl Sculpture
Price (non-member): $40.00
Price (member): $36.00
What American owl is as small as a robin, makes a tooting whistle like a saw being sharpened on a whetstone and is mentioned in the Grateful Dead song Unbroken Chain? Yes, the northern saw-whet! His head shyly turned—to question, to ponder, perhaps to greet—this Saw-Whet Owl Sculpture hopes to find a permanent home with you. Cast aluminum with bronzed finish. 6.75"h. x 3.5"l. x 4"w.
Our National Postal Museum includes a 1978 fifteen-cent postage stamp depicting a saw-whet owl. We decorate our homes and adorn ourselves with things that please. Beautiful, unique, storied and found things that speak to our soul. Objects that say something about who we are. Each treasured offering in this collection has a story. Discover something wonderful!
Every Smithsonian purchase will arrive with a museum provenance card explaining how it is adapted from or inspired by an object or objects in our collection. | <urn:uuid:de263bdf-381b-4049-a9a6-ef990667ef1e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://smithsonianstore.com/saw-whet-owl-sculpture-80186.html?wtl=cs&wtl1=p | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936071 | 240 | 1.773438 | 2 |
Searching for a new job can be frustrating. Job seekers can send out countless resumes, contact recruiters, and attend multiple interviews without ever getting a job offer.
After spending months or even years looking for a job, there are valid reasons to decline a new position. Shady hiring practices, abusive interviewers, or pyramid schemes disguised as sales jobs are all valid reasons to turn down a job.
Still, some reasons for turning down a job should be thoroughly considered before the decision is made — including these:
Low Initial Compensation
Sub-optimal compensation is perhaps the most common reason to turn down a job offer, but is not always a valid reason to decline. New college graduates, those who have been unemployed for long periods of time, and those who are making an industry or career change must accept that they might not make their ideal salary right away.
What’s important here is to determine what’s fair and what you need to survive. Minimum wage might not be ideal, but neither is not being able to pay your bills. Besides, by accepting a low-paying job and continuing with it, you will be setting yourself up for a salary boost in the future. That boost might come by being promoted at that company or it might come by making yourself more marketable to another organization. Statistically speaking, it’s easier to find a new job once you’re employed, so use it for bargaining power elsewhere.
In this economy, turning down part-time or seasonal employment can be a bad move. A part-time job can lead to full-time work. Some companies start employees off at less than forty hours a week to evaluate their performance; good workers can be eligible for a promotion in a few months. Additionally, a part-time job keeps your network and resume fresh (resume gaps can be very hard to explain), and may therefore lead to employment opportunities at a different company.
It’s Doesn’t Align With Your Career Plan
Sometimes, newly graduated college students turn down any job not directly applicable to their major. Getting a job relevant to your Art History or Philosophy degree is a challenge in any economy, let alone in today’s post-recession market. Likewise, an aspiring social media marketer might not be interested in sales. Still, college graduates should consider whether the supposedly unrelated job uses skills from their major. For example, that aspiring social media marketer can benefit largely from sales, as sales is about communication, persuasion, and promoting a product or service — the very skills necessary to be successful in social media marketing.
Have you turned down a job offer before? If so, share your reason(s) with us in the comments, and let us know whether you regretted that decision later on. | <urn:uuid:704fda35-0639-473c-bc9b-124ffcd70204> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.ziprecruiter.com/2013/02/13/should-you-turn-down-a-job-offer/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952771 | 569 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Had a chance to go to a conference this year that opened a conversation about energy conservation and many experts said that the future of energy conservation was actually in personal energy development. That blew me away! To tell the truth, I had no idea that affordable home energy opportunities were that close at hand. After hearing about thermowells, new solar capturing devices, and home size wind generators I was convinced that the next home I owned would be outfitted with as many energy supplying elements as I could manage.
Since then I have been keeping my eye on several sites to see what new technologies and specifically, products are coming out that might fit my needs in the next home. This product, the Skystream 3.7 is a renewable, wind generator designed for residential homes. This machine can actually spin your meter backwards in a good wind. That means you , not only don't spend as much with your local utility, but "in theory" could get paid by a utility company.
Standing 40 - 50 feet tall it requires a .5 acre of open space for wind, and costs $5,400. Makes me want to move today. | <urn:uuid:46ba3f71-67ac-48fc-8f6d-0ab60684fffb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://brainblenders.blogs.com/pop/2007/04/skystream_37.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978999 | 229 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Benjamin Ball and Gaston Nogues
Rip Curl Canyon
21 September - 29 October 2006
Rice Gallery is pleased to present a new installation by Los Angeles design team Benjamin Ball and Gaston Nogues, on view September 21 - October 29, 2006. Ball and Nogues trained as architects and use their sense of space and design as well as their formidable construction skills to fabricate installations that transform the way people interact with environments. Using 4000 sheets of precision-cut cardboard, Ball-Nogues will create an inhabitable, rolling landscape that extends from the gallery’s floor to its ceiling.
Rip Curl Canyon is presented in collaboration with The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston exhibition The Modern West: American Landscapes, 1890 – 1950, on view at the MFAH, 29 October 2006 – 28 January 2007.
Ball-Nogues have been collaborating for only a year and a half, but already they have gained acclaim, winning an ID Magazine Annual Design Review award for their most recent work, Maximilian’s Schell. A site-specific installation created for the courtyard of Materials and Applications>, a Los Angeles research center for landscape and architecture, Maximilian’s Schell was composed of a matrix of 504 triangles made of a reinforced metallic Mylar material and joined together with clear polycarbonate rivets. The resulting golden, tornado-shaped canopy created a quiet enclave where visitors could sit and enjoy the shimmering Mylar’s beautiful shadows, and its UV protection.
Nogues and Ball, who met as students at the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc), Los Angeles, both worked for renowned architect Frank Gehry at Gehry Partners. Nogues worked for eleven years in product design and production where he was known as “the guy who could build anything.” Ball worked with Gehry Partners as a student, then became a set and production designer in the film industry, working on numerous films, the Matrix series among them.
The architects’ work has appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Architectural Record, Dwell Magazine, Metropolis, and Fabric Architecture, among others.
ABOUT THE DESIGNERS
Benjamin Ball was born in 1968 in Waterloo, Iowa, and moved to Aspen, Colorado at the age of sixteen. He received his Bachelor of Architecture from Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc), Los Angeles, in 1994 following studies at New College Oxford, United Kingdom (1986), the University of Colorado, Boulder (1986 - 1989), and Shibaura Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan (1992). While studying for his degree at SCI-Arc, Ball worked with the model team at Frank Gehry and Associates, Santa Monica (1991), on the Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Spain. Following graduation, Ball worked as a set and production designer, art director, visual consultant, and graphic designer for over 125 films, music videos, and commercials, including the Matrix series. He is currently a principle and designer at Ball-Nogues in Echo Park, Los Angeles.
Gaston Nogues was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1968 and moved to Los Angeles at the age of twelve. He received his Bachelor of Architecture, with a Distinguished Student Award, from Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc), Los Angeles, in 1993. After graduation, he moved directly into a product design and production position with Gehry Partners, LLP. Nogues remained at Gehry Partners until 2005, when he joined Benjamin Ball as a principle and designer at Ball-Nogues in Echo Park, Los Angeles. | <urn:uuid:f93f06c5-5e8d-4f87-872f-6ad93a90da1f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ricegallery.org/new/exhibition/ballnogues.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954943 | 766 | 1.554688 | 2 |
THELOCAL.DE REPORT: German President Christian Wulff commemorated the victims of September 11, 2001 at an ecumenical service in Berlin, the first of a series of events to mark the 10th anniversary of the attacks.He and US Ambassador Philip D. Murphy took part in the memorial service at the American Church to mark the 10th anniversary of the attacks. Other guests included Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich.
Those attending the service held a minute of silence in memory of the 3,000 victims of the attacks by radical Islamic terrorists on New York and Washington.
Wulff will also take part in a memorial event in Munich in the afternoon, which will include a live broadcast from Ground Zero in New York.
A memorial event is also planned to take place at Berlin’s historic Brandenburg Gate, at which a young people from different religious communities will join together for discussion, prayers and music.
A minute of silence is to be held throughout the city at 2:46 p.m. local time, to mark the moment that the first plane hit the World Trade Centre in New York 10 years ago.
Another memorial service is being held at the Berlin Cathedral at 6 p.m. | <urn:uuid:aec44690-21de-4db5-ae1e-3518326cd493> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://jceworld.blogspot.com/2011/09/europe-germany-church-service-to.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949204 | 264 | 1.625 | 2 |
Stan & Mary's Love Story: Letters HomeIt was spring in the San Fernando Valley. He spied her across the fence of his sister's new house. She was 15 and barely noticed him. He was a 19 year old army private, soon to land on the beaches of Normandy. He came home to LA for one more visit and in 5 days dating had decided she was the one. He asked, through a friend, if he could write to her. She said yes.
He was assigned to a tank destroyer unit. He was at the cutting edge of the 1944 invasion of Europe. His job was to hunt out German tanks. He was so close to the front that a major danger was American artillery. Even under the worst of conditions, he wrote - often by flashlight.
She was still in high school. She wrote back - mostly. Sometimes he would write to her parents (boldly calling them "Mom" and "Dad") - blaming imagined mail delivery problems for a shortage of responses. It was hard to match his output though.
"It's a Love Story: Stan and Mary"Mary was still in high school when Stanley shipped off to Europe in 1944.
Through their 2 year correspondence, they fell in love.
Thinking about WWII, or any war really, our focus is mostly on the soldiers.
But there is always a "home front" - and folks waiting at home who fret and who also suffer.
And for most families - and couples - there is a reuniting...
Stan would write mostly of everyday things and of his plans for when he finally returned home. He even talked about having children. The mortality rate in his unit was staggering - maybe 1 in 5 would survive.
This is a happy story. He made it home safe and they married. And he got his children: 8 in all. We interviewed the couple recently, still together and obviously still very much in love. She hadn't looked at the letters in all that time. They were still in an old brown box. But now she was reading them again, on camera. Each letter still in its envelope, some letters showing the effects of the censor's scissors, each letter a treasure.
We asked if it was love at first sight. "No, but I know I liked him a lot." But through the letters, she said, she did fall in love with him. With as many adventures that they have had over their long lives, with all the family history we recorded, it is a simple story. It's a veteran's story. It's a love story.
We love our job!
A (WWII) love story
Using letters to tell a story on video is a very effective way to connect subjects to their personal history.
They are historical artifacts, they support the story. They prompt fresh memories.
And filming a subject reading letters, with close-ups of the script, the hands etc., produces very good, emotional, documentary pictures.
The interview material combined with the letters, personal photographs, voice-over, historical footage, captions and text, and music brings a veterans video story to life.
We have delighted hundreds of customers & their families and friends with our careful and caring work in our video biographies and veterans' videos.
We pride ourselves on meeting the biography challenge in a professional, caring and affordable way.
Back to: Video Biography Samples | <urn:uuid:1de1c85c-c4d4-430b-951c-8494f39e476d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://yourstoryherehome.com/WWII-loveletters-video.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985862 | 696 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Dealing with myriad issues last season, including his mother’s battle with multiple sclerosis, weighed on him. He admitted he couldn’t compartmentalize as well as he should’ve and instead of the game being his sanctuary, it became another source of something he couldn’t control as well as he’d like.
"It was a lot of stress, a lot of stuff, issues," said Daye, 24. "And also the basketball, it’s life. I think a lot of people think because you’re a basketball player you don’t have real problems."
More than anything, I empathize with Daye. He’s taken plenty of criticism about his mental makeup, including from me. This is a good reminder that we don’t always know what’s going on with these players, and it’s unfortunate Daye had go through what have been a challenging season regardless with the added weight of his mother’s illness.
But in professional sports, the athletes who succeed are the ones who can get past issues like these. There is a never-ending supply of people who want to play in the NBA, and some of that group can handle personal setbacks better than others. The NBA isn’t waiting for those who can’t, especially players like Daye, who haven’t fully proven themselves as viable NBA players in the long term.
I’m not saying that’s right. I’m saying that what is.
There is plenty of room for a discussion about the role of humanity in sports and how different the workplace should be treated than in other industries. I’d like to have that discussion. I’d like to see change.
But for Daye’s sake, I hope he can adjust – because he can do it quicker than the league’s culture.
Leave a Reply | <urn:uuid:92d33906-f9d9-4fa3-af20-0ee3c325032d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pistonpowered.com/2013/01/austin-daye-says-mothers-illness-distracted-him-last-season/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980338 | 404 | 1.515625 | 2 |
At least the executives at risk manager and insurer Aon understand what the victims of Hurricane Sandy are going through. Aon’s building in lower Manhattan was taken out by the storm as the aptly named Water Street location was swamped by Sandy’s 12-foot storm surge.
“It’s a good thing Aon is a big company with offices in New Jersey, Chicago and Boston,” says Rick Miller, chief broking officer at Aon Risk Solutions’ U.S. property practice, speaking from a dry Aon office in Boston. “There are a lot of companies in lower Manhattan where their whole business was in one building that had to be closed down because of the flooding.”
Estimates of insured losses from the huge late-season tropical storm are likely to pass $20 billion, while the overall impact reportedly could top $50 billion, meaning a huge portion of the losses will not be covered by insurance. A fair share of both the insured losses and the uncovered losses, Miller says, will involve business interruption, or BI.
“For commercial property, the impact of this storm on the BI side could be as big as the property losses,” says Duncan Ellis, U.S. property practice leader at Marsh. “Some of the buildings in lower Manhattan could be empty for some time, which could trigger lease terminations or abatements. A lot of the buildings on Water Street still have four feet of water in their lobbies.” (Marsh’s Manhattan building was also closed for several days after the storm.)
Ellis, pictured at left, says many office towers in the financial district have their basements and sub-basements filled with water. Because most of them had heating oil stored in the basement and in many cases parking garages full of vehicles as well, the water is contaminated with oil and gas and cannot simply be pumped out into the surrounding river. It will have to be trucked out —a long slow process—before crews can begin to repair elevator motors and electric grids.
The financial district was not the only area that lost power. Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island did as well, and even two weeks after the storm, parts of Long Island and New Jersey remain without power.
“I think a lot of companies were caught by surprise by the extent of the damage and disruption,” Ellis says.
Despite the chaos and supply chain disruptions that were caused by the dramatic flood in Thailand earlier this year and the Fukushima earthquake and tsunami disaster last year, “I think the attitude here was, ‘That is not the kind of thing that happens here,’” Ellis says, adding that there may also have been an attitude in the New York metropolitan area that, “We’re resilient. We can handle anything.”
“There should have been lessons learned from Thailand and Japan,” agrees Tom Teixeira, practice leader for global markets at Willis. “Clearly they weren’t.”
He warns that many companies that suffered business interruption losses because of power failures, supply chain interruptions, loss of entry and egress for workers or loss of access to customers may find that the BI coverage they thought they had isn’t there.
Teixeira cites the example of a company that lost money because its employees couldn’t make it in to work. If “their loss coverage is for power outages, they won’t have BI coverage,” Teixeira says, explaining that typically BI coverage only applies to interruptions caused by types of damage listed in the property coverage. “If you’re covered for the damage that causes the interruption, your BI coverage applies, too,” he says. “If not, you don’t have BI coverage.”
That said, there are steps companies that suffered BI losses from the storm should be taking now to boost the chances of recovery through their insurance coverage.
“Documentation is key, and that means saving things like e-mail and other correspondence with suppliers and customers to be able to demonstrate that any financial documentation of loss is supported by ancillary documents,” says Drew Olson, senior manager at BDO Consulting in Chicago. “The key is being able to show that losses are related to Sandy, and to covered damage.”
"Obviously risk managers are not the ones communicating with customers and suppliers,” says Olson, pictured at left. “So they need to tell the departments that are communicating with them that they need to be collecting those documents.”
Going forward, Teixeira notes that many companies have skimped on insurance because they’re trying to cut costs. Others ran into supply problems because they reduced back-up inventory, also in the name of cutting costs. He advises companies to do a full risk assessment in the wake of Sandy. “They need a strategy,” Teixeira says. “How much risk are you going to maintain? Will you cut costs or increase your buffer stocks? They also should do stress tests, not just on the company, but on the suppliers.”
Olson also offers a word of understanding. “This was a very unique storm—a 100-year phenomenon that would have been hard to anticipate.”
“Risk management is a cost/benefit affair. You try to think up doomsday scenarios and plan for them, but there are costs of doing that too,” Olson notes. “You could re-engineer your operations at great expense and buy coverage and then never need it, because this won’t happen again for decades.” | <urn:uuid:8d28ff8d-12cc-4528-a8ef-e5cdf521b8ed> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.treasuryandrisk.com/2012/11/15/sandy-brings-big-business-interruption-losses?eNL=&t=risk-management&page=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979627 | 1,187 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Posts Tagged ‘exercise’
It’s official, school is out, and summer is here. It’s time for barbeques, pool parties, and vacations. However, you may not be ready for swimsuits and shorts yet. That’s where Reduxx TrimSuit can help.All you have to do is put the suit on either by itself or under your everyday wear, and you’re ready to go.
Hiking becomes a high intense work out, or you can sweat it out on a simple walk around the park. Wear it while you play sports with your children of the summer break or while you’re making their beds. The suit can turn even the simplest of tasks into a high intense workout. This is because it has strtegically placed weights on core muscle areas to promote muscles building and weight loss.
Made from a quality surgical neoprene fabric, the Reduxx TrimSuit is a weighted suit designed to work with your muscles to increase fitness. Every time you do any activity while wearing the TrimSuit, you push your body, which means your strengthen your muscles and burn lots of calories.
Unlike many weighted vests, the Reduxx TrimSuit is designed to fit your body. The suit comes in an 8-pound ensemble for women, a 10-pound ensemble for men. Losing weight has never been easier. | <urn:uuid:6cada2f8-80d3-40c3-bf3e-1265115ab757> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.reduxxtrimsuit.com/blog/tag/exercise/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955739 | 294 | 1.578125 | 2 |
English: Why English?
We live in challenging economic times. As an English major, you may question the types of job opportunities that may be available by the time you graduate. You may be surprised to discover that you have many options! The English major positions you to adapt well to this ever-changing employment landscape by strengthening your writing, research, and critical thinking skills. In addition, studying great works in literature will expand your understanding of human nature and your appreciation of the power of language. We encourage you to explore the following career aide provided by Career Development. This office can offer you helpful information and invaluable services as you prepare for life after college. | <urn:uuid:628eefd2-9e61-488b-980b-cc0cd5fef538> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.georgian.edu/english/major.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956857 | 131 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Consumers are back in the habit of freely swiping their credit cards again. Nobody's happier than the lenders, they know they've got you, especially if you're a newbie. Before opening up an account or "taking advantage" of an too-good-to-be-true promotion, really, really read the fine print.
Katie Ross, education and development manager for American Consumer Credit Counseling highlights five credit card fine print traps that you don't want to fall for. [More from Forbes: Why student debit cards are wolves in sheep's clothing]
THE 0% INTRODUCTORY APR
Most 0% APR offers are for balance transfers only. Any new purchases or cash advances will be subject to a much higher interest rate. If the offer does include new purchases, the rate typically expires very quickly, says Ross. Also, you only get the 0% APR if the card issuer decides you are worthy enough to receive it (good credit standing usually) — typically you don't find out your APR until after the card is issued.
What the fine print says: If your monthly payment is late one time, the 0% APR jumps (depending on the card, it may even have multiple options to which the card issuer can choose on their own will, like 12.99% or 15.99%). Two late payments and you likely will be charged the APR ceiling of 29.99%. [More from Forbes: Top 10 credit card choices from college to retirement]
Not only can the card issuer double your APR because of a late fee, but they can also charge you late/penalty fees.
What the fine print says: Card issuers can charge different fees depending on the "price" of the late payment (how much was due) or how much you have run over your credit limit — this can range anywhere from $15-$39, says Ross. Each time you are late the card issuer can reset your APR to the default APR or ceiling APR. [More from Forbes: 10 things you should know before buying a gift card]
Credit card issuers can change the interest they charge to lend you money at any time and unfortunately for whatever reason they want, says Ross. The term "fixed APR" gives you the right to be notified if the lender changes the interest for reasons other than those specified in their terms (for example, the card issuer doesn't have to let you know if your introductory period has ended.).
What the fine print says: "We reserve the right to unilaterally change the rates, fees, cost, and other terms at any reason," Ross offers as an example from a credit card statement. [More from Forbes: A study ranks the top cash-back credit cards]
INACTIVITY AND ANNUAL FEES
You've seen all those offers, "No annual fees". Some people straightaway make the conclusion that the credit card wont cause them a penny for ownership, says Ross. But the truth is, issuers now impose an annual fee if you don't reach a set level of annual spending, she adds. These fees usually range from $35-$50. With a rewards card, you should ensure that the benefits of the mileage or points program outweigh the cost of the annual fee.
What the fine print says: The annual fees for the credit card will be waived for the first year. Thereafter the annual fee will be $45 for the Basic Card. And if you default on repayments for a certain period, the Annual fees will apply instantly, she ward. Any waivers, or benefits will cease instantly.
While you won't find info about paying the minimum on your disclosure statement, you will on your actual statements. However, unless you pay your bills the old fashioned way, snail mail, you may not catch this one. Online payment typically provides a link to "Minimum Payment Warning" but who knows how many people actually read it. Very small payments on a loan mean you will spend a very long time paying the loan, thus paying way more for something than it was actually worth because of interest charges. "It's to the credit issuer's advantage to keep you indebted as long as possible." [More from Forbes: Bad news: Credit card debt is down]
What the fine print says: Each card can be different, but generally speaking, the minimum payment is simply a set percentage of your balance. Some cards are as low as finance charges plus 1% while others may base the minimum amount upwards of 4-5% of the balance. But more important than that, know that often only making the minimum payment every month will take you approximately four times as longer than making a fixed payment, wasting money on interest and carrying debt for a longer period of time, says Ross.
When it comes to credit cards, always think yellow light — proceed with caution. | <urn:uuid:ff77453c-54d4-4519-a3b9-c6d14fe05e2a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/5-credit-card-traps-162851230.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960047 | 981 | 1.75 | 2 |
A Bad Case of the “What Ifs?”
A looking at profiteering in times of crisis.
Never let it be said that a natural disaster should stand in the way of a healthy profit.
The triple-whammy that recently rocked Japan (earthquake/tsunami/nuclear power plant damage) has inspired commerce to take necessary precautions, lest their bottom line suffer along with the inhabitants of that beleaguered island nation.
In a recent story from the Associated Press, consumers were alerted that prices on certain popular cars, manufactured in Japan, are on the rise due to the “potential” of shortages arising from that nation’s recent inconvenience.
Similarly, the “potential” for oil shortages because of political unrest in Middle East, most notably in Libya, has forced prices at the pump to jump higher and faster than the title character from Mark Twain’s “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.”
Apparently, the mere hint of trouble is reason enough to gouge consumers, even in these recession-plagued times.
Of course, the wonder of it all, is that every business everywhere hasn’t yet caught on to the ruse and implemented their own “what if” scenarios to boost their own profits.
What if the recent increase in solar flare activity prevents your ISP from granting constant access to the web? The potential for lost tweets and clogged email should be reason enough to hike prices, don’t you think?
What if national health care reform really has a snowball’s chance of passing? That, of course, would cause corporate profits to take a noteworthy hit. Imagine paying benefits to everyone who works for you? But, hey, this is America and crazier things have happened. Just to be safe, let’s boost prices now, on the off-chance that it might actually be voted into law.
From the perspective of my world-weary eyes, it seems that everywhere you look, greed is not only showing its ugly face but grinning at you like a Cheshire cat.
It used to be that, in America, making a good living was enough. Now, everybody wants to be millionaires — at your expense. The erosion of the middle class in this country may well be traced back to corporate greed and the quest for record-breaking profits.
Local business, which was previously the backbone of national commerce, has taken a beating along with the consumer. When corporations decide to pay executives a king’s ransom just to go away, for instance, they often simply raise prices across the board to pay for their largess. The trickle-down effect hits local businesses in the till and, in turn, local consumers in the wallet.
Some possible “what ifs” to watch out for:
1. What if there’s an “artic freeze“ in Florida this August? Would that mean that the price of orange juice at Superette would bypass that of a gallon of gas at the Mobil?
2. What if the NFL doesn’t play their season due to a strike? Would that raise the price of buying a football at retail? Having kids actually play the game instead of simply watching it could result in a massive pigskin shortage.
3. What if scientists prove that the moon is really made of green cheese? That might be reason enough for the dairy industry to raise prices, reasoning that the increased competition calls for bolder and more expensive marketing campaigns. A double-cheese pizza at Table Top Pizza could end up costing more than your house.
4. What if we discovered that pigs can, actually, fly? Think about it. Given the sheer volume of their gastronomical emissions, this isn’t beyond the realm of possibility. Of course, this would immediately impact the airline industry. Owing to the fact that it might be expensive to upgrade to an entire fleet of oinkers, it’ll cost more to travel.
5. What if pharmaceutical companies successfully lobby to have aspirin classified as a controlled substance? In order to cure a headache, you won’t find your Bayer on the shelves at CVS. You’ll be required to visit your doctor at your HMO which, in turn, will have to check with your insurance provider who, no doubt, will automatically decline the request, due to the rising cost of pain medication, which makes anything short of an exploding head an unnecessary procedure.
And, lastly: “What if we all come to our senses and realize that unchecked greed is like a cancer, eating away at the American ideals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?" | <urn:uuid:6b3fc528-54ae-49c5-ae0e-150b641ead76> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://holliston-hopkinton.patch.com/articles/a-bad-case-of-the-what-ifs-3 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95237 | 975 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Computer viruses have been around for some time, and there is currently quite a bit of news about the latest round that prompted me to think about all my PDAs and how they are connected wirelessly to the 'Net. There has been–and I have tried to use–anti-virus programs on my PDAs in the past, but I never kept them on because it didn't seem worth the memory, as nothing was really spreading on them. Now that mine are all able to connect directly to the Internet themselves I think I may have to install something. Symantec has just announced AntiVirus for Handhelds for both Palm and Pocket PC devices. There are enterprise and consumer versions, with the consumer version costing you US$39.95 the first year and $19.95 every year after that. They will be available in August and September, respectively. I used PC-cillin in the past, but do not know if it protects against the latest plague. Dell Axim owners also have the option of McAfee VirusScan PDA for $21.95 per year. Do you use protection on your PDA, and what do you recommend? Thanks to bargainPDA.com for some of the info.
USER COMMENTS 13 comment(s)
|PDA antivirus (9:23am EST Tue Aug 26 2003)
I have a dell axim X5 with 400 MHz CPU and I got the Mcafee because it came with it for next to nothing. personally I prefer NAV but didnt know they had a product for pocket PC. Now I do thanks for the INFO. - by AlostAmerican
|What's the point? (9:30am EST Tue Aug 26 2003)
PDA AntiVirus programs are a scam written to capitalize on the recent scare from the many Windows viruses. None of them can infect PPCs and certainly not Palms. Even if you HAD an anti-virus program it could not protect you because it would not KNOW about the virus because it is NEW. You'd have to wait for the company to update their virus definitions to get protection from the virus you already had. Wait until handheld viruses actually exist before spening money on snake oil. - by AnInformedConsumer
|PDA Antivirus. Not needed (9:57am EST Tue Aug 26 2003)
Do a search for palm or pocket pc on the Norton website. PDA are safer from virus/worms. The threats to them are much less than Linux, Unix and Mac OS X. These OS don't need antivirus software. Your PDA don't need antivirus software either. There are 3 virus and trojan horses dated 2000, and their severity is low to very low. There are no pocket pc virus. - by PDA virus low chance
|BUT… (11:06am EST Tue Aug 26 2003)
What about the PDA as a vector for transmission of infected files to the PC when synchronizing? Even if the PDA does not get “infected” itself can it not potentially harbor and transmit a virus? What about those that synchronize to a PC on a corporate LAN? As far as updates, well, we all need them for out AV progs whether on a PDA or not. Just food for thought, I think PDA AV software is premature at this point and agree that it is not really necessary…yet. I have one wireless PDA and have no interest in AV for it…yet. - by TheHumbleIgnorantOne
|Re: BUT…. (11:37am EST Tue Aug 26 2003)
Think about it. What infected windows PC file would you sync with a Palm/Pocket PC? Why would you transfer a .pif, .exe, .scr, etc files (the files mostly like to harbor a virus) onto your Palm/Pocket and why would you transfer the same file back to another PC? - by Go Through the Steps
|Thinking… (12:24pm EST Tue Aug 26 2003)
Ok, I wouldn't…but there are so many common everyday nontechnically inclined users out there (they are growing in numbers you know) and many of them would. And I was more specifically speaking of files downloaded to the PDA first, THEN sent to the PC. Or in fact forwarded infected emails done from the PDA.
As PDAs become more powerful and the bandwidth available to them larger we are moving more and more files with them. I OFTEN use my PDA for email and remote administration, those are the main reasons I got it. I love my C840 and Compaq laptops but it is darned inconvenient to carry a laptop sometimes. I think the time will come that regardless of the OS on the PDA or other handheld computing device AV will be needed just to close that transmission vector.
Hey, its like the virus I was hit with several months ago. My Linux file server was not infected, but it sure did harbor a lot of infected files and kindly spread them around to 35 clients. All cleaned up no problem, plugged the holes, no tragedy. Had the one responsible for using Hotmail at work executed. But imagine that server in the hands of an amature moving files arount the internet and the LAN at will! Hey, just a big PDA, they are all computers. Still thinking…nope I wouldn't do it, but it's not me I worry about, it's all those people that come in here every day and do their best to destroy the LAN…users. Why wait and hope the PC AV gets it if you can catch it before it gets that far? Not yet…but soon…I think…it's those darn users with high bandwidth connected PDAs that worry me. - by TheHumbleIgnorantOne
|Re: Thinking….. (12:51pm EST Tue Aug 26 2003)
If you are so worried about virus getting into your PDA, do all your download onto your expansion card, (SD, MD, CF, etc). To detect (and possible clean up) PC virus, just buy one of those USB card readers. Mount the card reader and have the virus scanner scan the expansion card. Why buy an extra virus scanner when the one on your PC works just as well or more likely better. - by Go Through the Steps
|Thunk (1:11pm EST Tue Aug 26 2003)
As I said, I am not worried about me, it's the pesky users. They go home, no firewall, download, come in to work, get on the LAN…yikes…portables…not yet…but soon it will happen.
Tell them to download to their expansion cards and scan the card and the “doe in the headlights expression” you get will be amusing.
I wonder if we can classify the users as viruses rather than just security risks? I am told they are necessary but I am not convinced… - by TheHumbleIgnorantOne
|I don't get it (9:25pm EST Tue Aug 26 2003)
I've been asking about internet access for PDA and people act like there's no such thing. Now they need virus software for a device that doesn't connect? If you've talking about downloads from your PC, wouldn't PC anti-virus software make sence? I really need to get into developing security apps. and FUDing users into buying my useless products.
- by lol
|Not from the PC, from Internet! (11:50pm EST Tue Aug 26 2003)
How about WiFi and Blue Tooth? Around here cable modems and home wireless LANs are common as dirt, I can scan five unsecured wireless home networks from my laptop at home withoput leaving my desk. In addition there are always dial up connections available, both wireless and landline, for PDAs. My PDA is on WiFi and dial up (when I am out of town on short trips without a laptop I dial up) and there are more and more public areas with WiFi all the time.
If you are having trouble getting your PDA on the internet I really think you are talking to the wrong people. So that is my point, these dern things can connect anywhere any time, including to home networks with no firewall etc, and at great speeds. I use my Palm with Eudora on a 1.5 meg connection via WiFi to check my email at home almost every day! The PC is not always the primary machine or mothership anymore, a capable PDA can do it now which puts it on the front line after the firewall (if there is one).
Some of the sales staff and VPs have been asking for wireless PDAs and I am holding out, I already gave them all non-wireless PDAs. They have wireless laptops to take with them but they have good up to date AV software running. I can't control what they do off site and until there is some way I can be more confident they will not pollute the corporate LAN with vuruses they don't get wireless PDAs. I don't care what OS they are running, they can still transport files. We are talking about people who need to be baby-sat about security on the LAN. As I said AV is not a concern for me yet on PDAs…but it will be at some point. So somebody needs to develope an effective strategy for it, it won't be useless and it will make money so it might as well be you. - by TheHumbleIgnorantOne
|Nothing but a scam (2:57pm EST Wed Aug 27 2003)
This is nothing but a scam taking advantage of recent virus events and hype. Of the THOUSANDS of Palm OS apps, only 2 exist that could be considered “viri” and they are very rare. This is nothing more than the virus scanner companies trying to make moer money in a market that simply doesn't exist by riding on the coat tails of the infected PC market.
Save your money. Don't bother. - by LONG-time Palm user | <urn:uuid:a7162a83-8c15-4c41-8dab-843422b9a309> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.geek.com/mobile/is-your-pda-protected-from-virus-attacks-551287/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965692 | 2,091 | 1.640625 | 2 |
1860, includes a list of 22 individuals arrested and presumed missing in Chile. The corresponding denunciations were submitted to the CIDH during its on-site investigation in Chile conducted between July and August of 1974 (thirty-third session).
In a note dated July 29, 1974, the Commission requested the Government of Chile to provide the corresponding information. In a note of October 25, 1974, (No. 18111) the Government of Chile provided information on the status of 11 of the individuals involved, offering to provide the rest of the data as soon as the pertinent inquiries have been made. The rest was sent through a note of January 16, 1975 (NO. 1046), in which the Government of Chile provided further information on the status of the proceedings held in connection with one of the individual arrested.
The Commission examined case 1860 during its thirty-fifth session (May 1975), together with the information provided by the Government of Chile. It decided the following:
- To request the Government of Chile that, as in the case of individuals arrested by virtue of the state of siege it kindly report whether these individuals are soon to be released or whether, on the contrary, if there are charges against them, they will be brought to trial and;
- To also request that Government to update the information provided with regard to the status of those individuals concerning whom inquiries are still being made to establish their situation.
Pursuant to the above decision, a note was sent to the Government of Chile on August 5, 1975.
At the thirty-sixth session (October 1975) the Commission considered the status of the case and, noting that the request filed on August 5, 1975, was still in effect, it decided to postpone examination of the case until its next session. | <urn:uuid:1fcafcb4-26c0-4261-afa2-c4f59a3e62e7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wcl.american.edu/humright/digest/1975/comm1860.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 | 0.968696 | 362 | 1.648438 | 2 |
3G phones to become ultimate crime-busting tool
All thanks to the RIP Act
The next generation of mobile phones may prove to be the ultimate eye-witness thanks to modern technology and the RIP Act.
Under the much-criticised legislation, the police and security services will be able to request all communications data on someone they believe has committed a crime or is going to commit a crime. This includes an individual's mobile phone data.
With next generation 3G phones, however, this data will include the ability to pinpoint people anywhere in the UK within 10m. The implications are obvious and enormous. At the moment, the mobile companies retain such data for billing purposes for several months. They say that they will only hand over such information on receipt of a court order.
However, this is all due to change with the final piece of RIPA legislation, expected soon. From that point, says Anand Doobay, a solicitor with Peters & Peters law firm, the police will be able to gain access through internal authorisation i.e. the police decides what information it should have access to.
"All measures in the RIP Act are designed to ensure the police have more powers to intercept such communications," Doobay told us. This information will not be overly useful at the moment since phones can only give an accuracy of 100m (greater in places where there are fewer mobile masts, such as the countryside) but when you can achieve 10m accuracy, that could make or break a case against a defendant.
So is this Big Brother come true? "In itself, this is not harmful to civil liberties. It can happen through internal authorisation and only be open to challenge after the event - you may never know that you have been warranted." But the fact is that it if it were to come up in court (and you're innocent) it may be just as helpful as it is damning.
"If the prosecution is relying on this evidence, it will be made available to the defence," says Doobay. And if the evidence says otherwise, the prosecution has it but has chosen not to use it in court for that reason? "If it has been obtained and is not helpful to the prosecution case they will have to disclose it - depending on the relevancy of the evidence."
And the position of the accused at a same time would certainly be relevant? "There are not many occasions where that information couldn't help the defence case." Alibis, for example.
What about entrapment? "Entrapment is another area. English law does not hold entrapment as a defence, although it has been decided it can be a mitigating factor. There is a case in the House of Lords at the moment that may decide once and for all that entrapment is not a defence." Oh dear.
The question is, how influential could this evidence be. Would it override for example eye-witnesses. Could 3G phones be the saviour of innocent (and guilty) people; could it prove guilt where evidence is lacking or could it cause future miscarriages of justice?
"The important point in a court would be how reliable that communications data is. One, can you rely on that information from a mobile company and two, even if it could be relied upon, what is its accuracy?"
Either way, we are looking future tabloid stories square in the face. ® | <urn:uuid:c01b1b3a-0936-42f1-9cc2-a089cc79c71e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theregister.co.uk/2001/06/29/3g_phones_to_become_ultimate/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966127 | 700 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Student Councillors 2013
Amy Morrison, Joel Ross, Gabby Wilson, Sam Freeman, Nanaia Gilpin, Faith Morrison, Shavaughn Baker, Maddison van Wilk, John-Luke Langford, Bethany Bay.
[Photo to be added]
The Student council
The whole school benefits from organised student involvement in decisions and activities at school. The Student Council has an important role in providing leadership opportunities in school activities through service and to involve children in class and school communication processes. The Student council has a particular responsibility to ensure through their leadership activities and service they emphasis and promote the Special Christian Character of our school.
Student Council Elections / Application
The student Council is elected annually by peers based on representation as follows.
Council election will take place during the month of March/April each year
1. The Principal calls for applications for student council
2. Teachers responsible for each class hand out Student council position descriptions and application forms
3. Students are given one week to put in an application (Students are encouraged to talk with their parents before applying)
4. Applications are sent to the Principal or Principal nominee
5. A student nomination list is confirmed, made up and circulated to each class through the class room teacher
6. Students vote for the student of their choice from within their class
7. Students have 1 vote for a student in their class
8. Votes are counted and students advised at Assembly, badge awarded.
Roles on the Student council
Chairperson (with casting vote)
Roles and Responsibilities
Being on the Students council requires commitment. Students selected for council must be prepared to give up time to attend meetings, organise events, represent the council and school, and take an active role promoting the schools special character. Being a positive role model is an essential part of the role.
Representation on Student Council is dependent on each student demonstrating through action the Emmanuel Christian School Way.
C Christ like Character
Each fortnight student councilors will report back to their classes on decisions made. Classes will have the opportunity to raise and discuss issues to be forwarded to the Student Council for discussion.
Student council will;
1. Take an active role in School Assembly’s
2. Hold fortnightly, or as needed meetings, minuted by the secretary and be available for all students to read.?
3. Will be invited to at least one Board of Trustees’ meeting each year to report on their activities. The Council may attend additional BOT meetings as needed.
4. Have their names and photographs displayed in the School Office foyer.
5. Communicate school wide activities with the Student & Parent community through any combination of School website, newsletter, Council minutes.
6. Advocate for and on behalf of all students, putting students views forward. (Student voice)
The Council will place a particular emphasis on:
* Running mufti days for fundraising
* Helping to organising and assist with school wide events i.e. sports days, daffodil days, cross country, house events etc.
* Take an active part in school assemblies
* Provide student voice feeding thoughts, suggestions and concerns to the Principal and staff
* Promote the school environment (sustainability, trees, gardens, recycling)
* Promote the ECS Way through leadership and service | <urn:uuid:ca9c1e46-8d54-4cdf-a37b-55123d422888> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.emmanuelchristian.school.nz/WebSpace/94/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944542 | 685 | 1.515625 | 2 |
- ISHN GLOBAL
- EHS RESEARCH
The contest is open not only to ASSE members' children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews, but also to children and schools sponsored by ASSE members. The contest runs from September 19 through Valentine's Day, February 14, 2010, and is open to children aged 5 – 14 with top prizes to be awarded to those in each of the five age groups that best illustrate being safe on the job.
Additionally, the savings bond awards will be presented in ceremonies in Washington, D.C., during the 2010 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week kick-off events at the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Capitol and the Smithsonian. Go to www.asse.org/naosh09 for highlights of last year’s events and winners. Go to www.asse.org/newsroom for a copy of the contest rules and entry form. | <urn:uuid:6e9b7a9c-462c-466c-8840-45d5f312f046> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ishn.com/articles/asse-kicks-off-annual-early-age-safety-education-contest-9-22 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944276 | 200 | 1.554688 | 2 |
For the third summer, 1, 600 museums are opening their doors and abolishing admission for active duty military and their families.
The renewal of the Blue Stars Museums program, which starts Memorial Day and goes through Labor Day, was announced Tuesday at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The major sponsors are the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense and the museums.
The program follows the initiatives of first lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden to improve the lives of military families.
“This is both an opportunity to thank military families for their service and sacrifice, as well as a chance to create connections between museums and these families that will continue throughout the year,” said NEA chairman Rocco Landesman.
This summer 300 new museums entered the program and the participants include children’s museums, science museums, history museums and nature centers.
A list of the museums has been posted at www.arts.gov/bluestarmuseums. | <urn:uuid:7a1041ef-d6e0-4c7e-b154-0b38f66a2f57> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/arts-post/post/blue-star-museums-return-with-free-admission-for-military-families/2012/05/22/gIQAtjDeiU_blog.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9547 | 203 | 1.679688 | 2 |
All Kabul Streets, houses to have formal names in two years
Tue Jul 03, 2:02 pm
The Kabul Municipality with the financial cooperation of AWCC launched a program of formally posting the names of streets, houses, and lanes on street signs so that pedestrians and motorists can quickly find addresses, it was announced on Monday.
The streets and houses of a city like Kabul, having more than four million populations, are without address and location street signs, causing deep problems for the government and citizens.
Based on an agreement signed last year, the Afghan Wireless Communication Company (AWCC) will financially help the Kabul municipality to make signs for formal posting of street names and house numbers to help people more easily navigate the city.
This program was formally started from Wazir Akbar Khan, district 6 of Kabul, during a ceremony attended by Kabul Mayor, AWCC President Amin Ramin and several other government officials including some members of the Parliament.
Thanking AWCC officials for assisting the program, Kabul Mayor Muhammad Younis Noandesh said that all streets and houses of Kabul would have signs providing accurate information within the next two years.
AWCC President Amin Ramin placed a strong value the program, saying the benefits will be enjoyed by citizens and businesses as it will improve the flow of commerce. He also said that it would improve the economical climate of Kabul and would help both the social and security sectors.
At the conclusion, AWCC presented appreciation letters to Kabul Mayor and the municipality officials for their effective service to the people of Kabul. | <urn:uuid:1f413db3-8882-40b8-be9e-0e6abe186ffb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ariananews.af/regional/all-kabul-streets-houses-to-have-formal-names-in-two-years/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966975 | 313 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Cardinal Cadence Spring/Summer 2012
The Garrett legacy
Multifaceted gift benefits student scholarships and faculty enrichment
Generations of Lamar University engineering students and faculty will benefit from a major gift from Charles ’59 and Eleanor Garrett, whose company is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of metal-detecting equipment.
To recognize the Garland couple’s many contributions, Lamar named the Charles and Eleanor Garrett Engineering Center in their honor.
“This gift will enable Lamar to establish the Garrett Scholars to assist the College of Engineering to expand its efforts in recruiting the best and brightest students to careers that will impact the future of engineering and build on the wonderful Garrett legacy,” President James Simmons said at a news conference April 25 in the University Reception Center of the Mary and John Gray Library.
In addition to the Garrett Sholars, the gift will establish the Garrett Engineering Faculty Enhancement Fund, which will provide opportunities to strengthen and enhance the work of the engineering faculty, Simmons said. The couple’s gift will also establish the Charles and Eleanor Garrett Chair in Engineering.
The gift is a significant part of Lamar University’s Investing in the Future Campaign, which has exceded its original $100 million goal, Simmons said.
“Charles and Eleanor Garrett have demonstrated through numerous exceptional contributions their generosity and commitment to engineering education at Lamar University,” said Jack Hopper, dean of the College of Engineering. “For Charles and Eleanor to leave the legacy of their name imprinted in the infrastructure of Lamar University brings great recognition and national respect for the quality of the education at Lamar.”
Charles Garrett, a 1959 electrical engineering graduate of Lamar, was honored as a distinguished alumnus of Lamar in 2003 and awarded an honorary doctorate in humane letters in 2011. Eleanor Smith Garrett earned a bachelor of science in 1954 and a master of education in 1955 from what was then Sam Houston State Teachers College. She was honored by Sam Houston as a distinguished alumna in 2008 and awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree in 2010.
Also in 2010, Sam Houston State University announced naming of the Eleanor and Charles Garrett Teacher Education Center to honor Eleanor’s lifelong support of elementary, secondary and higher education and in appreciation of a noteworthy gift from the couple.
“I am just awestruck. I am flabbergasted,” Eleanor Garrett said. “I never dreamed there would be a college building named for me and my husband anywhere and, now, two colleges is just beyond thinking. We are so happy and so proud, and we feel so humble that people were so kind to do this.”
Charles Garrett’s passion for treasure hunting and desire to create a better metal detector led him and Eleanor to establish Garrett Metal Detectors Inc., which has grown to become one of the world’s largest manufacturers of virtually all types of metal-detection equipment.
“We know we cannot take what we have made with us . . . and we need to share it and help others to help themselves,” Eleanor said.
“Because their company employs engineers from many disciplines, the Garretts wanted Lamar to use their gift to provide the greatest benefit to the College of Engineering,” said Camille Mouton, vice president for university advancement. “Our greatest need is for scholarships and faculty enhancement. This transformative gift could not be more important or come at a more important time for our university.”
Simmons said he cannot overemphasize the significance of the Garrett name in furthering academic excellence at Lamar. “Charles Garrett is an icon. He is a true pioneer in the field of metal detection. He and Eleanor are amazing friends both to Lamar and to its sister institution Sam Houston,” also part of The Texas State University System.
And, he said, “The timing of this gift is wonderful because, to continue to recruit the best and brightest students, to continue to support our faculty in much-needed research, we must look to other sources of funding.”
The Garretts previously established the Professor Floyd Crum Scholarship in Electrical Engineering in tribute to the professor who had inspired Charles during is years as a Lamar student. The couple also established the Charles Lewis and Eleanor Smith Garrett Scholarship in Engineering. After 12 years of service on Lamar’s College of Engineering Advisory Council, Charles was named an emeritus member of the council at a luncheon in the Garretts’ honor after the gift was announced.
Lamar University provided the education that Charles needed to achieve iconic status in his field, but it was Eleanor who made his education possible, Mouton said. She taught school in the Nederland and Port Neches-Groves school districts while Charles, home from service in the Navy, pursued his electrical engineering degree from Lamar and worked for the Texas Highway Department, Texas Instruments and Geotech.
In 1964, when Charles decided to turn his passion for treasure hunting into a business that started in the family garage, Eleanor withdrew her savings from the Teacher Retirement System to finance the company. “Since that time, under Charles’s and Eleanor’s leadership, the company has grown exponentially and has had a tremendous impact on the security industry worldwide, while maintaining its core philosophy of unparalleled customer satisfaction,” Mouton said. “The Garretts’ expertise was an invaluable asset as the U.S. shifted to tighter security in the wake of the 2001 terrorist attacks.”
In 2010, two engineering students at Lamar University—Jorge Jimenez and Russell Barker—completed summer internships with Garrett Metal Detectors. “They were great guys, and we’d like to have two more just like them,” Eleanor said.
All over the world, the black Super Wands with the eye-catching yellow GARRETT name are recognized as they help keep the flying public safe. Garret Metal Detector Co. also produces the walk-through detectors approved by the federal government for use in United States airports. Garrett metal detectors have provided security at the Olympics since 1984 and do so each year at the Academy Awards. In 2010, the Garretts carried the Olympic torch to begin the celebration of the Vancouver Winter Olympic games. The company’s world-class expertise was critical to national security planning in the wake of the 2001 terrorist attacks, and their Countermine/Explosive Remnants of War Division helps to contend with the global issue of past and present landmines and other unexploded items.
Charles has acquired several patents for innovative equipment and features and has authored numerous books and videos. As a hobby, he collects and restores antique cars. He has 30 Model-A Fords, including a Model-A ambulance and fire truck.
“Charles has always had a love for things mechanical, and he’s always fixing things—metal detectors, cars, old cameras, radios, clocks,” Eleanor said. “He’s always doing something with his hands.”
The Garretts also are successful tree farmers, owning many tracts of land in Trinity and Houston counties. In 2002, the Texas Forestry Association honored them with the Texas Tree Farmer of the Year Award.
Although the business consumes much of their time, Charles and Eleanor share their time and talent in many different ways. Charles has served as president of both the American Metal Detector Manufacturers Association and the International Treasure Hunting Society and is a member of the Sons of the Republic of Texas and Sons of the Confederacy.
Eleanor has held state office with the Daughters of the Republic of Texas and a national office with the Magna Charta Dames and Barons. She is a 50-year member of the Order of the Eastern Star and a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and is active in numerous other historical societies.
Charles graduated from Lufkin High School, which named him to its Hall of Honor. Eleanor is a graduate of Pennington High School in a school district where her father served as superintendent after serving as a principal in Lufkin. “From the time I was 5 until I was 10, I rode to school with him every day,” she recalls. “Mother taught the primaries, and I grew up knowing how to write on a chalkboard before I could hardly walk.”
During summers when she was a young teenager, she accompanied her father to Sam Houston, where he was working on his master’s degree. By then, she had already decided which dorm she would live in as a student there.
Besides her honorary doctorate from Sam Houston, Eleanor holds a pair of special honors from Lamar, including a PHT “Putting Hubby Through” degree signed by Dr. F. L. McDonald, who was president of Lamar at the time of Charles’s graduation. And, more recently, Simmons signed the diploma awarding Eleanor the JPS – “Joint Partner in Success” degree to recognize her key role in the extraordinary success of their company.
“As their lives attest, the Garretts have never forgotten the importance of education in their own success,” Simmons said. “This passion for ‘seeking’ answers in their business has made it possible for them to support future entrepreneurs and teachers through their philanthropy. This extremely generous gift creates a well-deserved legacy for Charles and Eleanor Garrett at his alma mater.”
by Louise Wood | <urn:uuid:8bcb298e-f39d-48f6-b8d0-fc589e01e9e4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lamar.edu/news-and-events/cardinal-cadence/2012-issues/the-garrett-legacy.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964117 | 1,955 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Eminent Domain, Alabama Styleby Stephen Gordon
Speaking of the Cato Institute’s new video telling the story behind Suzette Kelo’s legal fight against the City of New London, I’ve been working on a website for a new grassroots organization in Alabama hoping to promote “the property rights of all Alabamians, regardless of race or financial status.”
In Alabama, it is generally the poorest of our citizens who are victimized and intimidated in similar situations to what happened in New London, CT. Working with state legislators and the Alabama Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, we have reasonable hopes of being able to make a difference in the lives of people touched by corporate and government land grabs.
Right now, we are highlighting on two cases and working on two distinct pieces of legislation. One issue deals with the highly publicized (many thanks to Neal Boortz and the Institute for Justice on this one) case of a Wal-Mart landgrab in Alabaster, AL:
In 2003, Alabaster, Alabama, a small bustling community south of Birmingham, garnered national attention through their efforts to seize property for the construction of a Wal-Mart shopping center. Ownership of the property was predominately poor and black. When national attention focused on the private property seizure, other avenues of securing the property for Wal-Mart prevailed. The procedure, while legal, would, by those familiar with the circumstances, deem the chain of events and the ensuing aftermath unethical by all standards. In the video Elizabeth Swain, her daughter, and granddaughter tell the story from the beginning to the end.
Click the link above to watch some touching video regarding the Alabaster issue.
Another issue never hit the national news, but it is just as disturbing.
Evergreen Baptist Church overlooks I-65 between Birmingham and Gardendale, Alabama. The Church was required to surrender its property through eminent domain for road construction. The Church agreed to a property swap with the State Department of Transportation. The Church at its old location was serviced with water, gas and electricity – all modern conveniences. Before construction began on the new Church building, Rev. Smith contacted the Birmingham Water Works to ensure that water would be available. With the Water Works assurance, construction was begun. When construction reached ¾ completion, it was disclosed that the Birmingham Water Works would require $80,000.00 to install a new water main. The Church, consisting of a small congregation, could not afford the demands of the Water Works. Two years have passed and the inequity in the land swap has not been resolved. The Church pleads for a just and appropriate public outcry.
Again, click the link for related video footage.
We’ve got two pieces of proposed legislation and an upcoming press conference dealing with these sorts of issues. There is also an upcoming Civil Rights Commission Panel which will focus on racial minorities afflicted by these sorts of abuses of power. The Alabama Advisory Committee is currently chaired by Dr. David Bieto, a name familiar to many libertarians and conservatives out there.
The site is still under construction, but feel free to sign up on our e-mail list if you’d like to keep track of what were are up to. Also, if anyone wishes to donate some time to help with site graphics, please let me know.
In Alabama, some of us feel that protection from eminent domain abuse should apply as equally to people living below the poverty line and people of color as it does in the more affluent neighborhoods in the state. | <urn:uuid:ffd16e35-a227-491f-8c2c-4098a4ee8a93> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2009/03/18/eminent-domain-alabama-style/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948308 | 729 | 1.648438 | 2 |
When it comes to sports, Madison Square Gardens is one of the most historic, prestigious and memorable buildings in the world. It derives its name from the park where the first two gardens were located. As the venue moved to new locations, the name still stuck. Home of the New York Rangers, New York Knicks and countless of other headline events of the years, the Gardens is a focal point in the sports and entertainment world. MSG hosts over 300 events per year, however some of them are more prolific than others. Thus, Sports Poster Warehouse will help you recall some of the most significant moments in Madison Square Gardens history!
November 8, 1984 – Michael Jordan plays his first game as a professional at MSG, and drops 33 against the Knicks. He left midway through the 4th quarter of this game to a standing ovation from the energized crowd.
March 31, 1985 – The World Wrestling Federation presents the inaugural WrestleMania. The annual event would return to Madison Square Garden in 1994 and 2004 for WrestleMania X and WrestleMania XX, celebrating the 10th and 20th anniversaries of WrestleMania.
The long wait is over! After more than 50 years, The New York Rangers finally capture the ultimate goal, the Stanley Cup. A game 7 victory over the Vancouver Canucks, winning goal by Captain Mark Messier - life couldn’t be sweeter. Madison Square Garden hasn’t seen excitement like this in years.
It was one of the most emotional moments in hockey history - after 20 years of thrilling crowds, setting records and winning cups, The Great One decided it was time to move on. In the pre-game ceremony, with friends and colleagues from throughout his career on hand, and a packed house at Madison Square Garden applauding as one, Wayne Gretzky gave his next-to-final salute to the fans while in uniform.
For these and other great sports posters, visit http://www.sportsposterwarehouse.com. | <urn:uuid:18e33804-1fc0-4cbf-8605-78196b267cb2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.sportsposterwarehouse.com/tag/sports-posters/page/3/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951606 | 400 | 1.648438 | 2 |
The longest serving Syrian prisoner in Israel has been freed after 27 years behind bars, Syria’s official news agency SANA said on Wednesday.
It said Sedki al-Maket, who was arrested in August 1985 for resisting the Israeli occupation of the Golan Heights, was released and had returned to his home town on the strategic plateau.
He was jailed by a military court for 27 years.
Maket, 45, comes from Majdal Shams, the largest town on the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and unilaterally annexed in 1981.
The vast majority of its 18,000 Syrian inhabitants, mostly Druze, who remained from the Golan’s original population of 150,000, have refused to take Israeli citizenship.
Damascus demands a total Israeli withdrawal from the Golan as the price for a peace settlement. | <urn:uuid:eb29752d-4c5f-4a16-a392-bfc6d89ff5fe> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/08/22/233575.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977637 | 183 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Updated: 11/3/2011 9:47 PM ET|
Is your home underinsured? 8 keys
Don't rely on your insurance company to size up what you need. Here are the steps you should take to make sure that a disaster doesn't ruin you.
After every natural disaster, too many people discover an awful truth: They don't have enough insurance to rebuild their homes.
Nationwide, more than two-thirds of homeowners are underinsured, according to a survey by insurance services firm MSB, by an average of 18%.
That means someone whose house cost $200,000 to replace would find herself short by $36,000.
Where homes and rebuilding costs are higher, the problem can be even more acute. A survey by United Policyholders, a consumer advocacy group, said 75% of California homeowners affected by the 2007 wildfires in San Bernardino and Riverside counties were underinsured by an average of $240,000.
Trying to figure out the right amounts of insurance coverage, however, is a tricky, frustrating process. Your insurance company or agent may be surprisingly little help and may even steer you wrong:
- Many victims of Hurricane Katrina said their agents had told them they didn't need flood insurance when, clearly, they did. Courts ruled that insurers didn't have to pay for damage caused by flooding.
- Likewise, many homeowners who lost property in the 2003 San Diego County wildfires complained that their agents had used a computer survey that vastly underestimated the cost of rebuilding their homes. The survey, called Quick Quote, was part of a larger software package sold to insurers to estimate replacement costs and was later removed.
- Homeowners often compound the problem by failing to report renovations to their insurers or by simply assuming their coverage is keeping up with inflation and replacement costs, which probably isn't true.
You might think insurers would err the other way, pushing folks to over-insure their homes. But that's generally not the case.
Lulled into complacency
Insurance analyst Brian Sullivan says the annual premiums paid on most policies are too small for insurers to spend much time doing a detailed assessment of customers' needs.
"If you ask most insurance companies what they're insuring -- how many hardwood floors, how many fireplaces -- they have no idea," said Sullivan, the editor of Risk Information, an industry newsletter. "It's only companies like Chubb that have (policies with) premiums in the thousands of dollars that will come out and appraise your home and everything in it."
Homeowners are often lulled into complacency because they have "guaranteed-replacement" or "extended-replacement" policies, which sound like they'll cover the rebuilding of a home regardless of the cost, said attorney Amy Bach of United Policyholders, the consumer advocacy group.
But true guaranteed-replacement policies are almost extinct, and virtually all insurers cap their payouts at 100% to 150% of the amount for which the home is insured.
How to ensure adequate coverage
Bach recommends consumers buy the highest cap they can afford and take the following steps:
Use Web tools to estimate replacement costs. Bach recommends AccuCoverage, an MSB site that charges $7.95 and walks you through a questionnaire that usually takes 20 to 30 minutes to complete. Another site, HomeSmart Reports, charges $6.95 and takes less time but offers less detail, Bach said. HomeSmart Reports gives low and high estimates of what it would cost to replace your home, plus a standard cost of construction in your area, but it doesn't account for custom features.
Compare the estimate with your policy limits. You'll find them on the declarations page of your policy. If your insurer can't explain discrepancies to your satisfaction, start shopping for another insurer.
Don't be cheap. Make it clear to your insurer or agent that you want the best coverage for your money, not the lowest possible premiums.
Decide on disaster coverage. Floods and earthquakes aren't covered by your homeowners insurance. If you're in an area considered at high risk for hurricanes, you may have to buy insurance from a special windstorm-coverage pool. Unless you're prepared to walk away from your home after a disaster, you need to consider such coverage.
Check your "loss of use." Homeowner policies typically provide money to pay your rent and related living expenses while your home is being rebuilt. Again, you should find this coverage on the declarations page. If the amount offered wouldn't cover you for two full years, Bach recommends asking for a higher limit or finding another insurer.
Get "replacement cost," not "actual cash value." It's not just rebuilding coverage that falls short. Many policies severely restrict how much money you'd get to replace your stuff and limit or even exclude some common household items from your policy. If you have a policy that pays out actual cash value on your home's contents, for example, you'd get a check for what your possessions were worth when they were destroyed, not what they would cost to replace.
It's much better to spring for replacement cost on your contents. You'd typically still get an initial check for the depreciated value of your items, but after you replaced them (and provided receipts to your insurer), you'd get another check to make you whole. The cost of this coverage is typically about 10% to 20% more than actual-cash-value coverage.
However, you still could be vulnerable. Some policies provide replacement-cost coverage for most items but make exceptions for others. Your policy might give you a check to buy a new couch, for example, but decide to depreciate your carpet and give you only a fraction of the replacement cost.
The only way to know how you're protected is to read your policy, front to back.
Many policies peg your contents coverage to a percentage of your overall policy limit. If your home is insured for $200,000, for example, your contents coverage might be $80,000 or $100,000 or $150,000, depending on the insurer's policies. Obviously, there's a lot of variation, and these limits don't reflect whether your furniture consists of Chippendale or chipped-and-dented. The only way to be sure you're adequately covered is to do a detailed household inventory, writing down all of your possessions and what they would cost to replace. A drag? Of course. But it's time you'll be glad you invested if you're ever faced with making a claim.
Make sure the good stuff has its own insurance. If you own something truly valuable, chances are good that your policy restricts how big a check you'd get. Most policies put payout limits of $1,000 to $2,500 on such items as jewelry, firearms, artwork and antiques. If you want full coverage, you need to purchase a "floater," or "rider," on the items at added cost. Consider your individual needs. Your policy likely has some other gaping holes.
Homeowners insurance typically won't replace equipment you use for a home-based business. Property belonging to a tenant is usually excluded. Damage from certain causes, such as a flood or sewer backup, won't be covered either. In these cases, you can get supplemental coverage -- and you probably should.
Protect yourself from lawsuits. That's the role of liability coverage. Chances are pretty good that you don't have enough protection, which means you could be in danger of losing everything you own to someone who decided to sue you.
Again, choosing how much liability to buy is tough. You can't predict who is going to sue you or for how much.
Although most insurance experts advise buying liability coverage equal to one or two times your net worth, a jury could come back with a whopping award that bears no relationship to what you own or could earn in a lifetime.
Still, trial attorneys tend to go for the easy money and often settle for the amount of your policy -- unless you're vastly underinsured. Then they're likely to go to the time and trouble of identifying, and going after, all of your available assets.
That's why Steve Vidmar, an insurance defense attorney in New Mexico, recommends that most homeowners have at least $1 million in coverage.
That means buying the maximum coverage your policy allows -- typically $250,000 to $500,000 -- plus an "umbrella" or personal-liability policy that provides coverage up to $1 million.
"I'd recommend even higher limits," Vidmar said, "for those with teenage drivers."
Fortunately, boosting your liability coverage is still relatively cheap. A $1 million umbrella policy usually costs $200 to $300 a year.
The time to make these adjustments is now. It's too easy in the chaos of living to put off investing in your coverage, but it's too late once a disaster strikes.
Liz Weston is the Web's most-read personal-finance writer. She is the author of several books, most recently "The 10 Commandments of Money: Survive and Thrive in the New Economy" (find it on Bing). Weston's award-winning columns appear every Monday and Thursday, exclusively on MSN Money. Join the conversation and send in your financial questions on Liz Weston's Facebook fan page.
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Fundamental company data and historical chart data provided by Thomson Reuters (click for restrictions). Real-time quotes provided by BATS Exchange. Real-time index quotes and delayed quotes supplied by Interactive Data Real-Time Services. Fund summary, fund performance and dividend data provided by Morningstar Inc. Analyst recommendations provided by Zacks Investment Research. StockScouter data provided by Verus Analytics. IPO data provided by Hoover's Inc. Index membership data provided by SIX Financial Information. | <urn:uuid:892c501d-899f-49b9-9243-8ac9140520b4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://money.msn.com/home-insurance/is-your-home-underinsured-8-keys-weston.aspx?page=0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964875 | 2,055 | 1.640625 | 2 |
07 July 2009 @ 05:40 pm ET
In September 2008, the financial storms that had battered global markets since spring began to threaten the legendary investment bank Goldman Sachs.
The 139-year-old financial titan, known for its high-risk-high-reward approach to investing, had seen its stock plummet nearly 50 percent in a matter of weeks. With fear gripping Wall Street, nervous investors began pulling money out of the company. Three other big investment banks -- Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns and Merrill Lynch -- had either gone bankrupt or been shuffled off to larger firms in rushed sales. Investors and Wall Street observers wondered if Goldman would be next. Another red flag for Goldman: One of its biggest trading partners, the insurance giant AIG, appeared on the verge of collapse.
Nine months later, Goldman is very much back from the brink. Its stock price has rebounded, recovering nearly 50 percent in the first four months of 2009. On June 17, it repaid with interest a $10 billion emergency capital infusion the U.S. government had provided at the height of the crisis. With several of its biggest competitors now having disappeared, Goldman Sachs is again a dominant player in global finance.
"Goldman was always one of the strongest of the big investment banks," says L. Wendell Licon, W. P. Carey Clinical Assistant Professor of Finance. "They were probably going to be one that would survive. They certainly were not going to be the zebra at the back of the pack."
From investment bank to commercial bank
Goldman's experience in the financial crisis of 2008 demonstrates how calculations and strategies surrounding the cost of capital are critical to a firm's success, according to Licon. In the case of Goldman, strategic capital budgeting enabled it to survive even the most desperate circumstances.
At the height of the crisis, the firm made a dramatic shift in its business approach, changing its status from an investment bank to a commercial bank holding company. As a commercial bank, Goldman would be subject to much tighter regulation and more stringent capital requirements. The change required restructuring and replenishing of the firm's capital base. According to Licon, the sudden change in Goldman's status was stunning.
"The veil came down really quickly," he says. "Everyone closed ranks and all of a sudden Goldman was a commercial bank. There was not a lot of public discussion."
In a statement issued after the move, Goldman's chairman and chief executive Lloyd C. Blankfein said, "We believe that Goldman Sachs, under Federal Reserve supervision, will be regarded as an even more secure institution with an exceptionally clean balance sheet and a greater diversity of funding sources."
According to the New York Times, Goldman's swift transformation allowed it to avoid the fates that befell Bear, Lehman, and Merrill. "Goldman did what it has always done in the face of rapidly changing events: it turned on a dime," the Times noted.
Varied sources of capital
The government requires commercial banks to have significantly higher reserves than investment banks. While this means commercial banks typically must raise more capital, they have the advantage of access to Federal Reserve lending, which investment banks usually do not.
When Goldman made its switch, it already had $20 billion in deposits in its banking subsidiaries, which made the company instantly the fourth largest commercial bank in the United States, according to the New York Times. The company promptly moved into its banking business another $150 billion in deposits from an existing loan operation.
Within days of becoming a commercial bank, Goldman was able to secure a capital infusion that was critical to the company's survival. Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, which had been courted unsuccessfully by other troubled financial institutions, agreed to invest $5 billion in Goldman Sachs, providing much needed capital and also reassuring other investors of the firm's viability. Shortly thereafter, Goldman raised another $5 billion in a public stock offering.
The following month, Goldman received an offer from the government that it couldn't refuse: $10 billion from the U.S. Government's Troubled Asset Relief Fund. "The TARP funds stabilized the situation," says Licon. "Stabilizing the company by itself probably had the effect of lowering its cost of capital."
A signature Wall Street firm
Founded in 1869 by Marcus Goldman, a German immigrant, Goldman Sachs quickly became a force on Wall Street as a financier of successful companies. In the 20th century, the firm expanded its scope of operations, becoming a leading investment bank, financial advisor, asset manager, and trader. In the 1970s, Goldman Sachs became a global firm, establishing offices in other world financial capitals.
The closely held company went public in 1999 with an IPO that raised $3.6 billion. BusinessWeek reported at the time that on the first day of trading, Goldman's stock climbed from 53 to 76 dollars per share, before closing the day at 70 3/8. Only 12 percent of the firm was offered in the public sale, which allowed control to remain in the hands of company officials rather than stockholders.
Like the other investment banks on Wall Street, Goldman Sachs thrived by making big, intelligent bets on risky ventures and reaping huge rewards. The extravagant pay scales at Goldman Sachs were legendary and earned the company the nickname of Goldmine Sachs. In 2006, the company reported an average salary for employees -- including secretaries as well as executives -- of $600,000. In 2007, Blankfein earned $68.7 million, then a record salary for a Wall Street executive.
Ties to government
Goldman's political connections, in particular the movement of company executives into top government positions, has long been a matter of controversy.
The U.S. Treasury secretary during the financial crisis, Henry Paulson, is a former Goldman chief executive officer. A former Goldman partner, Robert Rubin, headed the Treasury under President Bill Clinton. The chief of staff for President Obama's Treasury Secretary William Geithner is a former Goldman lobbyist.
Skeptics have questioned whether Goldman's political ties helped it to weather the crisis of 2008. Regulators approved Goldman's transition to a commercial bank almost overnight, and when the crisis eased, not only had Goldman survived but three of its principal competitors had essentially been eliminated.
Despite these suspicions, there is no hard evidence that Goldman received preferential treatment. Indeed, the government treatment of Morgan Stanley, the other large Wall Street investment bank to emerge intact from the crisis, was not markedly different than that accorded Goldman.
"We don't really know if the connections helped them or hurt them," Licon says. "Sometimes when you have connections, there is more scrutiny, and the government will make you jump through hoops."
Cost of capital in a crisis
When Goldman became a commercial bank, it agreed to tighter government regulation and also gained access to the Federal Reserve window. These developments should have improved the firm's financial picture, according to Licon.
"When you are regulated, there's less risk, so you should have a lower cost of capital," he says. "In theory, if the cost of capital went down and all of your projects are continuing to produce as before, that would mean that the value of at least some of your projects would have increased."
But these were not ordinary times. At the height of the credit crisis, many commercial banks also were at risk of collapse, and investors did not see them as particularly attractive. Goldman's stock was low when it shifted its status, and the transition by itself did not cause the company's stock to rebound.
"The cost of capital actually may have increased due to the macroeconomic circumstances," Licon says.
Goldman received another big capital infusion in late 2008 after the U.S. Congress passed bailout legislation and the Treasury began investing in financial institutions through the Troubled Asset Relief Program or TARP. Goldman received approximately $10 billion in TARP infusions.
The TARP money was a lifeline, but it was a costly one, according to Licon. With the investment, the government could dictate the executive compensation programs of TARP recipients and also set limits on dividends and stock repurchases. Taking government assistance also tarnished the image of the recipients. JPMorgan Chase Chief Executive Jamie Dimon called the TARP program "a scarlet letter." And for some recipients, including Goldman, the government charges for TARP money were higher than what companies found they could pay for private capital.
Early in 2009, Goldman began raising private funds to repay the aid. When Goldman did send in its check in mid-June, the company included $425 million in one-time dividends for the use of the government's money.
Of the decision to repay the money, Goldman's Chief Financial Officer David Viniar said at a conference, "It's not really restricting the way we do business but it was not meant to be permanent capital."
- Goldman Sachs has long been a signature Wall Street firm, known for high risk investments, ties to government, and big profits and salaries. In the global financial crisis of 2008, the company came close to failure.
- At the height of the financial crisis, Goldman Sachs quickly switched from being an investment bank to a commercial bank holding company, a move that under normal circumstances would have lowered its cost of capital.
- To weather the credit crisis, Goldman Sachs tapped a number of different sources of capital, securing a $5 billion investment from Warren Buffett, selling $5 billion in stock, and acquiring $10 billion from the U.S. Treasury's TARP bank bailout program.
- In the credit crisis, the government bailout money was a lifeline for Goldman, but it soon became a burden. TARP money was expensive, and it carried a stigma. It also limited dividend payments and executive compensation. Goldman repaid its TARP money in June 2009.
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Hi, my name is Laure. I'm a 23 year old French women. I just wanted to react to the racing horse issue that was put on the ALF web site.
I've always been passionate about animals ever since I can remember, and horses are a big part of this passion. I'm also involved in fighting for animal rights. I totally agree to the ALF, but I would just like to say something about racing horses.
I've worked with racing horses since I was in high school. I studied horse breeding in college, so I have worked in many places that involve this industry. Yes it's an industry. And let me say that there's a HUGE waste in this industry. Many horses go to slaughterhouses if they don't run well by the age of 1 1/2. I also want to say that a horse reaches his adult size at about age 4, so you can imagine it's like sending pre-teenagers to a athletics championship... bad idea right?? Some terrible owners get a tired horse to run a very difficult race in other to get him killed during the race to recuperate the money of the insurance... awful...
The way most of the racing horses are bred is also beneath any logic. The food they are given is terrible for their very fragile stomachs. The whips used by the jockeys are completely useless. But some jockeys still seem to think it's necessary. A special whip has been made that will leave no physical trace on the horse after the race.
But I wanted to say that in the middle of all those horrible people who make money on animal suffering, some people in this industry try to make things right. Some breeders love their horses, make everything for the foal to grow up in the middle of other foals, give the right food to the mares, train the yearlings gently, so they grow up in a better way, and end up by having real champions. Owners who get the horses to run a very few amount of races in a year and get them to have a nice break in good stables where they go out every day. Some people buy ex-racing champions for the price of the butcher (that makes around 1000), in order to offer them a quiet and fun retirement. Like I did for my horse.
I strongly believe a horse can like racing as I have seen it with my own eyes. and like the article said it, left in a field, a horse will naturally race with others.
Racing can be a real pleasure for horses, as long as it is done the right way.
The real problem in this industry is all the money involved. As I said it before, we are now only a few that have a passion for the horses and not the money.
I'm trying to promote racing horses in the best way for the animals by new ways of breeding, bringing up, feeding, training and what to do with the horse if he's not good for racing or after he's too old to race again. Hard battle ahead, I know, but I will do all I can for them.
I just wanted through this mail, put some "nuances" in all what people can hear about racing horses. They is a way to make it fun for everyone.
Thanks and keep up the battle for animal rights. | <urn:uuid:0a7281d4-2c44-4939-bb51-9c3ca0a69eb1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.animalliberationfront.com/Practical/Entertainment/HorseRacingCommentary.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983882 | 684 | 1.546875 | 2 |
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We are resuming our workshop series with a presentation on one of the core aspects of human communication, one you might practice at a bar, the dinner table or over coffee – narrative storytelling.
Telling a story to a friend is one thing, but writing a nonfiction narrative is another, and Sacramento News & Review co-editor Nick Miller can help give you the tools you’ll need to pull it off with his workshop on the basic principles of feature writing and narrative storytelling.
The workshop, “Introduction to Feature Writing and Narrative Storytelling,” will be held Wednesday, Sept. 5 from 6 - 8 p.m. While the workshop is booked to capacity, it will be live-streamed in this article and available afterward in both video and audio formats.
Miller has been knocking out cover stories at SN&R, the city's alternative weekly, and hitting deadlines going on nine years. He likes walking his dog Leroy (pictured above), biking and drinking beer. Fun fact: A local musician once threw a beer at him (he didn't drink it).
Writing a long-form, 5,000-word feature narrative may sound daunting, but it doesn't have to be painful. Miller will share tips on how to make storytelling simple and fun. This presentation will focus on ways to report for, outline, structure, draft and polish long-form features. He will also go over fundamental principles of form and style as applied to feature and narrative writing.
There will be free handouts – free handouts! – and he'll also reveal the most important book a long-form writer can own. We'll post the handouts here as soon as they are available.
To find out about our next session, join our workshop mailing list.
Have a question for Miller? Post it in the conversation below this article. | <urn:uuid:53b3a5e3-6a3a-42fb-a9ef-faa6b2a45fe7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://sacramentopress.com/headline/73066/LIVE_Narrative_storytelling_workshop | 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 | 0.951684 | 385 | 1.648438 | 2 |
APOLLO - RIDGE SCHOOL DISTRICT CURRICULUM DEPARTMENT
Thank you for Visiting Our Web Site!
The Apollo-Ridge School District is proud to offer a strong curriculum taught by highly qualified professional staff members and supported by all members of the school community. We consistently strive to prepare our students with the 21st Century skills necessary to succeed both in higher education and the global workplace.
Please use this website to learn about the academic program offered at Apollo-Ridge, as well as a resource to link to additional learning opportunities.
Saturday, May 18, 2013 | <urn:uuid:a307e3a7-cc2b-4801-a39a-c11079f20129> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://apolloridge.pa.schoolwebpages.com/education/dept/dept.php?sectiondetailid=2931 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958538 | 122 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Women in games, our role in promoting violence, and diversity of creation: GDC goes on the offensive
It all started when game designer Luke Crane asked about the lack of female game designers in the industry. The result was a flood of tweets from women in the games industry, including writers, designers, and fans, talking about the challenging path for women in all aspects of video gaming. There were too many anecdotes, real-world examples, and testimonies from women in all aspects of gaming to continue to pretend this isn’t an issue.
(A quick update: I’ve been contacted by many individuals who stated that game designer Filamena Young was the first person to begin using the hashtag, and I wanted to edit the story to include her contribution. It’s doesn’t seem right to name the person who asked the question and leave out the person who answered.)
Meggan Scavio, the general manager of the Game Developers Conference, was listening, and she reached out to women in the industry such as Leigh Alexander, Brenda Romero, and Mattie Brice to organize a talk on the hashtag and the challenges women face in gaming. That was only the beginning.
GDC has organized a collection of lectures, panels, and question and answer sessions, called the Advocacy Track, to deal with these issues and promote industry advocacy, an idea that began last year. This momentum caused the show to once again pair with the International Game Developers Association to flesh out the track with talks about diversity in game characters, women in gaming, and how to fight the tendency of gaming being used as a scapegoat in the wake of real-world tragedy.
The organic growth of discussion
I called Scavio to discuss how the track came together, and she said much of it was an organic process. She had reached out to some of the voices involved in the One Reason Why hashtag already, and the planning took off from there.
“You usually begin with the ideas, you want to hit the big topics and then figure out the right people to speak on them,” Scavio told the Report. “I was involved with the Scapegoats No More talk, as I was with the One Reason Why panel. I was having a conversation with Ian Bogost after he had written the article for the Atlantic, how we really needed to talk about this at GDC, but what was the right way to do it that just didn’t involve us going ‘look at the research.’ We wanted to make it as productive as we possibly could.”
This is an interesting challenge, especially during a time in the industry when it’s hard enough for companies to keep their collective heads above the water. When layoffs, not to mention studio closures, are common after each release, it’s a hard sell to get people worried about diversity in our heroes. “Yes, absolutely, but that doesn’t mean [these topics] shouldn’t be discussed,” Scavio argued.
“It’s hard to program these, even at GDC, I’ll be honest with you,” she continued. “When you have an opportunity to go to Diversity in Games panel versus the Art of Journey, which one are you going to go to as an attendee? But we’re hoping that just having that conversation available to people, and trying to get coverage on it as well, is only going to grow the movement. It’s tough.”
Going on the offensive
It’s not just a matter of getting more diverse voices in games, the challenge of changing how the public perceives games as a whole is both challenging and important. The game industry is often the first group talked about after the latest mass shooting, and even the NRA enjoys blaming games for gun violence. It doesn’t help that we tend to promote the most violent games.
“Last year at the E3 press conferences, most of the footage that was shown to the press was incredibly violent video game images,” Scavio said. “There were moments, obviously Nintendo wasn’t crazy violent, but there are moments where things end with gunshots to the end. Showing that there are other types of games out there is really important for us to do.This makes me crazy. You look at something like the Independent Games Festival… there are so many games out there that aren’t shooters, and we don’t really highlight those games.”
Scavio has talked to representatives from the Jimmy Fallon show and hopes to get them to highlight some titles from the Festival in fact, but the show typically covers games with segments like their recent showcase of the latest Killzone game running on the PlayStation 4. The result was yet another violent game on television, and there was little that differentiated the game from every other shooter on every other platform. The footage was painfully awkward as well.
This is why changing the perception of games is so important. It’s not just an industry of adolescent boys playing violent games, and titles like Journey and Minecraft are rarely shown as B-roll during stories criticizing games; we offer up the splashiest, most violent moments of games to the media in a manner that’s almost gleeful. It’s hard not to join in the voices criticizing the content of most games when we market violence so extensively, and often at the exclusion of games that don’t easily fit the narrative of games as “murder simulators.”
Even showing up to debate for games is problematic. Why do we have to prove that games don’t cause violence when no one has offered any evidence to the contrary? “Personally, I feel that you do take some blame and admit to being part of the problem when you participate in things like that,” Scavio said. “Which is why I think it’s time we learn to change public opinion instead of constantly defending ourselves. I think the game industry is always on the defensive and we need to start taking an offensive approach to how we’re perceived.”
The Advocacy Track will, hopefully, provide more insight into our industry and give those who attend more weapons to change how games are created, marketed, and seen by the mainstream. Scavio made the interesting point that simply by improving the diversity of those who make the games, we increase the chances of creating diverse games. If nothing else, talking about these issues and taking them seriously is a large step in the right direction. | <urn:uuid:86a7005d-e54b-459f-8488-24be41f68668> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://penny-arcade.com/report/article/women-in-games-our-role-in-promoting-violence-and-diversity-of-creation-gdc | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974647 | 1,362 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Public Papers - 1992
Statement on the Balanced Budget Amendment
I call upon the Senate today to cut through the procedural obstacles and pass a balanced budget constitutional amendment.
Americans overwhelmingly support a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced Federal budget, and for good reason. The debt we accumulate today jeopardizes sustained economic growth and will burden our descendants for generations to come. A balanced budget amendment would help to provide the necessary discipline to our Government, both the legislative and executive branches, to make the difficult budget decisions.
Although the House of Representatives earlier this month voted overwhelmingly in favor of a balanced budget amendment, we fell just nine short of the necessary two-thirds majority of House Members voting. I strongly believe that that House vote should not be the end of the line. Senate passage now of the balanced budget amendment would provide an opportunity for the House to reconsider its earlier close vote and, once and for all, move to put in place the fiscal discipline the American people demand. | <urn:uuid:de12e5f9-9ac5-4c75-9389-19cb1b6542d3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bushlibrary.tamu.edu/research/public_papers.php?id=4515&year=1992&month=all | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938211 | 192 | 1.515625 | 2 |
DeKalb residents and others in the metro Atlanta area voted to save their pennies instead of paying a one-cent sales tax for transportation.
At stake in the vote was $6.14 billion of regional transportation projects selected by the Atlanta Regional Roundtable which represented Clayton, Cherokee, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale counties and the city of Atlanta.
As of The Champion’s press time, the vote regionally was 36 percent for the tax and 64 against it. In DeKalb County the tax was failing 52 percent to 48 percent.
“The people spoke and they did not whisper,” said DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson, who campaigned against the tax. “We won’t be taken for granted anymore.”
Johnson said both sides of the transportation tax issue need to sit down and come up with another plan.
Johnson’s opposition to the tax stemmed from a proposed rail to Stonecrest Mall not being on the final project list.
“I just heard the sentiment of south DeKalb about being left out,” Johnson said.
DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis, who served as a member of the Atlanta Regional Roundtable, said the failure of the tax is a “major blow to the region.”
“The transportation referendum, if it had passed, would have been a significant stimulus to the economic vitality and growth within the region,” Ellis said. “But the problem doesn’t go away. We’re going to have to step back, make sure we understand why the voters voted the way they did and work toward a plan B.”
The projects on the final list were whittled down from wish lists from each city and county in the Atlanta region after being submitted to the Georgia Department of Transportation and the regional roundtable.
In 2010, Georgia’s legislature enacted the Transportation Investment Act, which provided for regional referendums throughout the state. In the referendum, voters in the various regions had to decide whether to support a penny-sales tax to fund various transportation projects, including transit, roadway, safety, bicycle and pedestrian improvements.
For DeKalb County, there was $1.1 billion to be divided between 18 proposed projects including a $700 million Clifton Corridor MARTA rail that would run from Lindbergh Center to Emory University and a $225 million I-20 corridor park-and-ride bus system that would have eventually been converted to high-capacity transit stations.
Other proposed projects included interchange improvements at I-85 North at I-285, a bridge replacement on Clifton Road and pedestrian improvement on Buford Highway.
Much of the opposition to the proposed tax in DeKalb came from south DeKalb residents who unsuccessfully campaigned for an I-20 rail system that would have connected Indian Creek MARTA station with Stonecrest Mall in Lithonia.
For more than 30 years, residents of DeKalb, Fulton and Atlanta, have paid a penny-sales tax to support MARTA. Opponents say that DeKalb County was promised the I-20 rail three decades ago.
Viola Davis, of the Unhappy Taxpayer and Voter Group, said the failure is “truly a blessing for the taxpayers and voters. This shows that coalitions can overpower money.”
Proponents of the sales tax said that there is no alternative plan to the tax.
“It means we all go back to the drawing board,” said Leonardo McClarty, president of the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce. “They’re going to have to look at other alternatives.”
McClarty said he knew the vote “was going to be tough in metro Atlanta.”
McClarty said “there was a lot of hope among many of the proponents that this would turn out more favorably.”
The failure of the tax means the metro Atlanta area is “not ready to truly act as a region,” he said.
“Trying to get a Cherokee County and a DeKalb County to come together is truly like oil and water,” McClarty said. | <urn:uuid:728ceb43-50d5-4d1b-87ae-8b1859ed5f06> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://championnewspaper.com/news/articles/1911a-penny-saved-transportation-tax-fails-1911.html?comment_id=5680 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970762 | 886 | 1.710938 | 2 |
What Every Renter Should Know
The general rule is that a lease can be assigned or sublet, provided that the lease document does not prohibit such action. If your lease prohibits the action, make certain that it expressly prohibits both, as the words have distinct legal meanings, and prohibition of one does not imply prohibition of the other. Assignment means to literally put another tenant in your place. The effect is that you will no longer be a party to the lease.
If you sublet, you stay in the original lease, but you execute a second lease with a new tenant. Thus, you are still on the hook for the rent.
Know how to end your lease
Terminating a month-to-month is simple. Just give your landlord 30 days notice, or, if the period is more than a month, be on the safe side and give notice equal to the rental period. Always give notice in writing.
Terminating a lease early is a little more complicated. Technically, your landlord is entitled to the balance of the lease. Remember; a lease is a contract and the balance reflects his damages if you leave early. However, a landlord usually has a duty to mitigate. The vast majority of states recognize such a duty, but a handful of states have either an unclear law or do not require the landlord to re-rent.
In a tight real estate market, this almost always means that your landlord won't incur damages. In fact, some markets are so hot that your landlord may be better off without you because he'll increase the rent with a new tenant. Still, by terminating early, you take a risk. Be prepared and explain the law to your landlord (this may discourage him from taking legal action).
You can also offer him a substitute tenant. If all else fails, don't leave town without at least documenting the landlord's failure to re-rent. If you end up in court, you may lose a month of rent, but you won't likely lose the whole enchilada.
know your rights as a renterA lot of tenants make the mistake of thinking that landlords are the enemy. But the truth is that landlords are businessmen. As with any other product, an informed customer will always get a better deal. The more you know, the better you'll be able to negotiate with your landlord. Remember; landlord/tenant laws vary by state. Be sure and refer to your state's local laws.
Michael Estrin is a freelance writer and a licensed attorney living in Los Angeles. He is a contributor for various websites and the publisher of PostGraduateApe.com.
Renters' Rights: The Basics - by Janet Portman, et al.
Every Landlord's Legal Guide - by Marcia Stewart, et al. | <urn:uuid:6cea1005-8695-4e4b-aa4c-90c425b19bdd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.askmen.com/money/investing_100/114c_investing.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947184 | 569 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Go Here: Santa Claus, Indiana
As the Holidays get closer, decorations are popping up everywhere we look. In a little town in Indiana, though, it’s Christmas all year long, and it’s a little weird.
When we stumbled upon a sign for this strange little town (population: 2,014) in the southwest corner of Indiana, we were many hours into a long, boring drive across the country in the middle of the night. Because of these harrowing conditions, our first reaction was that we needed to take a sleep break, because we were hallucinating. When we got off at the exit, though, the sun was beginning to rise over Indiana, and that’s when we saw them: Santa statues. A lot of them.
Originally established as Santa Fe (pronounced: fee) in 1854, the town voted to change the name to Santa Claus after their application for a USPS post office was denied, on account of how there is already a Santa Fe. You know, in New Mexico. Once named, the Santa Claus Post Office began to receive thousands of ‘Dear Santa’ letters from children all around the world. It warmed our hearts to find out that this tradition has not died — we sort of assumed Santa was on Twitter by now, since even the Pope is.
For a teeny little town in an area devoid of most things (when we asked about a grocery store, they gave us directions to the closest one, which was almost two hours out of our way) it boasts an impressive list of attractions, including a large theme park called Holiday World, Santa Claus Land of Lights, Christmas Lake Golf Course, Santa’s Candy Castle, Frosty’s Fun Center, the Santa Claus Post Office and the Santa Claus Museum. These people are obsessed. Even the local businesses have bought in:
We visited in Spring, and so we can only imagine what it’s like during the holiday season — actually we’re kind of hoping they take it all down, just to mess with people. If you check it out, please report back. Bring groceries with you though, so you’re not forced to subsist on dry goods from Santa’s Candy Castle — a man cannot live on marshmallow Santas, alone. There’s also a fruitcake eating contest, but self-flagellation isn’t really our idea of holiday cheer. | <urn:uuid:b56b6051-4fdd-4d3a-af5d-85e6afc067e0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://98kool.com/go-here-santa-claus-indiana/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95984 | 505 | 1.75 | 2 |
A beggar has been sitting by the side of a road for over thirty years. One day a stranger walked by. "Spare some change?" mumbled the beggar, mechanically holding out his old baseball cap. "I have nothing to give you," said the stranger. Then he asked: "What's that you are sitting on?" "Nothing," replied the beggar. "Just an old box. I have been sitting on it for as long as I can remember." "Ever looked inside?" asked the stranger. "No," said the beggar. "What's the point? There's nothing in there." "Have a look inside," insisted the stranger. The beggar managed to pry open the lid. With astonishment, disbelief, and elation, he saw that the box was filled with gold.
The stranger has nothing to give and is telling you to look inside. Not inside any box, as in the parable, but somewhere even closer: inside yourself.
"But I am not a beggar," I can hear you say.
Those who have not found their true wealth, which is the radiant joy of Being and the deep, unshakable peace that comes with it, are beggars, even if they have great material wealth. They are looking outside for scraps of pleasure or fulfillment, for validation, security, or love, while they have a treasure within that not only includes all those things but is infinitely greater than anything the world can offer.
The Power of Now
Just like Bill W. says in the BB that it is only deep inside ourselves that God may be found. Or as I've heard quoted on this site by Dallas, "What you are looking for, you are looking with."
Love Each Day, | <urn:uuid:5ee58d61-fac3-4cc6-8801-2a9fadaab651> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.step12.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=1776 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982167 | 359 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Stephanie Simon’s WSJ article on the rise of jobs needing a license of some description has resulted in a predictable rash of approving comments, especially from Matt Yglesias, for whom the issue is something of a hobby-horse.
There’s no doubt that a lot of the criticism of licensing laws is entirely justified. There’s no good reason why Louisiana florists need to be licensed, or why it takes 1,500 hours to learn to be a barber in California. When a licensing regime is tough, that results in higher prices to consumers, as well as lower employment in the industry in question. And of course journalists love the anecdotes, which come complete with built-in farce:
In Kentucky, the Board of Hairdressers and Cosmetologists has eight full-time inspectors who spend much of their time responding to anonymous tips about unlicensed manicurists. The inspectors rarely catch the alleged offenders, says Charles Lykins, the board’s administrator, because “they take off running.”
These stories almost write themselves: Frank Cerabino of the Palm Beach Post, for instance, got a classic quote from a West Palm Beach hairdresser saying that “even with the standards we have, you see a lot of dry hair and wrong color. Imagine what we’d have without these regulations.” But that’s my problem with them: they’re all very long on anecdote and very short on quantitative substance.
The WSJ includes the chart at left, but I get the feeling here that I’m being served a numerator without the denominator needed to understand it. A very large part of what we’re seeing in this chart is simply the way in which the US economy has moved from manufacturing to services over the past 50 years. It’s entirely possible — we’re not given any data which would shed any light on this — that the number of workers needing a state license to do their jobs has risen more slowly than the total number of workers moving into the kind of service-industry jobs which have historically required licensing. In other words, let’s see the number of workers with licenses as a percentage of all service-industry workers.
As my editor Jim Ledbetter says, state licensing is part of what a post-industrial economy looks like: post-industrial employment is, in the aggregate, more highly skilled and more consumer-facing. And that requires a different regulatory apparatus than an economy that largely takes place on a factory floor. So it should come as no surprise that more and more workers require a license these days; it should also come as no surprise that as the licensed economy expands, the number of ludicrous anecdotes about licensing requirements will expand as well.
On top of that, the rise of licensing also coincides, over the past few decades, with the decline of unions. Licensing requirements are more hypocritical, in many cases, than unions: unions are explicitly designed to make the workers richer and happier, while licensing requirements are ostensibly a product of consumer-protection concerns.
Meanwhile, a much older licensed cartel — the world of high-priced lawyers — is seeing its ancient and cozy architecture threatened by rising inequality at the top of the ranks. Today’s WSJ has a great story explaining how top law-firm partners can now make nine or ten times as much money as other partners in the same firm — a ratio which has moved up sharply in just the past few years, and which Larry Ribstein reckons is the “death rattle” for biglaw.
This is germane, because, broadly speaking, the more constraints you have on a profession, the less likely you are to see massive inequality within that profession. If you got rid of licensing for profession X, you’d see many more low-paid Xs than you do right now, and you’d also see a significant uptick in earnings at the very top of the X profession. It’s a second-order effect, to be sure, but I’m pretty sure that at the margin, licensing helps to reduce inequality. | <urn:uuid:2f0696fd-ee92-49a8-a3d8-3f1b2cc7c860> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cjr.org/the_audit/easy_but_incomplete_stories_on.php | 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 | 0.960347 | 859 | 1.625 | 2 |
The pre-Diwali 2G auctions were meant to create a level playing field in the sector that was once the poster boy of liberalisation. Major players such as Bharti, Videocon and Idea bid conservatively, which meant that high value circles such as Delhi and Mumbai received no bids and prices for the rest of the 22 telecom circles too were muted.
For consumers, the bidding pattern implies current telecom tariffs will hold but the government’s plan to earn additional revenue by charging an additional price for the 900 Mhz band is now up for re-pricing. It was earlier expected that the price of refarming will be decided by the price realised in this auction for the 1800 Mhz band.
The auction had become necessary after the Supreme Court’s February ruling cancelling 122 telecom licences issued in 2008 by then telecom minister A Raja. The court had asked the government to auction the licences instead.
The court verdict followed a CAG audit that had put a maximum notional loss to the exchequer from the ministerial allocations at Rs 1,76,000 crore. It resulted in a spate of prosecutions by the government that also created a political storm. Monday’s auctions were seen as a demonstration of the impact of a transparent method of allotting resources and are supposed to be a template for the auction of other natural resources such as coal and other mining products.
The results from the auction after the seven rounds of bidding on the first day showed there was sustained interest only for circles such as UP (West), UP (East), Bihar and Gujarat. High value circles such as Delhi, Mumbai, Karnataka and Rajasthan did not get any bids. But the auctions themselves were a world apart from the arbitrary ministerial discretion-based allotment of resources that has been the norm.
For UP (West) and UP (East), there were bids for 10 and nine blocks respectively. Bihar and Gujarat received eight bids each, Assam got bids for seven blocks. A block includes 5 Mhz of spectrum.
“Around 55 to 60 per cent of the total blocks on auction have so far been taken up and total quantum of revenue received till the end of the fifth round is a little over Rs 9,200 crore,” telecom secretary R Chandrashekhar said.
Around 33 per cent of the total receivables from the auction will come to the government in the first year and the rest will come in 10 equal installments.
The impact of low interest in the auctions will be felt gradually, as the charges for keeping the 900 Mhz spectrum and one-time spectrum fee to be charged for licence renewal from existing operators will be decided on the basis of the price that emerges out of this auction.
Even after putting the limited spectrum for auction (instead of the entire 122 cancelled licenses'spectrum)the response is tepid. Assuming that the Government puts the entire specturm available for auction due to the cancellation of 122 licenses there will be plenty and the price will be further depressed. So it is no where near the figure CAG had put as the notional loss. May be something is missing or not understood correctly. Will someone throw light on this?. So much of muck racking has been indulged by one and all, including press. May be the Press and other worthies including Opposition could throw some light why the auction price is not realised. For common man there has been a perception that the Government has deliberately given away the spectrum at a throw-away price to cronies. It is important the correct picture is put before the public.
We are adopted to resort or engage in Corruption out of habit and hence any hard work involved to deliver a Task to the Country for the benefit of the Common General Public is bearing no value to us under the present environment which is stopping us in taking part in such noble activities in large numbers.This is what we are ! We are bringing-up the talented ones by offering them High Positions in the Government to kill Institutions like CAG etc. for their straight forward offering of suggestions to us to retrieve the Country to a recoverable level.Any New such Institution set up for such or similar purposes shall meet with a similar fate unless we bow to the desire of the Corrupts.Therefore, we must reform ourselves individually and refrain from killing the innocents who are delivering to the Country.The revelations are important to know ourselves about our hidden identities as a Country.Why are had stopped to offer LOVE & RESPECT to the Country just to derive pleasures to us.
Now, what does the CAG and the apex court have to say?
This is a clear case of cartelisation.This proves all the more the need of performance audit of operational functions of the companies. | <urn:uuid:11402c7c-a6fc-47fe-8128-30112877e66f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://expressindia.indianexpress.com/latest-news/Firmscoolto2Gauction/1030520/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966657 | 971 | 1.515625 | 2 |
US 5027104 A
A vehicle security device is disclosed which includes a multiplicity of video cameras mounted in a vehicle in hidden fashion, and designed to be activated responsive to sensing of a condition such as, for example, unauthorized entry of a vehicle, striking of the vehicle and the like. A controller controls activation of the cameras as well as activation of a local and remote alarm system. A recording mechanism may be provided to record that which is observed by the cameras and a further transmitter may be employed to transmit video pictures to a remote location.
1. An improved security device, mounted in a vehicle having a passenger compartment and comprising:
(a) a plurality of cameras, at least one of said cameras being mounted in said vehicle but outside said passenger compartment;
(b) first sensor means of sensing an intrusion condition and second sensor means for sensing striking of the vehicle from outside;
(c) controller means for receiving signals from said first sensor means indicative of an intrusion and, responsive thereto, activating one of said cameras and further wherein when said controller means receives signals from said second sensor means indicative of a striking of said vehicle, responsive thereto, said controller means activates all of said plurality of cameras;
(d) said controller means receiving program signals from said cameras;
(e) first transmitter means for transmitting wireless alarm signals to a remote first receiver responsive to said controller means receiving said program signals;
(f) second transmitter means for concurrently transmitting further wireless program signals to a remote second receiver, said wireless program signals corresponding to said program signals and;
(g) recorder means for recording said program signals.
2. The invention of claim 1, wherein said intrusion condition comprises a sensed motion.
3. The invention of claim 1, wherein said at least one camera includes a microphone.
4. The invention of claim 1, wherein said first receiver includes means for signalling receipt of alarm signals comprising an alarm.
5. The invention of claim 4, wherein said alarm is an audio alarm.
6. The invention of claim 4, wherein said alarm is a visual alarm.
With reference, first, to FIG. 1, the inventive system is generally designated by the reference numeral 10 and is seen to include a multiplicity of cameras designated by the reference numerals 11, 13, 15, and 17.
A controller 20 is provided which receives intrusion signals from a sensor 21 via an electrical conductor 23. If desired, the sensor 21 may transmit signals to the controller 20 by a wireless link.
Responsive to sensing of signals from the sensor 21 which may be indicative of intrusion into the vehicle, striking of the vehicle from outside, approach to too close a proximity to the vehicle, or other intrusion, the controller 20 is operative to activate one or more of the cameras 11, 13, 15, and 17 via the respective control conductors 25, 27, 29 and 31. In this regard, it should be understood that the sensor 21 may comprise a multiplicity of sensors mounted in different locations on the vehicle with each sensor being coupled to one or more of the cameras so that when a particular sensor senses an intrusion condition, only some or one of the cameras is/are activated. If the vehicle is struck, such as would be the case in an accident where the parked vehicle is struck by another vehicle, for example, all cameras would be activated.
The cameras 11, 13, 15 and 17 transmit signals to the controller 20 via the respective conductors 33, 35, 37 and 39. These signals are received by the controller, which processes the signals in a manner well known to those skilled in the art, and responsive to receiving of such signals may activate a local alarm 41 via the conductor 43. The local alarm 41 may comprise flashing lights, a horn, a bell, or other audible or visual signalling means, or both, which alarm is designed to surprise an intruder and to cause the intruder to leave the premises.
Concurrently with activating of the alarm 41, a transmitter 45 having an antenna 47 may be activated via the conductor 49 to transmit signals at a frequency compatible with the receiver 51 which has antenna 53 designed to receive such signals. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the receiver 51 includes an internal alarm circuit activated by signals received at the antenna 53, which alarm circuit may include audio alarm means, video alarm means, or both. The receiver 51 is designed to be sized small enough to be carried within a pocket of the owner of the associated vehicle.
Concurrently with activation of the transmitter 45, a second transmitter 55 may be activated by the conductor 57 to transmit signals by the antenna 59 to a second remote receiver 61 having an antenna 63 for this purpose In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the receiver 61 .s designed to receive video signals, audio signals, or both, so that signals transmitted to the controller 20 from the cameras 11, 13, 15 and 17 may be viewed from a remote location.
In the preferred embodiment, the inventive system 10 includes a recorder 65 connected to the controller 20 via the conductor 67. The recorder 65 may be activated via signals received therefrom from the controller 20 whenever one or more cameras are activated so that audio and/or video signals from the cameras may be stored for later viewing. For this purpose, the recorder will include a number of recording devices corresponding in number to the number of cameras so that signals from each of the cameras may be separately recorded.
If desired, each camera may include a microphone allowing recording of audio signals.
FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation of one example of a manner of mounting of the inventive system 10 in a vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 is seen to include a hood 101, a windshield 103 having windshield wipers 105 associated therewith, a roof 107, a rear window 109, and a trunk lid 111 hiding a trunk within. A front bumper 113 and a rear bumper 115 are provided, as well as tires 117. Cameras 11, 13, 15, and 17 are mounted as shown with the cameras 11 and 13 being hidden within the engine compartment of the vehicle and with the cameras 15 and 17 being hidden within the trunk area of the vehicle. The cameras 11 and 13 are located to view the area around the vehicle, whereas the cameras 15 and 17 are mounted to view the interior of the passenger compartment thereof. Of course, these locations of mounting of the cameras are merely exemplary.
As shown in FIG. 2 in phantom, the controller 20, first transmitter 45, second transmitter 55, and recorder 65 are stored within the trunk. The alarm 41 is contained within the engine compartment of the vehicle, while the sensor 21 (not shown in FIG. 2) may be located in any desired location and may consist of various diverse sensors mounted in different locations on the vehicle.
As such, an invention has been disclosed in terms of a preferred embodiment thereof which fulfills each and every one of the objects of the invention as set forth hereinabove and provides an improved vehicle security device of great novelty and utility. Of course, various changes, modifications and alterations in the teachings of the present invention may be contemplated by those skilled in the art without departing from the intended spirit and scope thereof. As such, it is intended that the present invention only be limited by the terms of the appended claims.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of the inventive system.
FIG. 2 shows a further schematic representation of an example of the inventive system as mounted in a vehicle.
The present invention relates to a vehicle security device. In the prior art, security systems for vehicles are known; however, Applicant is unaware of any such system which includes all of the features and aspects of the present invention.
The following prior art is known to Applicant:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,651,144 to Pagano teaches the concept of a device designed to resemble a surveillance camera and having illumination means which are activated or deactivated responsive to sensing of an intrusion. The present invention differs from the teachings of Pagano as including a plurality of actual cameras along with the associated electrical circuitry therefor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,772,375 to Maddox et al. discloses an intrusion detecting device including sensors such as ultrasonic and microwave sensors designed to monitor an area. The present invention differs from the teachings of Maddox et al. as including a plurality of cameras hidden in a vehicle and control structure allowing the cameras to record a sensed intrusion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,843,463 to Michetti discloses a land vehicle mounted audio-visual trip recorder designed to operate when a vehicle is moving to monitor various aspects of the operation thereof. The present invention differs from the teachings of Michetti as being intended to operate when a vehicle is at a standstill for the purpose of monitoring any intrusions or disturbances.
The present invention relates to a vehicle security device. The present invention includes the following interrelated aspects and features:
(a) In a first aspect, the present invention is intended to include a plurality of cameras, preferably four in number, which are hidden in various locations in a vehicle. The cameras may be hidden in locations allowing monitoring of the passenger compartment of the vehicle, as well as storage areas thereof and the surrounding exterior thereof.
(b) In a further aspect, a sensor is provided which is designed to sense various conditions and, responsive thereto, to activate one or more of the cameras. The sensor may sense motion, light, sound, vibration or other condition.
(c) A controller is provided which may comprise a microprocessor which controls all aspects of the inventive system. The controller receives signals from the sensor indicative of a sensed condition and responsive thereto may activate one or more of the cameras. The controller may receive signals from one or more of the cameras, including program signals indicative of that which has been viewed by the camera(s). Responsive to sensing of such signals, the controller may activate a local alarm hidden somewhere in the vehicle to scare off an intruder.
(d) In a further aspect, a first transmitter may be provided which may transmit a signal at a first transmission frequency by wireless transmission to a first remote receiver which includes an alarm circuit activated by signals received from the transmitter so as to notify the owner of the vehicle that an intrusion has been detected.
(e) The inventive system may include a second transmitter designed to transmit video signals at a second transmission frequency to a second remote receiver designed to receive these signals so that one may observe the intrusion from a remote location.
(f) A recording mechanism may be provided in the vehicle or at the second remote receiver so as to facilitate recording of video signals indicative of that which is observed by the cameras.
(g) If desired, the cameras may be equipped with microphones so that audio signals may be received and processed.
Accordingly, it is a first object of the present invention to provide a vehicle security device.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a device including a plurality of cameras and a controller allowing transmission of an alarm to a remote location.
It is a yet further object of the present invention to provide such a system including a further transmitter for transmitting video signals received from the camera to a remote location.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide such a device wherein a sensor may sense intrusion signals and responsive thereto maY activate one or more of the cameras.
These and other objects, aspects and features of the present invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment when read in conjunction with the appended drawing figures.
Citations de brevets | <urn:uuid:d77456c5-0bb7-40f8-b743-f8b64bc1f283> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.google.fr/patents/US5027104?hl=fr | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95466 | 2,365 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Northern Ireland's quiet revolution
But there was nothing forced about the way he chatted to Mickey Harte and John McAreavey and to local GAA officials. He even took time to shake hands and banter with Gerry Adams and the SDLP leader Alasdair McDonnell.
Indeed, sport – so important to people’s sense of themselves – plays an increasingly important role in helping society negotiate issues of identity. When the Ireland Olympic boxing medallists Paddy Barnes and Michael Conlon returned to their native city of Belfast, most people were proud of their achievements. It was the same for the three local Team GB Olympic rowing medallists, brothers Richard and Peter Chambers and Alan Campbell, when they were paraded through the mainly Protestant town of Coleraine, in Co Derry.
I was in Coleraine observing from the edge of the huge crowd greeting them when two women went by. “The lads did well,” I said. “They were great, wonderful,” the women agreed. “But didn’t our boxers do well as well,” one was quick to add. Their attention to parity of congratulation told they were from the green side of the fence, but it was equally obvious they were happy for both sides. And that was the general view.
The soccer terraces can be raw places, but just at the end of last month the GAA and the Irish Football Association organised a joint “good relations forum” in Belfast to explore the impact of sport in building community links. All this is incremental, with much work to do, but throughout society important acts of leadership and reconciliation are taking place.
There is also evidence of people not only learning from history, but taking care that they don’t repeat it. At the end of August, for example, the Sinn Féin West Belfast MP, Paul Maskey, urged the Orange Order to reroute part of the contentious Ulster Covenant parade away from St Patrick’s Church on Donegall Street in central Belfast.
“Reroute” is a loaded word in Northern Ireland, to be used only with the greatest caution, if at all. It leads to places from which it can be difficult to retreat. Think of Drumcree. But barely had Maskey uttered the word than the nationalist residents of Carrick Hill, beside the church, made clear that they weren’t seeking a rerouting of any parades; they were simply seeking “respect”.
The Ulster Covenant parade passed off peacefully. That largely unremarked-on decision by the Carrick Hill people was a significant moment in ensuring there was no trouble; ordinary people knew what was at stake and realised unnecessarily upping the ante could have serious and unpredictable consequences.
It hardly signals that Northern Ireland has crossed the line into some brave new harmonious world – there are still running tensions over parades past the church – but it indicates good sense and a willingness to take a view from the other’s perspective and acknowledge the other’s identity. It deserves Orange Order reciprocation, and there are slow signs of that happening.
In troubled economic times Northern Ireland has a lot going for it. Soon David Cameron must decide whether and under what conditions the North can reduce its corporation-tax rate to something in line with that of the Republic. It would be a game changer in terms of inward investment, according to Peter Robinson, and economists and commentators agree with him. With its link to a stronger sterling, this could also leave Northern Ireland in a better position than the Republic to begin economic recovery. As part of that economic and investment drive Robinson and McGuinness are on a trade mission to China.
There’s a lot happening otherwise, as well: people are streaming into the Belfast Titanic centre in their tens of thousands; each year there are great festivals, such as the recent 50th Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queen’s and the Happy Days Samuel Beckett festival in Enniskillen. Next year Derry will be the UK City of Culture.
Dissidents, who are strong in the city, will try to wreck or disrupt it, but let’s see if Derry people manage to resist that challenge.
Belfast looks great; it’s an architecturally refashioned city, the River Lagan getting the attention it has always deserved. Parts of the city centre that used to be dangerous and now teem with people on weekend nights.There is a new vibrancy about parts of the North. A cafe culture as well as a lively pub scene is developing. All of this makes people feel just that little bit better about themselves. People have a shared pride in place.
Could it all be blown apart? Possibly. From their point of view, the dissidents scored a success by gunning down the prison officer David Black on his way to work. Their satisfaction would have been greater had loyalists responded in like manner. It could have set in train an old pattern of tit-for-tat violence.
Thankfully, that has not happened. And that is also down to leadership, although there are also some incendiary social factors in loyalism that could be a cause of worry if not addressed.
Maintaining peaceful, positive evolution against purist republican violent revolution is down to security vigilance, to politicians thinking and acting in terms of the common good, and to the community asserting itself more vocally against the dissident threat. It’s down to people accepting that history can’t be gainsaid.
And accepting that there are two main identities in Northern Ireland but being comfortable with the occasions when they mingle in some form of Northern Irishness.
One must mention the usual caveat that at the back of people’s mind there is still a lingering concern about revisiting the past. But most people in Northern Ireland are moving away from misery. There is a new confidence and a growing openness, and a humanity that trumps the inhumanity the dissidents offer, a sign of positive transformation.
Which slowly but surely is what is happening in Northern Ireland.
'We are seeing political maturity'
Gavin Robinson DUP Lord Mayor of Belfast
There’s definitely a collective willingness to work for Northern Ireland’s true interest. Less and less you see people approaching issues from a parochial point of view, formed from a particular view of the past. There’s an emphasis on positive progression, both at Stormont and at council level.
Of course, there are still fault lines that people naturally fall into. But, particularly around sensitive discussions, such as those around the recent Ulster Covenant centenary, we are seeing political maturity.
I am still British, but I can see the benefit of talking up our part of the UK. It can be easier for people if they are able to talk about being Northern Irish rather than British or Irish; it can be a point of unity. | <urn:uuid:59b1f9b1-0c1c-4944-a020-dd4cedd6ad02> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.irishtimes.com/news/northern-ireland-s-quiet-revolution-1.553304?page=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965519 | 1,431 | 1.625 | 2 |
Last month I had a chance to sit down with Oregon State Beavers coach Mike Riley. We hit on many topics in an hour, including how he developed one of the Beavers' more dangerous plays, the call from a junior college coach in California that dramatically changed the Beavers' program and what it was like playing for Alabama in the early 1970s.
The full interview is presented below. After two questions, the pay wall will come down.
How did the Alabama Crimson Tide find you up here coming out of high school?
They didn't find me. I found them. My uncle was a baseball coach at Alabama. My dad grew up in Alabama. All of my relatives outside my mom and dad are in Alabama. I recruited myself. I wrote letters for two years. I got a scholarship very late.
What was it like being at Alabama in the early '70s at a time of so much change?
We didn't even know the historic time we were going through. We were just guys going to college. My freshman year was the first time an African-American played in a college football game for Alabama -- John Mitchell. I think John is still coaching for the Steelers. [He is.] He sent me a picture. Back in the day, coaches could be with the player when they signed the letter of intent. My uncle was the baseball coach, but Coach [Bear] Bryant always gave him an area to recruit for football, so he had the Florida panhandle, and we call it "L.A." -- lower Alabama. John Mitchell sends me this picture of him and his mom and dad at the kitchen table, and my uncle is with them as he's signing the letter of intent.
This is a detailed interview. If you're an Oregon State fan or even just a Pac-10 fan, it's a good read. Also, there's some interesting stuff about Terrell Pryor and the Manning Passing Academy after this jump. CFB returns in about three months; become an Insider now and be ahead of the curve. | <urn:uuid:3dabe86d-257f-4edb-9f05-272450c9d699> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://insider.espn.go.com/ncf/blog?name=feldman_bruce&id=5238135 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.987793 | 417 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Archive for the ‘Outreach’ Category
The Art and Design Pod and Carole Potter from Graphic Arts have just finished a 2 day workshop a group of teenagers working with The Aim Higher programme. The organisation aims to
make more people aware of what higher education is all about by providing workshops that schoolchildren can access, making them aware of career pathways they might never have known existed.
The ADA held two different workshops for aspiring participants over the two days, giving them the chance to have a taste of techniques they would not usually use. Graphic Arts lecturer Carole Potter and a team of students and graduates led an animation session, while the POD led a practical session that aimed to show the benefits of laser cutting and branding.to sample a
The animation group had the chance to sample a whole array of different stop motion techniques, developing their own ideas with the help of Graphic Arts graduates.
The second group had the task of creating their own model airplane which would be fabricated using the ADA’s laser cutting facilities. Each team were asked to brand their plane in the style of a famous celebrity The choices ranged from a Mr.T branded plane for terrorists to a ‘plane of rock’ branded using the figurehead of comedian Jack Black.
Great fun was had by both groups, who came together to show their work on the final day. We hope to work with Aim Higher again during the coming year on a variety of projects.
Today sees the final day for the Four Corners Community Arts Exhibition hosted in the Public Exhibition Space of the ADA.
The show was curated by the ADA’s POD team in conjunction with 3rd Year HAMS Student Emma Ashman.
Emma did a fantastic job of tying together the 6 contributors visual work as well as performance pieces and a 70 strong debate event for the Private View evening.
The exhibition is a showcase of Young Merseyside and what they can achieve when they aren’t pressured by stereotypes – much of the work has an inter-generational theme as Community Arts aims to engage the widest possible audience. Grab this last opportunity to take a look!
Next week (April 6th – 12th) sees the Exhibition of the Annual Culture Liverpool Community Arts Programme, Four Corners – this year it is hosted by LJMU’s Art & Design Academy. Download Flier PDF.
Four Corners 2011 is a groundbreaking city wide participatory arts project which continues to push boundaries and open up new ways of seeing across our neighbourhoods. Now in its 6th year, it is a partnership with Neighbourhood Management Services, Liverpool Primary Care Trust and Culture Liverpool (Liverpool City Council).
Four Corners 2011 showcases the talent of young residents of Liverpool and challenges stereotypes and the impact of the arts as a form of communication and expression. ‘An exhibition for young people, by young people’ highlights the diversity of youth today, platforming their work across the city’s neighbourhoods under the direction of six Liverpool based arts organisations (Arts in Regeneration, Aspire Trust, Cut to the Chase Productions, Hope Street Limited, LJMU’s Art & Design Academy and Rotunda). Using an array of media from video to fashion and sculpture, it explores the daily perceptions and misconceptions of youth culture and the positive change it can have on a community.
Read the rest of this entry »
NET @ the Academy of St. Francis of Assisi would like to invite you to the premiere of our film documenting the Team’s experiences in New York as part of our Change for Change project.
The evening will start with a talk from last year’s NET (Network and Enterprise Team) giving them an opportunity to thank you all for your support. We will then show the film and have a short question and answer session before introducing this year’s NET and their Change for Communities project. Come along and see how WE can help YOU!
1st February @ FACT – doors 6:30pm film starts at 7:00pm
Please RSVP to [email protected] alternatively telephone 0151 260 7600
The ADA POD team are about to work with 16 Knowsley schools on ‘Telling Tales’ – a series of story telling and puppet workshops. As part of a project covering the whole borough they will work with primary pupils to create and perform a series of shadow puppet shows based on materials created in earlier sessions with storytellers and dramatists. This Tuesday saw the initial introduction of the project to over 25 teachers who collaborated on a mini version of the project their efforts are visible below…
The project will run between Jan and March 2011 and the results will be posted here on the blog!
Wirral based Summer Fields Residential Care Home is asking for volunteers to help with painting the walls with Liverpool/Birkenhead related imagery.
Themes could include The Beatles, John Lennon, The Mersey, Grand National, Liverpool and Everton FC and other Landmarks. The idea is to provide mental stimulation and familiarity for the local residents.
If any students would like to volunteer to help then please contact me for more details.
The Art & Design Academy’s POD team have been successful in their application to work on the 2011 Liverpool Community Arts Project ‘Four Corners’. They will be working with the neighbourhoods of East Liverpool in producing an iconic piece of public art that will enlist, engage and educate the often neglected NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) groups. The project will run from now until the end of April – the blog will keep you posted on their progress.
The POD worked with East Liverpool last year on a Health and Wellbeing inspired community project, creating a series of short videos that formed a health calendar. These are now on-line and can be viewed below.
Your Big Year is seeking enthusiastic, adventurous and enterprising individuals who are free to explore the globe from January 2011. The competition will test entrants’ skills in communication, charity fundraising and entrepreneurial spirit.
The best 24 people will spend a week in Liverpool undertaking a series of tasks as part of Global Enterprise Week (15th-21st November). The two who perform best will win the prize and explore the world together.
Travel, accommodation and living costs will be covered. The two winners will be expected to volunteer on a variety of projects on all five continents – from teaching children in South America to conservation work in Asia.
For more details and to register your interest: www.yourbigyear.com
Over the SummerThe Art & Design POD showcased their work with communities from East Liverpool as part of the citywide ‘Four Corners’ Project.
Now in its 5th year, this arts project connects with communities from all of its neighbourhoods in order to promote art as a regenerative tool. This year the project focuses on the theme of Health and Wellbeing, promoting the messages to Connect, Be Active, Take Notice, Keep Learning and to Give. | <urn:uuid:b525f552-a9b9-4465-9981-7cb5964756bb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.liverpool-ada.co.uk/category/outreach/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946488 | 1,436 | 1.648438 | 2 |
The Middle Eastís oil production is seen to increase by 50 tb/d in 2013 to average 1.55 mb/d. This is supported by anticipated growth in Oman, Bahrain and Yemen, while Syriaís oil production is seen to remain steady next year. Omanís production is expected to rise by 20 tb/d in 2013 to average 0.93 mb/d. This is supported by enhanced oil recovery (EOR) at the Mukhaizna and Harweel developments.
The new volume is seen to more than offset the foreseen declines in mature producing areas. Bahrainís supply is expected to rise by 10 tb/d in 2013 to average 0.23 mb/d, and this increase will be supported by the Awali project. Yemenís production is estimated to increase by 30 tb/d in 2013 to average 0.19 mb/d. This is on the assumption that the damaged pipeline will return to operations and that output will be partly restored, starting in the second quarter. Syriaís oil supply is projected to average 0.21 mb/d in 2013, steady from this year. This assumes that a partial return of the shut-down production will begin in the second half of next year.
However, the risk to Yemenís and Syriaís forecasts remains high, given the ongoing political situation, as well as limited data. The forecast could encounter significant downward revision if the political situation remains unchanged in 2013. On a quarterly basis, the Middle Eastís supply in 2013 is expected to stand at 1.51 mb/d, 1.51 mb/d, 1.56 mb/d and 1.62 mb/d respectively. | <urn:uuid:59e81757-e87d-4b99-83a0-ffd90bbbfa3b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://gulfoilandgas.com/webpro1/MAIN/Mainnews.asp?id=22052 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943147 | 348 | 1.5 | 2 |
Print Version-Capuano Receives National Award for Community Health Care
This press release can also be read on the National Association of Community Health Centers website
Capuano Receives National Award for Community Health Care
Top Award Honors Lawmaker Who Championed Health Care for Poor, Uninsured
March 23, 2004
Washington, D.C. -- The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) today presented U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano (D-MA) with the 2004 "Distinguished Community Health Champion" award for his leadership on issues that impact the 15 million people who rely on Community, Migrant, Public Housing and Homeless Health Centers for their health care. The top award is given only to select Members of Congress who have done outstanding work on behalf of low-income, uninsured and medically underserved Americans, and who have spearheaded efforts on Capitol Hill to improve health care access for all.
"Congressman Capuano has provided tremendous leadership at a critical juncture for America’s health centers," said Tom Van Coverden, President and CEO of NACHC. "As Co-Chair of the House Community Health Center Caucus, he has been vigilant in ensuring the strength and integrity of America's health care safety net at a time when growing demands are challenging health center resources. Congressman Capuano understands that health centers not only provide primary health care to anyone who walks through their doors, they also build healthier communities, help lower health care costs, and are engines for economic growth and jobs."
"Congressman Capuano clearly understands the mission of health centers, where every day lives are saved through good, preventive care for people who are uninsured or medically underserved," said James Hunt, of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers. "He has been a passionate advocate on behalf of health centers in our state and indeed across the country. There aren't enough health centers for the people who need them and no one knows this better than Congressman Capuano who has worked hard to make sure that health care access will be a reality for all."
Community, Migrant, Public Housing and Homeless Health Centers serve as the family doctor to 15 million low-income children and adults in 3,500 communities across the country - including over 380,000 people from the Bay State. Health centers have a solid record of keeping communities healthy and disease free. Studies show in communities where there is a health center, there are shorter lines at hospital emergency rooms, lower infant mortality rates, and improved health outcomes for people with chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. The 8th Congressional District is served by 10 health centers at over 30 sites.
Contact: Alison M. Mills (617) 621-6208
Click photo to download enlargements.
Congressman Mike Capuano (D-MA) accepts the 2004 Champion award from NACHC Chair-Elect Jack Cradock, CEO, East Boston Neighborhood Health Center, and James Luisi, Exec. Dir., North End Community Health Center in Boston, MA. | <urn:uuid:367a07cb-914b-4bc2-bfbe-27c1b02c2741> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.house.gov/capuano/news/2004/pr032304.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950303 | 618 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Rocketplane Kistler's (RpK) Space Act Agreement Terminated
On Thursday, October 18, 2007, NASA terminated its funded agreement with aerospace firm Rocketplane Kistler of Oklahoma City, which repeatedly failed to meet agreed-upon milestones in its effort to develop and demonstrate commercial transportation capabilities to low Earth orbit. NASA informed Rocketplane Kistler Thursday of its decision in a letter signed by Associate Administrator for Exploration Systems Rick Gilbrech.
In 2006, NASA chose two companies to receive COTS funding: Rocketplane Kistler and Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, of El Segundo, Calif. Both companies signed Space Act Agreements with the agency that detailed mutually agreed-upon financial and technical milestones, as well as a payment schedule based on those requirements.
In late May, Rocketplane Kistler missed the fourth milestone, a second round of private financing, in its COTS agreement. After months of discussions with the company, NASA officially notified Rocketplane Kistler in early September of its failure to perform. The agency decided to terminate the Rocketplane Kistler agreement when, after careful consideration, NASA concluded that further efforts were not in the agency's best interest. NASA followed the process for termination that was spelled out in the Space Act Agreement.
NASA's other funded COTS partner, SpaceX, is current on all of its financial and technical milestones. NASA also has unfunded COTS agreements with five other companies.
Please click on the following link to learn more about RpK. | <urn:uuid:9bf082e5-b9fd-4d00-aa18-9f0d396b1df7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nasa.gov/offices/c3po/home/rpk_terminated.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945746 | 311 | 1.742188 | 2 |
On November 2, 1997, at 0806 hours mountain standard time, a Cessna 172, N6585D, collided with trees following a loss of control while landing at the Payson, Arizona, airport. The aircraft sustained substantial damage. The private pilot and his two passengers were not injured. The aircraft was being operated as a personal flight under 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed. The flight originated in Scottsdale, Arizona, at 0720. Use your browsers 'back' function to return to synopsisReturn to Query Page
The pilot stated that he had turned final for runway 24 at Payson when he noticed he was a "little high and hot." He said he compensated for it by lowering the nose and adding 5 additional degrees of flaps. Although the airspeed remained constant at 80 knots, he realized quickly that he was still high and fast so he entered a slip to increase the rate of descent. The pilot stated that he felt he could extend his landing even if he touched down past midpoint and decided not to go-around. He estimated that he hit the ground at 58 to 60 knots when he encountered a strong crosswind from the left, which pushed him off the runway. The aircraft subsequently came to rest against several trees.
A Federal Aviation Administration inspector from the Scottsdale, Arizona, Flight Standards District Office interviewed the airport manager after the accident. The manager stated that he had heard the airplane touch down and "it sounded very fast" so he looked up and saw the airplane rolling down the runway at a very fast rate of speed. The aircraft then departed the runway and collided with trees.
The inspector examined the runway and found several skid marks about 800 feet after the touchdown point.
In his written statement, the pilot reported the winds at the airport as 110 degrees at 5 knots. The winds at the closest aviation weather reporting station were 160 degrees at 7 knots. | <urn:uuid:94cdee6a-a400-4a51-b06a-80cf60a4777e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ntsb.gov/aviationquery/brief2.aspx?ev_id=20001208X09198&ntsbno=LAX98LA028&akey=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97876 | 395 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Coordinator, Rooted In Community National Network
San Francisco, California
Michelle Mascarenhas is the coordinator of Rooted In Community (RIC), a national grassroots network that empowers young people to take leadership in their own communities. RIC is a diverse movement of youth and adult counterparts who are committed to building healthy communities through urban and rural agriculture, community gardening, food security and related environmental justice work. She co-founded and directed the Center for Food and Justice at Occidental College in Los Angeles until 2001. Since 1995, she has developed pilot programs, conducted policy analysis, and mobilized individuals and groups to advocate for access to healthy food and for community participation in policymaking. She helped to develop Farm to School models that led to a national Farm to School program sponsored by the USDA to encourage school districts to purchase from local farmers. In Los Angeles, she brought together parents, teachers and youth from low-income communities to advocate for policies to foster community gardens, farmers markets, healthy school food and citywide food access strategies. Michelle has a B.A. in History with a specialization in Women's Studies and an M.A. in Urban Planning from the University of California, Los Angeles. Her master's thesis examined the marketing strategies and employment practices of small organic and conventional farms in Santa Cruz County. From 1991-92, Michelle worked on the Home Gardens Nutrition Program in Lesotho, Southern Africa—a program that helped to develop community gardens in conjunction with nutrition education at clinics, schools and in villages.She served on the board of directors of the Community Alliance with Family Farmers from 1997 to 2001 and was the Interim Executive Director in 2002. She has served on the steering committee of the California Nutrition Network since 1996. Michelle lives, gardens and cooks in a collective household in San Francisco. | <urn:uuid:0948f05d-1028-4359-a45c-a0988d8ddcbc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://foodandcommunityfellows.org/fellow/michelle-mascarenhas | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955483 | 372 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Baton Rouge: Multitalented novelist, short story writer, playwright, columnist, translator and essayist John Biguenet has been named recipient of the prestigious Louisiana Writer Award for 2012. He is being honored by the Louisiana Center for the Book in the State Library of Louisiana for his extraordinary contributions to the state’s literary heritage exemplified by his body of work.
Biguenet will be recognized as the 2012 recipient at an award ceremony at the beginning of the 2012 Louisiana Book Festival on Saturday, October 27, 2012, by Lieutenant Governor Jay Dardenne and State Librarian Rebecca Hamilton, during which Biguenet will discuss his writing career. An additional festival program is planned during which Biguenet will discuss his work in depth.
The Louisiana Writer Award is given annually to recognize outstanding contributions to the literary and intellectual life of Louisiana. Past recipients include novelists James Lee Burke, Ernest J. Gaines, Shirley Ann Grau Elmore Leonard, Tim Gautreaux, Valerie Martin, and James Wilcox; children’s author William Joyce, poets Yusef Komunyakaa and William Jay Smith; historian Carl A. Brasseaux; and scholar Lewis P. Simpson.
John Biguenet has published seven books, including Oyster, a novel, and The Torturer's Apprentice: Stories, released in the U.S. by Ecco/HarperCollins and widely translated.
Biguenet’s work has received an O. Henry Award for short fiction and a Harper's Magazine Writing Award among other distinctions; and his poems, stories, plays and essays have been reprinted or cited in The Best American Mystery Stories, Prize Stories: The O. Henry Awards, The Best American Short Stories, Best Music Writing, Contemporary Poetry in America, Katrina on Stage and various other anthologies. His work has appeared in such magazines as Granta, Esquire, North American Review, Oxford American, Southern Review, Storie (Rome), Story and Zoetrope.
Named its first guest columnist by The New York Times, Biguenet chronicled in both columns and videos his return to New Orleans after its catastrophic flooding and the efforts to rebuild the city.
Biguenet’s radio play Wundmale, which premiered on Westdeutscher Rundfunk, Germany's largest radio network, was rebroadcast by Österreichischer Rundfunk, the Austrian national radio and television network. Two of his stories have been featured in Selected Shorts at Symphony Space on Broadway, the Long Wharf Theatre, and elsewhere. The Vulgar Soul won the 2004 Southern New Plays Festival and was a featured production in 2005 at Southern Rep Theatre; he and the play were profiled in American Theatre magazine.
Rising Water was the winner of the 2006 National New Play Network Commission Award, a 2006 National Showcase of New Plays selection and a 2007 recipient of an Access to Artistic Excellence development and production grant from the National Endowment for the Arts as well as the 2007 Big Easy Theatre Award for Best Original Play; it has had numerous productions around the country. In 2008, Biguenet was named Theatre Person of the Year at the Big Easy Theatre Awards, the region’s major professional theater awards.
Shotgun, the second play in his Rising Water cycle, premiered in 2009 at Southern Rep Theatre, with subsequent productions at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater, Florida Studio Theatre and elsewhere; it won a 2009 National New Play Network Continued Life of New Plays Fund Award and was a 2009 recipient of an Access to Artistic Excellence development and production grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Shotgun is published by Dramatists Play Service, Inc.
Biguenet was awarded a Marquette Fellowship for the writing of Night Train, his new play, which he developed on a Studio Attachment at the National Theatre in London and which premiered at New Jersey Rep Theatre in 2011. Broomstick, currently in development, has had staged readings over the past year at Stages Rep in Houston, the Tennessee Williams Festival in New Orleans and Portland Stage in Maine.
The third play in his Rising Water cycle, Mold, will premiere in 2013 at Southern Rep Theatre. This ongoing cycle of plays about the flooding of New Orleans has been the subject of articles in American Theatre, The American Scholar and elsewhere.
Biguenet has served twice as president of the American Literary Translators Association and as writer-in-residence at various universities. He is currently the Robert Hunter Distinguished University Professor at Loyola University in New Orleans. | <urn:uuid:accacda3-6115-461e-bbab-2b17054903f6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wwwprd1.doa.louisiana.gov/LaNews/PublicPages/Dsp_PressRelease_Display.cfm?PressReleaseID=3143&Rec_ID=0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963393 | 946 | 1.5 | 2 |
Noted Scholar and Alum Returns as Scholars Series Speaker at UWFox
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The University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley is hosting one of its most distinguished alumni as a "bonus" Scholars Series speaker on Thursday, May 20, from noon to 1:00 p.m. Charles F. Merbs, Ph.D., professor emeritus of Anthropology at Arizona State University, is scheduled to present his lecture, "Casimir Pulaski, Polish Hero of the American War for Independence: A Bio-historical Mystery," in Perry Hall. Merbs' presentation is free and open to the public with unreserved seating.
Merbs spent his first year of college, 1954-1955, at the University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley Extension, as UWFox was known at the time. He eventually transferred to UW-Madison, where he earned his B.S. (1961), his M.S. (1963), and his Ph.D. (1969), which focused on anthropology and medical genetics.
While he was an undergraduate student at UW-Madison he worked with one of his professors on the infamous Ed Gein case, which eventually became an influence on two hugely popular movies, "Psycho" and "The Silence of the Lambs.
Merbs went on to teach for 10 years at the University of Chicago before eventually joining the faculty at Arizona State University in 1972 as the chair of its anthropology department. He spent six years as the department chair and remained at A.S.U. as a full professor until he retired in May 2004
Merbs has been described as, "a genuine crime scene investigator." His areas of professional interest and expertise are osteo-archeology, forensic and dental anthropology, as well as pathology and trauma. His list of professional publications is impressive. He has also been published in TIME magazine, worked with numerous medical examiners throughout the nation, supplied content to The World Book Encyclopedia, and has had portions of his research translated into other languages.
Regarding his research and presentation on General Casimir Pulaski, Merbs said, "What started out as a seemingly simple skeletal identification with a personal touch turned into something fascinating and totally unexpected!" His recent extensive studies of the remains of Pulaski established that the remains found in the Pulaski Monument at Savannah, Georgia are, indeed, those of Gen. Pulaski, despite a lack of DNA evidence.
In 2008, Merbs has received the "Distinguished Service Award" from the American Council for Polish Culture and the "Pulaski Award" from the National Polish Center. In 1984, he received the A.S.U. College of Liberal Arts' "Dean's Quality Teaching Award" in anthropology.
Merbs will be visiting the UWFox campus to receive the UW-Fox Valley Foundation's "Outstanding Alumni Award" for 2010. Terry Dawson, director of the Appleton Public Library, will also be recognized with the award during a presentation at the campus' annual commencement ceremony on May 20, beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the UWFox Fieldhouse.
For more information about Merbs' presentation at UWFox on May 20 at noon in Perry Hall, contact Dave Hager, director of University Relations, 920-832-2611 or email [email protected]. | <urn:uuid:3a91b0ad-343d-40f7-beea-80f45efe188d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.uwfox.uwc.edu/whatsnew/alumreturns_sss2010.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973866 | 705 | 1.515625 | 2 |
From tigers to elephants, oceans and deserts to arctic regions, with Disney and BBC filmmakers, from what goes into the water we drink and the food we eat—the first Our Planet Environmental Film Festival has it all!
The much-anticipated launch of the Our Planet Environmental Film Festival is finally here, and the Our Planet team is more than ready to deliver. As environmental warriors they are fighting for the earth, armed with a whole selection of exciting yet educational documentaries. The environmental film festival has one main purpose and that is to raise funds, which will be used to develop a plastic bottle recycling initiative for St Lucia. Taking a look around the island its no secret that we have a problem with plastic bottles littering the shoreline and riverbanks, blocking drains and generally making the streets look unclean. It is said that it takes approximately 450 years for a plastic bottle to decompose! So the problem will not go away by itself.
The saying goes “no man is an island” and we cannot always do things alone so Our Planet would like to thank all their sponsors and supporters; British High Commission, LIME, LUCELEC, Sandals, SLASPA, West Indies Shipping & Trading, Calabash Tv, CFL, DBS, JQ amongst others.
The Our Planet team assures an enjoyable film experience, with some great photography that will blow you away. So if you missed this weekend’s showcase, make sure you don’t miss next week’s film “The man who stopped the Desert” filmed by Mark Dodd from the BBC.
The following films will be playing during the film festival:
Friday 22nd June/Saturday 23rd June – The man who stopped the desert
Friday 29th June/Saturday 30th June – Home
Friday 13th July/Saturday 14th July – Tapped
Friday 20th July/Saturday 21st July – Disneynature Oceans
Friday 3rd August/ Saturday 4th August – Great Migrations
Friday 10th August/Saturday 11th August – The 11th hour
Friday 17th August/Saturday 18th August – A sea of change; Imagine a world without fish
Friday 24th August/ Saturday 25th August – The end of the line
Friday 31st August/Saturday 1st September – The silent Sentinels & the perils of plectropomus
Friday 7th September/Saturday 8th September – Encounters at the end of the world
Friday 14TH September/Saturday 15th September – Food Inc.
Friday 21st September/Saturday 22nd September – Film festival finale – Wildlife spectacular
Playing Fridays at 6.30pm and repeated Saturday’s 3.00pm.
Ticket price EC$15
The Our Planet Film Festival is all about the environment. | <urn:uuid:938c6671-f0c2-462c-bc9b-30e0cbf69dc9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://news.stluciastar.com/our-planet-set-for-film-festival/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946088 | 576 | 1.625 | 2 |
Every parent knows that at some point they will have to wean their child away from the pacifier. After all it wouldn’t do for your five year old to be sucking on a binkie at kindergarten. But the process of weaning can be difficult, although as one parent pointed out, it is easier than weaning a child from sucking their thumb. You can throw a pacifier away but you can’t cut off your child’s thumb.
The entire premise of using a pacifier raises some debate among parents and was recently addressed in the baby blog. I personally never used pacifiers. I had planned to with my last child. But every time I would put it in the baby’s mouth my eighteen month old, who had never used a pacifier, would steal it and pop it in her own mouth. So I never used binkies. But if you were one of those parents who did choose to use a pacifier then at some point your going to have to get rid of it.
Once your child begins talking it is time to get rid of the pacifier. You don’t want your child limiting their speech or trying to talk around a binkie in their mouth. They are old enough to understand throwing it away and to deal with the loss.
Just like with the bottle or breast feeding the best way is to wean your child from the pacifier. The pacifier is something that is not only a habit but comforting to children. They will most likely cry frequently if it is taken away suddenly. So start by limiting the use of the binkie.
My sister, whose daughter loved her pacifier, started my only allowing the binkie while her daughter was in her crib. If Hannah wanted the binkie during the day she had to get in her crib. This would only last a minute or two before Hannah would want out. So the binkie was only really used at nap and bedtime. Then wean the use of the binkie down to bedtime.
You will also want to explain to your child that she is a big girl now and so she doesn’t need a pacifier because they are only for babies. Help your child by giving them a stuffed animal or blanket that they can use for security in place of the pacifier.
The next step you can take is to cut the nipple off of the binkie. You can still allow your child to have it at night. But this will break the sucking habit since they will not be able to suck the binkie like they used to.
Then when you are ready help her take the binkies and through them all in the garbage can. This is often best done on garbage day so your child knows that the garbage truck took them away. | <urn:uuid:a771878b-f218-4c48-8c62-5d2e51abfd12> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.families.com/blog/getting-rid-of-the-pacifier | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978487 | 578 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Children remain in the hospital for a length of stay individualized to their needs, ranging from several days to weeks. Extensive opportunities for observation, assessment, and intervention are possible in this 24-hour intensive setting. We gear therapeutic activities to the child’s developmental level. The New York City Board of Education provides a full-day school program, and children earn academic credit for attendance during their stay.
Treatment plans include a combination of
- Individual psychotherapy
- Behavior management
- Family counseling
- School intervention
- Medication, as required
Staff members develop an individualized treatment plan emphasizing safety for each patient during the hospital stay. The plan is closely coordinated with families, outpatient providers, and other support services to recommend and coordinate aftercare plans.
Our Treatment Team
The inpatient treatment team is led by a board certified child and adolescent psychiatrist, and includes an interdisciplinary staff consisting of registered nurses, social workers, medical resident postgraduate doctors, occupational and recreational therapists, mental health workers and New York State certified special education teachers. Pediatricians from a full range of medical subspecialties are available for consultations if needed. The multi-disciplinary staff works with families and other support systems involved with the child and his/her care throughout the child’s stay.
Child Adolescent Inpatient Unit
Icahn Medical Institute
1425 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10029 | <urn:uuid:941c6dd4-1515-43ba-bc70-9a956e704cb0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mountsinai.org/patient-care/service-areas/psychiatry/areas-of-care/adolescent-psychiatry/treatment | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930327 | 287 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Protester killings a test for Egyptian President Morsy: Human Rights Watch
Families of the 45 protesters killed and the hundreds injured when police responded to protests over military rule with excessive force and brutality from November 19 through 24, 2011, are still waiting for justice a year later, Human Rights Watch said today.
Whether there will be justice for victims of the Mohamed Mahmoud protest, named after the street where it began, is a key test of President Mohamed Morsy's commitment to police accountability and comprehensive security sector reform, Human Rights Watch said.
Mohamed Mahmoud is a major example of impunity for police violence against protesters, against the background of the recent acquittals of police officers, following poor investigations, for protester deaths in January 2011.
"Since January 2011, the police have been literally getting away with murder, again and again," said Nadim Houry, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch.
Houry added: "President Morsy should use the anniversary of the Mohamed Mahmoud protest to end this impunity and begin a comprehensive process of police reform to deter further abuse."
Confrontations between protesters and the Central Security Forces (CSF), Egypt's riot police, raged for five days in November 2011 on Mohamed Mahmoud Street, just off Tahrir square. The clashes began after riot police and military police violently dispersed a peaceful sit-in protesting military rule.
Human Rights Watch documented how police shot live ammunition, rubber bullets, and pellets into the crowd, and fired excessive amounts of teargas into spaces between buildings where protesters were positioned.
At Zeinhom morgue in central Cairo, Human Rights Watch confirmed that 22 of the dead protesters had been shot with live bullets and that three others died as a result of asphyxiation from teargas.
Police arrested and tortured dozens of protesters, including many women who were also sexually assaulted by police officers during the arrests.
The five-day toll was 45 protesters dead and over 2,000 injured. Police officers also were injured when protesters threw stones, although official numbers were not available.
An investigative judge assigned to look into the violence referred only one police officer to trial and #65533; Mahmoud Sobhi Shennawy, on charges of attempted murder and intention to permanently maim.
A video clip that circulated online clearly appears to show Shennawy shooting at shoulder height into the crowd. Right after he fires, someone next to him can be heard saying, "You got him in the eye, well done." His trial is ongoing, the next session is scheduled for December 5.
The judge made no serious attempt, though, to identify other police deployed that day who were responsible for the killings, injury, and torture of protesters.
A fact-finding committee set up by Morsy in July 2012 has a mandate to review "measures taken by executive branches of government and the extent to which they cooperated with the judicial authorities and any shortcomings that may exist."
The committee included the Mohamed Mahmoud protest as one of the incidents it is investigating, and is scheduled to submit a report with recommendations for accountability by the end of the year.
"All police officers responsible for killing, blinding, injuring, and torturing protesters at Mohamed Mahmoud need to be prosecuted and punished if Egypt is serious about deterring these abusive practices," Houry said.
He added: "It's equally important to carry out a fundamental reform of regulations and practices on security force use of lethal and nonlethal weapons and on how they should police demonstrations in line with human rights standards." | <urn:uuid:38add1b1-047c-4b07-a50e-353b9be9ce39> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newkerala.com/news/newsplus/worldnews-105146.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964383 | 721 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Preventing Foot Problems
Foot problems: could you be wearing the wrong shoes?
Footwear that is too tight, too loose, excessively airtight, or shaped in unnatural ways can cause or aggravate foot problems. Read here to find out how to find shoes that will not contribute to foot problems.
How do you choose the right athletic shoe?
You can reduce your risk of injury and feel comfortable by wearing athletic shoes that fit properly and are made for the activities you participate in.
Find out how. | <urn:uuid:da76b190-05ba-4874-a488-5504778df7c9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bidmc.org/YourHealth/TherapeuticCenters/Foot.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943524 | 105 | 1.625 | 2 |
Originally published on Advocate.com April 08 2012 4:22 PM ET
A recent poll shows a clear majority of Maine voters support allowing same-sex couples to marry in the state, more than two years after a marriage equality law was overturned at the ballot box.
In a survey of 993 registered voters conducted from March 31 to April 2, Maine People’s Resource Center asked, “Do you strongly favor, somewhat favor, somewhat oppose or strongly oppose allowing same sex couples to be legally married in Maine?”
Strongly favor: 43.7%
Somewhat favor: 14.5%
Somewhat oppose: 11.7%
Strongly oppose: 28.2%
Not sure: 2.0%
Voters will decide the issue yet again in November. In 2009, Question One, which proposed to overturn a marriage equality bill passed by the state legislature and signed into law by Gov. John Baldacci, passed with about 53% of voters supporting and 47% opposing.
Poll results here. | <urn:uuid:ee8e2b6b-e815-4208-ae0d-117eb84ad35c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.advocate.com/print/news/daily-news/2012/04/08/poll-numbers-looking-positive-marriage-maine | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944743 | 213 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Toyota hasn’t had the best of times recently after years of stellar growth. Well, the Japanese automaker’s executive vice president Takeshi Uchiyamada recently announced that they will be introducing another six new hybrid vehicles before 2012 is over, and one of these would be a plug-in version of the Prius. We look forward to see just how the plug-in Prius will fare should it be introduced Stateside come 2012, considering the current hybrid model has been quite a hit already. Anything that helps keep our earth green is always good in our books. More charging points would have to be included in future city planning, that’s for sure.
Hong Kong Gets Electric Taxi Service
Electric Chevrolet Spark Minicar To Outrange Nissan Leaf
Fiat 500e Arriving In California This Summer
Detroit Electric SP:01 Is One Mean Electric Sports Car | <urn:uuid:50de887e-a6bf-402a-97c4-4349091f2289> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ubergizmo.com/2010/09/toyota-to-deliver-half-dozen-hybrid-vehicles-by-2012/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931449 | 182 | 1.539063 | 2 |
The Forgotten Books of Eden, by Rutherford H. Platt, Jr., , at sacred-texts.com
Joseph is the victim of many plots by the wicked ingenuity of the Memphian woman. For an interesting prophetic parable, see Verses 73-74.
YE see, therefore, my children, how great things patience worketh, and prayer with fasting.
2 So ye too, if ye follow after chastity and purity with patience and prayer, with fasting in humility of heart, the Lord will dwell among you because He loveth chastity.
3 And wheresoever the Most High dwelleth, even though envy,
or slavery, or slander befalleth a man, the Lord who dwelleth in him, for the sake of his chastity not only delivereth him from evil, but also exalteth him even as me.
4 For in every way the man is lifted up, whether in deed, or in word, or in thought.
5 My brethren knew how my father loved me, and yet I did not exalt myself in my mind: although I was a child, I had the fear of God in my heart; for I knew that all things would pass away.
6 And I did not raise myself against them with evil intent, but I honoured my brethren; and out of respect for them, even when I was being sold, I refrained from telling the Ishmaelites that I was a son of Jacob, a great man and a mighty.
7 Do ye also, my children, have the fear of God in all your works before your eyes, and honour your brethren.
8 For every one who doeth the law of the Lord shall be loved by Him.
9 And when I came to the Indocolpitae with the Ishmaelites, they asked me, saying:
10 Art thou a slave? And I said that I was a home-born slave, that I might not put my brethren to shame.
11 And the eldest of them said unto me: Thou art not a slave, for even thy appearance doth make it manifest.
12 But I said that I was their slave.
13 Now when we came into Egypt they strove concerning me, which of them should buy me and take me.
14 Therefore it seemed good to all that I should remain in Egypt with the merchant of their trade, until they should return bringing merchandise.
15 And the Lord gave me favour in the eyes of the merchant, and he entrusted unto me his house.
16 And God blessed him by my means, and increased him in gold and silver and in household servants.
17 And I was with him three months and five days.
18 And about that time the Memphian woman, the wife of Pentephris came down in a chariot, with great pomp, because she had heard from her eunuchs concerning me.
19 And she told her husband that the merchant had become rich by means of a young Hebrew, and they say that he had assuredly been stolen out of the land of Canaan.
20 Now, therefore, render justice unto him, and take away the youth to thy house; so shall the God of the Hebrews bless thee, for grace from heaven is upon him.
21 And Pentephris was persuaded by her words, and commanded the merchant to be brought, and said unto him:
22 What is this that I hear concerning thee, that thou stealest persons out of the land of Canaan, and sellest them for slaves?
23 But the merchant fell at his feet, and besought him, saying: I beseech thee, my lord, I know not what thou sayest.
24 And Pentephris said unto him: Whence, then, is the Hebrew slave?
25 And he said: The Ishmaelites entrusted him unto me until they should return.
26 But he believed him not, but commanded him to be stripped and beaten.
27 And when he persisted in this statement, Pentephris said: Let the youth be brought.
28 And when I was brought in, I did obeisance to Pentephris for he was third in rank of the officers of Pharaoh.
29 And he took me apart from
him, and said unto me: Art thou a slave or free?
30 And I said: A slave.
31 And he said: Whose?
32 And I said: The Ishmaelites'.
33 And he said: How didst thou become their slave?
34 And I said: They bought me out of the land of Canaan.
35 And he said unto me: Truly thou liest; and straightway he commanded me to be stripped and beaten.
36 Now, the Memphian woman was looking through a window at me while I was being beaten, for her house was near, and she sent unto him saying:
37 Thy judgement is unjust; for thou dost punish a free man who hath been stolen, as though he were a transgressor.
38 And when I made no change in my statement, though I was beaten, he ordered me to be imprisoned, until, he said, the owners of the boy should come.
39 And the woman said unto her husband: Wherefore dost thou detain the captive and wellborn lad in bonds, who ought rather to be set at liberty, and be waited upon?
40 For she wished to see me out of a desire of sin, but I was ignorant concerning all these things.
41 And he said to her: It is not the custom of the Egyptians to take that which belongeth to others before proof is given.
42 This, therefore, he said concerning the merchant; but as for the lad, he must be imprisoned.
43 Now after four and twenty days came the Ishmaelites; for they had heard that Jacob my father was mourning much concerning me.
44 And they came and said unto me: How is it that thou saidst that thou wast a slave? and lo, we have learnt that thou art the son of a mighty man in the land of Canaan, and thy father still mourneth for thee in sackcloth and ashes.
45 When I heard this my bowels were dissolved and my heart melted, and I desired greatly to weep, but I restrained myself that I should not put my brethren to shame.
46 And I said unto them, I know not, I am a slave.
47 Then, therefore, they took counsel to sell me, that I should not be found in their hands.
48 For they feared my father, lest he should come and execute upon them a grievous vengeance.
49 For they had heard that he was mighty with God and with men.
50 Then said the merchant unto them: Release me from the judgement of Pentiphri.
51 And they came and requested me, saying: Say that thou wast bought by us with money, and he will set us free.
52 Now the Memphian woman said to her husband: Buy the youth; for I hear, said she, that they are selling him.
53 And straightway she sent a eunuch to the Ishmaelites, and asked them to sell me.
54 But since the eunuch would not agree to buy me at their price he returned, having made trial of them, and he made known to his mistress that they asked a large price for their slave.
55 And she sent another eunuch, saying: Even though they demand two minas, give them, do not spare the gold; only buy the boy, and bring him to me.
56 The eunuch therefore went and gave them eighty pieces of gold, and he received me; but to the Egyptian woman he said I have given a hundred.
57 And though I knew this I held my peace, lest the eunuch should be put to shame.
58 Ye see, therefore, my children,
what great things I endured that I should not put my brethren to shame.
59 Do ye also, therefore, love one another, and with long-suffering hide ye one another's faults.
60 For God delighteth in the unity of brethren, and in the purpose of a heart that takes pleasure in love.
61 And when my brethren came into Egypt they learnt that I had returned their money unto them, and upbraided them not, and comforted them.
62 And after the death of Jacob my father I loved them more abundantly, and all things whatsoever he commanded I did very abundantly for them.
63 And I suffered them not to be afflicted in the smallest matter; and all that was in my hand I gave unto them.
64 And their children were my children, and my children as their servants; and their life was my life, and all their suffering was my suffering, and all their sickness was my infirmity.
65 My land was their land, and their counsel my counsel.
66 And I exalted not myself among them in arrogance because of my worldly glory, but I was among them as one of the least.
67 If ye also, therefore, walk in the commandments of the Lord, my children, He will exalt you there, and will bless you with good things for ever and ever.
68 And if any one seeketh to do evil unto you, do well unto him, and pray for him, and ye shall be redeemed of the Lord from all evil.
69 For, behold, ye see that out of my humility and longsuffering I took unto wife the daughter of the priest of Heliopolis.
70 And a hundred talents of gold were given me with her, and the Lord made them to serve me.
71 And He gave me also beauty as a flower beyond the beautiful ones of Israel; and He preserved me unto old age in strength and in beauty, because I was like in all things to Jacob.
72 And hear ye, my children, also the vision which I saw.
73 There were twelve harts feeding: and the nine were first dispersed over all the earth, and likewise also the three.
74 And I saw that from Judah was born a virgin wearing a linen garment, and from her, was born a lamb, without spot; and on his left hand there was as it were a lion; and all the beasts rushed against him, and the lamb overcame them, and destroyed them and trod them under foot.
75 And because of him the angels and men rejoiced, and all the land.
76 And these things shall come to pass in their season, in the last days.
77 Do ye therefore, my children, observe the commandments of the Lord, and honour Levi and Judah; for from them shall arise unto you the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world, one who saveth all the Gentiles and Israel.
78 For His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, which shall not pass away; but my kingdom among you shall come to an end as a watcher's hammock, which after the summer disappeareth.
79 For I know that after my death the Egyptians will afflict you, but God will avenge you, and will bring you into that which He promised to your fathers.
80 But ye shall carry up my bones with you; for when my bones are being taken up thither,
the Lord shall be with you in light, and Beliar shall be in darkness with the Egyptians.
81 And carry ye up Asenath your mother to the Hippodrome, and near Rachel your mother bury her.
82 And when he had said these things he stretched out his feet, and died at a good old age.
83 And all Israel mourned for him, and all Egypt, with a great mourning.
84 And when the children of Israel went out of Egypt, they took with them the bones of Joseph, and they buried him in Hebron with his fathers, and the years of his life were one hundred and ten years. | <urn:uuid:e2c4b39a-eb27-4273-8232-5d01d517db16> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/fbe/fbe293.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981106 | 2,492 | 1.710938 | 2 |
In her own words: living with osteoporosis
Mary, 65, holds a Ph.D. in English and comparative literature and is a retired high school teacher. About 20 years ago, she received some surprising news. She had a complete physical exam by a new doctor at a specialty clinic. The doctor thought she might have osteoporosis. DXA (Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry) testing proved the doctor’s suspicions were correct. But, Mary continues to lead an active life.
What was your first sign that something was wrong? What symptoms did you experience?
I really did not think anything was wrong. Osteoporosis is a silent disease. Mine was discovered almost “accidentally.” The doctor thought my back appeared to be rounded. Because of my age and my having gone through a surgical menopause, she decided to do a test for osteoporosis. That’s when she discovered I had advanced osteoporosis. At that time, I didn’t have any back pain, although I do now. Later on, I discovered one of the reasons I didn’t have back pain might have been that I was unusually active. I carried heavy books and did a significant amount of weight bearing exercise, which really saved me.
What was the diagnosis experience like?
I continued to receive care from the physician at the specialty clinic where my late husband was a patient. After he died, I switched to Johns Hopkins University. After receiving the diagnosis, I did a lot of research about osteoporosis and learned that Johns Hopkins was rated No. 1 or 2 in the country for endocrinology. I believe it is important to go to a place that specializes in the care you need.
What was your initial and then longer-term reaction to the diagnosis?
I responded very well. I’m an optimistic person. But I was shocked at the severity of the osteoporosis, as was the doctor. She repeated the test just to make sure. I went on with my life. I kept teaching. Eventually it helped me decide to retire, about seven years ago. I have had multiple fractures in my spine, which cause me considerable pain.
How is your disease treated?
I take Fosamax weekly. I had problems with the daily dose, because you have to take it when you first get up, only with water, and then stay upright for 30 minutes. When I heard a weekly formulation was available, I asked my local general practitioner to change me to the weekly program, and he did.
Did you have to make any lifestyle or dietary changes in response to your illness?
I stay very active but need to exercise more. Right now my right arm is in a splint, after I sprained it carrying something heavy. The secret is to be active and do weight bearing exercise. I walk all day long. I take Viactive calcium and drink at least one quart of skim milk a day. I don’t take sugar and keep my fat intake low. It’s important not to be overweight.
I’ve eliminated caffeine. We have delicious coffee that I grind daily using decaffeinated beans. I don’t smoke or drink alcohol. It’s critical that you stay aware of your environment. I’m conscientious about safety, making sure there are no throw rugs or clutter that I could trip over. But it’s very important not to be afraid of this disease. Fear can keep you from moving naturally and as often as you should. Immobility can kill you, and it leads to tremendous deterioration of the body. Therefore, I have respect for osteoporosis and am aware that this disease can be dangerous. But I do not fear it.
Did you seek any type of emotional support?
No. I believe God helps those who help themselves.
Did/does your condition have any impact on your family?
No. About six years after my first husband died, I remarried a marathon runner 10 years younger than I am. We have a wonderful relationship that has not been affected by my osteoporosis.
What advice would you give to anyone living with this disease?
You have to take an active and thorough interest in your disease. Read all you can about the condition. Ask questions. Join the National Osteoporosis Foundation and stay informed about the latest advances. The people there have been very helpful to me. They are extremely attuned to osteoporosis sufferers and are instantly willing to give you any information they have. You can’t ask the doctor intelligent questions if you don’t know much about your disease. Physicians respond better to patients who take the time to learn. It’s not their job to take care of you in the same way you would care for yourself.
Interviews were conducted in the past and may not reflect current standards and practices in medicine. Talk to your doctor to learn more about how this condition is diagnosed and managed today and what treatment approaches are right for you. | <urn:uuid:6dbaf550-96c2-408a-9e20-4c052ea1cae9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.auroramed.com/health_library/detail.htm?id=105345 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979208 | 1,052 | 1.554688 | 2 |
By DAMIAN PALETTA and JANET HOOK
The federal government enters a controversial new phase of deficit cutting Friday, as an automatic trigger begins slicing budgets in some areas while leaving programs such as Medicare and Medicaid—among the largest drivers of future debt—largely untouched.
The $85 billion in so-called sequester cuts push Washington, and the nation's economy, into uncertain waters. The debate over the across-the-board reductions has added to the already-high level of acrimony between Democrats and Republicans on fiscal matters, lowered even further the public's estimation of the capital's leaders and raised consumer fears about the economy, according to polls.
In the eyes of many budget experts, though, it is doing something worse: By focusing on a proportionally small level of spending, the sequester fight is distracting attention from longer-term deficit issues that need to be addressed.
Even cuts that have some bipartisan support, such as limiting the growth of future Social Security benefits or ending farm subsidies, have been shelved amid the brinkmanship.
President Barack Obama is meeting Friday with congressional leaders to discuss the sequester. If, as expected, they find no way to avoid it, Mr. Obama will sign an order directing government agencies to begin implementing the cuts.
On Thursday, Congress continued its sink into partisan mud. The Senate failed to pass a pair of largely symbolic bills to block or ease the effects of the sequester, leaving members of both parties to concede that the cuts are likely to take effect, at least for a while.
House Republicans are preparing to enshrine the lower spending levels in a bill to finance the government from March 27 through Sept. 30. Senate Democrats haven't said how they will respond, but there are strong indications they will fight over priorities and details within the bill, but not contest its overall spending level.
The White House has been forced to defend some of its warnings about the impact of the cuts, which some critics believe are overblown.
"This is going to be a growing storm, it will hurt more and more as more time goes on," said Gene Sperling, director of the White House's National Economic Council. "But I think there's a certain amount of pain that's already being felt in the economy." White House officials have pointed to cuts in military spending last year that reduced economic growth.
Many Republicans scoff at the notion that a 2.4% cut from a $3.55 trillion federal budget can't be absorbed easily. They point to a rising stock market as a sign that Americans are shrugging off the sequester's effects, and accuse the White House of preparing to manipulate the cuts to gain political leverage.
"The president is ready to make it bite as hard as possible—all to send a simple message to the public: 'You want to control Washington spending, America? Fine, let me show you how much I can make it hurt,' " Sen. Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) said.
Against that backdrop, White House officials and some Republicans are arguing that the best way out of the impasse is to resume the search for a comprehensive deficit-cutting deal that gets to the core of the long-term problem through a rewrite of tax policy and a revamp of entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare.
In recent days, administration officials have recirculated the president's ideas for a $1.8 trillion deficit-reduction deal including $680 billion in additional taxes—but also $1.1 trillion in spending cuts, including slowing the growth of Medicare and a reduction in inflation-adjusted increases in Social Security benefits.
Many Republicans agree that a better long-term fix is needed and say the relatively small $85 billion in spending authority cuts could prove disproportionately disruptive and distracting.
For all the political drama they are generating, the cuts fall entirely on the smaller and already-shrinking part of the budget devoted to domestic and military programs that have to be renewed yearly by Congress.
"Why not do something that gets us out of debt and doesn't destroy the Defense Department?" said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.). "Call me crazy.''
It is unclear whether the sequester would make it easier or harder to pivot back toward a more effective way of dealing with the broader trends in the nation's debt problems.
The deficit (the annual gap between federal spending and revenue) and the U.S. debt (the cumulative total of outstanding government borrowing) remained relatively modest as a share of the economy until five years ago. Then the financial crisis, plummeting tax revenue and skyrocketing spending pushed borrowing to historic levels.
The deficit now is falling sharply. It is projected to shrink to $845 billion this year from $1.4 trillion in 2009. The Congressional Budget Office predicts it will fall even more in the next few years because of spending cuts and an improving economy that generates more tax revenue and restrains government safety-net spending.
Yet that progress only masks the long-term budget problems. Economists forecast that after 10 years, the country's fiscal problems will snowball, driven largely by the baby boom generation drawing Social Security and Medicare benefits in rising numbers, as well as by climbing interest rates. Roughly 46 million Americans received Social Security retirement benefits in 2012, a figure forecast to grow 40% by 2023, with a similar increase for Medicare.
The government spent $1.793 trillion on Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid, and interest on federal debt in 2012, 50.7% of the federal budget. These are all shielded from the sequester, aside from a 2% cut in the payments Medicare makes to hospitals and doctors. Military spending, and funding for education, law enforcement, research and housing programs will be among the sectors facing the cuts.
The entitlement programs face their own fiscal problems. The Social Security disability trust fund is projected to exhaust its reserves by 2016. The Medicare fund that pays hospital bills will burn through its reserves by 2024.
Changes to entitlement programs are politically difficult, but some lawmakers said they would try this year as a way to end the stalemate. "I had a lot of senators call me today,'' said Mr. Graham, one of the few Republicans who has recently expressed willingness to include revenue increases. "They said, 'Let's rethink the big deal.' "
"I think we are derelict in our responsibilities to ignore the realities of entitlements," said Sen. Richard Durbin (D., Ill.). "It is impossible to say we are defenders of Medicare and ignore the looming deadline of 11 or 12 years when it is going to be insolvent. We're not defenders. We're basically standing by and watching its demise.''
• March 1 The White House is expected to alert agencies their budgets have been cut. Agencies will begin notifying employees, contractors, and states that spending will contract over the next seven months.
• Early to mid March Furlough notices will begin being sent by agencies to many of their employees, warning that unpaid leave could begin in 30 more days.
• March 27 Unrelated to the sequester, funding for some federal programs and agencies expires. If an agreement isn't reached, a partial government shutdown could ensue.
• Early to mid April If a shutdown is averted, many agencies will begin unpaid leave for employees, typically one day per week or one day every other week. The cuts' impact may become more visible, possibly affecting places like airports.
• Sept. 30 The federal budget year ends, meaning the cuts have to be accounted for by this time.
• Oct. 1 The next federal budget year begins, triggering a second year of sequester cuts.—David Wessel contributed to this article.
A version of this article appeared March 1, 2013, on page A1 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Cuts Roll In as Time Runs Out. | <urn:uuid:a3c6ef6a-1d59-4b5c-ad34-c9554af347d8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323478304578332543799317924.html?mod=WSJ_article_TheMiddleSeatHeadlines | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957401 | 1,623 | 1.726563 | 2 |
Published: Friday, May 5, 2006
Republicans unveil redistricting plan
The proposal wouldn't be used until 2011.
By JEFF ORTEGA
COLUMBUS Ohio House Republicans on Thursday unveiled a plan that would change how state legislative and congressional districts are drawn.
The hope to get the issue on the November statewide ballot.
Republicans say the proposal was crafted with input from Democrats and others and would be a fairer way to redraw the state's legislative and congressional district lines than the current system.
Right now, every ten years the state Legislature redraws congressional districts, and the five-member state Apportionment Board made up of the governor, the state auditor, the secretary of state and one legislative representative from each party redraws state House and Senate districts to reflect population shifts.
The proposal unveiled by House Republicans would modify the state's Constitution to create an independent seven-member commission to redraw state legislative and congressional district lines in Ohio.
Under the plan
The proposal would require the majority and minority leaders in each legislative chamber to appoint a person to the redistricting commission, which would allow for equal representation, backers said.
The four political appointees would then select the three remaining members by unanimous vote, according to the proposal.
Also, a "super majority" vote of the proposed commission five members would have to approve the new legislative and congressional districts under the proposal.
If it makes it onto the ballot and is approved by voters, the proposal would take effect in 2011.
"My hope is in the spirit of trying to do what's right that folks will look at this and say it's fair," said state Rep. Kevin DeWine, a Fairborn Republican who's the point person for the proposal in the Ohio House.
The proposal comes in the wake of defeat last year of four proposed constitutional voting and election-reform amendments championed by a coalition of Democratic-leaning groups called Reform Ohio Now.
Among the defeated amendments was one that would have handed responsibility for crafting legislation and congressional districts to an appointed commission.
Majority House Republicans reached out to Reform Ohio Now officials shortly after last year's general election to try to develop a revamped legislative and congressional district redistricting plan.
Ed Jerse, who was the campaign director for Reform Ohio Now, said he and others have had input into the plan offered by House Republicans.
"It's kind of a simpler version and more sellable," Jerse said of the new plan.
"Now, it's really up to the Legislature to see if the language is acceptable," said Jerse, who is a former Democratic member of the Ohio House.
Majority Senate Republican leaders couldn't be reached to comment Thursday.
But at least one Democratic legislative leader said she had not seen any specifics.
"We have not been at the table with them," Assistant Senate Minority Leader Kimberly Zurz said.
Zurz, a Summit County Democrat, said with the defeat of the proposed Reform Ohio Now amendments last year, she's curious as to why the current proposal is necessary.
"It seems odd to me that we're doing something now," Zurz said.
DeWine said he expects to introduce the proposal in the House next week.
The proposal must be ratified by a three-fifths majority in both chambers by Aug. 9 to appear on the Nov. 7. general election ballot. | <urn:uuid:714f28b5-c38a-4abf-b162-9c164fd646a6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www4.vindy.com/content/local_regional/286195234731098.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973765 | 693 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Organizing the Transition from Camera to Computer
From on-set digital asset management to the organization of footage file structures both on-disk and in-program.
Working with OSX, Automator, Excel, Compressor and Final Cut Pro's internal bin structure Kennon can help you visualize and implement workflows for just about any situation or budget. Here are a few examples of her work.
This was a workflow created for a no-budget feature, with the intention of having all footage edit-ready by the day after wrap. Training the script supervisor on a Nexto one-click backup system allowed us to copy cards without having an experienced digital intermediate tech on set. The script supervisor would then create his own set of backups once the Nexto was full, which would serve as a absolute last line of defense. The next day, the DIT would create more backups, including a hard copy on archival blu-rays as well as doing most of the initial legwork of an Assistant Editor, organizing files into a structure I designed for the project. Once the project wrapped and the editor was secured, he was able to jump into the footage without much ado.
This is a prospective workflow for a feature with a budget under $5,000,000 where time is of the essence. This also allows the post production crew to be involved and on location, though still giving the editor several degrees of removal from the day to day workings of the set. | <urn:uuid:37eba0ce-edd1-412a-b478-9e46096ce77f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kennonhulett.com/workflows | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963746 | 295 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Good news from Iraq:
JAKARTA (Reuters) - Iraq completed one of sport's great fairytales by beating Saudi Arabia 1-0 in the Asian Cup final on Sunday to provide a rare moment for celebration in their war-torn homeland.
The Saudis had been bidding to become the first four-times winners of the tournament but Iraq, riding a wave of global sentiment, upset the hot-favourites for a rare slice of sporting glory.
"This is not just about football... this is more important than that," Iraq's Brazilian coach Jorvan Vieira told a news conference.
"This has brought great happiness to a whole country. This is not about a team, this is about human beings."
Read it here.
Serious historians of sport [not those glorified fanboys who write bestselling sports books] have long noted the integrative function played by national sports leagues. In the United States, for instance, it was the period between the Civil War and WWI, when the nation was trying to forge a common identity, that saw the rise of national sports leagues. These allowed for expressions of local and regional pride under the auspices of a national governing body and got people into the habit of thinking of themselves as participants in an "imagined" national community.
In recent decades there has been a determined effort to use soccer in a similar manner to support the concept of a trans-national global community. National soccer teams can forge a sense of national unity while at the same time locating that national sentiment firmly within the context of a consensual transnational framework. Thus the Iraqi victory over the Saudis can serve both to promote Iraqi solidarity across ethnic and religious barriers, and at the same time promote a consciousness that is focused, as the Iraqi coach said, on "human beings" as a general cosmopolitan category, not on Iraqis or Saudis, or Sunni or Shiite, or any other parochial identity.
Omar, at Iraq the Model, writes:
Today is definitely the happiest day for Iraqis in years. Tears of joy mixed with prayers for hope on the faces of millions of Iraqis…Words truly fail me and I can't describe the feeling so please pardon me if the post doesn't sound coherent; I hear the cheering and music outside although the bullets of celebration keep falling on the ground and roofs here and there. But no one seems to worry about that, the moment is so great that fear has no place in the hearts of the millions of fans, neither from bullets nor from crazy suicide bombers who tried to kill our joy last week.Read it here.
Our players, tonight our heroes, learned that only with team work they had a chance to win.
May our politicians learn from the players and from the fans who are painting a glorious image of unity and national pride, and let the terrorists know that nothing can kill the spirit of the sons of the immortal Tigris and Euphrates.
The fear is gone, the curfew is ignored, tonight Iraq knows only joy...
Given the current situation in the Middle East, this can only be seen as a wholly positive development. We should cheer the Iraqi victory and the cosmopolitan sentiment it engenders, but there is a downside to the general application of these principles.
As Omar notes, Americans don't care all that much about soccer. And that, too, is appropriate. Participation in the "community of man" erodes nationalistic loyalties and there is a large amount of evidence to suggest that, should the United States allow itself to be drawn into the cosmopolitan community envisioned by liberal transnationalists, the world as a whole and Americans in particular would be far poorer for it. | <urn:uuid:019b750a-ac0e-4728-9df8-48637b3c9188> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lightseekinglight.blogspot.com/2007/07/iraq-triumphs.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951794 | 748 | 1.828125 | 2 |
CIFNAL Partner Collaboration: Three case studies
Detail from map of Algeria.
Victor Hugo, the iconic French poet and author, once observed that “All the forces in the world are not so powerful as an idea whose time has come.” The recent creation of the CIFNAL association of French-language scholars, as illustrated in the following case studies, exemplify the enthusiasm, resourcefulness, and converging interests of an idea whose time has come.
Documenting Academic Web Portal Design in Algeria: An Unexpected CIFNAL Collaboration
Richard Hacken, European Studies Bibliographer, Brigham Young University
When members of the CRL-backed Collaborative Initiative for French Language Collections (CIFNAL) were invited to meet with an international association of francophone librarians and archivists—the "Association internationale francophone des bibliothécaires et documentalistes"(AIFBD)—in Montreal last August at an IFLA preconference meeting in Québec City, little did we know what a gold mine of collaboration it would be. Much more than just a "preconference," the AIFBD meetings
led to meaningful discussions about all aspects of francophone librarianship (and a veritable celebration of the same). Information professionals from France and French Canada were there in number, as might be expected. But their counterparts from other parts of the world were also richly represented, from Ivory Coast to the Belgian coast, from Senegal to Switzerland, from the Caribbean to the Congo. A contingent from North Africa was also present—from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Egypt. As with many conferences, the meetings were professionally valuable, but the additional goal of networking took place before and after the meetings.
When the AIFBD organizers planned the Montreal meetings, they had the foresight to arrange for a six-hour catamaran cruise to Québec City for those traveling on to the IFLA meetings. It was in the middle of the St. Lawrence River, therefore, aboard a floating francophone festival, that I first met and talked with Ridda Laouar. Ridda is a "Maître de conference" (roughly equivalent to the rank of Associate Professor) in the Computer Science Department at the University of Tébessa in Algeria. Despite our obvious differences, we soon discovered common interests in areas of online information. Ridda is involved in the design of an academic web portal, a network of scholarly workstations, for the university library in Tébessa; I am a webmaster and librarian who sees a coming cyber-age that will involve the type of research platform that Ridda is currently crafting: a single-stop, customized research environment that can provide easy access to a multiplicity of documents, databases, and digital tools.
The scholarly holdings of teaching and research institutions in Algeria, while meager, are extensively underutilized due partially to a lack of online tools. It is imperative to put technologies into play that are within the means of Algerian institutions and that can maximize access to local and remote information sources.
Ridda and I agreed to work together as a transatlantic team toward an article on the design of the library web portal he is helping to conceptualize and implement. His skills and experience in computer science and my own language capabilities are combining to produce an English-language article. In Tébessa, meanwhile, the emphasis is on digitizing local resources (articles, theses, and so forth) for inclusion in the portal. Future plans include the integration of the local portal into the Algerian nationwide network: Réseau régional inter bibliothèques universitaires (RIBU).
Technical Aid to the National Library Association of Burundi
Jeffry Larson, Yale University Library
Last year, when I announced on BiblioDoc the participation of CIFNAL members at the upcoming congress of the l'Association internationale francophone des bibliothécaires et documentalistes (AIBFD) in Montreal, I received an email response from Aimé-Joël Nimubona, a young librarian in the médiathèque of the Centre Culturel Français, a French government facility in Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi. Nimubona also is the public relations officer of the Association des Bibliothecaires, Archivistes et Documentalistes du Burundi (ABADBU).
He was unable to attend the Montreal congress in August, he informed me, but was eager to reach out to colleagues and solicit their help in developing ABADBU, his national professional association. ABADBU was recently formed to foster the development of archives and library services in Burundi. One of its missions is to encourage its government to preserve documents for a national archive. Burundi has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the world and is recovering from years of civil conflict. Its school enrollment and literacy rates are low.
In his messages to me Nimubona sought support for ABADBU activities—any kind of support. Since all funds at my disposal are dedicated to adding to Yale Library collections, I consulted colleagues and supervisors about providing in-kind technical support for the development of an ABADBU Web site, which would facilitate professional communications among its members. The plan received approval and Nimubona was receptive to the idea and appreciative.
Student assistants were employed initially to build the Web site, but with mixed results and many stops and starts. Eventually Dick Hacken, a colleague in the Brigham Young Library, offered his services and, sooner than expected, produced categories or "tabs" on the ABADBU Web site.
. Although still "under construction," parts of the Web site are functioning as intended and contain relevent information.
Meantime, joenabu [at] yahoo [dot] fr">Mr. Nimubona
is still seeking aid of any sort—material, financial, or internships—for the ABADBU. Please email him directly if you or your institution can help.
CIFNAL—A Great Venue for Informal Learning
Chip Stewart, City College Libraries/CUNY
CIFNAL (Collaborative Initiative for French Language Collections) provides a professional and congenial setting for anyone interested in French language collections and library resources. CIFNAL relies upon organizational memberships for its financial and administrative support, but welcomes the participation of interested individuals, who wish to contribute to meetings and projects and keep current with the latest developments.
As an individual member, I have benefited from making the acquaintance of many colleagues who also select French information resources for libraries. Thanks to the relatively lively activity of the CIFNAL listserv, I became aware of the Association international francophone des bibliothecaires et documentalistes (AIFBD), a new international organization of francophone librarians, and was able to attend their first conference in Montreal. This proved an even greater opportunity to establish further contacts with several French and Québécois librarians.
Through these new contacts and my participation in CIFNAL I have gained increasing knowledge of the issues currently facing French books and periodicals. For example, the discussion of digitization efforts on both sides of the Atlantic confirmed that we face the same challenges in adapting to the new technologies and there are considerable opportunities for joint projects and for sharing our expertise.
What I like best about CIFNAL is the opportunity it provides for meeting with fellow professionals from both the U.S. and abroad—offering the chance to personalize a subject discipline that often has the feel of being distant and at times unreal.
In addition to the listserv, CIFNAL's administrative support by the Center for Research Libraries also enables a web-based collaborative work space for sharing lists, links, and project status information. All of this provides for a friendly learning environment for deepening exposure and expertise around the topic of French language materials. | <urn:uuid:8cb84ef0-4a56-44e0-bd73-0a6a98cfc616> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.crl.edu/focus/article/5511 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936766 | 1,658 | 1.773438 | 2 |
Colfer, who plays the Gaga and Britney-loving Kurt Hummel on the hit Fox show, recorded this PSA for the Trevor Project, encouraging LGBT teens who feel overwhelmed or depressed to call for help. When the cast of "Glee" visited "The Oprah Winfrey" show last season, Colfer admitted that he was bullied every day at school. He shares that empathy with LGBT teens in his suicide prevention commercial.
Video: Chris Colfer Speaks Out Against LGBT Teen Suicide
"I know what it's like to be bullied and teased every single day, and I know that it may seem like there is no chance of happiness left," says Colfer. "But I promise you, there is a world full of acceptance and love just waiting for you to find it."
The Trevor Project is a toll-free, confidential 24/7 hotline for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth. | <urn:uuid:461ede7f-5956-4580-921f-800daa6c8550> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/viral-videos/955184/glees-chris-colfer-speaks-out-against-lgbt-teen-suicide | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959536 | 187 | 1.539063 | 2 |
The Feminist Agenda
At the end of the year 2011, feminist organisations made a submission to the Leveson Inquiry. They stated their familiar belief that the media is ‘sexist’ against women.
The organisations involved included the feminist pressure group OBJECT, who also appeared in the recent research about lads mags and rapists. Here, OOnagh Ryder comments on the lads mags research, with some fascinating observations:
A few weeks a go Jane Martinson posted at the Guardian about this study which asked a group of people to determine whether a selection of quotes about women were taken from lads’ mags or convicted rapists, to sort them in order of how derogatory they were and to say which quotes they agreed with the most. I’ve since seen the study cited a few times as evidence for feminist arguments against lads’ mags and tabloids and I’m starting to worry that people are actually taking what I think is a very poor piece of research (at least from what I know about it) quite seriously. So here’s a short piece on the problems I have with it.
I’ll start by saying that the study is still due to be published in the British Journal of Psychology so I’m going on the information I can gather from the University of Surrey press release. It may be that the full write up of the research covers all the problems I’m going to talk about, in which case this post can be taken as criticism of a bad press release and the feminists who have used it to present their opinions as fact.
There are a number of missing details in the press release which I’d imagine will appear in the full journal article once published, all crucial to determining the validity of the researchers’ claims. For example, we do not yet know how their sample was selected, how many people were included, what the gender/age/ethnicity/class etc. distribution was (or whether this had any impact on the results), or under what circumstances they were presented with the quotes.
Most importantly, and I really think that this should have been included in the press release, we don’t know why the researchers want to know whether a group of people can guess the source of the quotes in the first place. The press release doesn’t tell us what the researchers are actually trying to investigate or measure or why they are using this methodology to do so.
Already I’d argue that there’s not enough information for anyone use this study as evidence for anything, but people have so I may as well address the outcomes and conclusions as well.
The press release tells us that:
“The research due to be published in the British Journal of Psychology also revealed that most men who took part in the study identified themselves more with the language expressed by the convicted rapists.
Psychologists presented men between the ages of 18 and 46 with a range of statements taken from magazines and from convicted rapists in the study, and gave the men different information about the source of the quotes. Men identified more with the comments made by rapists more than the quotes made in lads’ mags, but men identified more with quotes said to have been drawn from lads’ mags more than those said to have been comments by convicted rapists.
The researchers also asked a separate group of women and men aged between 19 and 30 to rank the quotes on how derogatory they were, and to try to identify the source of the quotes. Men and women rated the quotes from lads’ mags as somewhat more derogatory, and could categorize the quotes by source little better than chance.”
From this, the researchers draw the conclusion that “the findings are consistent with the possibility that lads’ mags normalise hostile sexism, by making it seem more acceptable when its source is a popular magazine.”
I’m really at a loss to see how this conclusion can be logically drawn from these results. The researchers discuss the language used by the lads’ mags and rapists as if it is all the same, seemingly using the fact that the participants in the study could not distinguish between the two as evidence for this. At the same time, the researchers “were surprised that participants identified more with the rapists’ quotes” and “concerned that the legitimisation strategies that rapists deploy when they talk about women are more familiar to these young men than we had anticipated”, suggesting that the participants in the study are perhaps not the most reliable analysts of language. In other words, first they imply that the opinions of the participants are infallible and then they argue that the opinions of the participants are informed by sexist attitudes.
As for the fact that the men agreed more with the quotes they were told came from lads’ mags, I can’t see how that says anything about how sexist lads’ mags are or the effect they have in society. Men agreeing with sexist statements because they were told they were from a lads’ mag has nothing to do with the ability of lads’ mags to ‘normalise hostile sexism’ and everything to do with the fact that no one wants to agree with a rapist.
Over at Jezebel, you can read a few example of the quotes used in the study. I actually found it very easy to distinguish between the ones taken from rapists and the ones taken from lads’ mags – the former blame women for rape, the latter don’t.
“There’s a certain way you can tell that a girl wants to have sex . . . The way they dress, they flaunt themselves.” (Rapist)
“A girl may like anal sex because it makes her feel incredibly naughty and she likes feeling like a dirty slut. If this is the case, you can try all sorts of humiliating acts to help live out her filthy fantasy.” (Lads’ mag)
These are the examples that Jane Martinson used to back up her claim that “the language used by the lads’ mags seemed much more repulsive than that offered up by the sex offenders to justify their crimes”. In my opinion, if Jane Martinson is honestly more shocked by the idea that a woman might enjoy feeling like a ‘dirty slut’ in the bedroom than the idea that you can tell whether or not a woman wants to have sex with you by the way they dress then she should probably have a good long think about whether it’s sexism or just sex that bothers her.
It does worry me that most men in the study agreed more with the rapists and that the participants rated the rapists’ comments as less derogatory than the lads’ mags quotes, but these facts also raise the question, ‘what do the lads’ mags actually have to do with it?’. There’s no evidence that the quotes from the lads mags are actually sexist (the examples in Jezebel are too heavily edited and out of context to tell) or, if they are, that they’re any more sexist than things written other publications like women’s magazines. There’s nothing in this study that suggests any relationship between lads’ mags and rape, especially considering that there’s no way the rapists, interviewed in the US in the 1990s, could have had any interaction with the magazines chosen by the researchers. Despite this complete lack of evidence, the press release focuses heavily on concerns about the influence of lads mags in society, frequently switching between mentions of lads’ mags and rapists to imply that the two are evidently linked.
The fact that the press release contains a statement from Object, including a plug for their submission to the Leveson Inquiry, suggests to me that the researchers are more concerned with political opportunism than academic integrity. Whether or not this is the case, we can certainly be sure that there are a good few feminists around at the moment who are either unwilling or unable to separate unsubstantiated speculation from hard evidence. | <urn:uuid:7c762cc5-ceb6-4d2b-bdd8-da99392193dd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://graunwatch.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/the-feminist-agenda/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971765 | 1,683 | 1.765625 | 2 |
(BPT) - Apparently 'in sickness and in health' can mean different things to men and women. As the population ages and the need for extended health care increases, a recent nationwide omnibus survey of 1,005 American adults shows that men and women approach the issue of long-term care planning and insurance from different perspectives.
Those differences, according to the Thrivent Financial for Lutherans survey, could have a significant impact on their retirement years - and their family relationships.
Men vs. women
With women living longer than men, there should be some concern about who will actually foot the bill of the costs should a woman require long-term care. With married couples, the woman is more likely to need long-term care - she will likely care for her husband during his final days, and then may rely on long-term care herself since she is likely to outlive him.
Despite that, according to Thrivent Financial's survey, males seem more versed in the topic of long-term care insurance than females. The survey indicated that men are more likely than women to own or plan to buy long-term care insurance. For example:
* 12 percent of females surveyed currently own long-term care insurance.
* 19 percent of males surveyed currently own long-term care insurance.
* 60 percent of females don't intend to buy long-term care insurance in the future.
* 53 percent of men don't intend to buy long-term care insurance in the future.
* 27 percent of both men and women surveyed plan to purchase long-term care insurance in the future.
In short, men seem to be coming around to the necessity of preparing for long-term care, while women appear to be slower to acknowledge the need.
The sandwich generation issue: stuck in the middle - but continuing to work?
When it comes to providing care, the differences between the sexes continue. When asked how they would care for both their children and one or both of their parents or another loved one at the same time, male and female respondents had differing opinions.
* Twenty-six percent of women reported they would quit their job to be the primary caregiver for a loved one should the need arise.
* Only 14 percent of men said they would consider that option.
* Thirty-three percent of men said they would rely on the savings and assets of those needing care and continue working.
* Only 21 percent of women would rely on the savings and assets of those needing care and continue working.
And what will you do in retirement?
Long-term care in retirement is an important issue facing both men and women but it is often overlooked during the retirement planning process. According to Thrivent Financial's survey:
* Only 10 percent of women considered the possibility of caring for someone else while retired.
* Only 6 percent of men considered the possibility of caring for someone else while retired.
In contrast, 43 percent of women and 41 percent of men plan to retire fully and devote their time to travel, philanthropy and/or hobbies. Unfortunately, many don't stop to consider the impact to those plans should the need for extended care arise. What will be given up to pay the expenses? Are family members trained to provide the type of needed health care? Who is willing to alter plans when push comes to shove?
'The disconnect between our expectations for a long, healthy and independent life and the reality of the chances of needing long-term care is staggering,' says Dean Anderson, product leader at Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. 'Planning ahead is critical for both men and women, given the potential the consequences to the emotional, physical and financial well-being of your family.'
The moral of the story
Taking the time to discuss priorities and plans when it comes to future care needs can help alleviate worry and stress in relationships - and ensure that expectations are appropriately set and finances allocated. Women should be especially sure to consider all the benefits that long-term care insurance brings. For more information about long-term care, visit www.thrivent.com/insurance. | <urn:uuid:d910e9fa-9f4a-4636-b094-d77c36573128> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.local12.com/ara/familyliving/story/Til-death-do-us-part-but-how-do-you-handle-in/o-zMfZiyZ0Kfn46kT614uA.cspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967572 | 841 | 1.8125 | 2 |
Rule 5.1. Constitutional Challenge to a Statute—Notice, Certification, and Intervention
(1) file a notice of constitutional question stating the question and identifying the paper that raises it, if:
(A) a federal statute is questioned and the parties do not include the United States, one of its agencies, or one of its officers or employees in an official capacity; or
(B) a state statute is questioned and the parties do not include the state, one of its agencies, or one of its officers or employees in an official capacity; and
(2) serve the notice and paper on the Attorney General of the United States if a federal statute is questioned—or on the state attorney general if a state statute is questioned—either by certified or registered mail or by sending it to an electronic address designated by the attorney general for this purpose.
(b) Certification by the Court. The court must, under 28 U.S.C. §2403, certify to the appropriate attorney general that a statute has been questioned.
(c) Intervention; Final Decision on the Merits. Unless the court sets a later time, the attorney general may intervene within 60 days after the notice is filed or after the court certifies the challenge, whichever is earlier. Before the time to intervene expires, the court may reject the constitutional challenge, but may not enter a final judgment holding the statute unconstitutional.
(As added Apr. 12, 2006, eff. Dec. 1, 2006; amended Apr. 30, 2007, eff. Dec. 1, 2007.)
Committee Notes on Rules—2006
Rule 5.1 implements 28 U.S.C. §2403, replacing the final three sentences of Rule 24(c). New Rule 5.1 requires a party that files a pleading, written motion, or other paper drawing in question the constitutionality of a federal or state statute to file a notice of constitutional question and serve it on the United States Attorney General or state attorney general. The party must promptly file and serve the notice of constitutional question. This notice requirement supplements the court's duty to certify a constitutional challenge to the United States Attorney General or state attorney general. The notice of constitutional question will ensure that the attorney general is notified of constitutional challenges and has an opportunity to exercise the statutory right to intervene at the earliest possible point in the litigation. The court's certification obligation remains, and is the only notice when the constitutionality of a federal or state statute is drawn in question by means other than a party's pleading, written motion, or other paper.
Moving the notice and certification provisions from Rule 24(c) to a new rule is designed to attract the parties’ attention to these provisions by locating them in the vicinity of the rules that require notice by service and pleading.
Rule 5.1 goes beyond the requirements of §2403 and the former Rule 24(c) provisions by requiring notice and certification of a constitutional challenge to any federal or state statute, not only those “affecting the public interest.” It is better to assure, through notice, that the attorney general is able to determine whether to seek intervention on the ground that the act or statute affects a public interest. Rule 5.1 refers to a “federal statute,” rather than the §2403 reference to an “Act of Congress,” to maintain consistency in the Civil Rules vocabulary. In Rule 5.1 “statute” means any congressional enactment that would qualify as an “Act of Congress.”
Unless the court sets a later time, the 60-day period for intervention runs from the time a party files a notice of constitutional question or from the time the court certifies a constitutional challenge, whichever is earlier. Rule 5.1(a) directs that a party promptly serve the notice of constitutional question. The court may extend the 60-[day] period on its own or on motion. One occasion for extension may arise if the court certifies a challenge under §2403 after a party files a notice of constitutional question. Pretrial activities may continue without interruption during the intervention period, and the court retains authority to grant interlocutory relief. The court may reject a constitutional challenge to a statute at any time. But the court may not enter a final judgment holding a statute unconstitutional before the attorney general has responded or the intervention period has expired without response. This rule does not displace any of the statutory or rule procedures that permit dismissal of all or part of an action—including a constitutional challenge—at any time, even before service of process.
Changes Made After Publication and Comment. Rule 5.1 as proposed for adoption incorporates several changes from the published draft. The changes were made in response to public comments and Advisory Committee discussion.
The Advisory Committee debated at length the question whether the party who files a notice of constitutional question should be required to serve the notice on the appropriate attorney general. The service requirement was retained, but the time for intervention was set to run from the earlier of the notice filing or the court's certification. The definition of the time to intervene was changed in tandem with this change. The published rule directed the court to set an intervention time not less than 60 days from the court's certification. This was changed to set a 60-day period in the rule “[u]nless the court sets a later time.” The Committee Note points out that the court may extend the 60-day period on its own or on motion, and recognizes that an occasion for extension may arise if the 60-day period begins with the filing of the notice of constitutional question.
The method of serving the notice of constitutional question set by the published rule called for serving the United States Attorney General under Civil Rule 4, and for serving a state attorney general by certified or registered mail. This proposal has been changed to provide service in all cases either by certified or registered mail or by sending the Notice to an electronic address designated by the attorney general for this purpose.
The rule proposed for adoption brings into subdivision (c) matters that were stated in the published Committee Note but not in the rule text. The court may reject a constitutional challenge at any time, but may not enter a final judgment holding a statute unconstitutional before the time set to intervene expires.
The published rule would have required notice and certification when an officer of the United States or a state brings suit in an official capacity. There is no need for notice in such circumstances. The words “is sued” were deleted to correct this oversight.
Several style changes were made at the Style Subcommittee's suggestion. One change that straddles the line between substance and style appears in Rule 5.1(d). The published version adopted the language of present Rule 24(c): failure to comply with the Notice or certification requirements does not forfeit a constitutional “right.” This expression is changed to “claim or defense” from concern that reference to a “right” may invite confusion of the no-forfeiture provision with the merits of the claim or defense that is not forfeited.
Committee Notes on Rules—2007 Amendment
The language of Rule 5.1 has been amended as part of the general restyling of the Civil Rules to make them more easily understood and to make style and terminology consistent throughout the rules. These changes are intended to be stylistic only. | <urn:uuid:180a96d3-5856-46b9-9d9c-13459559c5f4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.law.cornell.edu/rules/frcp/rule_5.1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942097 | 1,507 | 1.757813 | 2 |
Sam Parker does a great job of motivating others. Actually, his mission in life is to do just that. His company, Give More Media, focuses on fulfilling this “optimistically, truthfully, responsibly…” He creates fun videos and books that inspire others. One of my favorites is this one:
There are many, many more. But wow–what is the underlying message in all of his motivation? To me, it’s all about perspective. Did you know we all live in the same world? We all have various obstacles, tragedies, pitfalls and failures in life. We may experience different circumstances, but every one of us can make the decision on how our circumstances will affect us. We all have the same hours in every day. And in a world of chaos, we will always have control over one thing: ourselves.
So how can we make a difference? How can we make a positive impact in a negative world? How can we really “smile and move?” It starts inward. To motivate others, look at yourself–what can motivate you? What is there in your life today that gets you going–that plants that seed of positivity? Is it your devotion time? Your kids? Your morning run? How about those awful days where nothing seems right, and you look outside and see the storm clouds rolling in. Wow, is it awful, or is it magnificent? The fresh scent of rain, the rolling thunder, the restoration of all growing plants getting a fresh drink, the moment to just sit and soak it all in…
How about you? What’s your perspective today? How can it incite a positive effect on your world? | <urn:uuid:94c1e0ab-5af9-4e99-be73-7e3497380ae7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://familylifelearners.com/2010/09/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95816 | 345 | 1.84375 | 2 |
Cassville has been selected to serve as a pilot community for a grant program that could bring $500,000 into the area to fight substance abuse.
The Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) State Incentive Grant was applied for by the Cassville Community 2000 organization, and on Oct. 3, the coalition was notified that it had been chosen as one of 18 communities across the state to receive the grant funding.
According to Kati Rose, who is serving as the grant's project director, Community 2000 has six months to meet the objectives established by the state before complete funding is disbursed.
Some of these objectives include:
Assessment of community needs, resources and readiness to implement the prevention frame-work.
Creation of a strategic prevention plan and imple-mentation of that plan.
Evaluation of the program's effectiveness and its sustainability.
The City of Cassville has agreed to serve as the coalition's fiscal agent.
"This means the city will cover the costs up front and get reimbursement from the state," said Rose. "Reimbursement requests to the state will be requested on a monthly basis to ensure the city will not be overburdened by this grant."
Community 2000 has defined its target area for grant purposes as the entire Cassville R-IV School District and the entire Shell Knob School District.
The SPF grant originated from the United States Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). In 2004, SAMHSA officials announced that $45 million would be distributed to pilot states. Missouri is among the second group of selected states. At the state level, the grant is administered through the Missouri Department of Mental Health.
Rose said she is excited about the grant and potential prevention programs it could fund.
"The project will be extremely challenging but very worthwhile," said Rose. "I can't think of a better thing to dedicate my time to."
Community 2000 will receive assistance from Community Partnership of the Ozarks, out of Springfield, which will provide consultation on implementing the strategic prevention framework model, and from Dr. Charlene Berquist, a professor in the communi-cations department at Missouri State University, and Katie Striley, a MSU graduate assistant, who will serve as program evaluators.
Members of Cassville Community 2000 will also be assisting with the grant program. They include: Chairman Lonnie McCullough, Sr.; Jim Stepp; Kelly Paul; Michele Holenda; Jim Craig, Mike Hayslip; Brad Hanson; Elaine Boles; Rose; Lisa Schlichtman; Amy White; Carol Landstad; and Dana Kammerlohr.
The grant will also be supported by members of Cassville's Youth Advisory Board. They are: Jessica Meadows, Whitney Harrison, Melissa Burnette, Lindy Paul, Misty Huckabey, Jacob Niedzwiecki, Brooke Grimm, Taylor Vanzandt, James Alberson, William Alberson, Jeffery Blankenship, Colt Beck, Phillip Richmiller, Brandon Banks, Tracy Cope, Bekah Crawford, Brittney Gatley, Jessie Gripka, Brennon Holenda, Brittany Patrick and Tyler Smith.
The overarching purpose of the grant will be to create local programs aimed at reducing the prevalence of risky drinking, which is defined as underage drinking or binge drinking among individuals age 12 to 25.
"This grant is an opportunity for the communities of Shell Knob, Cassville, Butterfield, Golden and Eagle Rock to address the issue of risky drinking on a long term basis and to bring about effective methods to reduce risky drinking," said McCullough, Community 2000 chairman. | <urn:uuid:b307bd66-408e-4ad6-be8e-3937959e9eea> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cassville-democrat.com/story/1392663.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942927 | 752 | 1.75 | 2 |
Reintegration is a process most military families struggle with. It predominantly impacts the citizen soldier and their families, because unlike active duty service members, our National Guardsmen and Reservists are returning from deployment or weeks long trainings and reintegrating back into their civilian roles and employment. The longer the war, the more time away from their civilian roles to honor extended trainings for impending deployments or to support those getting ready to deploy. There are schools they must attend, additional meetings and what was once a weekend a month and two weeks in the summer is now multiplied by additional trainings and meetings.
After a year long deployment the service member will return to work within 30 days of their deployment return. While most Americans will see the “romantic” side of homecomings, and the many wonderful emotions that come with seeing our soldiers back on home territory, what most don’t see is the struggle that begins after the celebrations end, about day 60 and lasts until they’ve securely reintegrated back into society. The road is long, difficult and lonely.
When a National Guardsman or Reservist returns to work, there’s a lot of wonder associated with their stories from co-workers, but for the citizen soldier there’s fear, insecurity and a lot of invalidation that occurs. Fear that they won’t have their job anymore, fear their time won’t be bridged and fear that their salary will be kept hostage due to their time away. What employers need to understand is they can truly support their service member by assuring them they have the same or comparable job to return to; stay in touch with them while deployed and when they return home. Invite their families to company picnics and events to keep them “part of the family.” Letter and email campaigns to keep the citizen soldier involved in work events should also include family members. Remind your HR staff that any salary increases that should’ve been applied are implemented within the year a service member returns to the job; but most importantly provide assurance that their employer understands the commitment a service member makes and meets that commitment with their own as employers.
Invalidation occurs for the service member who is still dealing with the depression that often occurs when returning. It’s a struggle to make one whole while weaning themselves from their military role into their civilian role. They may be coming home to a new role in their family, dysfunctional relationships and financial hardships that occur more likely for guardsmen and reservists whose military pay does not equal their civilian pay. Co-workers will provide the occasional “it’ll be okay in time” comments when they see the struggle but unfortunately this lends itself to increased invalidation and insecurity. The service member begins to question their own mental well being if “they in fact” don’t get better in time. Invalidation is defined as rejecting one’s emotions as fundamentally abnormal. Alcoholism, drug use and lack of sleep continue the cycle of invalidation and depression.
What can we do as a society to help our citizen soldiers reintegrate and find peace? Education is key to understanding the soldiers’ way back into civilian life. First and foremost employers need to educate themselves with The Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) and USERRA the laws that protect our citizen soldiers. Communities and neighbors can learn about PTSD, depression and how to help through organizations such as Wounded Warrior, Red Cross, or the Veterans Administration.
The employment relationship is the one relationship that can truly impact a soldier’s return to peace. Let’s do our part to make that a positive impact on the road back to peace. | <urn:uuid:92ad0652-a424-4633-afed-dee31d64a45f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://highlandpark.patch.com/blog_posts/military-families-and-reintegration | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970605 | 762 | 1.734375 | 2 |
HarperCollins Publisher Ltd.
Hardcover, 562 pages
Freedom: The rope with which Franzen’s people hang—or save—themselves
One of the many strengths of the great 20th century novelist John Updike was his ability to create gripping, funny, dramatic, heartbreaking, thought-provoking fiction out of domestic relationships involving ordinary people. In this, Jonathan Franzen is a worthy successor and his newest novel, Freedom, has in the minds of many reviewers already accorded him lofty status among the younger fiction writers of the new century.
Freedom concerns the lives of the members of one small family—Walter and Patty Berglund of Minneapolis-St. Paul and their two children Jessica and Joey—and that of the musician Richard Katz, Walter’s best friend since university. After arousing our curiosity with a reference to Walter’s fall from grace twenty years later, the novel opens in the mid-1980s, when Patty and Walter—part of the cutting edge of the revitalization of a central St. Paul neighbourhood—are doing their best to raise their two children perfectly. Their parenting efforts are conducted under the disparaging scrutiny of their neighbours, who feel that Patty in particular is far too earnest and focused on her children—especially her son.
Franzen opens with one of the book’s many funny-because-they’re-so-true lists, in this case concerning the kinds of details that young parents of the Berglunds’ demographic were obsessed with in the Eighties:
[… W]hat about those cloth diapers? Worth the bother? And was it true that you could still get milk delivered in glass bottles? Were the Boy Scouts OK politically? Was bulgur really necessary? Where to recycle batteries? How to respond when a poor person of color accused you of destroying her neighborhood? Was it true that the glaze of old Fiestaware contained dangerous amounts of lead?
But despite how we can relate to the Berglunds’ efforts to “get it right” as parents and community members, we soon share not only the neighbours’ disdain for Patty, but also their subsequent schadenfreude when her precious and precocious teenaged son moves in next door with the only family on the block that even Patty looks down on.
As he proved in The Corrections, one of Franzen’s great strengths as a writer is his ability to remind us not to judge anyone exclusively on the basis of their behaviour. In the second section of the book, we become privy to a memoir that Patty has written in an attempt to heal a depression that began with Joey’s flight from home. We begin to appreciate how she first came to live in the Twin Cities with Walter, with no connection to her family on Long Island or even her friends from university. We learn how her dysfunctional passage through adolescence and young adulthood drove her to the good intentions that have now begun to derail her life and those of her children and her husband. We find ourselves unexpectedly in her corner – and, in my case at least, also admiring the facility with which Franzen can write from a female, first-person point of view.
As the Berglund story continues to unfold, we are also offered the opportunity to see the family’s little world from various other points of view as Walter, Joey and Richard Katz take their turns as protagonists. Katz, like many artists, can love only in the abstract; he may be a song-writer but his real-life relationships with human beings, not to mention with such words as “loyalty” and “honesty,” are precarious at best. The close connection between the vastly different Richard and Walter is important to both of them, but it is complicated by an attraction between Richard and Patty that can only lead to trouble. How this attraction destroys the Berglund family unit becomes the plot’s driving force, leading straight through to the novel’s unexpected and successful conclusion.
Franzen’s choice of the word “freedom” as the title of the novel provides an intriguing thread as the plot unfolds, for it is during their moments of freedom – sometimes offered to them by those closest to them, sometimes taken, sometimes merely the result of their having too much time on their hands – that each of the characters in turn makes decisions or takes steps that alter their lives permanently. Occasionally the choices they make are ones that enrich their lives, but more often the consequences are negative and far-reaching. Thematically, Franzen also seems intrigued by relationships between people who are in love with people who are not in love with them, and what happens when the objects of their affection stop fighting and succumb.
As Updike did before him, Jonathan Franzen is capturing an era, detailing its public upheavals and personal concerns in ways to which readers can easily relate—at least those of us who have been (white) middle-class adults since the century began. Freedom is a long book, much of it focused on personal minutae, and it is a testament to Franzen’s talent that its pace rarely lags. Inasmuch as fiction writers can contribute as much as their non-fiction colleagues to the chronicle of the times in which they live (which obviously is true), Franzen is a worthy contributor to ours. | <urn:uuid:2beaa8c5-1067-47cd-ba55-b20e95975434> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://marywwaltersbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/corrections/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975405 | 1,109 | 1.632813 | 2 |
● Grrr. . . Seriously, W.T.F.?: How can HHS put an ad on my television pimping Obama’s “signature” achievement, i.e. the one he won’t mention on a bet? Well, disturbingly, this is legal. Federal agencies are not allowed to engage in partisan politics. This goes back to the 1930s when the Republicans tried to suck the politics out of the federal bureaucracy. Up to that point, the agencies were considered spoils of the process and the parties used them to hand out jobs and favors and to extract favors in return. Laws like the Hatch Act put an end to that.
So how can HHS run an ad that is essentially a pro-Obama campaign ad? Believe it or not, federal agencies are allowed to advertise the kinds of benefits they offer the public. That’s right. They are actually allowed to put out ads telling people to come get “free” stuff, i.e. things paid for by the taxpayers. This falls under the category of performing their mission because their mission requires advising the public about the benefits available to them.
What HHS technically was doing was telling the public about the new benefits being offered so that those of us who qualify could sign up for them. It just so happens that in so doing, they were basically campaigning for Obama by telling everyone about the great new law offering all the free healthcare you can sponge. Grrr.
As an aside, this isn’t the only instance of this during this election cycle. The Department of Agriculture has actually teamed with the government of Mexico to advertise American food stamps to any eligible Mexicans. Grrrrrr.
● Is There A Doctor In The House?: Anyway, HHS left out one key point in their expositions on the “virtues" of Obamacare: there aren’t enough doctors. The Association of American Medical Colleges estimates that without Obamacare, the nation will be short 62,900 doctors by 2015 and 100,000 by 2025. With Obamacare, the number will exceed 125,000 by 2025. That’s an interesting admission. Why would a law that was meant to make everything perfect make the doctor shortage worse? There’s even a part of Obamacare which was supposed to address this! So how can this be? Well, the law only authorizes 3,000 new doctors, not the 125,000+ needed. Moreover, the law itself is driving doctors from the profession.
Further, I think these numbers are vastly understated. According to official estimates, 30 million people are about to get health coverage in 2014. If the system already has a shortage of doctors, how much worse will it get when that happens? The government recommends 60-80 primary care physicians and 85-105 specialists for every 100,000 people. This means, 30 million “new” people will need an additional 21,000 primary physicians and 28,500 specialists by next year. It apparently takes ten years to train a doctor. So unless someone expected Obamacare in 2004 and started cranking up the med schools, we’re going to be 49,500 additional doctors short starting next year because of Obamacare. And all of this is before another 25 million people join the ranks of Medicare, meaning they will need a lot more care than they presently receive, and they will need it on the taxpayer’s dime.
The result of this doctor shortage will be felt in two ways. Some people won’t be able to find care. A good example of this can be seen in Medicaid. In 2008, less than half of primary care physicians were willing to take new Medicaid patients. Why? Because they lose money on each. Obamacare expands Medicaid. In fact, one-third of the 30 million people who will be “covered” will be covered through an expansion of Medicaid. Few of those people will be able to find doctors.
The other way this will be felt will be as “an invisible problem.” This means that patients will still be able to see their doctors and get care, but the process will become slow and difficult because of overcrowding. Some people will need to drive long distances. Many will languish on waiting lists for care. And a lot of people will end up using the emergency rooms as a substitute. In effect, Obamacare will make the very problems it was supposed to cure worse. Imagine that. | <urn:uuid:99a4f20b-eacd-4db5-a02d-8672d5468c6b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://commentarama.blogspot.com/2012_07_01_archive.html | 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 | 0.966286 | 907 | 1.5625 | 2 |
The Boys & Girls Club of the Pikes Peak Region has received a $50,000 grant from the Allstate Foundation to help teenagers develop and strengthen their leadership skills.
The 22-week Teen Leadership Academy focuses on economic empowerment, college preparation and job readiness, tolerance, inclusion and diversity skills.
The program had 52 graduates during 2007.
“At the start we know we had a great concept (on paper) that would positively impact teens, but what we did not know was just how hungry teens were for such knowledge,” said James Sullivan, executive director of the club. “When given the tools and resources to use them, teens become very active in their path to success, whether that is entering into college or the work force.”
CEA Technologies has received the Johnson & Johnson Worldwide Sustainability Award for Excellence for External Manufacturers and Suppliers.
The company was recognized for its commitment to employee health and safety, and its efforts to maintain an injury-free workplace.
CEA Technologies has been providing contract product development and manufacturing of critical care medical devices for 20 years.
LINKS Magazine has named Cougar Canyon as one of the premier resort communities in the United States in the category of “Best for Resort Lifestyle.”
The magazine ranked the top 100-plus golf courses and their respective communities based on city living, winter sports and boating.
In addition to a Nicklaus Design championship course, Cougar Canyon will have a town center that encompasses a boutique, 117-suite hotel, resort dining and a full-service spa, an equestrian center, a vineyard and eight miles of walking trails.
The Governors Energy Office has awarded grants to four solar innovators to promote new solar technologies and programs.
Red Rock Community College received $50,000 to develop a training program to prepare students and professionals to sit for existing state and national solar photovoltaic and solar thermal certifications.
Habitat for Humanity — Metro Denver received $42,000 to develop and implement a solar installation pilot hat would result in 11 new home with photovoltaic systems, with the goal of including solar on all new homes by 2010.
Millennium Energy LLC received $49,995 to develop a model based upon real system installation data for solar hot water heating installations for utility natural gas Demand Side Management programs.
NEO-West received $40,000 to develop a report focusing on finance and development models for large (greater than 400kW) photovoltaic solar projects. The program will focus on rural Colorado, working with the state’s rural electric associations, and with consideration of local ownership or community opportunities.
The GEO will offer a second Solar Innovation Grant cycle during early 2009. For more information, visit www.colorado.gov/energy.
The El Paso County Board of Commissioners is seeking volunteers to serve on two of its boards.
Associate members who serve for one-year terms are needed for the Board of Adjustment. Members hear and decide issues of physical variances related to the county zoning code. Variance requests may include changes to dimensions, structural location, bulk limitations and other development requirements.
The Emergency Services Agency needs an individual who lives in El Paso County but outside the City of Colorado Springs and is a certified EMT or paramedic to serve for a three-year term.
The ESA regulates and monitors private ambulance service contract compliance. It also serves as an advisory board to the commissioners and City Council.
The deadline to apply for both positions is Nov. 14.
For more information, visit www.elpasoco.com or call 520-6436.
The Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry, the statewide chamber of commerce, has elected officers for its board of directors for 2008-09.
Peter O’Connor, chief administrative officer and general counsel of AngloGold Ashanti N.A. will serve as chairman and Chuck Berry, president of CACI will serve as president.
Thomas Flanagan Jr., president and CEO of Citywide Banks is chairman-elect and Alan Poe, partner at Holland & Hart LLP is past chairman.
Marvin Strait, a certified public accountant at Vanion Building, is finance committee chairman and Dan Pilcher, CACI senior vice president and COO, is secretary.
The Small Business Administration has launched an online course to help small businesses explore exporting opportunities in international markets.
Global Enterprise: A Primer on Exporting is available at www.sba.gov/training and illustrates how to identify international markets, develop and export strategy, make and receive international payments and finance trade operations. It also provides guidance about determining a company’s readiness for exporting. | <urn:uuid:e9103a11-4e22-4468-9260-cf6903f76df0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://csbj.com/2008/10/31/business-briefs-10312008/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948463 | 970 | 1.554688 | 2 |
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Allegheny County Council declared W&K Steel a sweat shop this week.
It’s the first time that designation has been placed on a local business.
The company calls the claims outrageous and now county council is rethinking the move.
KDKA Investigator Marty Griffin walked through the building with company owners Celeste and Ed Wilhelm on Thursday.
“I think devastation was the first emotion, then anger,” Celeste Wilhelm said. “We need to fight this injustice.”
County council members heard damaging testimony this week about numerous Occupational Safety and Health Administration violations, unsafe working conditions and a death at an off-site job.
Those claims, county council members say, forced them to make a tough decision to declare W&K a sweat shop.
“We have one of the safest shops in the United States,” Ed Wilhelm said. “I can’t stand those rumors.”
Then there’s the allegation of illegal workers. The business has five Burmese refugees. The KDKA Investigators checked and not one of them was illegal.
The OSHA complaints against the company have been resolved. Fines of under $5,000 were paid.
KDKA Investigator Marty Griffin brought the information to County Council President Rich Fitzgerald late Thursday afternoon.
“We want this plant to do well, we want these workers in safe conditions,” Fitzgerald said. | <urn:uuid:8ed00a81-c99c-433b-93a6-7a7b5dc422a6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2011/02/18/wk-steel-slams-sweat-shop-label/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951407 | 308 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Q: What is the difference between the ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 19011:2011 literature on your web site? Please provide a detailed explanation and their use.
A: I can see where the confusion might arise, as the numbers are very similar! But the contents are quite different.
ISO 9001 Quality management systems–Requirements is the mother of all quality management systems. It lays out the minimal requirements for an acceptable way of managing your business for quality. In the beginning, it was developed as a requirements document to lay on your suppliers. Then it became the foundation for registration (other countries might call this certification) of your own management approach to quality. About a decade ago, various business sectors – aerospace, automotive, medical devices, laboratories, etc., all used the ISO 9001 document as the base for their specific approaches. They didn’t take anything away, but added additional requirements. By far, the greatest use today is for registration/certification. This is somewhat sad, in that the standard itself is a beautiful way of managing the resources within the enterprise. Registration can get quite bureaucratic and not worth the expense.
ISO 19011:2011 Guidelines for the auditing management systems is the international auditing standard (my specialty). It was first developed as a means to get all the various registration agencies around the world to do their audits in a consistent manner. It also had support from the multinational companies that had factories – and thus registrations – all around the world and often with different cultures. Norms in Canada are not the same as China! Unfortunately, this registration emphasis in the standard made it somewhat hard for internal auditors and supplier auditors to use it. Plus, there is no requirement to use the standard, other than within the registration industry.
For these reasons, the U.S. wrote a supplement for the 2002 version of this standard, giving guidance on how to use the principles for internal audits and small organizations [note: development is underway to offer similar supplements for the ISO 19011:2011 version -- anticipated end of 2012/early 2013.]. ASQ is the only place to get this version, which includes the supplement, along with the base document. As this auditing standard was revised, it picked up environmental auditing and safety auditing in the scope.
The Audit Guy
Columbia Audit Resources | <urn:uuid:8e169d3e-65d5-4ee2-b9c9-0cf737bb8c9a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://asqasktheexperts.wordpress.com/2012/03/16/whats-the-difference-between-iso-9001-and-iso-19011/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946807 | 475 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Lloyd Dobler: I don't want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don't want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. You know, as a career, I don't want to do that.
Rick Manning, writing at The Hill, notes that bad news of the day (housing prices) and upcoming jobless numbers illustrate a fundamental divide between Republicans and Democrats.
"Republican lawmakers have responded to renewed signs of weakness with a jobs plan that prescribes more of the same 'fixes' that Republicans always recommend no matter the problem: mainly high-end tax cuts, deregulation, more domestic oil drilling and federal spending cuts.
"The White House has offered sounder ideas, including job retraining, plans to boost educational achievement and tax increases to help cover needed spending."
In just a few lines, the Times managed to encapsulate the left's complete lack of understanding of why jobs are created.
To be clear, jobs get created in private enterprise when additional labor is required to produce goods or services that will increase the profit of the enterprise.
Jobs don't get created:
A: because people are trained to do them.
B: because people have higher educational attainment.
C: by raising taxes on those who we hope will create the jobs.
Manning goes on to show an example of an Alaskan mine that enivormental activists and the administration have kept from opening for years. Thousands of jobs have not been created where they clearly could be with a few strokes of a regulators pen. Similar examples can be found in industries all over the country. New jobs are being killed in energy, mining, and oil by the tens of thousands by government inaction and environmentalist lobbying, and drilling bans. Ultimately those jobs are shipped overseas or never created.
Our country can't keep turning out Lloyd Dobler's forever; we need people who buy, sell, build, drill, hammer, etc. And we need people to start companies that hire people to do those things. | <urn:uuid:91779500-cf3a-4b9e-8069-b56c9906d5d2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wizbangblog.com/content/2011/05/31/welcome-to-the-lloyd-dobler-economy.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963082 | 442 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Unemployment has declined for a fourth successive month to its lowest level since last summer – 2.58 million people – as the Olympics helped offset the flat-lining economy and continued turmoil in the eurozone.
The Office for National Statistics said the number of people looking for work had fallen by 65,000 in the three months to May, driving the unemployment rate down to 8.1%, from 8.3% three months earlier. The ONS said the strong performance of London – with the capital registering 61,000 more people in employment over the period – indicated an Olympics link.
Falling unemployment will be welcome news for George Osborne, whose economic policies have come under fierce scrutiny after the International Monetary Fund slashed its growth forecast for the UK this year to just 0.2%.
Howard Archer, of consultancy IHS Global Insight, said: "The labour market is displaying impressive resilience given the very real likelihood that the economy suffered a third successive quarter of contraction in the second quarter." He suggested the boost to employment from the Olympics may have helped to contain unemployment.
The more timely claimant count measure of unemployment, which tracks the number of people receiving Jobseeker's Allowance, gave a conflicting signal, rising by 6,100 in June, to 1.6 million.
However, the ONS said that number may have been boosted by changes to the benefits regime for lone parents and incapacity benefit claimants, some of whom have been shifted to out-of-work benefits in a bid to bring them into the labour force. The number of women claiming JSA increased by 8,000, to 530,700, the highest level since 1995, and the ONS said the rise was likely to have been partly driven by the benefits rule-changes.
Youth unemployment, which the coalition government has sought to tackle through Nick Clegg's Youth Contract, has fallen by 10,000, the ONS said. The jobless rate for 16 to 24-year-olds slipped to 21.9% in the three months to May, from 22.1% three months earlier.
However, the squeeze on households' spending power is continuing, with average incomes rising at an annual rate of 1.5% in May, up just 0.1 percentage points on a month earlier. Inflation has fallen, according to separate figures released by the ONS on Tuesday, but it remains at 2.4%, suggesting many families are still seeing their living standards eroded. | <urn:uuid:3cbeef0d-6030-42de-b148-2cf6ca9cb6f6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/jul/18/olympics-boost-cut-uk-unemployment | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970204 | 497 | 1.828125 | 2 |
Branding has jumped the shark. The meme is stale. Worn out. Post-peak. If branding were a show on Fox, it would be cancelled next week.
I can witness this trend by watching links going to three posts I made last month:
The latest to point this direction is People Aren’t Brands, by one of these guys here (I see no byline) in UKSN, the UK Sports Network. After pointing generously to the second of the posts above, they say,
In the current business world, brands aren’t human beings. They should be, and any social media practitioner worth her salt will be working damn hard with their clients to try and make them more so, but as it stands they are companies, corporate vehicles which are not set up to deal with human error…the kind we are all susceptible to, especially some high profile celebs.
Well, all due respect (and UKSN deserve plenty), brands aren’t people. True, it’s good to humanize companies, turn them inside out, tear down the walls of Fort Business, and otherwise cut out the pro forma BS that tends more commonly to bottle up a company’s humanity than to celebrate and leverage it. But doing that isn’t branding. It’s just good sense.
True, branding is a helpful way to align a company’s distinctions with its identity, or to make it more attractive, memorable and stuff like that. But it matters far less than a well-earned reputation. Consider these statements:
- Nike has a reputation for making good shoes.
- Apple has a reputation for making artful technology.
- Toyota has a reputation for making reliable cars.
Now let’s re-phrase those using the word “brand” instead of “reputation.”
- The Nike brand makes good shoes
- Apple is the brand for artful technology.
- Toyota is the reliable car brand.
Two points there. First, it’s hard to re-phrase reputation as brand, no matter how you put it. Second, branding is not positioning. By that I mean it would be easier to make positioning statements about any of those companies than to make a branding statement.
That’s because brands are nothing but statements. At best they are a well-known and trusted badge, name or both. At worst they’re a paint job, a claim, a rationalization or an aspiration. Branding can help a reputation, but it can’t make one. Real work does that. Accomplishment over time does that.
Consider for a moment the value of Toyota’s reputation as a maker of reliable cars. This reputation was earned over at least five decades. Millions of people have had good experiences with reliable Toyota cars and trucks. That reputation has kept Toyota’s head above water through the trials of the last year, when an endless string of bad news stories about sudden acceleration and other faults have been streaming through the news media. In the tug between bad news and good reputation, branding was a no-show.
Judged by the standards of real branding companies (such as Procter & Gamble, which invented and named the practice), Toyota’s branding work has been mediocre at best. It has created cars with confusing names (Corolla, Corona, Carina, Celica, Crown, Cresta, Cressida) and weird hard-to-pronounce names (Camry, Yaris), and has produced relatively little memorable advertising, considering the size of the company and the quality of its cars. Worse, those Toyotathon ads by local dealers, which ran until the Daily Show’s Toyotathon of Death segment buried them for good, were among the most persistent and annoying pitches of all time. In fact, Toyota dealers in general had relatively bad reputations. The one thing Toyota did well was make reliable cars. Toyota’s reputation persists because it was earned, not just claimed.
Branding is jumping the shark now because, on the whole, the Net favors reality over bullshit. Saying stuff may get more attention than doing stuff, at least in the short run. But doing stuff is what makes the world work.
The hard thing for social media folks is that they’re still working the Saying Stuff beat while Doing Stuff is what matters most. Getting companies to do different stuff, or to do the same stuff differently, is hard. Getting companies to do either of those things for long enough to earn a reputation for it is harder still.
But, good luck with that.
Meanwhile here’s how UKSN (in its People Aren’t Brands post) advises companies aligning with sports figures:
Corporates need to let go of the term ‘brand’ and all the connotations it brings when they are working with celebrities. When they hire the celeb, they think that person is now representative of the brand…something which humans can’t do! They can be themselves and if the company is comfortable with whom they are and what they stand for as a human being…then there is value to be derived by association. Expecting the person to fit into the perceived brand of a company is a recipe for (potential) disaster.
All good advice. What makes branding especially difficult in the sports world is that celebrity itself, and the fashions surrounding it, are part of the game. Sports figures endorse, and are endorsed by, “corporates,” and both benefit from each other. This morning I heard that money offered by teams shouldn’t have that much influence on which team LeBron James signs up with next (so long as they’re all within a few million dollars of each other), because he’ll make far more from his corporate affiliations. This is a set of considerations where UKSN knows far more than I do, and where branding of the old P&G sort still matters a great deal.
Sports is a special case. So are fashion and celebrity, and how all three of those overlap.
In most of society, however — including most of the business world — who you are and what you do matter more than how you look and how famous you become. Because who you are and what you do are what make the world a better place. And not just something to talk about.
[Late addition...] Tom Ford with Tina Brown on marketing and branding. Great clip. | <urn:uuid:8ee39bbc-d966-4488-8854-e0805a4d56eb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/tag/reputation/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965001 | 1,344 | 1.632813 | 2 |
[This post is part of a periodic series regarding "old" FCPA enforcement actions]
In 1986 the SEC brought this civil injunctive action against Ashland Oil, Inc. (a Kentucky based oil refining company) and its Chairman and CEO Orin Atkins for engaging in conduct in violation of the FCPA’s anti-bribery provisions.
The complaint began by noting that in 1975, prior to the passage of the FCPA, the defendants consented to final judgments of permanent injunction enjoining them from using corporate funds “for unlawful political contributions or other similar unlawful purposes.” As noted in “The Story of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act” Ashland Oil’s payments to Albert Bernard Bongo, the President of Gabon, were among a group of payments that drew Congressional attention to the foreign corporate payments problem and motivated Congress to pass the FCPA in 1977.
The 1986 Ashland Oil enforcement action is thus notable as the first instance of an “FCPA” repeat “offender.”
As highlighted in more detail below, the enforcement action is also notable for the following reasons: (i) the thing of value consisted of buying a “foreign official’s” interest in a largely worthless mine); (ii) the conduct at issue lead to an FCPA-related civil suit in which two terminated company employees were awarded $70 million in damages; and (iii) there was controversy both as to the DOJ’s and SEC’s handling of the conduct at issue.
In the 1986 action, the SEC alleged that Ashland Oil and Atkins “paid $25 million in principal plus approximately $4 million in interest, and by virtue of the acquisition of an interest in Midlands Chrome [a largely worthless Zimbabwe mine owned by the "foreign official" and his family], gave something of value to James Landon [a British national seconded (detailed) to the government of Oman who served as a special adviser to the Sultan of Oman on Omani intelligence and security matters] … for the purpose of inducing Landon to use his influence with the government of Oman … in order to assist Ashland in obtaining and retaining business with the government of Oman … namely certain business related to crude oil.”
According to the complaint, Atkins was told that Midlands Chrome “could be purchased from persons who could be sympathetic to Ashland’s desire to become a purchaser of crude oil from Oman.” Even though a company lawyer advised that the transaction raised issues under the FCPA, the SEC alleged that the “board of directors of Ashland held a meeting at which Atkins presented for the Board’s approval the acquisition of Midland Chrome.” According to the complaint, Atkins viewed the acquisition as a “high risk project” but one that had “potential of being more than offset by a potential crude oil contract …”. According to the complaint, initial board meeting minutes show that Atkins said “the corporation was interested [in the Midlands Chrome acquisition] for the reason that it might thereby be enabled to obtain a contract to purchase crude oil from Oman” but that “this statement was deleted from the final version of the minutes at Atkins’ direction.”
Based on the above core conduct, in a detailed 35 page complaint, the SEC alleged three substantive FCPA anti-bribery violations.
Atkins resigned as chairman of Ashland in 1981 after an internal investigation into a number of questionable foreign payments. According to media reports, when the 1986 matter was resolved Atkins issued a statement which read as follows. “Although it would be my personal preference to litigate this matter, I have agreed to settle this action so that the company can put this lingering dispute behind it, and because to contest this matter would have involved disproportionate trouble and expense.” For more on the life of Orin Atkins, see here and here.
In media reports, Richard Murphy, an SEC enforcement lawyer, said the Ashland case was significant because it demonstrated that the SEC will go beyond the traditional “cash cases” and scrutinize more complicated transactions to determine if they represent violations.
In 1995, Ashland Oil changed its name to Ashland Inc.
In an interesting side note, former Ashland employees Bill McKay and Harry Williams sued the company for breach of contract and wrongful discharge, asserting that Ashland’s pattern of corrupt practices amounted to a violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations law. McKay alleged that he was terminated because he refused to take part in any bribery schemes and that he refused in subsequent investigations to hide Ashland’s conduct from officials at the IRS and SEC. According to a 1989 ABA Journal report, “Williams had not been asked to take part in any foreign payments, but he’d become sympathetic to McKay’s efforts to change Ashland’s policy.” According to the report, Williams “made an anonymous phone call to the SEC and spoke freely about Ashland’s recent actions abroad.” A jury returned a verdict of approximately $70 million. According to the ABA report, McKay was awarded over $44.5 million, and the rest was apportioned to Williams. According to the report, Ashland threatened to appeal and the parties settled for $25 million.
Set forth below, in pertinent part, is an interesting article published in the Washington Post on July 10, 1988. about the DOJ’s and SEC’s handling of the conduct at issue.
“Lawyers for two former executives who won a $ 69.5 million award from Ashland Oil Co. contend that their victory shows the Securities and Exchange Commission pulled its punches in handling charges of overseas bribery and other illegal conduct by Ashland. The two former vice presidents had said in wrongful-dismissal lawsuits and in SEC testimony that Ashland paid tens of millions of dollars in bribes to foreign officials to get scarce crude oil and then tried to cover up the illegal conduct. They said they lost their jobs after refusing to participate in conspiracies, perjury and other crimes. Last month, a U.S. District Court jury in Covington, Ky., awarded Bill E. McKay $ 44.6 million and Harry D. Williams $ 24.9 million after a 35-day trial. The jury said the liability should be shared by Ashland; its former chairman and chief executive, Orin E. Atkins; John R. Hall, who succeeded Atkins in 1981, and Richard W. Spears, senior vice president for human resources and law.”
“The SEC filed a much narrower civil lawsuit in July 1986 charging that Ashland and Atkins had bribed an official of Oman to get oil from the sultanate. The suit was filed in tandem with a consent decree, a final court judgment in which Ashland and Atkins neither admitted nor denied past violations while agreeing to face criminal penalties for future ones.”
“The jury and the SEC each had essentially the same evidence of possible violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) of 1977. The gap between the jury’s verdict and the SEC action shows that the SEC dealt with the matter too lightly, according to John R. McCall and Kenneth M. Robinson, the lawyers for McKay and Williams. ‘I can understand how counsel for McKay and Williams are proud of their achievement, and they certainly have the right to crow about it,’ said SEC enforcement chief Gary G. Lynch. ‘But any criticism of the commission’s investigation, or of the results that we achieved, is simply unwarranted.’”
“Punitive damages accounted for only $ 3 million of the awards to McKay and Williams. Compensatory damages were tripled — to $66.5 million — for conspiring to violate, and for violating, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. RICO makes it unlawful for any person associated with an enterprise affecting commerce to lead or to join in ‘conduct of [the] enterprise’s affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity.’ The jury found that the three individual defendants had all conducted or participated in ‘a pattern of racketeering activity’ principally through multiple violations of the FCPA antibribery section and of a law prohibiting travel for the purpose of violating the section.”
“The SEC’s 1986 lawsuit, which followed months of negotiations with Ashland’s law firm, Cravath, Swaine & Moore, named only one person paid by the oil company, James T.W. (Tim) Landon of Oman, as a foreign government official under the FCPA’s antibribery provisions. The complaint also alleged only one bribe, described by Ashland as a $ 25 million investment in a Landon-controlled chromium mine in Rhodesia. But the jury found that Ashland, ‘with corrupt intent to bribe,’ had made payments to three figures it said were foreign officials under the FCPA: Landon and Yehia Omar of Oman, and Hassan Y. Yassin of Saudi Arabia (who also has operated a consulting firm in McLean). With the same corrupt intent, the jury said, Ashland had made payments to a fourth recipient, Sadiq Attia, ‘knowing or having reason to know that’ all or a portion of the money — $ 17 million — ‘would be used to bribe a government official of Abu Dhabi.’”
“The SEC complaint and consent decree did not mention Yehia Omar or cite any Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia payments. Last December, SEC Chairman David S. Ruder told Senate Banking Committee Chairman William Proxmire (D-Wis.) that the Division of Enforcement ‘concluded that the evidence was … insufficient to support further charges of violations’ of the FCPA. In an interview after the jury verdict, Lynch said ‘there was not sufficient evidence that we felt comfortable we could prevail’ if charges were brought based on Ashland payments to Omar. ‘Even before we sat down to negotiate, we had decided privately to exclude Omar, Abu Dhabi, and Saudi Arabia from the consent decree. ‘It was clear to us that the Landon transaction was the strongest, because we believed we could establish that Landon was a government official at the time the chrome transaction occurred.’ Lynch said. He called a multiple-count complaint unnecessary. ‘We were suing for injunctive relief,’ and ‘we could get it with Landon,’ he said. ‘There was no need to push and take on a litigation risk in a case that was much less certain.’ He extended this argument to the omission of the Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia cases.”
“But lawyers McCall and Robinson disagreed. ‘The finest judicial scrutiny our American judicial system can provide has now determined that the earlier government efforts were incomplete,’ McCall said. It’s ‘ridiculous’ for the SEC to claim the evidence was insufficient to convince a jury that bribery far beyond that which it alleged hadn’t occurred, he said.”
“Lynch also defended the SEC’s decision not to ask a federal court to find Ashland and Atkins had violated a 1975 consent decree and to hold them in criminal contempt. ‘We did have a concern about meeting the higher burden of proof in order to prove criminal contempt,’ Lynch said. [...] One difficulty in going the criminal route was that ‘the major thrust’ of the 1975 decrees involved unlawful political contributions, and ‘these were foreign bribes,’ Lynch said.”
“But the lawyers for McKay and Williams dismissed this explanation. They pointed out that the 1975 consent decrees prohibited false or fictitious bookkeeping entries, and said the $ 25 million Oman item that the SEC called a bribe, as well as the Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia payments, all were recorded by Ashland as ordinary outlays. ‘It was like shooting ducks in a barrel,’ Robinson said. ‘There was no answer that any Ashland official could give on the stand to explain the fraud that was in the documents that they wrote. And how the SEC could miss that is beyond description.’ ‘The SEC should have seen it. These were indictable offenses … I don’t see the evidence that the SEC even slapped Ashland’s wrist. They just closed the book by executing another consent decree — a promise to pay, which is all that it is.’”
“Arthur F. Mathews, who was an SEC deputy enforcement chief in 1969, said in an interview that ‘in the horse-trading for not litigating,’ Cravath, Swaine ’got the staff to strike Yehia Omar … If I had to guess, they did not include Yehia Omar in their action because they thought it was a toss-up whether you could prove it, and they gave it up in the bargain.’”
“McCall said the SEC staff may well have done all it could have, particularly in light of the Reagan administration’s apparent reluctance to enforce the FCPA’s antibribery provisions.’ The SEC commissioners, for example, voted 3 to 2 to reject the division’s initial recommendation for a lawsuit that named only Landon as the recipient of a bribe. Only after the division reargued its case did the commission reverse itself, allowing Lynch to file the lawsuit. Lynch said the SEC disregarded a report by an outside counsel who concluded that the Oman transactions had not violated the FCPA or the 1975 consent decree. Williams and McKay had challenged the independence of the outsider, Pittsburgh attorney Charles J. Queenan. Queenan is a friend of Cravath, Swaine presiding partner and Ashland director Samuel C. Butler, who submitted the report to the SEC as the work of an independent counsel. ‘We did not accept the conclusion that it was an ‘independent counsel’ report,” Lynch said. The SEC staff ‘did our own very thorough investigation of the matter,’ he said. ‘It is clear that if we had accepted the Queenan report’s findings, we would not have filed an action.”
“Sen. Proxmire, who monitors FCPA enforcement, also has raised questions about the Justice Department’s role in the Ashland case. The department had full access to the SEC’s files from the start of the SEC staff investigation in May 1983. Last October, after a Washington Post series on Ashland’s payments to overseas consultants, Proxmire asked the department if it had investigated the matter and if ‘it has concluded that violations of the FCPA have taken place.’ If the conclusion was that there’d been no violations, ‘I would like an explanation of the rationale underlying such a judgment,’ Proxmire said. ‘If the department has not investigated these allegations, I request that you do so and let me know the results.’ Assistant Attorney General John R. Bolton said on Jan. 20 that he would respond when he received a report from the fraud section of the Criminal Division. On June 20, Proxmire, having heard nothing more for six months, sent Attorney General Edwin Meese III a news story on the jury verdict in Kentucky and asked ‘whether the Department of Justice will now initiate a criminal action.’ If not, Proxmire said he wanted to know why. A department spokesman said a response is being prepared.” | <urn:uuid:41d7cbf8-84bd-42b6-9c25-c707fe51569c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fcpaprofessor.com/category/1978-1988-enforcement-actions | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972386 | 3,252 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Bin Laden considered asylum in Britain
Terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden, despite his professed hatred of the West, considered seeking asylum in Britain a decade ago, the home secretary at the time has said.
Michael Howard, now leader of Britain's opposition Conservative Party, told The Times newspaper that the request from the al-Qaeda chief appeared to be serious.
According to the newspaper, in 1995 bin Laden wanted to abandon his then-base in Sudan and asked some of his followers in London to sound out whether he would be able to move to Britain.
At the time, the Saudi-born radical was little known in the West, although al-Qaeda had already planned an abortive plot to destroy a series of airliners, seen as a precursor to the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
A number of bin Laden's brothers and other members of the family construction company owned properties in London at that time, the newspaper said.
"In truth, I knew little about him, but we picked up information that bin Laden was very interested in coming to Britain," Mr Howard said.
"It was apparently a serious request. He already had people operating here, and who knows how history could have been rewritten if he had turned up here?" | <urn:uuid:be559dc4-f3ce-44ee-ae50-1094e1762aa9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theage.com.au/news/war-on-terror/bin-laden-considered-asylum-in-britain/2005/09/30/1127804616397.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.986066 | 257 | 1.515625 | 2 |
TAIWANESE COMPUTER MAKER Asus has announced UK pricing and availability for its Transformer AIO (all in one) PC following its unveiling earlier this year at CES.
The Transformer AIO takes its name from the Asus line of Android powered devices that convert from one device like a notebook PC into a tablet, such as the Transformer Pad Prime and Transformer Infinity. However, this Transformer is a little different, in that it runs both Android and Windows operating systems simultaneously and has a detachable 18.4in display.
The screen is LED backlit and has HD 1080p resolution supporting 10-point multi-touch and IPS display technology with 178-degree wide viewing angles.
On the inside there's a third generation Intel Core processor that runs Windows 8 for desktop PC use, along with an Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor for use as a tablet running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.
Asus says the huge detachable display can "also be used as a standalone tablet around the home". But measuring 18.4in and weighing 2.4kg for the tablet alone, we can't imagine that many will be fans of this way of working. It's there nonetheless, even if it is more of a novelty. However, the Taiwanese firm makes it clear that the Transformer AIO is mostly intended for desktop PC use.
For desktop PC power, it has up to an Intel Core i7 CPU and an Nvidia GeForce GT 730M graphics card along with up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM.
ASUS Transformer AIO also features four USB 3.0 slots, dual-band WiFi and Bluetooth 3.0.
An Asus representative told The INQUIRER that the transformer AIO "will be available for purchase sometimes between mid to end of April".
The Intel Core i5 powered model with 4GB of RAM and 1TB of storage will cost £999, while the next version with a Core i5 processor, 6GB of RAM and 1TB of storage will cost £1,149, and the most powerful model having a Core i7 CPU with 8GB of RAM and 2TB of storage will set you back £1,299.
Asus said that in tablet mode the Transformer AIO has up to five hours' battery life. We've asked the firm to send us a review model so we can put this to the test, so check back soon for a full review. µ
It's becoming more prevalent in car research and development
Software has the ability to automatically edit videos over the cloud via iOS
Sign up for INQbot – a weekly roundup of the best from the INQ | <urn:uuid:0a14eebd-0b3b-4ccc-84ab-9dd61e8b92be> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2253541/asus-announces-transformer-aio-uk-availability?WT.rss_f=Home | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939998 | 546 | 1.523438 | 2 |
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