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A colleague of mine has been posting some great content about America's founding fathers on his Facebook account. He is Gary Cantwell, vice president of communications and marketing at Trinity International University in Deerfield, Illinois.
I told him I would steal his good idea and blog it here (In response, Cantwell said, "Thanks! I'm happy to be in the company of Dr. Lockwood, if only by quoting someone else.")
Evidences of Freedom
From the Declaration of Independence
Source: US Declaration of Independence
"... all Men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness"
"And for the Support of this Declaration, with a firm Reliance on the Protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honour."
"It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty."
From the Congressional Record
Source: C-Span Transcripts
"To the distinguished character of a Patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of a Christian.'' - US Congressman Robin Hayes on June 17, 2008
This Blog is Not Political
On such a day as this, the "4th of July", I should think that it is truly humbling to read through the entire context of the linked materials above and be reminded of what an impossibility it was to form the United States of America.
Even more than this, however, is the overwhelming sense of gratitude I have for the fact that God has afforded me things that I did not earn. A dry place to sleep, plenty of food, children who grow healthy, access to health care and many other things that people around the world do not have a chance at.
Independence Day = Devotion to God
Not least among these is the ability to openly worship Jesus! Praise him and do it often. Help missionaries who assist others around the world who have to worship in secret. Remember the students who train to know how to do this work.
Solemnly remember your brothers and sisters around the world on this day. This, a day of prayer and thanksgiving. | <urn:uuid:ac09acc5-6795-4858-8801-765786dc32f4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.multnomah.edu/blog/tag/gary-cantwell/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964311 | 468 | 1.84375 | 2 |
by Billy Russell, Client Services Representative, Business Wire/Phoenix
At Business Wire’s February 27 workshop, “How to Dynamically Tell Your Company’s Story With Video,” Keith Yaskin, who moderated the event, had an opportunity to provide his own insight into the creative process of crafting a video to tell a company’s story.
Three teams were each assigned to produce a video for a specific company Keith had outlined, and were asked how they would tell their story and what visuals would be highlighted. Two teams were given the task of creating a video for a mining company in order to boost its image to gain public support for a land swap. One team was given a small, local dentist’s office who specialized in kids’ dentistry. Both industries may have a difficult time portraying a positive image for different reasons: Mining companies can receive public backlash for environmental reasons, and a dentist’s office is a classic phobia for many people. So, how to tackle these issues?
According to Keith, there is absolutely no ONE right way to tell a story. There may be ten, twenty, a hundred different ways to tell a story, all of which can be equally effective. The two teams provided with the task of the mining company had different ideas, ranging from who to interview, to where to shoot the interview. Should it be outside on a sunny day? Who would be interviewed? The town’s mayor? An environmentalist professional? Everyone had their own ideas, none of them wrong, but all greatly different in achieving the goals.
Event photos by Billy Russell, Business Wire
Keith then shared a video he had personally produced for a mining company in the same situation. His was shot almost entirely within the mine, about 70% of it being with the workers and interviewing them, and 30% within the town. He explained to the workshop attendees that he wanted to highlight the hard work that the employees handle within the mine in order to boost the company’s public image. When it comes to interviews, he told us, he much preferred working with non-actors in order to get a more naturalistic demeanor from them. With actors, he said, sometimes they come off TOO good, too polished and confident. He told the groups that he preferred the reactions and statements of everyday people as their conversations come across more warmly.
The second team was asked to create a video for a pediatric dentist’s office to portray the professional positively and warmly; themes were discussed on what would be covered and who would be interviewed. Some ideas were to interview the child coming to visit and asking how they liked coming to the dentist’s office, making sure to get great, big smiles on camera to highlight his/her happiness with the visit and the professional work on their teeth. Other members of the team thought it would be a good idea to spend some time talking about the equipment used, to show how state-of-the-art their techniques for dentistry are, to ease potential clients’ minds about what to expect.
After the discussion, Keith shared another video he had produced to demonstrate how he handled the same task. He allowed the dentist to speak freely about how he comforts his clients coming in for checkups and building rapport with them. Keith noted one of his techniques to filming is to, after an interview is conducted, have the dentist continue to wear his microphone and to shoot video of him going about his business so that he can get some off-the-cuff moments and the children visiting his office that looks and feel entirely real and unrehearsed.
The workshop closed with a Q&A session where our attendees had a chance to clarify any questions that they had about the creative process and how to work within reasonable budgetary restrictions. | <urn:uuid:02d88d4a-496a-465e-96e1-f1a142e25b1b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.businesswire.com/category/new-media/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979331 | 780 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Debt Consolidation Calculator
Should you consolidate your debt? This calculator is designed to help determine if debt consolidation is right for you. Fill in your loan amounts, credit card balances and other outstanding debt. You can then see what your monthly payment would be with a consolidated loan. Try adjusting your terms, loan types or rate until you find a consolidation plan that fits your needs - and most importantly your budget!
- Loan amount owed
- Loan amount owed is the total remaining balance on a loan. If you are uncertain of your exact balance, enter an estimate that is as close as possible.
- Loan payment
- The payment amount is your current monthly payment.
- Loan months left
- The number of months you have left to make payments on a loan.
- Credit card balance
- The outstanding balance on your credit card. You do not need to include finance charges; they will be calculated based on your interest rate.
- Credit card rate
- Annual interest rate you pay on outstanding credit card balances. This calculator assumes simple interest is charged every month at 1/12th of your annual rate.
- Credit card payment
- Credit card payments are based on your outstanding balance and annual interest rate. For this loan comparison, the monthly payment is the amount required to pay off your credit card in the same number of months as your consolidation loan. Your actual credit card payment may be lower, but will often require many more payments.
- Interest rate
- Annual interest rate for your new consolidation loan.
- Term in months
- Number of months for your new consolidation loan.
- Up front costs
- Any fees you are required to pay up front to receive this loan. This could include appraisal fees, loan origination fees, etc.
- Number of points paid for this loan. Points are usually only paid for home equity loans.
- Rate earned on savings
- This is the rate you would have received if you had put your closing costs into savings. Enter your short term savings rate. For most people this is currently 2% to 5% annually. Savings accounts at a bank or credit union pay as little as 2% or less.
- Income tax rate
- This is your combined federal and state income tax rates. It is used to determine income tax savings when you use a home equity loan to consolidate your debt.
- Loan type
- The two most common loan types, home equity and personal, differ in fees, rates and tax deductibility of interest. Home equity loans often have higher fees, but usually have lower rates and a tax deduction for interest paid. Personal loans do not have a tax deduction for interest paid, and have a higher interest rate but often have lower fees. These are important considerations when choosing a loan.
- Include closing costs in loan
- If you include your closing costs in your loan, your loan balance, monthly payment and total interest paid will increase. You will, however, be required to pay less money up front. Including your closing costs in your loan may be a good option if you do not have funds available, or you can achieve a relatively high rate of return on your savings. | <urn:uuid:43cbc0b6-9872-4cfc-a3e2-f48a59bce04f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kget.com/business/calculators/calc.aspx?calcId=Consolidate | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965532 | 644 | 1.71875 | 2 |
The Facebook success record since inception
Created and Founded by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook is the leading online social media where various activities take place every day; it recorded a success of connecting the whole world on one platform. Since launch, Facebook has been growing strongly with registrations of subscribers flooding in everyday, more credit to the brain behind the picture, Mark Zuckerberg.
Recently, Facebook made an announcement reporting that the active usage of the social media platform has hit 1 billion over and over again at least once a month. In the report, it was revealed that 1.13 trillion ‘likes’ along with 140.3 billion peeps connections had been generated since inception, photo shares hit 219 billion since the 2005 launch revealing the population of photos currently on Facebook, except the deleted ones.
The check-ins made on Facebook has gone up to 17 billion which are location tagged updates.
The data collection also tells us that songs played 22 billion times had reached 62.6 million, that will be around 210, 000 years of music and stand for played songs since the music listening application had been launched in September 2011.
Speaking on these achievements, Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg said, “This morning there are more than one billion people using Facebook actively each month. Thank you for giving me and my little team the honor of serving you. Helping a billion people connect is amazing, humbling and by far the thing I am most proud of in my life.”
More on the report showed that 2.7 billion and 2.45 billion content items ‘Likes’ are being shared everyday on Facebook, also over 300 million photos are uploaded on daily basis. On Facebook mobile, the report revealed that 600 million users access Facebook from their mobile device at least once a month.
Over 7,000 different mobile devices is accessing Facebook and more than 170 million customers are driven to Apple’s apps store and Google Play on monthly basis. The census also revealed that iOS and Android apps built with Facebook integration had hit 185, 000, 55% for Android and iOS is grossing 40% of the apps which is Facebook integrated.
As Facebook reported, over nine million websites and apps are Facebook integrated and the timeline apps which has been launched is over 7,000 since all developers were given rights to Open Graph in Jan 2012. More than 220 million active users per month were found on Facebook App Center and the number of Facebook gamers every month is around 235 million.
As CEO Mark Zuckerberg was rounding up, he said, “I am committed to working every day to make Facebook better for you, and hopefully together one day we will be able to connect the rest of the world too.” | <urn:uuid:e805fdaa-0001-4452-8930-b4cc93048823> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://techatlast.com/facebook-users-hit-1-billion/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966752 | 549 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Contrary to pithy bumper-sticker truisms, war is occasionally the answer. But can anyone explain why it's the answer now? At the moment, at least, polls insist that Americans are generally supportive of the United States' intervening in the civil war now raging in Libya, so someone must have an ironclad case.
President Barack Obama pins his rationale for intervention on a "humanitarian threat." A noble cause, no doubt. It's too bad that the folks in old Darfur missed out on those laser-guided missiles American and French fighter jets deploy to help avert massacre and man-made hunger. Maybe the victims didn't say please. Maybe the city dwellers of Pyongyang will be more convincing.
But this mission is creeping. Only days after suggesting the goal wasn't to remove Moammar Gadhafi, the White House now says the objective is regime change and a democratic system. If the past decade has taught us anything, it's that democracy projects tend to be expensive, open-ended investments. So when we're invested without there being any perceivable threat to the United States and without our having had a debate or congressional deliberation on the topic—by a president who sprang to national prominence voicing exactly those grievances—it seems that we'd be more outraged or inquisitive or, at least, cautious.
When queried about military interventionism (thanks to Gene Healy at The Washington Examiner for the tip) before the 2008 election, in fact, Obama explained, "The president does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation."
No, he didn't affix the phrase "unless we see humanitarian threats" or "except if the French and British find some good reason."
Then again, maybe one of the problems is we now place too much stock in world opinion when making decisions. Democrats were so intensely focused on the lack of international support in Iraq that perhaps Obama confuses global approval with our interests. What's worse than letting your "allies" or the United Nations decide whether you can go to war? It's letting them tell you that you should go to war.
And when is that, exactly? The president hasn't said. Yemeni forces have fired on protesters. Syrian forces have shot down protesters. Security forces in Tunisia have killed protesters. Why no help for those freedom fighters? What happens when Saudi Arabia royals are forced to use violence to hold power? Or when Iran cracks down on another popular uprising? An argument can be made that stopping the Iranian autocracy would be more consequential to stability and peace than removing Gadhafi—even if he is a few dirham short of a dinar.
Do we even know that the insurgency we propel to victory will be successful in liberalizing Libya? Foreign policy is infested with black swans. When The New York Times asked Paul Sullivan, a Libya expert at Georgetown University, what we should expect, he answered: "It is a very important question that is terribly near impossible to answer. It could be a very big surprise when Gadhafi leaves and we find out who we are really dealing with." Comforting, no?
Is Libya more vital to our national interest than Iran or North Korea or the Kurds of Turkey? After recent experiences with conflict and social engineering, how can anyone believe we can effectively institute democracy in the Middle East? And how can so many Americans be so sure we're doing the right thing?
David Harsanyi is a columnist at The Denver Post. Follow him on Twitter at davidharsanyi.
COPYRIGHT 2011 THE DENVER POST
DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM | <urn:uuid:19328246-73cb-46d2-9a43-8365ce37f4aa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://reason.com/archives/2011/03/23/a-war-we-dont-need | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953095 | 762 | 1.828125 | 2 |
Packing a healthy lunch each day can be time-consuming and well, a drag. Between balancing work, having a social life, and spending time with family, I understand how, even with the best of intentions, eating healthfully can be put on the back burner. As a dietitian, people are always asking me what I eat in general—and specifically, for lunch. In this column, you'll get a peek at what myself and members of my nutrition practice, Nutritious Life, are brown-bagging. Here, you'll learn the foods we like to pack up and perhaps pick up some healthful tips.
Let's take a closer look at what one of our registered dietitians, Amanda, had for lunch yesterday…
What's the deal with the meal?
• Balsamic-grilled chicken sandwich with ½ avocado
• Arugula side salad with lentils and veggies
NL: What did you enjoy most about your lunch?
A: The grilled chicken and avocado for sure. I love the combination of these two foods. The rich but subtle taste of avocado goes well with grilled chicken—especially this balsamic chicken I make regularly. I try to add avocado to my sandwiches whenever possible. I always remind my clients that avocados are a great source of healthy monounsaturated fat. Studies show that people who eat avocados on a regular basis can significantly improve their cholesterol levels. The fat content is actually a plus because it helps you (and me!) feel satisfied. This sandwich is my go-to because its super easy to throw together after dinner while cleaning up the dishes.
NL: Why the side salad?
A: I love to warm up with lentil soup in the winter; during the summer I like to sprinkle lentils onto cold salads. I always keep crudités and fresh lettuce in my refrigerator, so throwing together a salad is a no-brainer. Lentils are packed with fiber and protein, and they taste so good! These little guys are great because they're really versatile—I use them in tuna salads, vegetable dishes, or top them with a pinch of salt and pepper and eat them plain. I keep my own dressing in the fridge at work, because I prefer to use cold-pressed olive oil, lemon, and herbs and spices rather than processed dressings. I always remind my clients that store-bought dressings can be loaded with calories and filled with sugar, so homemade is the way to go. I don't like to dress my salads before work because by the time I get around to eating them in the afternoon the lettuce is soggy, and who likes that?
NL: Is there anything you wish you had packed differently?
A: Hmmm. I have to admit at around 4:00 p.m. I found myself wandering into the kitchen for an afternoon snack. Normally, I bring fresh fruit for the afternoon but it completely slipped by mind… oops! Sometimes I can't control my sweet tooth and I need just a bite of something yummy to satisfy my craving. I ended up sneaking a frozen strawberry greek yogurt pop that was sent to our office. At home, I like to make my own fruit pops with greek yogurt and sliced strawberries and bananas, they're delish! They have less sugar than most commercial frozen ice pop brands so they're a great healthy treat. Ooo, the tables have turned… I like being interviewed!
Hungry for more? Write to [email protected] with your questions, concerns, and feedback.
Keri Glassman, MS, RD, CDN, is the founder and president of Keri Glassman, Nutritious Life, a nutrition practice based in New York City, and Nutritious Life Meals, a gourmet, healthy, daily diet delivery program available across the U.S. She is a member of Women's Health Magazine's advisory board and has authored three books: Slim Calm Sexy Diet, The O2 Diet, and The Snack Factor Diet. Her expertise is regularly featured on the Today show, Good Morning America, and Access Hollywood Live, among others, and she hosts "A Little Bit Better" on Youtube's Livestrong Woman channel. Read more of Keri's tips every day on Facebook! | <urn:uuid:ced2b275-0445-49fc-9d27-f1f7e5df09f4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/eat-run/2012/08/02/brown-bag-sneak-peek-at-a-dietitians-lunch | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95783 | 884 | 1.664063 | 2 |
His recent musing about al-Qaeda operatives "acting Hispanic" to cross the U.S.-Mexican border landed him at the top of the heap.
If the conservative think tank's intent was to derail immigration reform, that's a losing battle.
The AP is improving the immigration debate by declaring that its reports will no longer refer to any human being as "illegal."
It will take more than President Barack Obama's tenure to vanquish American prejudice and racial injustice.
We reap the benefits of cheap farm and meatpacking labor in the form of low-priced food, thanks to the contributions of millions of undocumented workers.
Widespread efforts to suppress voting by people of color and the poor through a rash of voter ID laws make it clear that we still need the landmark 1965 legislation today.
America's security and prosperity depend on our children's ability to drive the economy of the future.
Obama overwhelmingly won the Latino vote despite his lackluster immigration record. | <urn:uuid:50fc0f51-7f6a-4991-865f-b9ef0e8a128c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://otherwords.org/tag/latinos/ | 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 | 0.964629 | 196 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Why should I be baptized?
- Because you want to follow Jesus’ example, Mark 1:9
- Because Christ commanded it, Matthew 28:19-20
- Because it shows you are a believer, Acts 18:8, 1 John 2:3
What is the meaning of baptism?
- It is a symbol of Jesus Christ’s burial and resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, Colossians 2:12
- It is a symbol of your new life as a Christian. 2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 6:4.
- Baptism doesn’t make you a believer; it shows that you already believe. Baptism does not "save" you; only your faith in Christ does that. Baptism is like a wedding ring; it’s the outward symbol of the commitment you made in your heart. Ephesians 2:8-9
How are we to be baptized?
- Like Jesus was baptized… by being immersed in water. Matthew 3:16
- Every baptism in the Bible was by immersion under water. Acts 8:38-39
- The word "baptize" literally means "to dip under water." (Greek word baptizo: "to immerse or dip under water.")
- It best symbolizes a burial and resurrection!
Who should be baptized?
Every person who has made the decision to commit their life to Christ. Acts 2:41, 8:13, and 8:12
Some churches practice a "baptism of confirmation" for children. This ceremony is intended to be a covenant between the parents and God on the behalf of the child. The parents promise to raise their child in the faith until the child is old enough go make his or her own personal confession of Christ. This custom began about 300 years after the Bible was completed. This is different from the baptism talked bout in the Bible, which was only for those old enough to believe. The purpose of baptism is to publicly confess your personal commitment to Christ.
What about being baptized twice?
Good Hope Baptist Church requires that you be baptized by immersion. If you were previously baptized in some manner other than by immersion, then you would be required to be baptized by immersion. If you have been baptized by immersion since trusting Christ, then you do not need to be baptized again. Good Hope Baptist Church requires that you be baptized again if you have not been baptized by immersion since you became a believer. This doesn’t devalue a prior experience but simply reflects your desire to be baptized. If you have been baptized by immersion since trusting Christ, then you do not need to be baptized again.
Can my family be baptized together?
Yes; if each family member understands fully the meaning of baptism and each one has personally placed his/her trust in Christ for salvation, we encourage families to be baptized at the same time. It is a wonderful expression of commitment.
What should I wear when I am baptized?
Women should wear a white blouse and light colored shorts or slacks. Men should wear a white shirt and light colored slacks. Bring a change of clothes, a towel, and a plastic bag for your wet clothes. We provide changing rooms.
Will I have to say anything?
Yes. After you have been introduced you will be asked a question: What is your confession you will reply, Jesus Christ is lord! The pastor will briefly lower you just under the water and then you can leave the pool, dry off, and prepare to rejoin the worship service. Later, you will be mailed a certificate of your baptism. We encourage you to invite all your relatives and friends to attend your baptism. | <urn:uuid:700b2f39-88d6-4669-a90e-1b46bd35b9b9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.goodhopechurch.org/about/baptism.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962379 | 757 | 1.71875 | 2 |
From 2002-2007, a major discussion in the PBX and VoIP world was whether a company should evolve their existing TDM PBX to a VoIP "hybrid," or rip and replace with a "pure" VoIP platform. This discussion had major impact on users, business processes, investment and politics in many enterprises.
In the end, the decision built some careers, ruined others, and drove the adoption of VoIP and the market share of the respective vendors.
WebRTC is causing the same dilemma in the contact center.
Today's contact centers are generally built to operate out of the telephony world and use factors such as DID, regions, IVR, etc. to manage and integrate customers into the knowledge centers in an enterprise. However, with 70-80 percent of contact center interactions preceded by a visit to the company website, the opportunity to change the model is near.
WebRTC enables a direct transition from the website to interactions with individuals, without the context loss process of going through the PSTN. With WebRTC, it’s easy to use every webpage as an on-ramp to the customer service and interaction arm of an enterprise, with the added value of details about how that contact came to need that interaction.
This detailed information can be used in two ways: to significantly enhance the effectiveness of the human interaction component by assuring it is optimized through the data gathered during the visit, and form based entries before the actual interaction. Or, to show detailed information about which parts of the website are generating the most need for human interaction, and how it can be used to further optimize the Web experience, enhancing customer satisfaction and reducing transaction costs.
The challenge is how to do this. Should the existing contact center, with all of its telephony heritage, capabilities and complexity, be augmented for this new emerging role, creating the "hybrid" contact center," or is it better to start afresh with a "Pure Web" interaction center that does not optimize for telephony, but uses the website, its functions and map as the guidepost for skills interaction and user management?
Both approaches have potential advantages and pitfalls. Evolving the existing platform ties the future to the past. Remember the Cisco analogy of a hybrid VoIP system being a Ferrari with a horse attached to the back bumper? On the other hand, the "Pure Web" Interaction center runs the risk of reducing effectiveness for that set of customers that do not use the Web.
Depending on the viewpoint, these are either low value non-technical, non-spending customers or high-value individuals who cannot be troubled with doing things online.
Obviously, this new battle of the hybrid and pure options promises to be just as complex and acrimonious as the hybrid/pure VoIP/PBX battles were last decade. Regardless of the ultimate outcomes, each individual involved in the contact center and website space needs to be aware of WebRTC and how it will change their customer – companies, offers and ultimately customer interaction.
Edited by Braden Becker | <urn:uuid:39224cfe-c517-4e8e-8142-9dd03b7bb0d7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.webrtcworld.com/topics/webrtc-world/articles/326869-hybrid-versus-pure-web-contact-centers-webrtc-driven.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937024 | 624 | 1.640625 | 2 |
It might be challenging for one to join a weight loss program. There are some people who have do not have to work hard to lose weight, whereas others have to take support of some structured programs for weight loss.
Overweight people should use proper weight loss program to reduce the access weight. This may help them to reduce the risk factor of heart disease.
Joining a weight loss program is a tough test for a person, as one has to prepare himself for accepting the changes that supports the lifetime habits.
But one has to learn to face those changes, which are for the betterment of health and physique. No one can force one to join a weight loss program. It’s only the one itself who can control the body to implement the rules decided in weight loss program.
There are innumerable success stories that one come across everyday in newspapers, tabloids, magazines and television that tells about how people have lost the weight and maintained the same by using different weight loss programs. They might feel counterfeit to some people, but the truth is if one make strong mind to do a particular thing then one surely will receive it.
The weight loss and diet plans that are available today are actually more flexible and lenient than they were earlier. Now, one need not have to rely upon those tasteless raw courses of meals. The latest weight loss programs offer attractive meals that can be easily prepared in a fraction of minutes. Nowadays one has delicious variety of low calories and low fat foods in the kitchen shelves all the time.
In a weight loss program, one is taught healthy and wise eating skills. One will surely go for a program that offers weight loss by giving one certain control, rather than forcing one to follow the rigid system.
One should look for a program that offers different menus and eating plans for losing the weight. Weight loss without compromising with delicious menu might feel really exciting. One should also keep in mind that a delicious weight loss program will also demand for some physical workouts.
One should take the workout plan also as amusement and fun activity and not just a way of sweating the body. The entire meal and workout program will combine and provide one the best weight loss program. The programs that are offered today for weight loss are really alluring and actually attract the fatty people to join them for their health and fitness. | <urn:uuid:28b936ee-0d6a-4bbd-b9bd-e4a0ec80d5a6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://urdu-mag.com/women/beautytips/Weight-Loss-Programs.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967065 | 471 | 1.773438 | 2 |
|I've been reading up on coaxial rotor designs lately, and I was wondering if anyone had any opinions on it? A few of the advantages that I've come across include greater stability and the design is less vulnerable to combat damage, given there's no long drive shaft running to the tail rotor. It is, however, more mechanically complex.
I'm just an enthusiast so my knowledge of aerodynamics is extremely limited. But how do coaxial designs fair in high altitude environments like Afghanistan? Should/would the U.S. ever adopt such a design? Perhaps for the CSAR-X requirement? | <urn:uuid:1bcd8bc2-0441-4f1a-b78d-123df09325a0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://strategypage.com/militaryforums/6-76114.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963821 | 123 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Isaac Newton formulated three laws of motion, No. 3 being: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. If he were still around, he'd propose a fourth: For every action, there is an unequal and opposite overreaction.
Lately, Americans seem to be taking advice from Oscar Wilde, who said, "Moderation is a fatal thing." Stupidity can be met and defeated with sensible, proportionate measures. Or it can be met with even greater stupidity. Guess which is the preferred option these days.
Last week, a 17-year-old knucklehead exposed his idiocy to the world by venturing onto the field at a Philadelphia Phillies game and running around waving a towel. When a pursuing policeman got weary of the chase, he pulled out his Taser and shot the kid.
For that, the officer won praise from players, sportscasters, and city police commissioner Charles Ramsey, who said the cop "acted appropriately. I support him 100 percent." The cop was in line with department policy, Ramsey said, because "he was attempting to make an arrest and the male was attempting to flee."
Really? Hitting a delinquent with a potentially fatal 50,000-volt burst of electricity even though he poses no physical danger to anyone and has zero chance of escaping? Maybe the commissioner should read the directions from the Taser manufacturer, which say the devices are meant to "incapacitate dangerous, combative or high-risk subjects."
The Police Executive Research Forum says they "should be used only on people 1) actively resisting or exhibiting active aggression or 2) at risk of harming themselves or others." A federal appeals court ruled that cops may not use Tasers unless "the suspect poses an immediate threat to the officer or a member of the public."
Sure, shooting the kid with a Taser taught him a lesson and will undoubtedly deter others from following his example. But if that were the only consideration, riddling him with live ammo would have been even more effective. The rational response would have been to let him cavort until he ran out of gas, then take him away, leaving punishment to the courts.
That is not to say the courts are always rational. The other day, a 19-year-old woman showed up in a Lake County, Ill., courtroom gallery sporting a T-shirt that only a person of incompetent judgment would wear outside the house. "I have the (female sexual organ), so I make the rules," it announced.
That claim might be true if she were the only woman in possession of one. True or not, it was the wrong message to present to Judge Helen Rozenberg, who immediately held her in contempt and sentenced her to 48 hours in jail.
The judge could have ordered the offending party to leave. She could have insisted that she cover up. She could have delivered a stern lecture.
But the only remedy the magistrate could devise was to lock her up like a criminal. In Rozenberg's case, "judicial temperament" is a contradiction in terms.
Critics of the new Arizona immigration law likewise have decided to fight fire with napalm. Rather than merely object that the statute is shortsighted, counterproductive, and vulnerable to abuse, they decided to pretend it's the greatest atrocity of the 21st century.
"When I heard about it, it reminded me of Nazi Germany," insisted Hispanic Federation President Lillian Rodriguez Lopez. Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony said Arizona was "reverting to German Nazi" methods. A New Jersey cartoonist drew Hitler with a mustache in the shape of Arizona.
The only value of statements like those is to reveal how little the speaker knows about life under the Fuehrer. Where are the concentration camps? Where is the mass slaughter? Who is the all-powerful dictator?
Arizona may have become an uncomfortable place for Latinos, legal or illegal, but it bears about as much resemblance to Nazi Germany as it does to Antarctica. If a law like this were the worst thing Hitler had ever done, nobody would remember him today.
In moments when we are presented with a sore provocation, the temptation is to respond with unrestrained fury. But wanton indulgence of anger usually ends up compounding foolishness with lunacy.
You can fight fire with fire. As a rule, though, it's better to use water.
COPYRIGHT 2010 CREATORS.COM | <urn:uuid:821d924e-9e8b-43a8-8d97-405be4bd0cf3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://reason.org/news/show/meeting-stupidity-with-stupidity | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97617 | 905 | 1.625 | 2 |
The website of Gilgit-Baltistan government http://www.gilgitbaltistan.gov.pk has passed its expiration date and the main website lands on a suspension page. We attempted to reach the website several times since June 21 but at no point the website was found working.
Online surfers, seeking information about Gilgit-Baltistan through the government’s website, get the “This Account Has Been Suspended” notice.
In the age of techno-boom where governments are engaged in cyber-warfare, the government of Gilgit-Baltistan gets its website suspended. The reason for the suspension could not be ascertained. However, IT experts say that the suspension is more likely due to non-payment issues.
“If payment is not made or the domain is not renewed during the billing period, the web hosting company suspends domains. It is very unlikely that a government’s website gets suspension due to no-payment issues, for the governments have sophisticated IT expertise and abundance of resources to manage and maintain a tiny web site.” One IT specialist said.
The Domain manager, Naeem Umar and the Contact person of the website, Liaqat Ali, could not be reached for comment.
It is relevant to alert here that, in most cases, during the suspension period; any one can buy the domain and sell it back to government if the IT experts do not contact the domain registrar immediately. After suspension, registrars usually queued for deletion.
Published in dardistantimes | <urn:uuid:83634644-5e82-4dfc-a15b-e63e9b5f935f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mygilgit.com/blog/2012/07/01/no-money-gb-government-website-suspended/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943064 | 321 | 1.734375 | 2 |
In arguing for the necessity of further integration of the Eurozone, Cameron and Osborne have also been positioning the UK on the periphery of European developments. This is consistent with the direction of the UK on Europe which, since rejecting membership of the Euro, has moved towards a position that is primarily concerned with benefiting from the single market whilst avoiding further integration. The logic of this for many Eurosceptics would be the ‘Norway option’ which would allow full access to the single market whilst avoiding the obligations (budgetary contributions, regulations and rights) of full membership.
Yet countries such as Norway and Switzerland are able to negotiate full access to the single market because they are rich countries with regulated labour markets and high social and environmental standards. The terms and conditions for poorer countries on the periphery of the EU are not always so generous. A serious danger for the UK arises for its ‘world leading’ financial sector if limitations are placed on Euro-denominated transactions outside of the Eurozone. In short, there is no safe place for the UK on the margins of Europe.
The question arises as to how the UK has got itself into this position. Evidently, a right wing Euroscepticism has construed an alignment between UK national interests and anti-Europeanism by presenting the EU as a chronic constraint on business. With varying degrees of extremism, the position that the UK economy is restricted by Brussels regulation and must be freed from its regulatory barriers to growth has been repeated ad nauseum across key sections of the political class. This is part of a national defence of the ‘Anglo’ model in the face of a European crisis. Hence, the UK is seen to be in a very different position to many other EU states that are unable to impose austerity, restore market confidence and regain political control over their economies.
The focus is on the separateness of the British model which will be returned to growth by domestic austerity and an unimpaired economy, a free market characterised by high levels of investment and enterprise will be restored. Yet the Europeanisation of the British economy demonstrates the difficulties of framing economic interests in such narrow nationalist terms. Interestingly, in the wake of Cameron’s veto over the Eurozone agreement, it took a Senior Credit Executive at Norddeutsche Landesbank to take issue with the UK government’s (mis)conception of the national interest:
Without the ability to transact business and vitally move staff anywhere in the EU, in a single market with free movement of capital and people the City would be finished… The business model of the City only works if it works for the European Union as a whole. In this sense the talk of “safeguarding” specifically British interests in the City misses the point, as the City can only maintain its ascendancy in financial services if the UK is a committed member of the European Union.
Clearly, neo-liberal policies have enabled the extensive interconnections between businesses across Europe that fundamentally undermines the national categories to which UK politicians remain committed. Increasingly national political events ripple out across Europe and national elites find themselves having to manage the domestic fall out. The British position is to isolate and separate from Europe and to retreat in to national neo-liberal austerity. Yet this is a position entirely at odds with political economic realities and reproduces a failed British neo-liberal capitalism.
A sustainable model of capitalism can only be achieved in the UK if British governments actively participate in shaping a new European political economy that prioritises pan-European growth. To have legitimacy, this project requires enlightened leadership and a popular movement for a European citizenship that privileges the equality, solidarity and diversity of all European peoples. If, as seems increasingly likely, the UK has a referendum on continued membership of the European Union there are stark realities to be faced and the outcome will have implications for generations to come. | <urn:uuid:93db0b5d-8c79-41dc-b7e9-0afc43cb6e22> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.social-europe.eu/2012/06/heading-for-the-margins-the-uk-and-the-eu/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952161 | 779 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Lawrence @Lessig spoke recently at the UNESCO 2012 World Open Educational Resources Congress in Paris.
The talk emphasised the importance of copyright. Some key quotes from the talk include:
Copyright is essential for its purpose.I am against abolitionism… I think copyright is essential.
This is a great talk by Director of @medialab and @creativecommons Chair @Joi Ito, given recently at the @NMCorg summer conference. Many subjects are covered in the talk including the decreasing cost of innovation, education and learning, harnessing networks, open data and open hardware. Read More… | <urn:uuid:816c8df8-edb2-4169-a6f1-e1bc7cd4a69a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.creativecommons.org.uk/category/public-policy/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942772 | 125 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Weekly Unemployment Claims Rise Less Than Expected
The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits rose less than expected last week, but the data continues to be influenced by distortions from seasonal auto shutdowns.
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits rose 8,000 to a seasonally adjusted 365,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday. The prior week's figure was revised up to 357,000 from the previously reported 353,000. "The claims number is not that bad. There does seem to be some difficulty dealing with the seasonals this time of year whether it's auto plant closures or lack thereof," said Cary Leahey, a senior economist at Decision Economics in New York.
Economists polled by Reuters had forecast claims rising to 370,000 last week. The four-week moving average for new claims, a better measure of labor market trends, fell 2,750 to 365,500, the lowest in four months.
Temporary plant shutdowns by automakers for annual retooling cause wide swings in claims data in July, which makes it difficult to get a clear picture of the labor market's health.
The model used by the government to smooth the numbers for typical seasonal patterns has trouble anticipating the timing of the temporary closures and in addition, some automakers kept production lines running in July.
A Labor Department official said last week was the last where the seasonal expectation was shaped by seasonal layoffs in the auto manufacturing sector.
U.S. financial markets were little moved by the data, with traders focusing attention on a press conference by European Central Bank President Mario Draghi.
The claims data has no bearing on the July employment report as it falls outside the survey period.
The government is expected to report on Friday that employers added 100,000 new workers to their payrolls last month, according to a Reuters survey, up from 80,000 in June.
Job growth averaged 75,000 per month in the second quarter, a sharp deceleration from the average monthly increase of 226,000 in the first three months of the year.
An uncertain fiscal policy path and ongoing debt problems in Europe have hurt demand and left businesses cautious about hiring new workers.
On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve signaled it was willing to ease monetary policy further, noting that economic activity had slowed in the first half of the year. Many economists expect the U.S. central bank to launch a third round of bond buying, also known as quantitative easing, in September.
The number of people still receiving benefits under regular state programs after an initial week of aid fell 19,000 to 3.3 million in the week ended July 21.
A second report showed planned layoffs at U.S. companies dropped for a second straight month in July, even as job cuts in the financial sector persisted.
Employers announced 36,855 planned job cuts last month, down 1.9 percent from June, consultants Challenger, Gray & Christmas said. So far this year, announced layoffs are up 2.5 percent from the same period in 2011.
The financial sector cut 6,156 jobs in July, the largest number since January.
"The situation in Europe is far from being resolved and ongoing weakness here could continue to take a toll on the financial sector," John Challenger, chief executive of the company, said in a statement.
Challenger also cautioned that layoffs typically slow during the summer months, while the heaviest job cuts historically happen in the fourth quarter.
"This may simply be the lull before the storm," he said.
Don't Miss: Companies Hiring Now
Looking for a job? Click here to get started. | <urn:uuid:7dbfa3dc-398c-471a-8cb4-4ad3fbd3117c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2012/08/02/weekly-unemployment-claims-rise-less-than-expected/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964942 | 736 | 1.679688 | 2 |
What is Chung Do Mu Sool Won?
The World Chung Do Mu Sool Won Association ® is a comprehensive and purely distinctive Traditional Korean Royal Court Martial Fine Arts ® style and nonprofit organization that is providing the best method of training and certification for its students and instructors. Hap Ki Do is a modern art where as Chung Do Mu Sool Won is a much older traditional Korean art. One of Chung Do Mu Sool Won's greatest difference from the modern art of Hap Ki Do is in Chung Do Mu Sool Won's emphasis on preserving the practice of traditional classical Korean weapon skills and forms, the original Korean Royal Martial Fine Arts forms, specialized training skills, and the practice of Taek Kyon (the original Korean kicking art) and Kwon Bop ("Fighting Arts" or "Fist Arts"). Chung Do Mu Sool Won skills are wide in range and include some 4000 self defense techniques (the vast majority of which are joint locking and pressure point throws), as well as Ki-Gong (Internal Energy Training), and the arts of Ji-Ap-Sool (Accupressure) and Chim-Sool (Acupuncture, etc.).
It has been this fully integrated training method that has allowed Chung Do Mu Sool Won to remain as the most complete traditional Korean martial arts system.
The original form of traditional martial arts utilized by the Korean Royal Army, the Korean Royal Palace Guards, the Korean Royal Body Guards, and many members of the Korean nobility, was known as "Chung Do Mu Sool Won" (True Way Martial Arts or Skills). Chung Do Mu Sool was not a singular style of martial arts as seen in the vast majority of contemporary martial arts. Chung Do Mu Sool was a collection of several martial skills and methods and was the ancient Korean military training system that integrated the most efficient and effective weapon skills and forms with the best empty hand fighting techniques that had been developed in Korea. These skills and forms have been handed down from master to student and father to son for over two thousand years. Chung Do Mu Sool Won is currently under the direction of Grandmaster Hwang In-Mo (Association Chairman and Chancellor).
For more information, please contact us...
© World Chung Do Mu Sool Won Association
© NIU Tae Kwon Do & Hap Ki Do Korean Martial Arts Club --Created by PSH & MK & ATP
( Last updated on September 6, 2006 ) | <urn:uuid:bb0f486b-f3f1-425f-bd82-6a985aeb1173> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sa.niu.edu/hapkido/CDMSW.html | 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 | 0.949969 | 495 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Wherever does resting ranking on your report on important things you can do everyday? If you're like most individuals these days, you add sleeping towards the bottom of your respective record. Even so, regardless of you decide to do, you simply can't seem to get enough slumber. All you feel about every day is resting ought to be centering on education or work.
It is likely you sense responsible for wanting to sleeping and take sleeps in daytime. You imagine other pursuits are definitely more significant and experience very lazy for great deal of thought. But you aren very lazy and yes it shows through your insane schedule. So what provides?
If it is you, it is likely you have problems with a slumbering illness termed idiopathic hypersomnia. If quit undiscovered, you may finally are afflicted with irrepressible sleeping assaults during the day, which is often really dangerous to the basic safety of all by yourself while others.
Fortunately, idiopathic hypersomnia can be an conveniently treatable problem. For starters, staying away from caffeinated beverages like gourmet coffee and soft drink will help, as also does after having a sensible eating habits and regular exercise.
Even so, if you carry out every one of these items and it even now doesn apparently help, you may need to take a step else. You will need prescription medication to stop your idiopathic hypersomnia and modafinil is the answer for yourself.
Idiopathic hypersomnia and modafinil go together like two peas in the pod. Modafinil is often a pharmaceutical built to add to the reactions of this mental faculties, developing sense of alertness. Modafinil (and it is brand-identity comparable version, Provigil) are employed to treat quite a few sleep problems from fly insulate to fall asleep sleep apnea.
People made substantial exploration on idiopathic hypersomnia and modafinil from the early and at last proposed modafinil to deal with idiopathic hypersomnia in 1988.
Modafinil has been proven as very effective treatments for idiopathic hypersomnia and modafinil also reveals hardly any adverse reactions. It concentrates on incredibly particular regions of your brain and one product remains to be mixed up in shape over 15 hrs. Other rest remedies require repetitive doasage amounts each day. Modafinil has been utilized for decades to manage idiopathic hypersomnia and modafinil only offers its buyers a pain. This is often a pest, nevertheless it a lot better than the very center shivers and becoming easily irritated that other sleep aids give their buyers.
If you feel a person suffers from idiopathic hypersomnia, call at your physician. He can figure out when you have idiopathic hypersomnia and it modafinil can be an powerful cure. Your medical professional can also be capable of giving you other available choices to relieve your condition and might most likely provide approaches for the exercise and dieting that will help alleviate these complaints.
Techniques not endure another day with irrepressible tendencies to rest. Gain back your health and overcome your idiopathic hypersomnia. Visit your health practitioner now while there is a whole lot more to do in your life than sleep. And hi, wouldn you prefer spending time with family and friends, rather then resting? Naturally you'd! | <urn:uuid:e6a34756-efb4-4338-9586-8bc23ab16bfb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.modafinilguide.com/when_too_much_sleep_isn_t_enough_how_to_treat_hypersomnia.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951204 | 696 | 1.601563 | 2 |
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Listen Program Notes
About This Performance
Gustavo Dudamel brings us an international program of music from Europe (Spain and France) and the Americas (Argentina, Brazil, and the U.S.A.)
Song and Dance
Notes by John Henken
One possible way to look at Western instrumental music is as an arc of ascending abstraction. Earthier music with its roots in vernacular and ceremonial traditions has always been a subversive alternative, however, and has come into its multicultural, post-postmodern own. Put another way: symphonies may grab the brain, but songs and dances hook the heart and feet.
In actual experience, of course, music is seldom quite so polarized. A multifaceted case-in-point would be the Divertimento by Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990). Composed for the centennial of the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1980, Bernstein’s Divertimento is a neo-Classical cabinet full of cross-references. Open any movement and a raucous musical joke or subtle allusion is likely to pop out.
Bernstein had a long and deep relationship with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He grew up in the Boston area and attended BSO concerts at Symphony Hall as a child. In 1940 he spent the summer with the BSO and Serge Koussevitzky at Tanglewood, and he returned there later to teach; his last public performance would also be with the BSO at Tanglewood, in August 1990.
“Sennets and Tuckets” refers to Elizabethan theater fanfares, and Bernstein based it on a two-pitch musical symbol juxtaposing B and C – B for Boston and C for centennial – although he often ends up treating the B as leading to C, rather than in complete opposition. Bernstein makes jazzy allusions to works by Richard Strauss and Igor Stravinsky in this sassy opening.
A bent ceremonial introduction, “Sennets and Tuckets” was initially planned to be the entire work. But Bernstein found himself enthused by the occasion and by the potential of that two-pitch symbol, and quickly carried it on in seven further short movements showcasing different sections of the orchestra. The gentle “Waltz” features the strings, and its odd 7/8 meter lightly tweaks the traditional hesitations of the Viennese version of the dance. Gustavo Dudamel is a keen and insightful champion of Bernstein’s music, and this movement was a favorite encore on his tour with the Los Angeles Philharmonic back in May.
The “Mazurka” alludes to Chopin, but in a sound world – double reeds and harp – that suggests Ravel in antique mood. As always in these pieces, Bernstein plays across the expected rhythms and meters of the traditional elements of his song and dance forms. The “Samba” is for the full orchestra again, propelled by Latin percussion that reminds us of the younger Bernstein’s verve in West Side Story.
The name “Turkey Trot” might refer to the popular foot races that take place around Thanksgiving, but it is also the name of a turn-of-the-century (20th) ragtime dance that was soon supplanted by the foxtrot. Bernstein’s example sounds a bit like drunken Copland, its off-kilter sense again the result of a septuple meter (4+3 in this case, where the “Waltz” was 3+4).
“Sphinxes” is an enigmatic – but clearly satiric – expansion of Bernstein’s original opening motif into a rising 12-tone row, given just once in the strings and then again a step lower in the woodwinds. Bernstein marked it “Adagio lugubre” and capped it with the most elemental tonal cadence possible, in barely audible pizzicato strings. It also serves as an introduction to the slow, hot “Blues” that follows for the brass and percussion.
The “In Memoriam” that opens the finale is a three-part canon for the flutes in honor of former BSO members. It begins with a B-C oscillation that spins off its own 12-tone line, and culminates in a furious unison trill that ushers in the March, “The BSO Forever.” This gets the full Sousa treatment, thematically referential and metrically goosed, of course. There are two trio sections, the first with that opening oscillation manically repeated over obsessive snare drums, the second with instructions to the clarinets, contrabassoon, and horns to play “dumbly,” “stupidly,” “imbecilically,” and “cretinously.” After a lurch into a “wrong” key, everyone marches home “tutti quanti tutta forza” – everyone with full force – to a final cadence that mirrors the one at the end of “Sennets and Tuckets.”
Tango is a hybridized urban genre, grafting the traditions of European immigrants to Buenos Aires onto the music of displaced gauchos and others. The favored song and dance form of the first half of the 20th century in Argentina and neighboring Uruguay, the tango began losing traction in popular music after World War II, until new wave composers and musicians such as Astor Piazzolla revitalized the genre. Among Piazzolla’s important contemporaries – and still living at venerable ages – are Mariano Mores (b. 1918) and Horacio Salgán (b. 1916).
A classically trained pianist and composer, Mores was born Mariano Martínez, but used his wife’s surname professionally. He was one of the first to add electric guitar and drum kits to traditional tango ensembles, but his popular tango milonga “El Firulete” is deliberately retrospective in style. Dedicated to the early tango master Alfredo Bevilacqua, “El Firulete” (The Arabesque) was first recorded in 1958. It was given lyrics for the 1964 film Buenas noches, Buenos Aires, where Julio Sosa and Beba Bidart sang and danced it before a group of teenagers who were doing the Twist, but are gradually lured into the steps of the tango. Rooted in the older milonga style, “El Firulete” sounds like a Latin-spiced Sousa march in José Carli’s arrangement for orchestra, which has been popularized by conductor Daniel Barenboim.
Salgán’s career ran parallel to that of Mores in many respects, including playing piano in some of the same tango orchestras and scoring films. Salgán was more ambitious artistically in some ways, and created his own large orchestrations, but he approached the music with great reverence for its heritage. “I, among other things, play all the genres – classical, jazz, etc. – but have an almost religious respect towards music itself, because music is a bridge to God,” Salgán said. “I never pretended I had come to save tango or anything of the sort. I have a great respect for the forerunners – Arolas, Bardi, Cobián, the De Caros – and I came neither to modify it nor to do anything to it, because tango does not need it. I simply came, with all humility, to expose my musical language…. What happened came because I spontaneously felt it.” Salgán wrote “A fuego lento” (Over a Slow Fire) in 1953. An intense, polyphonically layered piece with a lyrically contrasting center section, it too has been recently championed by Barenboim.
Post-modern before his time, the protean Brazilian musician Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959) was a stylistically omnivorous composer. Encouraged by his father, he studied several instruments, and in popular styles as well as classical ones. In 1930-1931 he did a sort of self-promoted tour of the state of São Paulo with several other similarly inclined musicians, playing in movie houses and clubs as well as more established concert venues.
On this tour much of the music that eventually found its way into his nine Bachianas Brasileiras (Brazilian Bachisms, roughly) was first written. The Bachianas Brasileiras are basically neo-Classical suites, although two of them have only two movements and the last is a prelude and fugue. The forces required range from flute/bassoon duo to wordless a cappella chorus and full orchestra. Every movement in the entire group has a Baroque title and a Brazilian one. Bach, Villa-Lobos wrote, was “a kind of universal folkloric source, rich and profound... linking all peoples.”
This may sound like a well-considered concept, but many of the Bachianas Brasileiras grew fitfully. The music for the first two was composed on that São Paulo tour, with the four movements of the orchestral No. 2 originally written as single pieces for cello and piano, or solo piano. The fourth movement, which Villa-Lobos labeled a toccata when he put it into the suite, is “O trenzinho do Caipira” (The Little Train of the Caipira, or “Brazilian Countryman” as Caipira is often translated). Its cheerful chugging, driven by lots of Brazilian percussion, sounds superficially simple, but it is remarkably sophisticated music, bitonal at the beginning, metrically deft, and melodically gracious. The full Bachianas Brasileiras No. 2 was premiered at a festival in Venice in 1934, with Dmitri Mitropoulos conducting.
The Spanish master Manuel de Falla (1876-1946) spent the last years of his life in Argentina, but his Siete canciones populares españolas were finished in Paris long before, in 1914. (They were not performed, however, until January 1915, after he had returned to Spain.) These songs are based on folk models, combining simplicity of texture and statement with subtle sonorities and flamenco-inspired harmonies.
“I modestly believe that in folk song the spirit matters more than the letter,” Falla wrote in 1917, but in these songs he generally adapted authentic traditional tunes and texts. The first two come from the province of Murcia, and Falla’s piano accompaniments imitate guitar techniques and textures in both. “El Paño Moruno” (The Moorish Cloth) is a graceful song of Moorish origin, and the dashing “Seguidilla Murciana” is a muleteers’ song. (The seguidilla is a Spanish verse form that has attracted musical settings from the late Renaissance to the present and generated a corresponding dance.)
As its name indicates, “Asturiana” is from the northern province of Asturias. It is a lament, but consoling rather than despairing in character, over a tranquil but insistent pedal point. The “Jota” from Aragon is here a wry lover’s farewell, its accompanying bravura and vocal ardor gradually fading as the lover departs. “Nana” is a rocking Andalusian lullaby that Falla reportedly heard his mother sing when he was a small child.
“Canción” means simply “Song,” and Falla’s here is evidently closely modeled on a popular tune. The finale is a vivid flamenco “Polo,” as fiercely stressed and incisive as Falla’s “Ritual Fire Dance.” The Siete canciones were immediately popular at home, and abroad after World War I ended. Falla’s student Ernesto Halffter orchestrated them, and they have since been arranged in many guises.
During World War I, neutral Spain received an invigorating influx of foreign artists looking for alternative markets to those along the usual Paris-Berlin-Vienna routes. Prominent among them was the impresario Serge Diaghilev and his Ballets Russes, which became particular favorites of King Alfonso XIII. Diaghilev and Falla discussed several potential projects, settling on an adaptation of the 19th-century writer Pedro Antonio de Alarcón’s comic novella El sombrero de tres picos (The Three-Cornered Hat). Falla brought this to the stage first as the pantomime El corregidor y la molinera, on a scenario in two scenes written by his usual collaborators, the husband-and-wife team of Gregorio Martínez Sierra and María Lejárraga.
Alarcón’s novella contains a confusing amount of incident, but the central narrative line follows the traditional characters of a jealous miller, his beautiful young wife, and a lecherous corregidor (the local magistrate, whose position is symbolized by his three-cornered hat). The oafish but persistent corregidor is thwarted at every turn, mistakenly arrested by his own constables, and suffers the peasant justice of being tossed with a blanket in a finale of general merriment.
For Diaghilev, Falla increased the size of the orchestra and eliminated some incidentals from the second part, while adding a solo specifically for Leonid Massine, who choreographed the new ballet and danced the part of the miller. Pablo Picasso designed the sets and costumes, and at his request Falla wrote an introduction and solo song to be performed before Picasso’s curtain went up. The ballet had a hugely successful premiere in London in 1919 (as Le tricorne), establishing Falla’s international reputation.
The three dances of the Suite No. 2 are from the second part of the ballet, opening with the miller’s neighbors gathering to celebrate the Feast of St. John and dancing seguidillas based on traditional themes, including one also popularized in Jerónimo Giménez’ zarzuela La boda de Luis Alonso. The miller then has his solo, a dark and fiery flamenco farruca, the earthiest dance in the ballet. All of the ballet’s many themes are combined in the final jota, chaotic climax and jubilant resolution in one.
There had been several generations of musical cross relations between Spain and France by the time Falla studied in France. Among his friends and mentors there was Maurice Ravel (1875-1937), who had his own Spanish infatuations, of which the Rapsodie espagnole and comic opera L’heure espagnole were early evidence. Ravel had a flair for dance music, and in 1928 he was asked to orchestrate some of Isaac Albéniz’ piano pieces for the dancer Ida Rubinstein. But it turned out that another composer had exclusive rights to orchestrate the proposed works. Pressed for time when the project turned from just orchestration to the creation of something new, Ravel wrote Bolero, “a masterpiece… without any music in it,” as he later described it.
Bolero consists of a single, sinuous, long line over a hypnotic rhythmic pattern, repeated in brilliantly varied instrumental combinations, rising from pianissimo to a shattering climax. Rubinstein premiered it in Paris in November 1928, in a clichéd production that had her dancing on a café table, and this utterly pragmatic time-saver has proven an enduring inspiration ever since, danced in many forms and treated cinematically several times.
John Henken is Director of Publications for the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Programs, artists, dates, prices and availability subject to change. | <urn:uuid:485c9644-c25d-4b6b-8669-b8d3eb2c5ee2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hollywoodbowl.com/tickets/dudamel-conducts-bolero/2010-08-05 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958757 | 3,425 | 1.53125 | 2 |
One thing I remember from science classes (which is a very small list) is Newton’s 3rd law: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. This of course tells us that forces come in pairs, in order to have a reaction we must first have an action. I have always wondered why this is solely taught in science class in school.
I was not much of a science-expert in school, actually it would be more accurate to say me and science did not get along at all. From earth science, to biology, to chemistry and then into physics I was a C student (if that). I did what I could to get by with a passing grade, and to expect anymore was just asking for disappointment.
So, with that out there I feel that science should be approached from a different angle. I remember in 7th grade when we made rockets out of coke bottles, that was cool! We also made microwave ovens out of shoe boxes and tinfoil, which we later made smores with, also very cool! Now aside from those cool experiences I don’t remember much from science, other than the fact that the books were huge and no matter how close I sat to the teacher I never understood what he or she was trying to teach me.
One thing that really attracted me to Stephen was his excitement for teaching and learning. Stephen is way smart and has a great way of teaching that is unlike what I remember from grade school (or college for that matter). Knowing that our kids are gonna love spending time with their dad in the future is a great feeling.
When we go to the mall we always go into the hobby store. It’s always fun for me because Stephen gets uber excited! Who would have thought that chemistry sets, model planes/cars, ant farms, building sets and all other sorts of things would be fun ?!?! If I let him I think Stephen could help that store fill their monthly quota in one trip!
I guess I am sharing all this to point out that school and teachers are not solely responsible for teaching the children in this world. Parents play a HUGE role, and It makes me proud and excited to know that I married a man that is going to help our kids be anything they desire, even if it means blowing up things in the garage with a chemistry set (with a parent present and safety gear on of course).
I will end with a fun activity that I’m sure most of you have aleady experimented with…combine these 2 objects, step back, and Enjoy! | <urn:uuid:4ecf7273-547f-47ff-bb6d-6d439c78e21c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://theringls.com/2009/06/02/science-class/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985972 | 527 | 1.765625 | 2 |
As Confidence Returns, So Does Deal-Making
General Assignment Reporter
With debt cheap and plenty of cash on the books, companies are primed to make deals -- just not so fast, taking months instead to build up their balance sheets in preparation for the next big deal.
The energy sector is just one of many where deal-making has surged as corporate confidence turns up. Already, data from Dealogic shows that the total value of U.S. transactions in 2013 is roughly double what it was during the same time in 2012.
Linn Energy, for example, had been preparing to buy a company like Berry Petroleum - a company it acquired in February for $2.5 billion - for more than a year. The Houston oil producer, while still buying assets for its parent company, was hard at work on an alternative financing vehicle - LinnCo - that it finally spun off in October as a vehicle to buy businesses.
For Linn CFO Kolja Rockov, the new structure will serve as a new form of a deal financing for a company that previously just bought the assets outright. In Rockov's words, "It's just another arrow in our quiver."
(Read More: The Liquidity Trap: Tough Choices for CFOs)
While sentiment is rosy, the CFO suite – Rockov's included – remains focused on the balance sheet. In a recent CFO study by Deloitte, respondents said the first priority was building defensive balance sheets that, first and foremost, protected a company's cash flow.
Investors have been pleading with companies (see: Einhorn, Apple) to release the mountains of cash that have stood on balance sheets since the financial crisis; according the Federal Reserve, that cash stood at $1.7 trillion at the end of Q3 2012, and grew throughout the fourth quarter as fiscal woes kept companies from spending.
(Read More: Corporate America: Tax Me If You Can)
Companies are keeping one eye outward to monitor the deal environment, even while keeping the other inward in conserving cash.
Chris Foskett, global head of sales for JP Morgan Treasury Services, sees companies expanding credit facilities – instead of spending that precious cash – to lock down low rates for opportunistic deals. "That offers available liquidity, but also – eventually – will let them act quickly."
General Motors did just that, upping its credit facility in November 2012 to $11 billion from $5.5 billion, two weeks before it announced a $4 billion deal for international assets of Ally.
Thomasville, Ga.-based bakery Flowers Foods did the same thing as it anticipated a potential bid for Hostess Brands, once a bankruptcy judge put the company in liquidation. Flowers extended its existing credit facility for $700 million instead of the pre-existing $500 million in a move that CFO Steve Kinsey at the time said allowed the company "to take advantage of an assortment of opportunities" toward expansion.
Months later, Flowers won the so-called "stalking-horse" – or, leading – bid, and will have the money on hand should it win the final auction in bankruptcy court next week.
And for Flowers' cash on hand? That will get saved for a rainy day, or just day-to-day business.
Foskett believes cash levels will stay elevated as companies won't soon forget the liquidity drought of 2008 and 2009. "No one wants to get caught where they were in the last crisis."
(Read More: Forget the CEO? Wny CFOs May Be More Important) | <urn:uuid:cfc6d894-8cc1-486d-b8a0-44db5a9db9fd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cnbc.com/id/100507421 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962323 | 737 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Ah, the gizzard. One of the more unloved giblets, gizzards are dense nuggets of deep burgundy meat. That’s right, I said meat. Even though a gizzard is an internal organ, it is made of muscle, just like the breast or thigh meat. You just have to get to it first.
Most gizzards are sold partially cleaned — you normally only need to remove the silverskin membrane on either side of the meat nugget before you put them in the pot or fry them up. But what if you get a whole gizzard? It happens a lot in Asian markets, and it is how they come out of the bird. Cleaning a gizzard is a necessary skill both for hunters and for those interested in nose-to-tail eating.
Fortunately, it is easy, especially on video. Yep, video. I’ve taken the plunge, and started a YouTube channel and will be posting how-to videos for some fo the more esoteric things I do here at Hunter Angler Gardener Cook.
Why start with a gizzard? Well, I have lots in the freezer, and I had my mind set on a very special gizzard dish I wanted to do that involved cabbage flowers (More on that later). To make that dish, I needed to clean a bunch of gizzards first, so I asked my friend Andrew Nixon to shoot the video.
As you can see, Andrew can shoot video way better than I can. Enjoy, and stay tuned for what I did with all these gizzards…
SOME GIZZARD RECIPES | <urn:uuid:defa37e3-0de5-4b3c-89b4-3ea1fcf78796> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://honest-food.net/2011/04/21/how-to-clean-a-gizzard/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952761 | 336 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Within the last few years pool technologies have exploded. New pool automation products are being released almost monthly that make pool maintainance that much easier. With their ease of use and minimal input effort, it is easy to figure out why these products are here to stay. Automatic pool cleaners have been around for a long time while pool cleaning robots are a fairly new technology for residential pools. There are robots that you do not have to plug into your skimmer, but instead work off 120v power. They have their own cartridge filter and an onboard microprocessor that remembers where it has been and cleans an entire pool in 3 hours all by itself. You put the robot in the pool, press the on button and 3-4 hours later its done. Thats it, no more hand vacuuming.
For the tech savvy pool owners, there are pool control panels that intergrate with the iphone and ipad that make pool operations easy to control from your phone. You can program pool temperatures, lighting, freeze protection, pump operation and about almost any other thing that has an electrical switch or setting on it.
Pool cleaning and chemicals are usually the most time consuming chores in winnipeg when it comes to pool ownership. Cutting down on chemicals and using an automatic chlorine/ph tester and injector make testing your water manually a thing of the past. Basically the unit tests the water and adds the proper amount of chemicals to keep your pool water balanced.
On new pool installations UV sanitation and cleaner systems almost make adding any chemicals a thing of the past. You can now cut down on chemicals by 75% by adding a UV sanitizer. The ultraviolet light kills 99.99% of bacteria. A residual amount of chlorine is recommmended because your pool can have dead spots where the water is not circulated as well.
Underwater pool lights are now LED (which use 75% less power) and almost any colour or colour combination is now possible. Coloured lights of 10 years ago used a conventional style halgon bulb and a colour wheel (mechanical wheel that looked like a pizza with each piece being a different colour) that rotated changing the colour of the light. With LED there are no moving parts and the light lasts thousands of hours! | <urn:uuid:b04431c0-9234-4d7d-8f37-9924b68dceb5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.uvpools.com/blog/dale-kreviazuk/pool-technologies | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951682 | 456 | 1.84375 | 2 |
JOHN S. PERKINS. - It is always pleasing to the biographist or student of human nature to enter into an analysis of the character and career of a successful tiller of the soil. Of the many citizens gaining their own livlihood, he alone stands pre-eminent as a totally independent factor, in short "monarch of all he surveys." His rugged honesty and sterling worth are the outcome of a close association with nature and in all the relations of life he manifests that generous hospitality and kindly human sympathy which beget comradeship and which cement to him the friendship of all with whom he comes in contact. For many years engaged in diversified agriculture and the raising of high grade stock, John S. Perkins is decidedly a prominent and popular citizen of his township in Wyandotte county.
John S. Perkins was born at Westport, Kansas, in 1855, and he is a son of Stephen and Sophia (Seaman) Perkins, both of whom are now deceased. The father was born in the old commonwealth of Kentucky, on the 14th of November, 1817, and he was summoned to the life eternal on the 5th of December, 1893. The mother, who was a native of Indiana, was born in 1828 and died in August, 1907. As a young man Stephen Perkins removed from Kentucky to Iowa, where he engaged in manufacturing old fashioned fanning mills. In 1855 he came to Kansas, locating at Westport, where he became identified with the mercantile business. Subsequently he engaged in the manufacture of wagons and in 1858 removed to Wyandotte county, Kansas, locating near what is now known as Turner Station. Mr. Perkins experienced a great deal of trouble at the time of the border struggle in Kansas. He was a stanch Republican in his political convictions and was an influential factor in many matters projected for the good of the general welfare in his community. Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Perkins became the parents of three children.
John S. Perkins passed his boyhood and youth in Wyandotte county and he received his early educational training in the neighboring district schools. He early became interested in farming and is now the owner of a splendid estate of one hundred and eighty-three acres of most arable land. The substantial buildings in the midst of well cultivated fields, together with the general air of thrift and prosperity which pervades the place, are splendid indications of the ability of the practical owner. For some years Mr. Perkins has lived virtually retired from active participation in business life, and while he does not take an active part in public affairs he exerts a strong influence in Wyandotte county for progress and development.
In the year 1876 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Perkins to Miss Mary Douglas, who was born and reared in Indiana and who passed into the great beyond in 1905. Mrs. Perkins was a woman of rare charm and most gracious personality and at the time of her death was deeply mourned by a wide circle of loving friends and relatives. Mr. and Mrs. Perkins became the parents of six children, namely: Ida, Edna, Halline, Nellie, Alsie and Helen. In 1907 Mr. Perkins was united in marriage to Miss Eva M. Sauer, of Wyandotte county. To this union has been born one child, Marguerite Alice, whose birth occurred in 1910.
Mr. Perkins has lived a life of usefulness such as few men know. God-fearing, law-abiding, progressive, his life is as truly that of a Christian gentleman as any man's can well be. Unwaveringly he has done the right as he has interpreted it. Possessed of an inflexible will, he is quietly persisent[sic], always in command of his powers and never showing anger under any circumstances. He is a man of the utmost kindliness of spirit and great affability and he is held in warm regard by all with whom he has come in contact.
Home Page for Kansas
Search all of Blue Skyways
The KSGenWeb Project | <urn:uuid:29f73338-0ea5-4d27-881e-4b524293c454> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.skyways.org/genweb/archives/wyandott/history/1911/volume2/p/perkinjs.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981654 | 836 | 1.828125 | 2 |
Solid glass bluebird made by Fenton Glass
For my birthday anniversary several years ago, my sister Susan (contributor to This Old Paper and Ditalini Press), presented me with a beautiful Fenton Glass bluebird. I have it on the fireplace mantle, where I can admire the cobalt-blue glass bird from my work desk.
In thanks for the pleasure derived from this solid-glass bluebird of happiness, I am mailing to Susan the original of the vintage postcard featuring bluebirds illustrated here:
Bluebirds postcard by Stecher (623 D) – obverse
Bluebirds postcard by Stecher (623 D) – reverse
The printed inscription on the front of the postcard is, “The Bluebirds bring to you my Greetings”. In the foreground, a pair of bluebirds are depicted perched on a rustic, wooden roost, while two more bluebirds can be seen soaring in the puffy-clouded sky in the background. A woman walks up the path toward the front door of a log cabin that features a red brick chimney. The grass is a verdant green, and two stout trees in full foliage round out this picturesque rural scene. in addition to black ink, the other colors of ink used to create this postcard appear to be brown, blue, red, and two shades of green. The entire perimeter is slightly embossed, as are the following features: The foreground bluebirds, the rustic wooden roost and the tufts of grass around the base of the roost, both trees, and the woman. The design is not artist signed.
This card is published and copyright by Stecher Lithographic Company, located in Rochester, New York. The small, circular Stecher logo is located in the lower left corner of the front of the post card. It reads: STECHER LITH. CO. ROCH. N. Y. around the circumference of a circle with a C in the middle of it:
Stecher Lithographic Company (623 D) – Detail of logo
A short company history of the Stecher Lithographic Company is found in volume XXXV (1982) of the University of Rochester LIbrary Bulletin, in an article entitled “Nineteenth Century Rochester Fruit and Flower Plates” by Karl Sanford Kabelac. The article is available online at the University of Rochester‘s River Campus Libraries website, posted by the Department of Rare Books, Special Collections and Preservation. Scroll nearly halfway down the webpage for the section about The Stecher Lithographic Company. Although the focus of the article pertains to printers in the Rochester, New York area who made plates (prints) of fruits and flowers to illustrate the catalogues of the botanical offerings of local nurseries, the Stecher Lithographic Company also printed numerous postcards during the golden age of postcards. Wikipedia mentions that Frances Brundage illustrated for the Stecher Lithographic Company, although the entry does not specifically state that she illustrated postcards for Stecher, which also printed illutrated books.
On the reverse of this bluebirds greetings postcard, we find out that this is Stecher’s postcard Series 623 D (lower left corner). The ‘D’ indicates that this postcard is the fourth design in series 623. In addition to being sold individually, postcards often were sold in packets, and the postcards in a thematic packet would bear the same series number, but each unique postcard design within the packet would have its own letter designation. For example, if a packet contained twelve postcards, each with a unique design, then the postcards typically would have letter designations from ‘A’ through ‘L’ following the series number.
The back of this postcard has the phrase “MADE IN U. S. A.” located about a third of the way from the top of the message side. The phrases “FOR CORRESPONDENCE” and “FOR ADDRESS ONLY” (each underlined) are symmetrically located at the top of the vertical divider line, on the left side and the right side, respectively. The stamp box in the upper right corner of the reverse is defined by two, nested thin lines, and is nearly square, being only slightly higher than wide. Inside the stampbox are three lines of text:
The words “POST CARD” are centrally featured across the top of the back of the postcard. The letters have slight serifs, and the serifs at the ends of the horizontal bar of the “T” both point out (away from the central, vertical bar of the “T”).. The “C” of CARD has lots of curvilinear flourishes emanating from it.
The card is postally unused, but there is a name written in pencil, toward the top of the address side of the postcard. The name is crudely scrawled, and written over an erasure, but appears to be “Mr. A. Teribery”. Having never passed through the United States Post Office, there is no postmark date to use as a temporal guide. However, since the postcard has a vertical divider line, allowing for a message to be placed on the back of the card, then the card must have been printed after March 1, 1907, which is the date that the U. S. Post Office allowed a message to be written on the side of the postcard that had previously been reserved for the address only. Based on the physical characteristics of the card, as well as the postmarks of other Stecher Lithographic Company postcards in my collection, a reasonable estimate of publication date for this particular postcard is in the range of 1907 to around 1925.
“For your Happiness”, here is another Stecher postcard featuring bluebirds:
For your Happiness – Stecher Series 683 D – obverse
For your Happiness – Stecher Series 683 D – reverse
The above postcard is in the Stecher Series 683, and also just happens to be the ‘D’ design of the series. The front of the postcard features a four-line verse in the upper-right quadrant:
I’m sending these Bluebirds
As a merry sign
Of the Joy I’m wishing
A friend of mine.
The font of the verse is an italic, sans-serif font, printed in black ink. Underneath the verse are two large bluebirds in flight, with wings intersecting, as well as a smaller bluebird in flight near the bottom of the postcard. The other major design element of the postcard front is a vignette of a rural farm scene, with a stylized birch tree in the foreground, just to the left of a winding dirt path that leads to a farm house and barn in the background. There is a flag flying on a flagpole to the right of the barn, and a tall, conical structure behind the farm house, which might be meant to represent a silo. The left side of the design is bordered with eight daisy-like flowers, on green stems of varying lengths. Underneath the farm vignette is printed in black ink: FOR YOUR HAPPINESS, with flourishes on the ‘F’, ‘R’, ‘H’ and “N’. The entire edge of the postcard is bordered in light blue, and the Stecher Lithographic Company logo (identical to the Stecher logo in the first postcard) is printed in black ink in the lower-left corner. The bluebirds and the daisies (stems included) are lightly embossed. As with many, if not the majority, of the postcards that feature a small vignette as the primary design element, this postcard is not artist signed.
The printing on the “For your Happiness” postcard back is identical to the printing on the reverse of the first Stecher postcard. This postcard, however, bears a stamp, although it is not postally used. The inscription, is written in black ink with a fountain pen:
“Many happy returns of the Day, is the wish of your friend”
is signed by Alwine Buth, and addressed to:
Miss Tena Memken.
1459 Bates Ave.
Using only online search engine queries (without recourse to databases available through special library-only access), I was able to determine that the “City” is Springfield, Illinois. Please comment below if you figure out what search terms were used in the online search to identify the name of the city. Arriving at a credible estimate of the date that the postcard was printed or used is a bit more challenging, since the postcard, although stamped, was probably hand-delivered by Alwine Buth to Tena Memken, or was included in a letter written by Alwine Buth to Tena Memken, and thus was never postmarked by the U. S. Post Office.* However, the stamp itself reveals at least an earliest date that the postcard could have existed. This one cent, green stamp bearing the likeness of George Washington is similar to the style of postage stamp that was affixed to untold thousands of vintage postcards. Stamps that all look pretty much identical to the postage stamp on this postcard were issued for nearly eleven years, from February 12, 1912 tthrough January 16, 1923. Without close examination, these one cent stamps all look the same. However, there are subtle differences in the stamp as it was released and rereleased by the Post Office Department. This particular stamp happens to be “Perf 11″, both horizontally and vertically, meaning that there are eleven perforations per each two millimeter length. The perf 11 version of this one-cent was issued on March 23, 1917, so this postcard was produced by Stecher (and then used by Alwine Buth) sometime after that date. Since (according to familysearch.org) Alwine Buth was born in 1900, and Tena Memken was born in or about that same year, that would make Alwine seventeen years old or older at the time of penning this happy thought, and would explain why Tena was still a “Miss”, being in her late teens or early twenties.
*I favor the theory that, after wrting the postcard and placing a postage stamp on it, Alwine decided to write a longer message in the form of a letter to Tena, and thus included the postcard inside of the envelope that contained the letter, even though she had already put a postage stamp on the postcard. I base this theory on the evidence of two small (about one-qurter inch deep) tears in the top edge of the postcard, separated by approximately one and three-eigths of an inch, with semi-circular stress marks between the tears. I surmise that these might have developed when the postcard was (accidentally) mishandled while being removed from the envelope, the recipient not expecting there to be an enclosure other than the letter.
Let us now examine a non-Stecher vintage postcard featuring bluebirds:
The Bluebirds for Happiness – Obverse
The Bluebirds for Happiness – Reverse
This postcard features a four-line poem, entitled “The Bluebird for Happiness”
This merry little feathered friend,
So cheery, bright and blue,
Because he brings true happiness,
I’m sending him to you.
The postcard has been mailed, with a postmark cancellation from Swanton, Vermont, postmarked February 27, 1920. The postcard has been used as a birthday greeting, with this undated inscription, written in black ink using a fountain pen:
“Hello Dad, Many Happy Returns for your Birthday. You’ll soon be as old as I. Also wishing you many more Birthdays. Dorothy.”
The card is addressed to a Mr. B. E. Stearns, Swanton, Vermont, #5. 24. (Probably meaning Rural Route 5, Box 24.). The actual date of Mr. Stearn’s birthday anniversary is not stated. I wonder if it might have been February 29th, since 1920 was a leap year? Aha!! His birthdate WAS most likely February 29th!! I had been puzzled about the inscription of his daughter, but it is quite clear now! Talk about a conundrum! I couldn’t figure out why Dorothy would write: “You’ll soon be as old as I.” The only way that a father can credibly be said to be younger than his daughter is if the father has only one birthday anniversary every four years! Since Dorothy’s handwriting appears to be well developed, she was probably older than elementary-school age. This would mean that on February 29, 1920, her father would have been one of these ages (actual age/leap-year age): 52/13; 56/14; 60/15. My guess is that Dorothy was born when her father was 44 years old. If that were the case, then, when Dorothy was sixteen years old, her father would be celebrating his fifteenth leap-year birthday (actual age: sixty years old), and the postcard would make the most sense. That was fun! If I get an opportunity, I will try to research archival records to determine if my theory is borne out (Apologies for the intentional pun). Update: Research using Ancestry.com Library Edition tells a different story. The Vermont death certificate for Burton E. Stearns gives a date of birth of February 19, 1857. Since 1857 is not a leap year, my solution to the puzzling birthday greeting message is disproven. By the way, Dorothy may have been named for her grandmother on her father’s side, since Burton E. Stearns was the son of Eldad A. Stearns and Dorothy Stearns (per the 1880 Federal Census), AKA Dolly Stearns (per the 1860 Federal Census).
Along the left edge of the reverse (back side of the postcard) is printed: Series 727, Messages — 24 Designs. Indeed, there is a very faint 727 in the lower left area of the obverse. I have not yet determined the printer or the publisher of this postcard, but the words “POST CARD” are distinctive, in that the angled descender of the letter R is a gentle arc that connects to the middle of the bottom of the letter D. Another distinguishing feature of POST CARD is the presence of a small dot in the center of the letter C. If anyone reading this post can shed light on the publisher, please comment below. The card is not embossed, but the front has what I term a pigskin surface, composed of fine, irregular indentations, probably to allow the ink to form a stronger bond with the surface of the card stock. Also of note is the white border around the front image, which indicates that this postcard was most likely printed in the United States rather than in Germany, probably sometime between 1914 and early 1920.
For some stunning photos of bluebirds in North Carolina, have a look at this post by Sweetbay, titled “Bluebirds in the Snow“. | <urn:uuid:b549291c-4275-44da-985a-0638bc321ada> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://postcardiness.wordpress.com/tag/post-card/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954883 | 3,236 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Brong Ahafo Region Hotels
Brong Ahafo Region
It is the heart of Ghana, A warm welcome and kind people welcome you to non other than the Brong Ahafo region. A array of tribal groups, physical features, practices which date back to the distant past are all available for locals and tourists alike. Tourism plays an integral role in Brong Ahofo region's economy, so you as a tourist can expect the best experience possible when you come here to experience your own little slice of Ghana.
The capital of the Brong Ahafo Region is Sunyani and it is conveniently linked to Accra by a proper road and is approximately seven hours drive between Accra and Sunyani. The tourist trail usually begins at Sunyani and will follow the most famous tourists attractions of the Brong Ahafo region.
Formed on the 4th April 1959 the Brong Ahafo, which was then known as western Ashanti region is the second largest area of Ghana for landmass and has a territorial size of 39,557,O8sq.kms.
Modes of Transport
Road The Brong Ahafo Region can brag of having excellent roadways connecting its most important townships to the capital, Sunyani along with the rest of the country.
Air Sunyani has an airport, this airport links the Brong Ahafo region by air to Accra, Kumasi and Takoradi. Air transport is nonetheless irregular and is consequently undependable. The lake Brong Ahafo, on its part of the Volta Lake has 3 lake ports. These are New Buipe, Yeji and Yapei. They can be easily reached from Akosombo by means of the Yapei Queen and such others.
Telecommunications Present here is a communications system containing more than 6,800 direct telephone lines connecting nearly all district capitals; radio phones are used in the remaining districts and mobile phones usage is starting to become popular now..
Electricity The thirteen capitals of the district have been given electricity; voltage of which is the same as the national voltage of 220 volts and of 3-pronged and 2-pronged out- lets.
Money Exchange There are not many foreign exchange bureaux in the major district capitals which deal in financial dealings in cedis and a chosen few foreign currencies.
Hotels The Brong Ahafo region possesses more than 120 hotels, many which are within budget. Star-rated hotels and luxury guesthouses are seen in Techiman, Sunyani, Wenchi Berekum, and Dormaa. Efficient budget hotels and guesthouses can be found in each of the thirteen districts in this Region. | <urn:uuid:67f3e611-6eac-4d5d-99ed-72880bd3ada4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ghanahotels.us/brong-ahafo-region-hotels/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944481 | 559 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Chávez Tries to Go Nuclear
With Russia’s help.
3:50 PM, Oct 19, 2010 • By JAIME DAREMBLUM
Last Friday in Moscow, Russian president Dmitri Medvedev signed a formal agreement obliging his country to help Venezuela launch a nuclear energy program. Vladimir Putin first floated the idea of Russian-Venezuelan nuclear cooperation back in 2008, following the Georgian war, and he signed a preliminary nuclear accord with Hugo Chávez this past April. On Friday, Medvedev and Chávez finalized the deal.
“I don’t know who will shudder at this,” the Russian leader said wryly, insisting that Moscow’s motives in helping Chávez go nuclear were “absolutely pure and open.” (Neither Medvedev nor Chávez offered an exact timeline for the project.) His comments will do little to reassure the United States and its democratic partners in Latin America, who are well aware of Venezuela’s history as a state sponsor of terrorism, a regional bully, and a close ally of the Iranian theocracy. (Indeed, according to the Associated Press, a 2009 Israeli foreign ministry report accused Venezuela of providing Tehran with uranium.)
The very same day that Medvedev and Chávez signed their nuclear pact, Putin told reporters that Russia would be selling Caracas another 35 military tanks. Over the past several years, Moscow has been the main facilitator of Venezuela’s arms buildup. “We are willing to supply tanks and, with respect to other types of weapons, we will do it broadly,” Putin said on Friday. “Russian companies have started to work according to their orders.”
After his stop in Moscow, Chávez headed west to neighboring Belarus and met with its dictator, Alexander Lukashenko. Chávez outlandishly declared that the eastern European country “would feel no shortages of oil in the next 200 years,” thanks to Venezuela. The two governments “are building an alternative to imperialism,” Chávez added.
These remarks may seem more comical than anything, but they should not be ignored. Venezuela has systemically embraced virtually every authoritarian regime and anti-American dictator on the planet. It is now playing the same role that Castro’s Cuba did during the Cold War. As for the nuclear agreement, that should dispel any illusion that Chávez has been a force for stability in the U.S.-Venezuela relationship. | <urn:uuid:a06819a5-b7b0-42c4-89d1-5cc0ecb60261> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/ch-vez-tries-go-nuclear_511249.html | 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 | 0.950844 | 519 | 1.84375 | 2 |
January 15, 2013
Where would you go and what would you do if you could have a grand adventure anywhere in the world? This is what the people at MoneySupermarket.com are asking in a competition to win £1,000. All you have to do is say where your adventure would be and how you would be frugal in order to make your money last.
'Hmmm, a Grand Adventure,' I thought - definitely a question for my two boys, who visit any number of exotic locations in their imaginations on a daily basis. So, I sat down with them both and while my five-year-old didn't appear to be all that interested when he realised that a trip to the moon probably wasn't possible just yet, my young seven-year-old Indiana Jones was full of enthusiasm. Here is what he suggested for his 'Grand Adventure'.
'I would love to go to South America. First, to Brazil to explore the Amazon. I would go looking for a few different animals that I am interested in, like a jaguar.' [at this point, he runs off to grab his World Atlas and returns with the page for South America]. 'OK,' he continues, in a very serious voice, 'so, I would also like to go looking for anacondas and maybe see a toucan. We could camp to save money - although rattlesnakes might go into your tent so you'd have to be careful. And I might like to go and see a gold mine [random, but why not?]. And I would like to go to Machu Picchu and explore inside it. I think that is where the Incas lived a long time ago. [I explained to him at this point that you have to do a very long trek to get to Machu Picchu. He was OK with this, although I suspect that there would be requests to be carried on shoulders before the car park was out of sight]. Oh, and it would also be great to go to Rio to see the Olympics in 2016 and if I was in the Olympics it wouldn't cost anything at all.
I would like to bring back a souvenir of my trip, like maybe a key ring or something small. It would also be really cool to see a southern right whale or a humpback whale. And I would like to try some peanuts and maybe go and see a few pelicans and I'm really interested in chinchillas [really?! I did not know that.] I would go by boat most of the way to make my money last, but maybe I'd have to fly some of the way on a jungle plane. I would call this 'My Adventures of Brazil'.'
So, there you go. Sounds like a pretty epic adventure to me, although I'm not quite so sure about encounters with jaguars and anacondas and I have no idea how much peanuts cost in South America, so this could end up blowing the budget instantly, unless, of course, you can buy them for ... erm ... peanuts. Groan.
To enter the competition yourself, visit this link and start planning your own epic adventure.
Carefully crafted by Hot Cross Mum at 6:34 PM
December 10, 2012
Last week saw the release on DVD and Blue-Ray of the latest in the Ice Age movie franchise - Ice Age 4: Continental Drift. We've seen it, and it's one of the best!
This all-new chapter in the beloved ICE AGE franchise reconnects families with herd favourites Manny, Sid, and Diego. Joining familiar friends of the Ice Age world on their latest journey is Sid’s long-lost and side-splittingly funny Granny plus a band of pirates led by the fearsome orangutan Captain Gutt. And no ICE AGE film would be complete without celebrated icon Scrat, whose existence revolves around the elusive acorn. Scrat once again returns with his very own exploits; however this time his pursuits result in world-changing consequences.
Here's the trailer:
This really is an excellent, family movie with some stunning graphics, great comedy writing and some memorable one-liners. The boys were cracking up laughing throughout - mainly at Sid and Granny - and have been quoting from the film ever since watching it. For anyone who has enjoyed the first three Ice Age movies, or even if you haven't seen them, this would make a great Christmas present. It's up-beat, entertaining and doesn't reduce you to tears (which a lot of the Disney movies seem to do recently!). Highly recommended - and we're looking forward to Ice Age 5 (which, according to the weather forecasts is on the way this week). As Sid would say, 'Holy Crab!'
Carefully crafted by Hot Cross Mum at 9:55 AM | <urn:uuid:53b7bae0-eaaa-4c21-85c8-c6d521a61925> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hotcrossmum.blogspot.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979861 | 988 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Advanced Math/Science Research Update
by Dr. April Burch, Director of the AMSR program
January 15, 2013
Since our last update, Berkshire School hosted student researchers from Belmont Hill, and all-boys prep school outside of Boston, for a 1-day mini-symposium on Student Biomedical Research. The goal was to foster collaboration, communication and community outreach with our students. AMSR students Liza Bernstein '13, Sissi Wang '13, Lars Robinson '13, Elsie Guevara '13, Ernest Yue '13, and Nate MacKenzie '14, gave short talks about their work in the new Bellas/Dixon Math and Science lecture hall. The talks were followed up by break-out sessions where Belmont Hill students described their research projects and students discussed commonalities between the projects and future goals.
The second semester of AMSR started with some terrific news. The AMSR program was awarded a grant from The Chinchester Dupont Foundation for the purchase of an EVOS fluorescence microscope. This piece of equipment will expand the types of experiments and analyses that can be done by AMSR students this and future years. The microscope should arrive shortly, and Dr. Burch has invited everyone to stop in for a look next time they are on campus.
One new, exciting project that is underway in the winter season of AMSR in the afternoons is being spearheaded by Elif Kesaf '14. Elif is from Turkey and seeks to identify novel viruses of non-pathogenic strains of Legionella bacterium from travertines in Pamukkale. In collaboration with Dr. Sunny Shin at the Perlman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, she will be working to isolate viruses of this bacterium with the hope of identifying new agents to combat Legionnaires' disease caused by a pathogenic form of Legionella.
Look for more news from Dr. Burch in the next issue! | <urn:uuid:caf52350-31f7-4458-9b82-73c1269d1eb9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.berkshireschool.org/page.cfm?p=2310&newsid=370&ncat=8 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952209 | 400 | 1.648438 | 2 |
The Triple P – Positive Parenting Program is one of the most effective evidence-based parenting programs in the world, backed up by more than 30 years of ongoing research. Triple P gives parents simple and practical strategies to help them confidently manage their children’s behaviour, prevent problems developing and build strong, healthy relationships. Triple P is currently used in 25 countries and has been shown to work across cultures, socio-economic groups and in all kinds of family structures.
This website is for practitioners, agencies and governments. If you are a parent, please go to Triple P's parent website. | <urn:uuid:796e39d6-f242-4ca4-b56b-c0e3b0564765> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.triplep.net/glo-en/home/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936447 | 119 | 1.570313 | 2 |
This Month for a Donation of Any Amount:
Get your copy of "The Answers Book for Kids"
Passing on biblical truth to the next generation is part of our calling as Christians. Colossians 3:16
tells us to "let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing on another in all wisdom." We must purpose to train others up in truth to advance the cause of Christ after our work is finished...and that starts with our children. Whether you are a parent, grandparent I want to recommend Ken Hamm's book called The Answers Book for Kids to help you engage the young inquiring minds in your life. | <urn:uuid:ba62f0bf-a595-4ed5-bf63-0cb6687f6c4f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/focal-point/listen/head-games-part-4a-286886.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931413 | 135 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Peter Martin, a former Dean of Cornell Law School and an innovator in the field of digital technology law, teaches copyright and social security law. After his graduation from Harvard Law School, Professor Martin spent three years in the Air Force General Counsel's Office, and then began his teaching career at the University of Minnesota Law School in 1967. He joined the Cornell Law School Faculty in 1972, and served as Dean from 1980 to 1988. A strong proponent of the use of computers in the law and educational process, Professor Martin co-founded Cornell's Legal Information Institute (LII), the first Internet law resource and today's most heavily used non-profit legal Web site. In addition to serving as LII's co-director since its founding in 1992, Professor Martin has authored a CD-Rom treatise on Social Security law, coauthored a textbook on real property, and written numerous articles on welfare and on the use of the internet in the legal profession. | <urn:uuid:8cf0f9bf-bc11-4f5b-b59f-dda1c3928047> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lawschool.cornell.edu/faculty/bio.cfm?id=42 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961943 | 191 | 1.648438 | 2 |
An anonymous reader points out an article by Richard Stallman in The Guardian which questions whether Android should be described as 'free' or 'open.' Quoting: "Google has complied with the requirements of the GNU General Public License for Linux, but the Apache license on the rest of Android does not require source release. Google has said it will never publish the source code of Android 3.0 (aside from Linux), even though executables have been released to the public. Android 3.1 source code is also being withheld. Thus, Android 3, apart from Linux, is non-free software, pure and simple. ... Android is a major step towards an ethical, user-controlled, free-software portable phone, but there is a long way to go. Hackers are working on Replicant, but it's a big job to support a new phone model, and there remains the problem of the firmware. Even though the Android phones of today are considerably less bad than Apple or Windows smartphones, they cannot be said to respect your freedom." | <urn:uuid:076e67db-c8a2-4693-ad6a-b787f75c8ab9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/09/19/1756241/RMS-Is-Android-Really-Free-Software/funny-comments | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935027 | 211 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Downtown Soup Kitchen Moving Into Larger Facility
Kitchen offers food, showers for homeless, working poor and families
ANCHORAGE - September is “Hunger Action Month” in Alaska and for the last few weeks we’ve been profiling places that make it their mission to make sure that no one goes hungry. The Downtown Soup Kitchen in Anchorage has been doing that work for nearly 20 years.
On a day in late September the lines of hungry people waiting for soup and a sandwich are particularly long. On this day more than 400 people will be served. Workers aren’t surprised, the lines are always longest at the end of the month when any money these people might have had is usually long gone.
The Soup Kitchen serves a midday meal five days a week. The food is donated and goes to all ages of homeless people, the working poor and their families. Janice Spray has been volunteering at the Kitchen one day a week for the last four years. She said a show of gratitude is one reason she comes back.
“I mean they'll say thank you and God bless you and have a good day,” said Spray. “They are people, they're just homeless.”
The kitchen offers more than just food, there are also a small number of showers and a closet of donated clothes. Soon they will have a lot more. Possibly as early as next month the kitchen will be moving to a brand new building with room to grow at Third and Cordova.
The hope is that a new location can offer more than just a hot meal. The plan is to make it more of a community center that include everything from a medical clinic to counseling services. | <urn:uuid:ad39ea02-400a-4283-aa35-c179733736c5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ktva.com/home/top-stories/Downtown-Soup-Kitchen-Moving-Into-Larger-Facility-171272321.html?skipthumb=Y | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979654 | 348 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Law enforcement officials across the country have been using robots for some time now to scope out potential bomb threats, intervene in hostage crises, and make dozens of fresh donuts each day, but a new bot being developed for the Waukesha Police Department is the first one we've seen endowed with a potentially lethal weapon. After researching all of the pre-built tactical bots on the market, Waukesha officer Daniel Baumman decided that none met the specific needs of his unit, so he cleverly recruited student volunteers from the Milwaukee School of Engineering to design one for him; in a classic win-win situation, the students get academic credit for building the killbot out of donated parts, while the city gets free tech and only has to pay for fuel and maintenance. Although this real-life Robocop has already proven its skill at negotiating unfamiliar structures -- even climbing up and down stairs -- the students have not yet been able to implement a radio-control system that works reliably through walls, severely limiting its utility. Once they finally find a wireless standard that can operate through physical impediments, the little bot will be tasked with assisting the department in diffusing dangerous standoffs: not only can it seek out an armed criminal holed up in a building, its on-board Taser allows it to incapacitate the target with extreme prejudice. This is all well and good, but we sure don't want to be around the first time Waukesha's policebot comes face-to-face with an E.D. 209, as the RPG- and machine gun-toting juggernaut will easily shrug off those few jolts of electricity and respond with a bot-killing storm of firepower.
[Via The Wireless Report] | <urn:uuid:db8aba24-a97d-44ea-a543-a72fc91ef656> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/14/taser-equipped-police-bot-will-clean-up-lawless-waukesha-wiscon/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954876 | 352 | 1.789063 | 2 |
(a) State Historic Preservation Officers and Federal Preservation Officers are encouraged to cooperate in locating, inventorying, evaluating, and nominating all properties possessing historical, architectural, archeological, or cultural value. Federal agencies may nominate properties where a portion of the property is not under Federal ownership or control.
(b) When a portion of the area included in a Federal nomination is not located on land under the ownership or control of the Federal agency, but is an integral part of the cultural resource, the completed nomination form shall be sent to the State Historic Preservation Officer for notification to property owners, to give owners of private property an opportunity to concur in or object to the nomination, to solicit written comments and for submission to the State Review Board pursuant to the procedures in § 60.6.
(c) If the State Historic Preservation Officer and the State Review Board agree that the nomination meets the National Register criteria for evaluation, the nomination is signed by the State Historic Preservation Officer and returned to the Federal agency initiating the nomination. If the State Historic Preservation Officer and the State Review Board disagree, the nomination shall be returned to the Federal agency with the opinions of the State Historic Preservation Officer and the State Review Board concerning the adequacy of the nomination and whether or not the property meets the criteria for evaluation. The opinion of the State Review Board may be the minutes of the State Review Board meeting. The State Historic Preservation Officer's signed opinion and comments shall confirm to the Federal agency that the State nomination procedures have been fulfilled including notification requirements. Any comments received by the State shall be included with the letter as shall any notarized statements objecting to the listing of private property.
(d) If the owner of any privately owned property, (or a majority of the owners of such properties within a district or single property with multiple owners) objects to such inclusion by notarized statement(s) the Federal Historic Preservation Officer shall submit the nomination to the Keeper for review and a determination of eligibility. Comments, opinions, and notarized statements of objection shall be submitted with the nomination.
(e) The State Historic Preservation Officer shall notify the non-Federal owners when a concurrent nomination is listed or determined eligible for the National Register as required in § 60.6.
Title 36 published on 2012-07-01
no entries appear in the Federal Register after this date.
This is a list of United States Code sections, Statutes at Large, Public Laws, and Presidential Documents, which provide rulemaking authority for this CFR Part. | <urn:uuid:c7a397f1-ce6d-416a-92e8-80e09a21d8b2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/36/60.10?quicktabs_7=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934123 | 508 | 1.515625 | 2 |
BFW Charities is a non-profit 501c3 organization dedicated to doing health research and providing grants, services, and basic home furnishings to people in our local communities, as well as abroad. The organization operates through three dynamic programs: Medical Research and Grants, Furnishing Achievements, and the Samaritan Group. Each year, BFW Charities impacts the lives of hundreds of people.
In 1993, Doug and Julie Huseby, founders of Becker Furniture World, established BFW Charities. It started with community requests from individuals who knew of people who where in need of basic home furnishings. Families were without kitchen tables, and children were sleeping on the floor. The Husebys met these basic needs and formalized their endeavor by creating the organization. It is the goal of BFW Charities to help families not only have their physical needs met, but also that they provide the skills they need as they journey toward self-sufficiency.
The charity expanded into Complementary Medical Research and Education as Doug saw how more needs could be met. He has studied options for he and his family to stay healthy and avoid the pain and suffering of acquiring deadly illnesses prematurely, along with finding a solution to simply avoid getting sick with the latest “bug” going around. In 1987, Doug lost his mother as a result of an operation that he felt could have been avoided if the option of complementary medicine and therapies would have been provided. Since her death, he has watched countless friends and family members suffer, only to lose their battles. These events launched a deep and intense passion to learn more about medical options, including complementary medicine and therapies. The Charity creates avenues to help individuals who may not be able to access these advanced technologies and care techniques.
A Word from the Founder
On March 14, 2011 I turned 68 years old! What an eye-opener. It was 18 years ago that my family, friends, and employees put on a big party for my 50th birthday and at that time I thought I was really old. Well, it seems like I blinked and 18 years later I am 68. I guess that is still young when you compare that age to a family member of mine who is 100 this year. I do realize that as another blink goes by I will be 83 years old. What’s the point? I have been trying to do non-profit and charity work for the past 28 years, but do not feel I have done enough and I also feel I have been given the vision, passion, & gifts to do way more in the next “blink”. (18 years and forward!!)
I know that most people want to do more to help people in need however, many times, the dynamics of life do not allow people the time or resources to accomplish their vision or goals. I would like to request your help in forming a partnership to accomplish the goal of helping people. I have set up non-profit organizations that I feel help people that have great needs which are not fully being met by society.
I invite you to view this website and learn how you can become a vital part of helping those in need both in America and abroad.
BFW Charities Founder | <urn:uuid:6718b63d-2915-48bd-b700-f652ad1dab5f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bfweducate.com/about-us | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982401 | 656 | 1.570313 | 2 |
It isnt spring yet, but at the Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge, there are signs of a welcome thaw.
Though total bridge crossings continue to increase, the Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority board of directors received news that truck traffic across the span rose for the second straight month.
In February, 5,844 trucks crossed the bridge, up from 5,308 in the same month in 2012, a 10 percent increase. In January, truck crossings rose to 6,452 from 5,593 the previous year, a 15 percent increase. For the authoritys fiscal year, which ends at the end of this month, truck crossings are up 2 percent so far, from 65,233 to 66,577.
Frederick S. Morrill, the OBPAs deputy executive director, attributed that increase to more vibrant business at the port.
I think that they are driven by our business with Bunge, he said.
In January, Bunge ETGO of St. Louis signed a contract to store up to 10,000 tons of Canadian-grown canola meal at the St. Lawrence River facility. The meal is the primary ingredient in livestock feed, but also is used in oils and food products. The product is being shipped out by truck.
For several years, the number of trucks crossing the bridge has remained steady or declined.
The increase could be a sign that the north countrys economy is beginning to perk up.
Wade A. Davis, the authoritys executive director, said bridge traffic was at its busiest in a decade.
Definitely, this is the highest in the last 10 years, he said.
Automobile traffic across the bridge increased every month this fiscal year compared with the previous year. In February, 45,480 cars crossed the bridge, up from 41,259 last year a 10 percent increase.
In total, 75,913 more vehicles than last year have crossed the bridge this year, leading to an increase in toll revenue. The authority so far has collected $2,255,955 in tolls this year $126,203, or almost 6 percent, over the $2,129,753 budgeted. The authority hopes the increase in traffic will lead to funding for more than $100 million in repairs needed on the bridge, which include replacing the approach span. | <urn:uuid:14ce67f6-5bc9-4c0e-a553-59fd2b94e6c5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://watertowndailytimes.com/article/20130315/OGD01/703159818/2591 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95774 | 480 | 1.617188 | 2 |
A Quote by Charles C. Finn on acceptance, art, beginning, belief, children, confidence, confusion, conviction, death, fear, god, heart, hope, laughter, lies, life, listening, loneliness, love, nature, needs, play, power, salvation, security, spontaneity,
Don't be fooled by me. Don't be fooled by the face I wear. For I wear a thousand masks, masks that I am afraid to take off and none of them are me. Pretending is an art that's second nature with me, but don't be fooled. For God's sake don't be fooled. I give the impression that I am secure, that all is sunny and unruffled with me, within as well as without, that confidence is my name and coolness my game; that the waters are calm and I am in command, and that I need no one. But don't believe me, please. My surface may seem smooth, but my surface is my mask, ever-varying and ever-concealing 'Neath this lies no complacence. Beneath dwells the real me in confusion, in fear, and aloneness. But I hide this. I don't want anybody to know. I panic at the thought of my weakness and fear of being exposed. That is why I frantically create a mask to hide behind; a nonchalant, sophisticated facade, to help me pretend, to shield me from the glance that knows. But such a glance is precisely my salvation. My only salvation. And I know it. That is, if it is followed by acceptance, if it is followed by love. It is the only thing that will assure me of what I can't assure myself, that I am worth something. But, I don't tell you this. I don't dare. I am afraid to. I am afraid your glance will not be followed by acceptance and love. I am afraid you will think less of me, that you will laugh at me, and that you will see this and reject me. So I play my game, my desperate game, with a facade of assurance without, and a trembling child within. And so begins the parade of masks, and my life becomes a front. I idly chatter to you in the suave tones of surface talk. I tell you everything that is really nothing, and nothing of what is everything, of what is crying within me; So when I am going through my routine do not be fooled by what I am saying. Please listen carefully and try to hear what I am not saying. What I would like to be able to say, what for survival I need to say, but I can't say. I dislike hiding, Honestly! I dislike the superficial game I am playing, the phony game. I would really like to be genuine and spontaneous, and me, but you have got to help me. You have got to hold out your hand, even when that is the last thing I seem to want. Only you can wipe away from my eyes that blank stare of breathing death. Only you can call me into aliveness. Each time you try to understand and because you really care, my heart begins to grow wings, very small wings, very feeble wings, but wings. With your sensitivity and sympathy, and your power of understanding, you can breathe life into me. I want you to know that. I want you to know how important you are to me, how you can be the creator of the person that is me if you choose to. Please choose to. You alone can break down the wall behind which I tremble, you alone can remove my mask. You alone can release me from my shadow world of panic and uncertainty; From my lonely person. Do not pass me by. Please . . . do not pass me by. It will not be easy for you; a long conviction of worthlessness builds strong walls. The nearer you approach me, the blinder I strike back. I fight against the very thing I cry out for. But I am told that love is stronger than walls, and in this lies my hope. Please try to beat down those walls with firm hands, but with gentle hands for a child is very sensitive. Who am I, you may wonder? I am someone you know very well. For I am every man you meet and I am every woman you meet.
Contributed by: Zaady | <urn:uuid:05c44971-6ed3-4662-8ce0-0d226ed7446c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.gaiam.com/quotes/authors/charles-c-finn/6115 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973867 | 903 | 1.578125 | 2 |
March 31, 2010
THE BIG DETOUR:
Herb Ellis, Jazz Guitarist, Is Dead at 88 (PETER KEEPNEWS, 3/31/10, NY Times)
Mr. Ellis was an early disciple of Charlie Christian, whose deft improvisations, built on long single-note lines, established the template for modern jazz guitar in the 1940s. But he was always more than an imitator: his style mixed the harmonic sophistication of bebop with the earthy directness of the blues and seasoned the blend with a twang more typical of country music than jazz. [...]
In 1947 he and two associates from Jimmy Dorsey’s band, the pianist Lou Carter and the bassist Johnny Frigo, formed the vocal and instrumental trio the Soft Winds, whose song “Detour Ahead” became a jazz standard, recorded most memorably by Billie Holiday.
He first attracted wide attention during his five-year stint with Peterson’s popular group, which, like the Soft Winds, included a bassist (Ray Brown) but no drummer. The absence of a percussionist required Mr. Ellis to provide the rhythmic foundation for Peterson’s energetic playing as well as the guitar solos; he did it so well that when he left the trio in 1958, Peterson replaced him not with another guitarist but with a drummer.
Posted by Orrin Judd at March 31, 2010 11:37 AM | <urn:uuid:c7119c67-389f-434e-8cda-7f59c677a2f4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://brothersjuddblog.com/archives/2010/03/the_big_detour.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963373 | 298 | 1.734375 | 2 |
“I am not exaggerating when I say that to a true collector the acquisition of an old book is its rebirth” —Walter Benjamin, Illuminations 61
[I know this is long, but a few people have told me they missed my longer posts, so this is for them]
I might as well confess: I am bibliophile. And I blame the acquisition of this condition on a little essay I read when I was 23 by Walter Benjamin: “Unpacking My Library: A Talk about Book Collecting.” Sure my father collected rare antique editions of books, and some of my earliest memories are of going to antique dealers and auctions and watching while he bid on books. I recall in fact that he had a book in his library that was over 400 years old! But despite all those Saturdays trudging out to dealers, I never fully understood the fascination of collecting old books. I remember thinking that most people would much rather have new editions of a book than an old one. I mean aren’t new things always better than old things?
I gained more appreciation as time went by. On a rainy weekend, I might wander into my dad’s library and peruse these books. I was always scared to touch them because some of them were so delicate I thought I might destroy them. But I would love reading the inscriptions of the books, usually given out of love to someone else, and the note marginalia often left in these books revealing the private thoughts of persons who had been dead for perhaps hundreds of years. It felt almost like taking a step into a time machine.
However, I didn’t go from admiring old books to actually collecting them myself until I read Benjamin’s analysis of book collecting. Benjamin, you may recall, is a literary theorist and one of four key members of the Frankfurt school of neomarxist social theory, along with Theodor Adorno. Walter Benjamin died a tragic death as a Jew attempting to flee Nazi Germany and within the last 20 years has developed deep critical currency in academic circles. According to Benjamin, contrary to popular opinion, book collectors don’t collect books in order to read them. They collect books to liberate them: “[O]ne of the finest memories of a collector is the moment when he rescued a book to which he might never have given a thought, much less a wishful look, because he found it lonely and abandoned in the marketplace and bought it to give it its freedom—the way the prince bought a beautiful slave girl in The Arabian Nights. To a book collector, you see, the true freedom of all books is somewhere on his shelves” (64).
By why exactly does a book need to be rescued? Old books need to be rescued mostly because they not only contain history within their pages, but also because they are themselves living objects of history: “Every passion borders on the chaotic, but the collector’s passion borders on the chaos of memories. More than that: the chance, the fate, that suffuse the past before my eyes are conspicuously present in … these books” (60, my emphasis) Indeed, their design, art, and craftsmanship all give the book collector the rare ability to see directly into a specific moment in the past. As Anatole France once said, “The only exact knowledge there is, is the knowledge of the date of publication and the format of books.” (qtd. In Benjamin 60). Specific publishing practices possible only at a specific moment in time merge art and design to unassailably time-stamp a book, fashioning art itself as the “looking glass” into a bygone era. A rare book may be beautiful, but the more beautifully it is designed and constructed, the more rare it is and, therefore, the more exactly we can position it in time. So we collect old books to liberate them. For only by liberating a book can we rescue history.
In this photo, I give you three books from my library of rare and old books. On the bottom of the stack is The Poetical Works of John Greenleaf Whittier, a popular 19th-century American poet, which was published in 1890. In the middle of the stack is Sir Walter Scott’s Poetical Works published circa 1870. And on the top of the stack is one of my oldest books, The Pleasures of Hope with Other Poems, by Thomas Campbell, published almost 200 years ago in 1815. I chose these three books for this photo, not because they are the oldest or rarest in my library, but because all three editions possess some of most beautiful and ornate design/art I’ve come across. They are art no less than the poetry they carry inside them.
*** Read below ONLY if you want to know the publishing details of these books***
(1) The Poetical Works of John Greenleaf Whittier with Life, Notes, Index Etc. published by Frederick Warne & Co in London 1891. It comes with a portrait engraving and original illustrations. Original red/burgundy cloth decorated with gilt and etchings.
(2) Sir Walter Scott’s Poetical Works published by Gall & Inglis in both Edinburgh and London in 1870. It comes complete with 8 engravings on steel and a brief biography of Scott. Original red/burgundy cloth is heavily decorated with, gilt, etching, & terracotta. Yapp Binding. With gilded edges and a sunken golden frame encasing an intaglio image of flowers and four raised vignettes of Shakespeare, fellow Scottish poet Robert Burns and two Scottish castles. Spine is heavily illustrated with gilt and terracotta.
(3) The Pleasures of Hope and Other Poems published by Longman, Hurst, Rees in London in 1815. With illustrations. Gilded titles and decorative elements on cover and spine. Spine is also heavily illustrated. | <urn:uuid:798aa6e7-2360-4dac-81a1-a41f3f75e707> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lynnlangmade.tumblr.com/tagged/books | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960248 | 1,242 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Gameshow art director Ed Flesh died July 15 in Mission Hills, Calif., of congestive heart failure brought on by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He was 79.One of Flesh’s most famous designs was that for “Wheel of Fortune”: He conceived of a spinning wheel that spins horizontally; the original concept was for a vertically oriented wheel. Flesh began his showbiz career designing Off Broadway projects and landed at NBC as supervisor of scenic design on various soap operas, talk and game shows. Flesh eventually relocated to NBC in Burbank as the senior art director on the soap opera “Days of Our Lives” and also designed several gameshows at the network. After leaving NBC to create his own company, Flesh designed gameshows for all three broadcast networks and for syndication such as “The $25,000 Pyramid,” “Name That Tune” and “Jeopardy!” as well as “Second Chance,” “Press Your Luck,” “Celebrity Sweepstakes,” “50 Grand Slam” and “To Say The Least.” He also designed sets for talkshows: David Letterman’s first effort for NBC daytime, “The Montel Williams Show” and a few episodes of “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” Flesh, born and raised in Philadelphia, completed his undergraduate work at Franklin and Marshall College, then spent three years doing graduate work in scenic design at the Yale Drama School. He is survived by his partner of 44 years, David Powers.
Data provided by:Nielsen Media Research (Preliminary Results) | <urn:uuid:6170005b-46d1-46ee-bc8d-2c496d0bf622> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://variety.com/2011/scene/news/gameshow-designer-ed-flesh-dies-1118040235/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979605 | 344 | 1.585938 | 2 |
And Things Happen for the First Time
translated by Sonja Kravanja
Modry Peter Publishers ($11.95)
by Susan Smith Nash
IIztok Osojnik, who lives and writes in Ljubljana, Slovenia, has published more than 16 collections of poetry, many of which have been translated from Slovenian into English. Perhaps the most widely-read of those is Postcards for Darjia, which received the Slovenian National Poetry Book Award.
Reading the poems collected in And Things Happen for the First Time, it is easy to see why Osojnik has received such acclaim. Imagistic, with subtle humor, the poems develop a direct vision of life's ironies, paradoxes, and contradictions.
Osojnik juxtaposes myth and the modesty of everyday life to create an effect that is akin to bathos, but only in the positive sense of the term. The sudden deflation of expectation, the puncturing of a myth, are all necessary in order to see reality, suggests Osojnik, and he is no fan of art used in the service of lies, cant, and moral suasion. In "The Hysterical Woman," Osojnik renders a snapshot of a woman existentially caught in a moment of horror. We are not allowed to see what is causing the horror-simply that she has witnessed too much and has become trapped in an emotional dynamic equivalent to Edvard Munch's The Scream. If one hopes for rescue from angels or entities on high, there is no such hope held out: "There are no giants here. Just a village commons. / Cash and carry. And silence." The silence of the village is evocative of villages purged by Serbs. The silence makes the scream all the more heart-rending.
Osojnik deals with genocide in blunt, uncompromising terms as in "Damnation to the Murderous Serbs," where evil becomes its own organism, with a heart, aorta, and circulatory system. This metaphor is frightening in its brilliance; it perfectly communicates the exigencies of evil, and why extirpating evil often means plucking the very heart from the body, resulting in certain death to the entire organism.
Other poems address the poet's quest for vision and spiritual unity, but in a way that acknowledges that an overblown sense of self is the quickest route to blindness. In "Dead Poet's Society," the narrator climbs Parnassus "wearing only Adidas / and shorts" and, thus garbed, is able to find the paths carved by the ancients. Humility leads to enlightenment here, and following his solitary sojourn, the narrator "return[s] to the valley. Pensive. Wind-blown. Emotional. / Daydreamed about you. Just like a classical / Greek hero. I watched the mountaintop. Sang softly."
The other poems in the collection are characterized by the same level of simplicity of spirit, honesty of intent. It is a lovely collection, accompanied by sketches that reinforce the simple, direct lines, the purity of feelings. | <urn:uuid:6414b6ce-a7c1-484f-9579-f2008e7dd8d5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.raintaxi.com/online/2002summer/osojnik.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950495 | 650 | 1.515625 | 2 |
The nation's highest court has made rulings in the past that left me scratching my head, but when it gets it right, it gets it right.
Thursday, nearly 220 years after the Founding Fathers did a good thing by making sure we could always protect ourselves, the Supreme Court did a better thing by making sure that right couldn't be taken away by irrational sheep who place all their trust in government and none in the individual.
In a 5-4 ruling, the court struck down the District of Columbia's ridiculous ban on handguns, and in the process ruled once and for all what the Second Amendment means.
And it means just what it says: that the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. That means I can keep a gun in my house to defend myself. It doesn't matter whether it's against some maniac methmouth looking to steal from or hurt my family or if, God forbid, it's against the government, should it ever become so powerful and hostile toward liberty that we must exercise "the Right of the People to alter or abolish it," as Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence.
And that, friends, is what this is really about - rights. The gun control people will tell you it's about reducing violence, that we're headed for some sort of Old West world ruled by whoever is quickest with the shooting iron, that it will make it easier - altogether now in a singsong voice - for the criminals to get guns.
Well all of that is misinformed falsehood told by ignorant followers who are too cowardly to accept the responsibility of living in a free society.
This ruling is about the fundamental principles upon which this country was founded. Jefferson made it perfectly clear that we have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is absolutely stunning to me the lengths the gun control crowd will go to relinquish those rights.
And they always make the same argument. They point to the first half of the amendment that reads, "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state ..." and then they scream "See! Guns were meant for the militia, and by militia, the Founders meant the military. Not you and me."
Their right to life and liberty, in their opinion, means having a strong military to defend them. But these are the exact same people who like to wear T-shirts that say things like, "It will be a great day when our schools get all the money they need and the Air Force has to hold a bake sale to buy a bomber." As usual, they want what they always want from government. Protect me at all costs, just please don't ask me to do it myself.
Well, I hate to tell you, but that's what a militia is - you and me. The whole reason you have a right to complain in the first place is because average citizens - though at the time they were called subjects - grabbed their squirrel guns and hunting rifles and fought to shake off the bonds of tyranny.
Please, if you're in the anti-gun crowd, take just 10 minutes and do a little research on the subject. The truth is self-evident:
· George Mason on Britain's goals in the colonies: "... to disarm the people; that it was the best and most effectual way to enslave them."
· Thomas Jefferson, quoting philosopher Cesare Beccaria: "Laws that forbid the carrying of arms ... disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes."
· James Madison, the man who wrote the Second Amendment: " ... governments are afraid to trust the people with arms."
· And my favorite from Benjamin Franklin: "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote."
We weren't meant to be lambs, ripe for slaughter on the whim of criminals or governments. We were meant to stand up for ourselves and for others too weak to do so. To that end, we were given some very precious rights, rights that many thousands of men and women have died to protect.
With those rights go responsibilities. But if you don't want to take the responsibility, that's your business. Place all your trust in the government and hope it will protect you and never turn on you.
And the greatest irony? You folks can do that, safe in the knowledge that there are people in this country who will protect you - even if you wouldn't do the same for them - because you don't want the responsibility that goes with being free.
Those of us who do want the responsibility don't have the same luxury. Thank God the majority of the court knows that.
E-mail Nate McCullough at [email protected]. His column appears on Fridays. | <urn:uuid:2d37112c-e382-4402-9578-d14776830a4b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/news/2008/jun/27/supreme-court-makes-the-right-call-on-guns/?living | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974308 | 993 | 1.59375 | 2 |
I had a great holiday and I hope you did too! Now real life sets in again and if nothing else does, the holiday bills and January credit card statements will sober us up real quick!
Continuing along the theme of last week’s blog, let’s talk a little more about 2013 resolutions for good financial health. A lot of it really all comes down to preparing for a rainy day and controlling spending impulses.
A good rule of thumb for a rainy day fund is to have cash equal to three to four times your monthly living expenses. Put money into this account every month so there will be enough to cover unexpected major repairs, medical emergencies, and even a temporary loss of income. Did I mention this could also help you fulfill your New Year’s resolution of sleeping better at night?
If you need to use credit cards to cover normal monthly expenses…well just stop that! Easier said than done I know, but break this cycle now and pick one expense you will do without. In two weeks add another. Keep going until your monthly budget is balanced.
Automate your finances when possible. It’s easy to set up automatic deposits to build your rainy day fund, college fund, or retirement program. On the other side, set up auto payments for utilities from your checking account (be sure to keep track of them) so you can avoid late fees and save a stamp (hey, it all adds up!).
Most important, write a budget and monitor it throughout the month. The more detailed the better so that you can easily identify cost cutting opportunities and track your victories! | <urn:uuid:15f33a1e-0408-47bc-a24e-22af1a3624bc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.denverpost.com/personalinterest/tag/living-expenses/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936288 | 328 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Picasso’s Granddaughter Diana Widmaier Picasso in Conversation with curator-at-large Richard Kendall
For Immediate Release
June 24, 2010
June 24, 2010
For Immediate Release
Digital Image Available Upon Request
Picasso’s Granddaughter Diana Widmaier Picasso in Conversation with curator-at-large Richard Kendall on July 11 at the Clark
WILLIAMSTOWN, MA – On Sunday, July 11, Diana Widmaier Picasso, art historian and author of the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of Pablo Picasso’s sculpture, discusses her grandfather’s work with Impressionist scholar Richard Kendall. The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute’s groundbreaking exhibition Kendall and Widmaier Picasso will discuss her research on Pablo Picasso’s sculpture and address some of the professional and personal questions it raises. Diana Widmaier Picasso in Conversation with Richard Kendall will take place at 3 pm at the Clark. Admission is free to the lecture.
Widmaier Picasso and Kendall will talk about the discoveries she has made and the distinctive challenges posed by Picasso’s unorthodox techniques and materials. The two speakers will also consider Picasso’s interest in the sculpture of Degas, as represented in the current exhibition, and contrasts between Picasso’s and Degas’s approach to the medium. Diana Widmaier Picasso’s research has lead to the catalogue raisonné which was started in 2003 and to a published book; “Picasso: Art Can Only be Erotic” in 2005. Widmaier Picasso is Pablo Picasso's granddaughter by her grandmother Marie-Thérèse Walter, his mistress, model and muse from 1927 until the mid 1930s. Diana was born in 1971 to their daughter Maya just two years before Picasso's death. She studied art history at the Ecole du Louvre in Paris and later specialized in Master Drawings at Sotheby's and at New York’s Metropolitan Museum.
Exhibition curator Richard Kendall met with members of the Picasso family, studied hundreds of works by Picasso and Degas, and visited archives, museums, and private collections in the United States and Europe while conducting research for the exhibition. Kendall is an independent exhibition curator and scholar specializing in the work of Edgar Degas, and also curator-at-large at the Clark. Originally trained as a painter and printmaker before taking an MA in Art History at the Courtauld Institute of Art, London, he has published books on Cezanne, Degas, Monet, and Van Gogh. He curated several major exhibitions of the work of Degas in Britain and the United States and has written essays and reviews on the work of contemporary artists including Lucian Freud, Howard Hodgkin, and Leon Kossoff.
Picasso Looks at Degas, on view June 13 through September 12, 2010, brings together over one hundred works from international museums and private collections which explore the depth of the Spanish artist’s fixation through dramatic pairings and groupings. The Clark is the exclusive North American venue for the exhibition; it will be presented at the Museu Picasso in Barcelona in the fall of 2010.
Picasso Looks at Degas was organized by the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute and the Museu Picasso, Barcelona. It is supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities, and with the special cooperation of Fundación Almine y Bernard Ruiz- Picasso para el Arte.
The Clark is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. The galleries are open Tuesday through Sunday, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm (daily in July and August). Admission is free November through May. Admission is $15 June 1 through October 31. Admission is free for children 18 and younger, members, and students with valid ID. For more information, call 413 458 2303 or visit clarkart.edu. | <urn:uuid:3891224b-1afd-4c7a-ab33-f955f4adecb3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://clarkart.edu/about/press/content.cfm?ID=3236&year=2010 | 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 | 0.943081 | 841 | 1.671875 | 2 |
The Chimera Prophecies by Elliott Ostler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Great math book, not all mathematics, but introduces higher education in to a real-world setting. It has the pace of Dr. Horrible's Sing along Blog with Limitless. It is a fast-paced read with twists and turns everywhere. I know the author of this book personally and it reads as he teaches, fast paced and he explains everything in detail.
For teachers it is a great way of incorporating mathematics (especially higher mathematics) in to the curriculum.
View all my reviews
When a subtly brilliant mathematician known only as Number Six discovers a way to mathematically predict human behavior, the simple life that suited all his academic interests changes forever. Evil men seek to obtain his formulas, and the young mathematician is forced into a life and death intellectual battle with the very company who employs him; a company consumed by power and driven by spite and greed. Operating in secrete, Number Six explores the dangerous options that brings him face to face with a question that challenges the core of his beliefs... can mathematics provide a solution to every problem. | <urn:uuid:39353a1c-ccf1-4d92-b981-fef3b36c0ef1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://new-to-teaching.blogspot.com/2012/07/the-chimera-prophecies.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958644 | 228 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Bana in the Modern World
There were more than a few things that confused me as I was beginning my understanding of Sikhism just last year. I was born in the U.S. and have attended several Gurdwaras among Sikhs from different backgrounds. I have been largely muddling along on my own, trying to figure things out. Coming to Sikhi from knowing it to be the truth of me instead of from an understanding of the lifestyle or teachings has been a very interesting evolution that has brought about the following consternation.
When Sikhs go to Gurdwara to celebrate amongst each other, many wear bana, the traditional clothes of Punjab or the outer appearance given by our Guru Gobind Singh. Yet on the street, I cannot tell a Sikh from any other American unless they happen to wear a turban.
Some have told me that bana is outdated; that it was a sign for the times of Guru Gobind Singh and that it has no meaning in modern society. I have also heard that it's impractical, too expensive and just not worn all the time.
So then, why wear it at all? I do wear bana most of the time. It started as an acceptance of my vision of me, not as a true understanding of it. Everything about practicing Sikhi has been a process of surrender for me and often a difficult path to which to submit my ego. What I found as a woman wearing a turban was that people were confused by or afraid of me. Instead of being asked about my faith, people asked about the fashion of it, or if I had cancer or a head injury. I am sure part of that is because I don't look the least bit exotic, but part of it was because at that time I felt like half a Sikh, so it was actually the Guru was talking to me. I started looking in my closet and realized that none of the clothes there went with this turban or this projection of me. Without Guru Gobind Singh's given form, my image as his daughter was simply not complete.
Some say that wearing bana to the Gurdwara is a sign of respect. Does that mean the Guru is only present in that particular building? I want to take that presence with me wherever I go. By wearing bana everywhere I am constantly reminded of who I am. I want to represent the Great Love to everyone I see, and so allow the Guru to come through me. Can I do that in jeans? Absolutely. It just makes it a lot harder to be seen. My bana is my projection. People remember kindness shown to them by a turbaned soul dressed in white. While people might forget how to say my name, they never forget they met a Sikh.
Opportunities to connect with like-minded people come about because they feel comfortable discussing spirituality or sharing their faith with me and the most wonderful friendships develop with people who would have otherwise remained strangers. People tell me their deepest fears and ask the big questions because, seeing me in bana, they know they are safe.
Did not Guru Gobind Singh ask us to stand out for this reason? In a time when Sikhs are concerned about educating the public about the faith, I cannot think of a better way than expressing it fully in myself. I am no spiritual teacher or wise woman. I am stumbling along just like you. Being in the Guru's form helps me stop, take a breath and let the Guru come through. People are always watching, which helps me be the best I can be. Guru Gobind Singh Ji did not give us this bana unknowingly.
Wearing bana does not mean I have become a perfect Sikh. It does not mean I have memorized all the banis or that I get up at 3 a.m. unfailingly.
I was compelled to finally write this today specifically because I could not drag myself out of bed at that time this morning. The commitments of Amrit are made to the Guru for ourselves. Each tool, each discipline, is a teacher. Each one gives a way to separate ourselves from Maya, control our bodies and minds and strengthen our connection to Waheguru. If every time I leave the house I have to put myself together in bana, I also have to remember to put my mind in the hands of the Guru. I have to exhibit excellence to represent all of us which helps me be conscious in all I do.
Despite the great love I have for the Guru, this morning I could not master my tired body, fully knowing that if I had, a cold shower would have instantly revitalized my energy. I will still perform all those tasks I have sworn to do and love to do, and ask for the hukam of my Guru.
Now it's just a bit later. So who have I really upset by deviating from the discipline? Only myself. The practice of Sikhi is a gift to myself. There is ultimately only this one relationship between me and God and that is why bana is so important to me. When I outwardly wear my faith in trust, it eventually brings radiance internally. Wear it yourself every day for awhile and see. Until I did, I did not know what courage was. Wearing bana made me understand my faith, know my mind and how I rationalize and lie to myself. It also showed me my challenges, my strength and my deep connection to my Guru.
Bana, to me, says "I give up myself for you." That seems to me to be the essence of what it means to be a Sikh of the Guru.
About the author: I am a second-year physician assistant student out of Pacific University in Hillsboro, Oregon currently on rotation for the summer in wonderful Rapid City, South Dakota. Since I will be traveling around for the next 14 months, I think the Guru dressed me in bana to spread awareness of Sikhi, besides what it does for me.
Photos by Ravitej Singh Khalsa, Eugene OR
Related Video: "Bana and the Sikh Identity" by Guruka Singh. | <urn:uuid:b7514575-9d8a-459b-9536-26b384446034> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sikhnet.com/news/bana-modern-world | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983312 | 1,254 | 1.609375 | 2 |
More from the Opening the Door to Green Building Study which will be presented GreenExpo365.com on October 7 at 10:00 am PDT. For more information on the presentation
As any growth market evolves, so to do movements around codifying and standardizing aspects of the market’s services, products and solutions. The green building industry is experiencing a rapid evolution of product standards/certifications, professional accreditations and project certifications and in the building product sector, there seems to be an entire tangential industry creating product certifications (Green Seal, Energy Star, Green Guard, Green Label, etc.) While the LEED system and Energy Star seem to be the most prominent among professional accreditations and project certifications, countless certification programs are emerging by market type, profession service discipline and geographic region green building certification programs.
How understandable are these rating systems? Only 21% of respondents indicate, “the current landscape of green rating systems, standards and certifications is “understandable”. Expounding on the confusion is that two of the leading providers of services within the industry indicate their understanding to be equal to less than the 21% “understandable” score with Architects at 18% and General Contractor/Trades at 21%. While 44% of Facility Managers and 57% of Real Estate Developers/Tenant Leasing/Finance rated the current landscape from “highly confusing” to “rarely understandable”.
While a few of the respondents’ comments described the standards as understandable, many highlighted how the confusion in the market place is slowing green building adoption:
“"Point" systems tend to evolve over time - and with the sub-specialization of the LEED rating system - I believe it's causing more confusion in the marketplace - it would be nice if there was a method of establishing a system that rewarded sustainable solutions without making it a 'point grab’.”
“Current rating systems would be better understood by using platform levels of standards. Smaller levels to obtain for certification will be easier then just one main level at the end of a project.”
“Everyone is trying to "get into the game", and further exasperating the movement is (unnecessary) involvement by state and local governments.”
“Have a hard time just explaining how you rate a home. You start with the goal and then work backwards. If they want to save utility dollars then this is a solid metric. But the increased assessed value of a green home may not be very objective. “
“It is easy to understand, however, there are numerous green rating systems that encompass landscaping, cities, roads, infrastructure, buildings, etc. You cannot know them all!”
“The good news is that the ICC is writing code to accommodate sustainable design. While its truly unfortunate they also use the term ‘green’ I do think that this step is crucial in setting a real sustainable standard that is reasonable, less politically motivated, and one that can be followed with confidence that a rating will be achieved at the end of the process.”
Most market types were clustered around the overall averages, although the Single Family market participants indicated 42% “highly confusing” to “rarely understandable”, 14% higher than the other markets. Furthermore there was no indication by anyone in the Single Family market type that the current landscape was “easily understandable”. Certainly at the homeowner level, Energy Star is becoming more and more recognizable but the other single-family home rating systems clearly have not achieved the same level of understanding as the other market types.
To read the entire report | <urn:uuid:374ec4f8-a155-4ba5-be46-4d583201f58d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://greenexpo365.com/en/app/blog/2010/09/wading-through-the-sea-of-certifications_gemmrhza.html?s=SzjFoPigYNxzNbrf | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949412 | 759 | 1.835938 | 2 |
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|Home > Life in Japan > Features|
Thursday, Feb. 10, 2000
Psychic knowledge to a degree
By YUKO NAITO
Housewife Utako Ando (not her real name), 41, has been interested in fortunetelling for a long time. One day, a fortuneteller told her that her home would be robbed, and when she came back from vacation she found the prediction had come true. "That really surprised me," she says. "I believe fortunetellers can make accurate predictions -- probably more than 80 percent of the time." Ando recently began studying astrology and tarot at Tarim, a fortunetelling school in Harajuku. There are four other students, in their 20s to 40s, in the Thursday tarot class she is taking.
"I found out about the school from a magazine. My husband and children have been very encouraging, saying I should follow my interests. In the future, I would like to become a professional," she says.
Located on Takeshita Street, the teenage mecca in Harajuku, Tarim opened its doors for business in 1986. It pioneered the concept of the "fortunetellers' house," where a variety of different fortunetellers work together under one roof. Today there are more than 50 registered fortunetellers of various specialties at Tarim, working in 12 booths by turn.
Several years ago Tarim opened its school to foster prospective professionals to work in its fortunetellers' house. At present nearly 100 people, aged 18 to 80-something, are studying there. They all have different reasons for attending the school, says Shuka Ogino, a member of Tarim's office staff. "For some, especially the aged, fortunetelling is merely a personal hobby, but many others hope to use the knowledge for a future profession," she says.
Currently, only about 10 percent of the students are male, but inquiries from men have been increasing, which may reflect job insecurity in the workplace, Ogino says.
After graduating from the school, students can be registered with Tarim as "fortune counselors." To secure a place in a booth, however, they must have studied for at least 20 months, which costs about 800,000 yen and includes a 30,000 yen entrance charge.
Fortunetelling has become big business in Japan and profits can be tremendous. Popular fortunetellers with a regular clientele can easily earn 1 million yen a month, and women's magazines post higher than normal sales when they feature articles on the subject.
The latest fortunetelling craze, which hit the country last year, is dobutsu uranai (animal fortunetelling). In this newly invented system a person's birthdate is used to determine his or her "animal" from the 12 available (including one imaginary creature, Pegasus), which define certain personality types and behavioral patterns.
Dobutsu uranai originally appeared in Big Comic Spirits magazine as a fortunetelling serial, and was published in book form last June as "Ningen Maruwakari no Dobutsu Uranai (All About Humans Using Dobutsu Uranai)." The book has been a tremendous success, with more than 2.02 million copies sold to date.
Pleased with the success of the book, the publisher Shogakukan put out two more sequels, "Ren'ai Dobutsu Ura-nai (Love Dobutsu Uranai)" last November and "Aisho Maruwakari no Dobutsu Uranai (All About Relationships Using Dobutsu Uranai)" last December, which have sold 400,000 and slightly more than 1 million copies respectively.
Dobutsu uranai is similar to "blood-type fortunetelling," a belief that one's blood type has an influence on one's personality, in that it focuses more on one's personality and relationship with others than on luck.
In the early 1980s, the whole nation was fascinated by the seemingly "scientific" theory behind blood types. Even after many scholars examined the theory and concluded that there was no correlation between blood type and personality, many people continued to believe in the connection.
"There are no decisive factors that can determine one's personality, future or compatibility with other people or one's job. Yet, people want certainty, and to live a happy meaningful life, so they turn to fortunetelling," says Satoru Kikuchi, a psychologist and the author of "Yogen no Shinrigaku (The Psychology of Prophecy)."
Uran Morikawa, a professional fortuneteller at Tarim, says 90 percent of her clients are women of varying age groups who have serious love- or job-related problems. She says she was surprised to find that one out of 10 of her clients would cry during a fortunetelling session.
"They pour out their hearts to me in tears, but when the session is over they look refreshed and leave with a smile. They probably want somebody to listen to them just as much as they want advice," Morikawa says.
Kikuchi points out that fortunetellers play a similar role to counselors in Japan. "People can confess their secrets and problems they can't talk about even with friends and family, in a safe space. It has a kind of cathartic effect," he says.
The psychologist, however, warns of the dangers of mixing up fortunetellers and professional counselors. "Fortunetellers are not doctors -- you should always keep this in mind. If your distress stems from a physical or mental disease and you consult fortunetellers instead of doctors or counselors, you might miss out on necessary medical treatment," he says.
Even so, many people find it hard to go to counselors with their problems, since counseling has still not become generally accepted in Japan, says Chikara Kato, who gives unique lectures on unmeigaku (literally "the study of fate and destiny") at a junior college in Nagoya. "Many Japanese people only go to counselors after their problems have become serious. They find fortunetellers more accessible than counselors," he says.
Kato worked nights as a professional fortuneteller for five years while in college and graduate school, but firmly says he does not believe in divination at all.
Several years ago, he examined seimei-handan, or fortunetelling that analyzes the number of strokes used to write a person's name. He took the names of lucky people, such as those who had won big lottery prizes, and unlucky ones, such as those killed in airplane crashes, from newspapers, and analyzed their names in a computer. He found no correlation at all between a person's name and his/her luck, he says.
Many other systems of divination have been examined by scholars, but none have been proved reliable. "Fortunetelling is different from forecasting. It's pure guesswork," Kato says. "But it can be a good tool when giving advice to young people. If I didn't know anything about fortunetelling, they wouldn't listen to me. They'd just think I was a strange middle-aged man preaching at them."
Ryuji Kagami, a well-known astrologist who introduced the new genre of psychological astrology to Japan, admits that divination is not objectively reliable. "The interpretation of a horoscope differs greatly depending on the person reading it. But whether or not fortunetellers can divine the future is no big deal to me," he says.
Kagami says he does not like the idea of a society where only logical or scientific things are accepted. "Horoscopes are very personal things. Your horoscope will be completely different from anyone else's," he says. "I like astrology because it gives us a sense of fate. It makes you feel that your life was created for you by God or the stars or whatever, and that it is unique. If you can find a personal message in your horoscope, don't you think that would be nice?" | <urn:uuid:21608425-49ac-4087-a790-7e298c83e473> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://info.japantimes.co.jp/text/fl20000210a1.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971289 | 1,726 | 1.65625 | 2 |
BAE to help DARPA boost computing power for ISR systems
- By Defense Systems Staff
- Nov 02, 2012
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has awarded a $10.9 million contract to BAE Systems to help develop more efficient computing technology for military intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems where power generation is a challenge in processing data gathered from sensors, reports NextGov.
DARPA's Power Efficiency Revolution For Embedded Computing Technologies program was established to find ways to furnish more effective embedded computing per watt of electrical power, the story said. The problem is acute in regard to ISR systems, which have sensors that collect far more information than can be processed in real time. The result of such limitations is that potentially valuable real-time intelligence data is not provided in a timely manner.
Other companies that have recently received funding through the program include SRI International and Reservoir Labs, the story said. | <urn:uuid:6340aea2-5199-4e23-8272-df6bbf11be43> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://defensesystems.com/articles/2012/11/02/agg-darpa-bae-embedded-computing.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932511 | 185 | 1.757813 | 2 |
NORTHWEST CENTER, the Seattle charity for developmentally disabled children and adults with an industrial campus at Interbay, has been caught up in a quiet internal debate of philosophical and financial differences, with some parents questioning the center's future. But all of a sudden, the center seems to know exactly where it's going. Away.
Officials last week confirmed that the Seattle Monorail Project is moving to take the nonprofit's 7-acre, triangular wedge of offices, businesses, and warehouses near 15th Avenue West for the proposed monorail operations center. Plans for the site include a train storage yard, repair shops, work bays, administrative offices, and a control center.
The takeover will be done forcibly, by eminent domain, if necessary. Buildings could be razed and the land cleared sometime next year. "We approached the center with a proposal," says Paul Bergman, spokesperson for the Seattle Monorail Project that is developing the $1.75 billion, 14-mile Green Line that will slide along 15th, the main drag between Ballard and downtown Seattle. "We are currently in negotiations." He wouldn't reveal other details, although the monorail board, according to meeting minutes, has authorized its right-of-way planners to take the land through court action. Besides the Northwest Center site, the monorail wants a smaller tract nearby, at West Dravus Street, for one of its stations.
"They've got the authority to condemn our site," says David Wunderlin, executive director of Northwest Center, founded in 1965 to provide therapy, education, training, and job placement for the disabled. It aids about 500 clients annually and recently took over operation of some of King County's swimming pools, which were facing closure due to budget cuts. "The monorail suggested that it might make sense for us to talk," says Wunderlin, "but we really don't have a plan to sell. I don't know if we want to sell. It depends on the opportunities to relocate."
The move to acquire the land seems to indicate the monorail has now officially decided on Interbay over SoDo as the site for its proposed ops center. It's unclear how the big yard would coexist with the Port of Seattle's plans to build a new commercial/residential neighborhood called North Bay in the nearly 60-acre uplands area of nearby Terminal 91. The federal government also plans to sell or trade 25 acres near Northwest Center, used by the National Guard. The Interbay landfill, home also to a city golf course, athletic fields, and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe's rail yards, is in part a former garbage dump often mentioned as ripe for takeover by developers. Several large, polluted portions are undergoing environmental cleanup.
Neither the monorail nor Northwest Center will discuss specifics, but according to public records and other sources, the selling price of the property is pegged around $13 million for two plots along West Armory Way that include five buildings. The property, the bulk of Northwest Center's assets, is appraised at just over $11 million.
THE MONORAIL CONDEMNATION adds to the stress between some of the charity's leaders and parents who already were at odds over the center's management. Northwest Center's revenue for 2002 was $20 million from its industrieswhich employ the disabled as custodians, maintenance workers, and driversand from donations, thrift sales, and government funding. The center's expenses were $21.2 million, but its operations are solvent, says Wunderlin.
Some parents feel the center is under-serving the severely disabled, who are unable to work in Northwest Center's revenue-producing businesses. "In the last three years, the philosophy has been changing," says a parent who did not want to be named. "The people who are not productive enough are being squeezed out." Other parents and some center officials agree with that view, according to interviews and e-mail messages obtained by Seattle Weekly.
Wunderlin strongly disagrees. "Our organization is dedicated to working with people with disabilities, helping them with programs, education, and training. We've had clients with us for 25 or 30 years," he says. "We are developing a new program right now for the most severely developmentally disabled people we have, and we're working constantly to find new programs."
AT LEAST TWO Northwest Center board members say they feel kept in the dark about important financial decisions made by center executives, including a recent multimillion-dollar line of credit for new business ventures. The center's liabilities jumped from $2.6 million in 2000 to $5.3 million in 2001, according to the center's latest available IRS filing.
The monorail condemnation action should be challenged, some parents argue, noting that the takeover is a 180-degree reversal from earlier proposals discussed by Northwest Center and the monorail for a low-income housing development on some of the land. Wunderlin says the charity will hold a membership meeting Thursday, Nov. 13, at 5:30 p.m. at the center. "We'll be talking about potentially where NWC as an organization may be going and about the monorailin effect," he says, "about our future." | <urn:uuid:1f4aa2be-652b-4ce6-b885-9c718b58a22e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.seattleweekly.com/2003-11-12/news/charitable-confiscation/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972497 | 1,071 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Three women from UW-L will be honored at this year’s YWCA Tribute to Outstanding Women: Faye Ellis for science, Mahruq F. Khan for education, and Carol Oyster for activism.
The YWCA Tribute to Outstanding Women recognizes women in the greater La Crosse area for their contributions to the community. Recipients will be honored Thursday, Nov. 15, at the La Crosse Center. The event includes a 5:30 p.m. social, and dinner and awards from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $55. To purchase tickets contact the YWCA at 781.2783.
Other 2012 recipients are:
- Marlene Fisher – Social Justice
- Mary Ann Gschwind — Non-profit
- Jennifer Keller — Professional
- Kaytlyn Larson — Young Women of Tomorrow, High School
- Jocelyn Lutes — Young Women of Tomorrow, College
Faye Ellis — Science
Faye Ellis completed undergraduate and graduate degrees in biology at UW-L. Ellis is now a member of the Biology Department where she took courses while pursuing her studies. Ellis teaches a variety of biological science courses. Ellis also serves as the general biology laboratory coordinator in the department training and overseeing graduate students who teach the general biology laboratories.
Ellis enjoys spending time with her husband, Troy, their two children, Jarret and Noah, and their yellow lab, Max. Ellis is an avid outdoor enthusiast and likes road biking, mountain biking, running and hiking in the bluffs surrounding the La Crosse area.
Mahruq F. Khan — Education
Since 2009, Mahruq Khan has been an assistant professor of UW-L’s Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. In 2007, with the support of the Arthur J. Schmitt Dissertation fellowship, she received a doctorate in sociology from Loyola University Chicago. Khan currently teaches: “Women’s Diversity: Race, Class and Culture;” “Gender and Human Rights;” “Globalization, Women and Work;” “Introduction to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Studies;” and “Gender, Power, and Faith.” Her research interests include the social construction of gender, religion and sexuality; human rights; and feminism among Muslims.
Khan has received three grants for international travel:
- to Toronto to study the way gay and lesbian Muslims are constructing inclusive, religious communities;
- to Nepal to conduct research on reducing stigma that marginalized women face in South Asia;
- to China to examine the intersection of ethnicity and sexuality.
Her research has been published in the Journal of International Women’s Studies, the edited volumes “Islamic Homosexuality” and “Sociology of Religion: A Substantive and Disciplinary Approach” among others. Along with Gloria Steinem, she was recently invited to write about her personal journey with feminism for a book, which will be shared with college students at more than 2,000 universities.
Kahn, a native of Chicago, lives in La Crosse with her partner, Nizam, and their skittish but well-meaning cat, Machu.
Carol Oyster — Activist
Carol K. Oyster moved to La Crosse with her daughter and joined the faculty of UW-L’s Psychology Department in 1989. She holds a master’s degree in counseling psychology from Loyola-Marymount University in Los Angeles, and master’s and doctoral degrees in social psychology from the University of Delaware. Since 2009, Oyster has been UW-L’s director of the Institute for Ethnic and Racial Studies, chair of the Ethnic and Racial Studies Department and adviser to the Student Veterans Association.
Oyster’s area of expertise is stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination. She has published two textbooks, one on research design and the other on group dynamics; co-authored a trade book on women, firearms and feminism; and co-edited an award-winning encyclopedia on women in today’s world. She has also published book chapters in a variety of topics, including women and retirement, suicide and police reactions to suicide-by-cop (based on a conference presentation at the FBI Academy).
In her spare time, Oyster enjoys spending time with her dog and cat, both rescue animals. She also engages in a number of crafts, including knitting, quilting and fabric sculpture. | <urn:uuid:7c89e6e8-1b56-4f8a-8e7d-f5bee626d694> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://news.uwlax.edu/three-from-uw-l-to-be-honored-at-ywca-tribute-to-outstanding-women/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943965 | 936 | 1.570313 | 2 |
There are some good news coming from The LibreOffice media team lately. This week’s LibreOffice conference at the Paris has revealed that the experimental version of LibreOffice for iOS & Android platform along with the Web is about to become real.
The Document Foundation Blog recently reported that well known open source Office package software “LibreOffice” is coming for popular mobile operating systems like iOS & Android. Based on the voluntary work of Tor Lillqvist this office package would be ported for these mobile Operating systems. Lillqvist is a SUSE developer from Finland, who is well known for his contribution on porting GIMP for Windows OS. The LibreOffice Android and iOS port has the objective of bringing the office suite to iPads and Android tablets, and eventually smaller devices like smartphones. The user interface related work has yet to start but the bulk of the code is compiling.
Another great news is, Michael Meeks has also been working on a “LibreOffice Online” prototype, which will allow the office suite to be used from HTML5 web-browsers. This web-based version of LibreOffice would be using GTK+3.2 Broadway back-end that will allow the GTK interface to be rendered within the web browser itself using HTML5 Canvas and other technologies. There is a little WebM video of the prototype application that you can find from here.
Regardless all the fascinating news, we also got to know that these applications won’t be available until late 2012 or early 2013 as they are still part of the advance development projects. | <urn:uuid:9a28b407-f0c0-4a3c-a42f-7715f01b3dc3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.e-dirts.com/news/libreoffice-is-coming-for-ios-android-web-browsers/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933768 | 325 | 1.507813 | 2 |
So what do you do next after you find yourself sitting naked at the kitchen table with budgeting forms and a calculator?
You start the next step to getting out of debt, of course!
The Emergency Fund
That next “get out of debt” step that will propel your naked self toward debt freedom is putting together a beginning emergency fund of $1,000.
That’s right, in order to get out of debt, you need $1,000 cash on hand.
However, if you have a low income, say $20,00 or less, you can do $500. If you have a high income, say $100,000 or more, then $1,500 would be sufficient.
I can hear you now, “Seriously Doc? I’m living paycheck to paycheck, I’m deep in debt, and you want me to come up with $1,000 cash, just to let it sit in case I need it?”
Yep, that’s exactly what I’m sayin’.
Your next question would likely be “Why? If I could come up with $1,000, shouldn’t I just use that to pay off my debt?”
No. Let me tell you why.
Having an Emergency Fund Boils Down to One Word: INSURANCE.
Your emergency fund acts as insurance against all those inevitable small to medium sized financial emergencies that spring up out of nowhere and ruin your day. Like when the washing machine or the water heater dies, or the roof springs a leak.
They ARE going to happen. You know they are going to happen. They always do sooner or later.
Remember, at this point in the process, you’ve gone “naked” when it comes to using credit. You’ve sworn off incurring any more debt, and that means you have to be prepared for what you know will inevitably come your way.
Your emergency fund allows you to be prepared to pay cash when the inevitable happens. You won’t be tempted to resort to credit cards or “easy payment” plans that will keep you in bondage for months or even years.
Having an emergency fund also helps you change your mindset about how to deal with the unexpected. When you don’t have a plan (like most people), you end up deeper in debt.
But when you become proactive and have money set aside in cash or in a bank account specifically for an emergency, you just pay cash to clean up the problem and move on. The result is that you have less stress and you’re not dealing with that emergency 6 months or a year from now because you’re still paying for it.
You are self reliant and self insured. No longer will you have to call upon Chase or Discover to bail you out.
Getting an Emergency Fund Together is Not as Hard as You Think
I know, I know. You’re in debt and you’re struggling. It’s hard to come up with $1,000.
You CAN do it, anybody can do it, you may just have to get a little creative, that’s all.
Maybe you can pick up a few extra hours at work, or sell all the junk you don’t use and don’t need in a yard sale or on EBay. Cut some yards, clean some houses, babysit, bake cookies, or use any job skills you may have like accounting, bookkeeping, or computer skills.
There is always a way! (Find out more ways here)
By the way, if you’re following the plan I’ve been setting forth in this series of posts, you’ve already started doing a written budget. My experience has been that when you started doing that, you pay more attention to what you’re spending, and inevitably you find at least a couple hundred dollars every month you didn’t know you had. You can use that as well.
Just What is an Emergency?
Once you get your small emergency fund together, you should really think about what defines a real emergency.
An emergency is NOT a broken iPad, a busted TV, or the fact that the cute pair of shoes you’ve been craving just got marked down by 50%. An emergency is not a scope for your hunting rifle because deer season starts next week, and it’s not a new game system because the old one finally died.
An emergency happens when little Johnny breaks his arm, or you have no hot water, the basement flooded, or the roof is leaking.
It’s not used to purchase something you failed make allowance for in your budget.
While you’re trying to get out of debt, $1,000 dollars will cover most run of the mill emergencies.
What if I Have to Use My Emergency Fund?
If you have an emergency while you are getting out of debt and you have to dip into the funds, your first priority should be to pay back your emergency fund. If you’re in the process of paying off debt, then pay only the minimum payments on the debt until your emergency fund is replenished. That way you continue to be self insured and you remain confident that a typical emergency can be easily taken care of.
What’s the Point of an Emergency Fund?
The point of all of this is that you want to be proactive to eliminate any problems that will derail you from getting out of debt and achieving financial freedom.
When you have a solid plan in place, and $1,000 set aside for those typical emergencies that WILL come, you won’t have to resort to using credit cards like so many people do when they have no plan.
So remember: Stay mad, stay naked and keep reading these posts! When you follow the steps outlined here, you WILL become debt free!
And don’t forget to bring your friends along for the ride. Share this with them on your social networks using the buttons provided.
In the next post I’ll show you the next step in the process that will allow you to pay off your debt faster than you ever thought you could!
Did you ever have an emergency that put you in a bind financially because you weren’t prepared? Tell me about it in the comments. | <urn:uuid:df3aec3b-3ecc-4e78-8778-852ba7b1bffa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cfinancialfreedom.com/how-do-you-get-out-of-debt-part-3-emergency-fund/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946589 | 1,328 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Five years after Wall Street crashed the economy, not one banker has been prosecuted for the reckless and fraudulent practices that cost millions of Americans their jobs, threw our cities and schools into crisis, and left families and communities ravaged by a foreclosure crisis and epidemic of underwater mortgages.
Record profits are back at the bailed-out banks. Meanwhile:
Homeowners and communities have lost billions to Wall Street’s foreclosure crisis;
Millions more families face foreclosure in the coming months;
The time is now for Congress and the Obama administration to make Wall Street pay us back:
Prosecute Wall Street bankers for stealing our homes, savings and livelihoods;
End the foreclosure crisis;
Reset mortgages to their current value (“principal reduction”);
Restore and rebuild wealth stolen from communities of color hardest hit.
Since the crisis began, Americans from all walks of life have banded together to help each other. Working through community organizations, civil rights groups, the Occupy movement, and community and faith leaders, we have shared our stories, lobbied, petitioned, and even faced arrest for occupying our own homes and demanding justice.
During the Wall Street Accountability Week of Action in Washington, D.C., May 18-23, families on the front line of the foreclosure crisis will travel from around the country to Washington, D.C., to make their voices heard. The week will include community organizing, home-defense training, and non-violence and civil-disobedience training.
On Monday, May 20, at 1:00pm, home defenders, as well as faith and community leaders will rally to Bring Justice to Justice – demanding an end to the “too big to jail” policy, and relief for families and communities devastated by the financial crisis and foreclosure epidemic.
As the world's richest people are prone to do, Skilling is getting out of jail early with a combination of cash payments and legal maneuvers.
In exchange for early release, Skilling is paying Enron's victims some $40 million in shut-up money and has generously agreed to stop suing everyone involved with his conviction and sentence in 2006.
Skilling's promised payments would equal 0.1% of the $40 billion Enron stole under Skilling's leadership. He was originally sentenced to 24 years behind bars, but his total sentence would be half of that if his lawyers get approval on this latest scheme.
Skilling's appeal went to the Supreme Court in 2010, and the justices agreed with his attorneys that the original conviction was "based in part on an invalid legal theory known as the 'theft of honest services.'”
The same judge who sentenced Skilling will rule at the next hearing, on June 21 in Houston.
When people from two different countries hate you, that means you are a public enemy. Last week, the richest man in the entire world, Carlos Slim, attempted to use a philanthropic gift to cover up the fact that his monopolistic practices have impoverished all of Latin America, with headway being made to raid the coffers of the United States with over $451.7 million taken in from subsides from the government of the United States every year.
For the second year in a row, Frieze Art Fair and its subcontractor Production Glue have hired low-wage, non-unionized workers to construct their fair, bringing in people from as far away as Wisconsin. This breaks with the industry standard: the major New York City art fairs including the Armory and the ADAA, as well as many other cultural and business expositions, employ unionized workers to construct and run their shows.
Frieze is a for-profit private event that takes over a municipal public park for two months to serve a global clientele of wealthy art collectors. The fair pays less than $1 per square foot to lease the land from the city. With a ticket price of $42 per day, Frieze is inaccessible to many working New Yorkers. However, despite the cheap rent and high admission prices to an event that generates millions of dollars in art sales (and not to mention the event's main sponsor, Deutsche Bank), Frieze still claims it cannot afford to pay decent wages to local workers.
Labor organizations including Teamsters Joint Council 16, NYC Central Labor Council, IATSE Local 829, IATSE Local 1, NYC District Council of Carpenters, and District Council 9 have all called on Frieze to employ their union members and guarantee local workers a fair, living wage with benefits. This demand has been repeated by City Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito (representing Randall’s Island), as well as City Councilmembers Jessica Lappin and Mark Weprin, and U.S. Representative Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY12). As Weprin said recently, “Frieze NY Art Fair, or any private business that chooses to use public parks, should hire local New York workers and adhere to fair labor standards.”
If you are an artist or gallerist showing at the fair:
We ask you to refuse to serve as a fig leaf for exploitation. We ask you to decline to lend artistic cachet to an event that does not support New Yorkers, and that desperately needs the stamp of cultural seriousness to justify itself to the public.
Even if you cannot withdraw from the fair at this point, we ask you to consider speaking out publicly against Frieze’s unfair labor practices by making information about this issue available at your booth. We would be glad to provide you with a sign and/or flyers you can display.
We also urge you to tell Frieze organizers that you are an artist or represent artists in the exhibition and that you support organized labor.
If you are attending or work at the fair: Urge everyone you know to contact Frieze to demand they engage in fair labor practices, and consider not attending the fair until Frieze agrees.
It takes courage to speak the truth when many wish to deny it, but rest assured that should you decide to stand up and speak out, you will not be alone.
The arts are an economic engine for New York, bringing millions of people and billions of dollars to the city each year. Yet each year, more jobs become unpaid internships, artists are denied payment for their labor, real wages go down, and benefits are lost; meanwhile, the city becomes more expensive and the distribution of wealth more unequal. We believe in the importance of holding institutions such as Frieze accountable for their impact on New York and the people who live and work here. We want to see art bloom across our city, but we know there is a better, fairer way to foster this growth.
Arts & Labor
To contact Frieze:
Frieze New York Office
41 Union Square West, Suite 1623
New York, NY 10003
+1 212 463 7488
“This is a non-violent direct action, you are not being held in this room, you are free to exit when you please. We no longer recognize your presidency at Cooper as legitimate and in so doing we commit to re-claim this office in the interim until a suitable administrative alternative is secured."
Over 50 students have overtaken the office of Cooper Union President Jamshed Bharucha in response to the Administration and the Board of Trustees announcing the implementation of tuition for the incoming class of 2014- desecrating a 154 year old tradition of meritocracy and free education. "We stand together with the extended Cooper community in opposition to this decision; we reaffirm all of the previous and future actions of our fellow students and allies."
UPDATE: Cooper Union Students are calling for a Solidarity Rally Tonight at 6PM outside the Foundation Building at Cooper Square Park.
The students delivered a Statement of No Confidence from the School of Art, one of the three colleges that make up Cooper Union. Similar Statements of No Confidence are currently in the process of being drafted and voted upon by the School of Architecture and the School of Engineering.
On April 23, 2013, Cooper Union’s board of trustees announced that they will begin charging tuition, ending the university’s 144-year-old mission of providing free education to all those who merited entry. The decision was met with a united uproar of dissent from nearly all sectors of the university community, including students, faculty, and alumni. While it might seem counterintuitive to get behind a relatively small struggle at one of the most exclusive universities in the country—an old-fashioned meritocracy in a world in which a young person’s “potential” is directly proportionate to their family’s economic station—Cooper Union is by far the most diverse of all elite colleges: white students are a minority here and two-thirds of the student body attended public high schools.
Institutions funded by philanthropy and real estate earnings are clearly unsustainable as foundations for a quality education, but the school’s economic problems and its board’s regressive solutions mirror the situation currently taking place at countless other universities, both public and private. From CUNY tuition hikes to the torpedoing of Medgar Evers College to NYU’s unprecedented land grab, students across the city are fighting back. As student struggles continue across the globe, Cooper Union is a flashpoint for something much larger than itself.
Peter Cooper, the school’s founder, railed against the scourge of student debt a century and a half before the streets of Montreal exploded with resistance, before New York universities faced a string of militant occupations, before students in California put their bodies on the line against tuition hikes and the commodification of higher education. The ongoing fight at Cooper Union is but one part of the broader struggle against austerity, debt, and all other symptoms of capitalism.
On May 1, a 36-page mini-zine that serves as a postscript to last year’s Why is Cooper Union Being Occupied? was produced and distributed around the city. Collecting recent articles, editorials, and primary source documents, this basic update outlines the current situation at Cooper Union, at once a eulogy and a call for new resistance.
Download the PDF here, read online here, or come down to Cooper Union and pick up a hard copy.
Occupy Wall Street is a leaderless resistance movement with people of many colors, genders and political persuasions. The one thing we all have in common is that We Are The 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%. We are using the revolutionary Arab Spring tactic to achieve our ends and encourage the use of nonviolence to maximize the safety of all participants.
the only solution is WorldRevolution
Click here for a list of actions, meetings, assemblies in New York. | <urn:uuid:9c217d3c-2d93-4516-aa38-a3e86a094d99> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://occupywallst.org/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9536 | 2,220 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Peter Dreier: As he did during his 2008 campaign, Obama should encourage the organizers and activists who are challenging corporate power, recognizing that their ability to agitate and mobilize ordinary Americans can help him be a more effective president.
Marcy Winograd: Create the New Economy Now! Launch a global movement for pension money investment in local communities. October 20th, LA City Hall.
Robert Reich: Blanche Lincoln wants to force the banks to put their derivatives into separate entities that aren’t subsidized by you and me. This is just common sense. Her move would also end the big banks’ monopoly over derivatives, thereby reducing their risk to the financial system. It would also cut dramatically into the big banks’ profits.
Robert Reich: So why is the FTC nosing around Apple and not around Wall Street? Because the Federal Trade Commission Act allows the agency to stop “unfair methods of competition” almost anywhere in the economy except in the financial sector. Banks are explicitly excluded. Another reason for financial reform.
Robert Reich: As long as the big banks are allowed to remain big, their political leverage over Washington will remain big. And as long as their political leverage remains big, the taxpayer and economic tab for the next mess they create will be big. By all means, give regulators resolution authority and also impose the tightest regulations possible. But Congress and the White House shouldn’t stop there. Limits should be placed on how big big banks can become.
The No and Know Nothing Party, aka the Greedy Obstructionist Prevaricators, started building their latest successful Corporate Ponzi Scheme by using their upside-down pyramid assault (trickle up) on America. Some 30 years ago with the onset of Ronald Reagan, the Conservatives and mega Corporations realized what they offered the people needed to be disguised, since [...]
Robert Reich: Rather than defending the outsized paychecks of Dimon, Blankfein, and the rest of Wall Street as part of the free market system, the President needs to demand that Wall Street help homeowners on Main Street. The Obama White House should have made this a condition of getting the giant bailouts in the first place. The least it can do now is to is to make the free market system work for everyone.
Fridays the LA Progressive features a comment that was particularly noteworthy. This week we are featuring a comment submitted by Robert Illes responding to comments on his article, Obama, Never Mind FDR, How about JKP?, by Ianam. Here’s Robert’s comment: Idiot responds: The point of the article was that Polk, the only President in history [...]
The $75 billion federal program designed to bribe banks to modify mortgages has been a bust. No one knows the exact number of mortgages that have been modified (that will be reported next month) but housing experts I’ve talked with say it’s a tiny fraction of the number of homeowners in trouble. Seems that the big banks can’t be bothered.
The public doesn’t know what’s going on because the national media would rather report on the sexual escapades of famous people or social trends or high finance (a recent Pew study of economic reporting shows the vast majority of stories about the Great Recession have focused on Wall Street rather than Main Street). | <urn:uuid:28bccbf8-3c14-4922-9813-2a9f4e1c9fe9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.laprogressive.com/tag/wall-street-banks/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950819 | 685 | 1.5 | 2 |
Heavy fighting in northern CAR, many flee: military
12/10/2012 19:44 GMT
BANGUI, Central African Republic, Dec 10, 2012 (AFP) - Heavy fighting broke out Monday between armed men and forces of the Central African Republic in the key northern city of Ndele, causing many residents to flee, a military source said.
"Armed men entered the city firing automatic weapons. Then loud detonations started being heard," forcing many people to flee to neighbouring towns or the bush, the military source told AFP.
Ndele, which has between 15,000 and 20,000 inhabitants, was already the scene of violent clashes between different rebel groups and the army in 2007-2010.
"After more than one hour of fighting between assailants and elements of the Central African armed forces, part of the centre of Ndele was occupied by these armed men," the military source said.
According to the source, the forces were backed by former rebels from the Convention of Patriots for Justice and Peace (CPJP), who since signing peace accords last year have controlled the city while on good terms with the army.
Local officials have yet to release a statement about Monday's events, for which a death toll was not immediately available.
The military suspects that men allied with Michel Djotodia, a co-founder of the former rebel movement the Union of Democratic Forces for Unity (UFDR), were behind the latest violence.
Djotodia went into exile in Benin in 2007 when the UFDR signed peace agreements with Bangui, but recent reports suggest he is back in the country.
Monday's clashes also come amid a wave of attacks on the armed forces since September near the capital. A CPJP faction that does not recognise the peace deal claimed responsibility for the violence.
The Central African Republic has been rocked by regular rebellions and coups since the fall in 1979 of military dictator Jean-Bedel Bokassa, one of Africa's most ruthless rulers, who was accused of serving up his political rivals to lions and crocodiles.
The instability has hobbled progress in a country that ranks among the world's poorest despite a wealth of raw materials such as uranium, diamonds and timber.
© 1994-2012 Agence France-Presse
©AFP: The information provided in this product is for personal use only. None of it may be reproduced in any form whatsoever without the express permission of Agence France-Presse. | <urn:uuid:a47ecb9e-bad4-419b-8363-8ab3bfd38685> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://reliefweb.int/report/central-african-republic/heavy-fighting-northern-car-many-flee-military | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966951 | 507 | 1.679688 | 2 |
FORT WORTH, Texas — Jobs and a healthy economy are the name of the game for the men who want to be president.
Those are among the issues that Mitt Romney is expected to hammer President Barack Obama on -- taking him to task for his "hostility to job creators" -- during a Fort Worth campaign event this afternoon.
"All of the polling shows that the economy and job creation are the top issues for voters," said Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University. "They want to know how Romney would propose to get the economy moving forward and spur job creation. He'll argue that Republican prescriptions are far better than what's coming out of the Obama administration."
Romney, the presumptive Republican nominee, will speak at 2:10 p.m. at Southwest Office Systems, 13960 Trinity Blvd. The Hispanic-led company has been in business since 1964.
Obama and Romney have been criticizing each other on jobs, especially because the nation's unemployment rate grew to 8.2 percent in May, up from 8.1 percent in April.
Romney's campaign has said that Obama policies are "hostile to job creators" and that measures such as the 2010 healthcare law are expensive and serve as a "job-killing mandate."
"This is a hostile environment for job creation in our economy," Romney senior campaign adviser Ed Gillespie said on Fox News over the weekend. "And that's why, frankly, it adds a sense of urgency in terms of this year's election to be able to turn things around because the only thing that's going to change it are changing the policies and that means changing the person in the White House."
Democrats and White House officials defend the policies and progress made under Obama, saying that "without the policies the president put in place, we wouldn't have even this level of job creation today," former Obama economic adviser Steve Rattner said over the weekend.
Obama's campaign recently released a TV ad in some battleground states saying Romney has "one of the worst economic records in the country." The ad talks about the number of manufacturing jobs Massachusetts lost under Romney's leadership and how the state fell dramatically in job creation.
Jillson said Romney will have to tread lightly in talking about his own economic proposals, so that he's not compared to the most recent Republican president -- George W. Bush, who was in charge when the economy began to fail.
"One of the main themes of the Romney campaign is that the economy could be much more robust under a different set of economic policies coming out of Washington," Jillson said. "He can't make the argument that everything would be better if we went back to Republican policies -- such as low taxes -- because voters still have negative memories ... of where we saw the economic collapse.
"Romney is saying the Obama stimulus, healthcare bill, banking regulations and financial reform are all stifling job creation, so we need to get rid of them and get back to the Republican policies of small government, low taxes, deregulation and personal responsibility."
Not at convention
Texans have contributed more than $5.8 million to Romney's campaign, and while he's in the state, he is expected to attend fundraisers, including one in San Antonio on Wednesday.
Romney, who secured the GOP nomination in Texas' primary last week, did not respond to invitations to attend the Republican Party of Texas' state convention, Thursday through Saturday at the Fort Worth Convention Center.
"That's a problem," Jillson said. "It really does suggest with uncomfortable clarity that he's (in Texas) for fundraising and a quick policy statement but doesn't want to mix with" conventiongoers.
State GOP spokesman Chris Elam said he hasn't heard details about Romney's visit and doesn't know whether any representative from the party will attend today's public event.
But he said he doesn't believe that Romney's plans for the convention have changed.
"I don't believe he's going to address the delegates," Elam said. | <urn:uuid:4122d135-0889-419d-aed5-3efa27328edb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/06/05/151170/romney-makes-campaign-stop-in.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974997 | 815 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Credit Union membership is growing as a result of a number of commercial banks adding fees. A number of commercial banks announced last month they would be adding customer fees for things like using an ATM card or paying for something with a debit card.
It created a customer backlash and people began taking their accounts to credit unions. Locally, IU Credit Union CEO Bryan Price says he has seen an increase in customers.
“We increased a little in terms of membership. We have 66,000 members overall in our credit union,” Price says. “Overall, we did pick up a few members compared to what we typically do in the month of October.”
Lisa Thomas has been an IU credit union customer for about 20 years. She says since the company is actually owned by the members its motivations are different than that of a commercial bank’s.
“I know people that use commercial banks, and I see the differences the interest rates are higher at commercial banks,” Thomas says. “Right now some people are even worried that their banks may go out of business or they might be losing money.”
Generally commercial banks charge fees because they are expected to turn a profit, that’s not the case with credit unions since they are member based.
Price adds to date we have opened more memberships this year than we have in the last several years. | <urn:uuid:8bd502be-8e4a-4e41-937b-e228c9f43aed> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://indianapublicmedia.org/news/credit-union-membership-increases-23738/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984336 | 284 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Psychiatric home care notesRegister Today!
This is a discussion on Psychiatric home care notes in Home Health Nursing, part of Nursing Specialties ... Hi, I have just started a per diem job doing home visits for psych pt's. I assess mental status,...by djasset Jan 22, '11Hi, I have just started a per diem job doing home visits for psych pt's. I assess mental status, mood, give meds, etc, I have to document for continued home care. Can someone show me a generic care note example. I know I have to use words like at risk for decompensation without sn care. I would like to be a little more professional with my notes than what I am presently doing. Thanks for any help,
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- Jan 23, '11 by mentalhealthRNmy guess is you have never worked as a psych nurse prior to this job?? Did you not have a psych rotation in school. This is exactly why a nurse who has never worked psych should not be "learning" in an isolated environment. You should have recieved training from the company that hired you on. That they didn't leads me to believe that they assume you know what you are doing. Let me give you an example. When I first started my first FT psych job inpatient we had a CNS in psych who was the educator for the unit and we had to spend 8 hours a day with her for two weeks before we hit the unit. She reviewed all the common psych dx, common behaviors and management of the them. De-escalation techniques--verbal. She reviewed how to do a mental status exam as we did them every shift. She talked about general documentation. We had a couple of days of training for managing the violent pt when de-escalation is not successful to keep you and the pt safe. This is what your company should be teaching you so you know what the heck you are doing. So sorry if my note sounds harsh--don't mean it to. Just being honest with you and also pointing out that your campany is at huge fault for not providing you the proper training and you deserve to get that training. By sending you in there like it sounds like you are I just worry that this is a set up for failure and for you possibly getting hurt. And that is not fair to you.
- Jan 25, '11 by djassetHello Mental Health RN.
I appreciate your response and concern for my well being. As I am sure you are aware, anyone dealing with psych patients is at risk, regardless of experience or training. To clarify, I did have a psych rotation in nursing school. I have 3 years ED experience dealing with psych patients and have been trained in de-escalating. I also have experience in the hospital taking care of patients with psych diagnosis. That being said, my question was not about how to take care of this patient population, but how to be more professional in my documentation of home visits. My hat is off to you for taking care of this population for 7 years. I know that personally, as a full time career, it is not my forte!
Again, thank you for taking the time to respond.
- Jan 25, '11 by mentalhealthRNWell it sounds like you should be good with caring for them-- again I always just worry about safety. As far as notes.....Do you actually have to do a mental health eval? a lethality assessment? I would find out from your agency what they require to start with. They may expect you to do that or not want you to....hard to say. Are you there specifically for their psych dx? or for medical?
What I would do is a basic eval just to document: mood, affect, any reported or observed signs of A/V hallucinations, any delusional thinking, thought process, any SI or HI, motor function (psychomotor agitation, etc.), speech pattern, INSIGHT and JUDGEMENT probably important as a lack of either or both could support need for continued support. Also important might be to discuss what supports the ct does have as lack of supports (family, friends, community programs, etc) would also support need for continued support. A mention of the cts ability to keep up with ADLs/IADLs or not could help in supporting that need for continued care. Meds. If the ct has been med-compliant. Check the medi-set if they use one to note anything that could indicate need for more support with meds (ie-the pills all mixed up from the way you put them--looking like they dropped the box but didn't! lol) Compliant with treatment/psych appts? oh and Coping skills, safety plan, etc. can be mentioned when talking about support. Oh and last thought....document how the ct is tolerating meds....any side effects, EPS, etc. and a set of vitals. you can document sleep too, and if normal or any problems. If they are diabetic and on any of the second generation anti-psychotics-- you can note how the BGs have been, and I would do a weight occasionally and document it for these folks. Those meds can cause probs with weight and glucose levels. Some docs do HGA1C now and then on them to monitor.
This is the kind thing that comes to mind--......I know its not in formal format but I hope this helps. If you need help with the mental health eval part there are a lot of books out there and probably stuff on line.
But overall if you can support in your note that the ct continues to need support or assistance with things due to their chronic mental health dx and show why-evidence- you should be okay. Hope this was helpful. Good luck.
- Feb 25 by nurseprettybettyI just searched nursing notes for psyche patients and came upon this thread. I am shocked at the response of mental healthrn. So unnecessary. That's a major issue in nursing today, that nurses are so judgmental and rude to others. Why write such a nasty response then apologize for sounding harsh? This MENTAL HEALTH RN must be BIPOLAR. I too like djasset was searching for help with proper documentation. I had a psyche rotation, a very enriching one at a forensics psyche facility, where all the patients had murdered someone. I also work chronic pain patients who the majority have psyche issues in addition to alcohol and narcotics withdrawal so I have psyche experience but I am now doing home visits with children and wanted to be sure I was charting properly! Sometimes I wonder how somebody can be so educated, yet so ignorant!
- Feb 25 by paradiseboundRNUnfortunately, I'm seeing these type of bully replies more and more on this board. What ever happened to "there is no dumb question"? I hope people aren't going to be afraid to post. Most of us are caring and supportive.
- Mar 3 by KarenJordanDocument if mood is stable, presence of mania or depression. free of hallucination, delusions, suicidal ideation. why do they need services - h/o non-compliance, cognitive defecits. how does their illness affect their ADL performance? Do they require the services for redirection and guidance and ADL's. do they have problems with safety due to impulsivity or attention defectis? also document side effects of medication - do they have any EPS. are they following up with their psych md?
Mental Health RN chill - home care is way different than institutional nursing! | <urn:uuid:b62d9dbe-ef31-46e1-84c0-c34f3ed814c6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://allnurses.com/home-health-nursing/psychiatric-home-care-528043.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967996 | 1,610 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Split Panels with Percentage?
I have a border layout, and within that I have 2 panels, the south panel has split:true
I would like to make the height of one of these panels 50% of the height of the parent container. The config object properties width and height only seem to accept numerical values in pixels.
I also tried adding some code to the Ext.onReady method, that obtained the height of the parent container, and then set the height of the south panel to half of this value. This then resulted in some weirdness. The contents of the north panel did not adjust when the splitter was moved...
Has anyone tried to do something similar? I basically want 2 panels with a splitter both representing 50% of the available space.
Any help would be appreciated. | <urn:uuid:116b644f-a3b3-4305-a1ac-46531f579b18> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sencha.com/forum/printthread.php?t=79439&pp=10&page=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951277 | 164 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Five women teachers killed by Islamic extremists in Pakistan
Attack aimed at discouraging education for females in country
Five women teachers traveling in a van in northwest Pakistan were shot to death by Islamic militants. It was a brutal beginning for a new year in a nation where both education for females - and such rudimentary things as polio vaccine for children are frowned upon, and called immoral "influences from the west." Two health workers were also killed in the incident.
The driver of the van where five women instructors were killed by militants in Pakistan survived the attack and was rushed to a nearby hospital.
The teachers and two health workers, one man and one woman were killed in the conservative Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.
The workers were on their way home from a community center in the town of Swabi where they were working at a primary school and medical center. Javed Akhtar, executive director of the non-governmental organization Support with Working Solutions said that gunmen on motorcycles opened fire with automatic weapons.
The NGO conducts programs in the education and health sectors and runs a primary school and a medical clinic at the community center in Swabi, he said.
Swabi Police Chief Abdur Rasheed says that most of the women killed were between the ages of 20 and 22. He said the four gunmen who used two motorcycles fled the scene and have not been apprehended.
No group has claimed responsibility for the incident.
The incident here was a deadly and familiar one. It was the same region that a Taliban gunman shot 15-year-old Malala Yousufzai in the head last October for daring to criticize militants and quietly promoting girls' education. She continues to recover in Britain.
The attack was yet another grim reminder of the risks faced by educators and aid workers, in particular women, in an area where Islamic militants often target women and girls trying to get an education.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has since many attacks in opposition to female education. Schools have been blown up, and instructors have been killed is an attempt to demoralize and discourage girls here from learning.
© 2012, Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM.
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Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.
Keywords: Pakistan, militants, teachers, health workers, girl education
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- Reflections on the Dignity and Vocation of Women: Who or What? | <urn:uuid:7786fb23-507b-49b8-97cf-4f26a0ec5291> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=49142 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962574 | 857 | 1.578125 | 2 |
God is not silent. He speaks to us in our Spirit and through others such as preachers, teachers, and individuals.
Love is kind, gentle, not rude, not proud, patient, not self seeking, not easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. That what love is. You have it from God, now do you want to get it for God and others. If you do not have these characteristics, you do not have real love and it will not last. | <urn:uuid:d6959f5a-d8e7-435a-8dde-bf4231066f1a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://whywontgodhealamputees.com/forums/index.php/topic,5147.msg111692.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944199 | 132 | 1.632813 | 2 |
For retailers, the “Big Data” world can be an intimidating place. Gartner Research has indicated that information volume is growing worldwide at a minimum annual rate of 59%. Approximately 85% of that amount is “unstructured” data such as video clips, RFID tags, and web site logs.
But maybe “Big Data” doesn’t have to be so big. That was the message delivered by several retail data executives at the recent Online Media and Marketing Association (OMMA) Data Driven Marketing conference. Retailers today need to break Big Data down to create actionable data. In doing so, they can improve multichannel customer experiences.
"Data has become an issue for retailers because mobile and social media lack traditional structure,” said Greg Corso, VP of Media Solutions at dunnhumby. “The velocity and volume of those inputs is incredible. It's all worth nothing if you can't act on it. Omnichannel attribution has become paramount. Retailers need to spend more time measuring and analyzing online behavior to see how it affects in-store behavior."
With a client base that includes Kroger, Macy’s and a variety of CPG brands, Corso illustrated how dunnhumby focuses on improving retail decision-making through data about product range, availability, space planning and new product innovations. But these principles were somewhat contradicted by one of his clients.
Julie Bernard, Group VP of Consumer Centricity for Direct Marketing and Loyalty at Macy's, sent a buzz through the conference by her admission that human judgment still has value at the company, despite data collection and analysis efforts being a priority. Macy’s executives recently realized that they had enough data to customize print ads but found it too expensive, she explained. But the retailer also returned to traditional marketing methods for another reason: Executives believed advertising that was “too relevant” might start to be too predictable. Additionally, customers sometimes look at marketing pieces for fashion inspiration "If it's too relevant they don't get it."
However, there was a very back-to-basics approach espoused by many speakers at the conference. For example, Shania Boone, Group Marketing Science Director at Critical Mass said her company works with retailers — Best Buy among them — to aggregate and analyze all sets of data. Retailers need to build a culture of "analytics maturity,” she said, which should include responsible privacy policies.
The back-to-basics approach also focused panelists on the long-term view of data insight and application. Judy Loschen, VP at Epsilon, detailed her work with a retail client that sent unscheduled emails every Thursday. Email content was based on the weakest weekly product category. Email messages were converting for the first three months, but after analysis, Epsilon determined that the customer churn and unsubscribe rate were leading to diminishing and destructive patterns. The emails were stopped. When they were restarted, however, customer value and open rate rebounded.
“Data affects customer messaging relevance and frequency,” Loschen said. “Data is not just a short-term revenue driving tactic. It’s a key factor in long-term strategy.” | <urn:uuid:190c159f-80b2-498f-acec-5eafd9b37629> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.retailtouchpoints.com/in-store-insights/2258-retailers-need-to-humble-big-data | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965621 | 671 | 1.59375 | 2 |
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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas law requiring voters to show picture ID at the polls was struck down by a three-judge federal panel, who said the state failed to prove the legislation wouldn’t harm low-income and minority voters.
Thursday’s unanimous ruling was the second legal defeat in three days for one of America’s most conservative states, which on Tuesday had a different Washington panel reject its new congressional and state Legislature district maps on the grounds that they discriminated against blacks and Hispanics.
But while it has lost those battles, Texas vows it may yet win the war — in the Supreme Court.
The Republican-dominated state Legislature passed a voter ID law in 2011, a measure that had long been backed by conservatives statewide. Yet the court ruled Thursday that the law imposes “strict, unforgiving burdens on the poor” and noted that Texas minorities are more likely to live in poverty.
State Attorney General Greg Abbott, a Republican widely rumored to be considering a run for governor in 2014, said it’s now too close to Election Day to salvage the law before November. But he said he’d appeal to the Supreme Court and prevail, pointing to past decisions upholding similar “ballot integrity safeguards” in Georgia and Indiana. He is also appealing the redistricting ruling.
“The (Supreme Court) said that having to take the time to gather all your documents, travel down to the Department of Motor Vehicles and pose for a photograph simply is not an infringement on the right to vote,” Abbott said in an interview, citing previous voter ID cases.
Texas’ fight is part of a widespread push, largely by Republican-controlled legislatures and governors’ offices, to impose strict identification requirements on voters. Democrats say fraud at the polls is largely nonexistent and that Republicans are trying to disenfranchise minorities, poor people and college students — all groups that tend to vote Democratic.
Reacting to Thursday’s ruling, White House spokesman Jay Carney said the Obama administration “believes it should be easier for eligible citizens to vote, to register and vote.
“We should not be imposing unnecessary obstacles and barriers to voter participation,” Carney said.
Texas Republican Gov. Rick Perry, though, offered a harsh rebuke: “Chalk up another victory for fraud.”
He did not give specific examples of fraud, but when Texas presented its case before the federal panel in July, it called witnesses who testified that either they had heard about fraud or had spoken to constituents who were concerned about it. The Justice Department countered with witnesses who said that in-person voter fraud incidents were extremely rare.
Thursday’s judges were Rosemary Collyer, an appointee of former President George W. Bush; Robert Wilkins, an appointee of President Barack Obama; and David Tatel, an appeals court judge appointed by Bill Clinton, who wrote the decision for the panel.
Tatel called the Texas law “the most stringent in the nation” and noted that it would impose a heavier burden on voters than the Indiana law upheld by the Supreme Court and one in Georgia, which the Justice Department allowed to take effect without objection.
“Simply put, many Hispanics and African-Americans who voted in the last election will, because of the burdens imposed by (the voter ID law), likely be unable to vote in the next election,” the opinion stated. “This is retrogression.”
Jon Greenbaum is chief counsel for the Washington-based Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, which represented the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and other parties in the suit. He said the judges were careful to spell out ways that Texas can soften the voter ID law to stand up to future legal scrutiny.
“The court let Texas know exactly what it had done wrong and what it could to do fix it,” Greenbaum said. “They made absolutely sure that they weren’t overreaching”
But Abbott’s vow to appeal means Texas may be looking for a larger Supreme Court battle regarding the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Under Section 5 of the act, Texas and all or parts of 15 other states must obtain clearance from the Justice Department’s civil rights division or a federal court before carrying out changes in elections. The states are mostly in the South and all have a history of discriminating against blacks, American Indians, Asian-Americans, Alaskan Natives or Hispanics.
Abbott said the Texas voter ID law has but “minor” differences to the one upheld in Indiana — which, unlike Texas, does not have to seek preclearance to change voting laws.
In Thursday’s opinion, the court appeared troubled by the fact that even though Texas would provide government-issued IDs for free, impoverished Texans would have to pay $22 for a copy of their birth certificate in order to obtain a voting ID. A birth certificate in Indiana, Abbott said, is $9.
“I don’t think a $13 difference is a constitutional difference,” Abbott said.
Associated Press writer Paul J. Weber in San Antonio contributed to this report. | <urn:uuid:0dbe3698-f81c-4804-9a58-6b0f597e004b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dailytribune.com/article/20120831/NEWS04/120839929/federal-court-rejects-new-texas-voter-photo-id-law | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963363 | 1,087 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Daryn Kagan is the creator of DarynKagan.com , a one-stop online destination for hopeful news. Before starting her own website, Daryn spent 12 years anchoring the news and covering history-making events around the world for CNN. Daryn was live on the air during the September 11, 2001, attacks. She reported from the Middle East during the war in Iraq, and she traveled across Africa with U2's Bono to report on AIDS and famine. She's also covered the Oscars® numerous times.
When Daryn left CNN in 2006, it was a chance to ask herself, "If I could do anything I want and serve the world, what would it be?" The answer was to tell her favorite kind of stories—inspirational news—to a worldwide audience. During her career in TV news, Daryn came to realize that even in the darkest of situations, there are people who turn their challenges inside out, transforming their lives and the world around them.
The award-winning DarynKagan.com launched in November 2006, and thousands of visitors make it their daily destination for stories that fit the theme "Show the World What's Possible!" Daryn is the author of What's Possible! 50 True Stories of People Who Dared to Dream They Could Make a Difference . Her first PBS documentary, Breaking the Curse —about one woman's fight to to help people living with leprosy in India—was honored with the 2008 Gracie Award for Outstanding Documentary. Her TV film Solar Town USA , about America's very first solar village built in the '70s, will air on PBS in 2009. Daryn's intention with each storytelling opportunity is to inspire the "What's Possible" spark in each of us.
About Daryn's Show
Daryn puts the good back in good news. Are you tired of the old "If it bleeds, it leads" mentality found in so many news outlets? If so, then this is the show for you. Each day, Daryn brings her inspirational content from DarynKagan.com , the Web's one-stop destination for hopeful news, to Oprah Radio. You hear true stories of people overcoming all sorts of obstacles and who then go on and make a difference in the world. This isn't happy news—rather, it's hopeful news. Daryn has covered traditional news on an international level for a long time, and while she accepts that, of course, bad things happen in the world, she also realizes that even in the darkest situations, people rise up to become heroes. Those are the kind of stories she brings us each day. And because Daryn and Oprah Radio believe it's important to be informed, as well as inspired, we wrap Daryn's uplifting stories around the latest headlines from ABC News. When to hear the show »
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From BR Bullpen
Joseph Jerome McGinnity (Iron Man)
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 11", Weight 206 lb.
- Debut April 18, 1899
- Final Game October 5, 1908
- Born March 20, 1871 in Cornwall, IL USA
- Died November 14, 1929 in Brooklyn, NY USA
Biographical Information
"Nothing can hurt my arm. I can throw curves like that all day. Last year, I pitched a 21-inning game for Peoria that took four hours. I never hurt my arm." - Joe McGinnity
"Iron Man" Joe McGinnity was known for a submarine style pitch that he claimed was easy on his arm. He pitched for ten seasons in the big leagues, starting in 1899 at age 28. His record was 246-142, and his best season was in 1904 for John McGraw's 1904 New York Giants, when he went 35-8 for a team that won the National League pennant with a record of 106-47.
McGinnity had pitched for six years in the minors before coming to major league baseball. He had also worked at an iron foundry, and one source says he got his nickname not from his iron arm but because he told people he worked at a foundry - "I'm an iron man."
He made a splash as a major league rookie by leading the league in victories. In all, he led the league in wins five times in the period 1899-1906. He led the league in games pitched six times during 1901-07, and even was the leader in saves three times from 1904-08.
Following his retirement from the major leagues, Joe McGinnity continued to pitch at the minor league level. His last season came in 1925, when he was a 54-year-old pitcher for Dubuque (a team he also managed). He won 207 games in the minors after he left the majors.
He also coached for the Dodgers.
He was a key part of the brouhaha occurring as part of the Merkle Bonehead Play. McGinnity was coaching at third base when the play occurred.
Notable Achievements
- NL ERA Leader (1904)
- 5-time NL Wins Leader (1899, 1900, 1903, 1904 & 1906)
- 2-time NL Winning Percentage Leader (1900 & 1904)
- 6-time League Games Pitched Leader (1901/AL & 1903-1907/NL)
- 3-time NL Saves Leader (1904, 1907 & 1908)
- 4-time League Innings Pitched Leader (1900/NL, 1901/AL, 1903/NL & 1904/NL)
- 2-time League Complete Games Leader (1901/AL & 1903/NL)
- NL Shutouts Leader (1904)
- 15 Wins Seasons: 9 (1899-1907)
- 20 Wins Seasons: 8 (1899-1906)
- 25 Wins Seasons: 6 (1899-1901, 1903, 1904 & 1906)
- 30 Wins Seasons: 2 (1903 & 1904)
- 35 Wins Seasons: 1 (1905)
- 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 9 (1899-1907)
- 300 Innings Pitched Seasons: 9 (1899-1907)
- 400 Innings Pitched Seasons: 2 (1903 & 1904)
- Won a World Series with the New York Giants in 1905
- Baseball Hall of Fame: Class of 1946
Records Held
- Hit batters, season (since 1893), 40, 1900
Further Reading
- Don Doxsie: Iron Man McGinnity: A Baseball Biography, McFarland, Jefferson, NC, 2009. | <urn:uuid:fa99827f-2f97-4661-9e51-d44d6d51385f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Joe_McGinnity | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964167 | 830 | 1.507813 | 2 |
A new treatment program for substance abuse moved one step closer to reality Thursday, as the board of directors of Central Peninsula General Hospital unanimously approved a resolution to send the proposal on to the CPGH Service Area board.
"This facility is badly needed in our community," said Pat Bourke-Peters, a social worker at the hospital who presented plans for the new program to members of the board at its monthly meeting.
"Most patients requiring medical detox need residential treatment, and right now all we can offer them is a band-aid approach. We have to put them on a waiting list for Clitheroe Center in Anchorage or Kodiak's Safe Harbor program, and it usually takes up to three months to get them in."
The only residential treatment center for substance abuse on the Kenai Peninsula, the Family Recovery Center, is no longer open.
The 28-day program would be based on the 12-step concept originated by Alcoholics Anonymous and will incorporate group therapy, psychological testing, individual assessment and counseling, and conferences with family members. Patients would be referred to the program by their family physician or emergency room staff.
A site already has been chosen for the treatment center five miles west of the intersection of Bridge Access Road and Kalifornsky Beach Road, at a former bed and breakfast on seven acres. The 2,500-square-foot building has three floors with six beds and three bathrooms. Men would be housed on one floor and women on another, Peters said. Five staff members would be hired by the hospital -- a director, two counselors and two night monitors who also would do the cooking for patients' meals.
"Ideally, we'd like to have at least one of the staff be a 12-step person themselves," said Peters, "someone who has been there and understands and can be on hand to help patients in their recovery."
The site has access to beaches and hiking trails and is in a quiet neighborhood, well suited to the program's objectives.
"Part of the treatment for recovery is recreation," Peters said. "Outdoor activities, like walking on the beach, help people learn to enjoy a sober life."
The program has the full support of the area's medical community. Four Soldotna physicians have been directly involved in planning for the new facility -- Drs. Marguerite McIntosh, Gonzalo Fraser, John Kasukonis and Marcus Deede.
"This program is long overdue," Deede said. "It's a nice, placid, isolated place with supportive people who've been there themselves. It doesn't need to be sophisticated or expensive. It will provide a good oasis for people with substance abuse problems."
The program would probably operate at a loss to begin with, said Peters, but may eventually be funded by grants, which the hospital is writing now. Patients with insurance or employer-paid recovery programs also would help pay for the facility.
The hospital board passed the resolution to approve the program. The proposal will go next to the CPGH Service Area board, for its approval, and then to the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly. This process will take several months, according to hospital board President Diana Zirul. Final approval by the assembly is expected sometime in September.
Other items approved by the board included new equipment and improvements for the radiology department, installation of heated downspouts and gutters, and adoption of an official nondiscrimination policy required by state and federal law.
The board also voted to extend the hospital's contract with emergency medical services for two years. This contract includes the city of Kenai, Central Emergency Services, Ninilchik Community Ambulance Association, Cooper Landing Rescue and the Nikiski Fire Department.
Peninsula Clarion ©2013. All Rights Reserved. | <urn:uuid:fa616251-1a32-4fac-9c3d-f669b50675e2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://peninsulaclarion.com/stories/070300/new_0703000004.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970357 | 772 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Then there are the numerous retail brokers such as Charles Schwab and their clients, the private investors, who make up a sizeable proportion of the capital markets. While institutional investors such as venture capital funds benefit from private equity placements, private individuals generally only gain significant exposure to these investment opportunities once they are listed as equities on a stock exchange–indeed, this in one of the key functions of an exchange: that it allows a larger pool of individuals who otherwise cannot gain access to investment opportunities to take part in the shareholding process.
In addition, it is retail investors who often facilitate much faster capital market cash-flow as they create easily-available, liquid secondary and tertiary markets for the sale of equity that institutions have realised a capital gain on. This has the effect of freeing up capital that venture capital funds use to finance further investors.
Here the columnist and Editor really might have thought harder about her postulation. To suggest, as Rich does, that “more entrepreneurs are finding it a seller's market,” and that “(they) are doing just fine” is to naïvely assume that only a primary market is necessary in order to facilitate entrepreneurial and innovative growth in an economy. The principle goes back to the age-old law of supply and demand: if demand at the lowest level does not outstrip supply then capital dries up – in the same way, if there is no “re-sell” IPO market for private equity investments then continued funding of entrepreneurial ventures cannot foreseeabley be sustained. Corporate financing activities such as industry trade purchases and big company mergers, as stated as one of the reasons for the IPO decline by The Wall Street Journal in Rich’ s riposte, is hardly a reliable long-term strategy for continued investment funding as there is a significant limit the possibility of these types of deals without fresh capital to cushion the activity.
And so it seems that despite the fact that Rich and her erstwhile team of amateur economists at Inc. might not care that much for the number of IPO’s in the market, the very entrepreneurs whom she directs so enthusiastically to the publication’s valuation guide–“Take a look at our Ultimate Valuation Guide to get a sense of all the companies that are cashing in”–might end up caring rather more than it seems. | <urn:uuid:ee92c134-0008-4d8b-8bc9-479f7e359fb1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogcritics.org/scitech/article/rational-exuberance-ny-times-columnist-laura/page-2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957123 | 478 | 1.5 | 2 |
Faking it? How to tell?Register Today!
- by CloudySue May 7, '12Any tips or tricks on how to recognize a faker or exaggerator a mile away?
Print and share with friends and family.
Compliments of allnurses.com.
http://allnurses.com/showthread.php?t=707184©2013 allnurses.com INC. All Rights Reserved.
- 1,987 Views
- May 8, '12 by nhnursieKids-faking? for real!?
Yes and no....when a kid is sick, it usually pretty evident, they truly get green/gray around the gills...they look like hell!
I can usually tell when they have a migraine- there is alook in there eyes that is just not focused (often they are photosensitive).....a malingerer will have no temp, is not flushed, no rackng chills, throat is not puffy or red or full of exudate....
Tummy aches are a little more difficult, one nurse on another thread will check bowel sounds! very loud and gurgly when they are not feeling well, pretty quiet if they are OK.
Although it seems sometimes the throats that look A-OK end up culturing + for strep and the ones that look like hell dont!
Quite often your gut will tell you whether or not they rally are ill, a I ALWAYS get a temp and o2 Sat with any respiratory issue.
Hope this helps!
- May 8, '12 by Ashley, PICU RNI just read this article on AN yesterday. Maybe you'll find it helpful.
- May 9, '12 by sauconyrunnerKids are often little Drama Kings and Queens. But I would not rely on any sort of "rule of thumb" regarding fakers. I always assess each kid really thoroughly. In that time I can usually decided if they are just kind of fooling around or overreacting to their own symptoms. Kids who are extremely quiet and extremely cooperative with everything tend to get my alarm bells ringing.
- May 10, '12 by CloudySueI agree, the ones who never complain and are there with something are the ones you should always take seriously. When I was pregnant, I sucked it up when I had the usual symptoms and didn't bother my OB/GYN. When I had a problem near the end and I called the doctor, they immediately sent me over to the hospital saying, "You never call to complain about anything. So if you are calling us now with this, we know something's up that needs to be checked out." It's those who cry 'wolf' all the time that put themselves in potential danger if something real were to happen.
- May 16, '12 by CampNurse1Even when a camper is "faking" it, they still require a nursing intervention, usually for anxiety. I work at a special needs camp, and I see a good bit of maladaptive behavior. My favorite are the "fake" seizure. Be sure and call out a campers name or clap your hands during a seizure. If they turn towards you, bingo! I think it is important to not get upset about these behaviors; there is a reason for it! These behaviors often work for them at home and school. I make a behavioral contract with the camper. "I think you are having too many headaches to go to the dance tonight." Something like that.
Do not let the first impression of malingering keep you from making a good assessment. EVERYTHING requires an appropriate inervention, "real" or not.
- May 17, '12 by big al lpnFake unconscious? Pick up their hand and hold it in the air over their face. Let it go. If they are faking they won't hit themselves in the face, it's hilarious watching their arm suddenly and magically divert from their face.
- May 19, '12 by LittleWing21Quote from big al lpnYou laugh, but I've seen it happen!!! Some kids are professional fakers! I had one girl who didn't even respond to painful stimuli....however, when I told her that her dad was going to have to pick her up early from camp, she somehow managed to snap out of it! It really is psychological warfare. Try to understand where they're coming from, and why they're faking symptoms. Often, the "fakers" have very vague GI symptoms. But the best way to tell is to get to know the kid. Get them away from other campers and use your therapeutic communication skills to get them to open up. Treating homesickness is a huuuge part of the job descriptionFake unconscious? Pick up their hand and hold it in the air over their face. Let it go. If they are faking they won't hit themselves in the face, it's hilarious watching their arm suddenly and magically divert from their face.
- May 20, '12 by Kooky KorkyAssume they're ill until proven otherwise. I hate when nurses start thinking everyone is faking. | <urn:uuid:8535d30e-f6e0-4f8c-be2c-e9c96d3a0b7f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://allnurses.com/camp-nursing/faking-how-tell-707184.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975495 | 1,071 | 1.523438 | 2 |
'Tracking the Tropics' - See where Isaac is headed
Coastal web cameras (LIVE Images)
By Alan Gomez, William M. Welch and Donna Leinwand Leger, USA TODAY
KENTWOOD, La. - As the long, wet slog that was Hurricane Isaac slouched off into Arkansas, weary residents of Louisiana and Mississippi confronted the muddy, powerless - and dangerous - mess left behind.
Nearly 2 feet of rain fell on the states, leaving the ground too soaked to absorb the overflowing rivers and pushing dams and levees outside New Orleans to the brink. As the water swallowed cars, houses and roads, helicopters and boats swept in to pluck families and pets from rooftops.
At least four deaths were reported in Louisiana and Mississippi. The latest two victims, a man and a woman, were discovered late Thursday in a home in the hard-hit town of Braithwaite, south of New Orleans. Their names were not immediately released.
National Hurricane Center Director Rick Knabb said the storm surge and unrelenting rain will pose "significant and ongoing" hazards.
"For some folks in Arkansas, the event is just beginning," he said. "Flooding is a risk over widespread areas."
Isaac, downgraded Thursday to a tropical depression, will move over Arkansas today and southern Missouri tonight and Saturday, before moving into Illinois on Sunday.
The storm knocked out power to almost a million households and businesses in Louisiana and 150,000 in Mississippi. Airline, rail and highway travel was expected to be snarled through week's end.
Disaster modeler Eqecat estimates Isaac did $2.5 billion in damage. President Obama has declared both states disaster areas.
"I realize in a large sense that Katrina was worse, but this one's doing a lot of damage in small areas. The areas that are getting hit are getting hit hard," said Dorothy Lewis, 58, who evacuated her Kentwood home in Tangipahoa Parish, a mile from the swollen Tangipahoa River.
A few miles north near the Mississippi-Louisiana border, engineers started a controlled release of water Thursday afternoon to reduce the threat of a break at the earthen Percy Quin Dam. If the dam failed, it could send a devastating rush of water that would raise the Tangipahoa 17 feet and wash out hundreds of homes along its banks, including Lewis'.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal called the situation "the biggest challenge" facing the state Thursday and said 40,000 to 60,000 people would be affected if the dam breaks. Search-and-rescue teams evacuated residents within a 1-mile area .
"It's so stressful," said Pat Womack, who rode out Isaac's lashing in a local church and then returned home only to evacuate again - this time to her brother-in-law's powerless house - to wait for the river to recede. "You don't know what's going to happen. I hope it ends soon."
The $14.45-billion hurricane-protection system ringing the New Orleans area, installed after Katrina's catastrophic levee breaches, continued to hold, keeping storm surge and floodwaters out of the city - but in suburbs and small towns nearby, the situation was dire:
•In LaPlace, the National Guard evacuated 3,000 people trapped by flooding. One couple used a flashlight to signal a Coast Guard helicopter rescue crew, which plucked them and their two dogs from a flooded home early Thursday, said Lt. Cmdr. Jorge Porto, an Air Station New Orleans pilot.
The floods "were shockingly fast-rising," Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne said.
As the water receded and the rain let up, residents returned to the River Forest community to retrieve soaked belongings or check on their homes. With water too high to drive, many came by boat or waded barefoot through waist-high water.
"I'm fine,'' said Wayne Jones as he waded shirtless. "But I don't know where my family is.''
•In Plaquemines Parish, where 8-foot-high tidal levees keep storm water and high tides at bay, a storm surge leapt over the barriers and overran the fishing enclave of Braithwaite, said Bob Turner, regional director of the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East.
State and parish officials began the days-long process Thursday to release the trapped floodwater by punching a hole in a levee north of Braithwaite and letting it drain into marshes , Turner said.
Alice Sino's Braithwaite home is on the wrong side of the massive floodgate that protects New Orleans. When Isaac bore down, she and her husband fled a day before the floodwaters overwhelmed her home. Sino remembers when workers raised the floodgate near her home. She took it as a bad sign. "When they put it up, I said, 'They're going to drown us out,'" Sino said. "And that's exactly what happened."
•In Slidell, David and Gina Oliver were sitting on their front porch on Wednesday afternoon when they saw the water climbing up to their yard. "Thirty minutes later, the house was full," Gina Oliver said.
The couple evacuated with their two children to her mother's house farther inland. But they were back Thursday afternoon, loading their small fishing boat onto a flooded road to get back to their house and salvage anything they can.
"I don't wish bad on anyone, but they fixed New Orleans. They're high and dry," Gina Oliver said. "And still, all you hear is New Orleans, New Orleans, New Orleans. You haven't heard a damned thing about Slidell."
Richard Roussell, 45, a construction worker in Slidell, walked along the train tracks on Front Street after checking on a house he had finished renovating just two weeks ago.
"I thought it was a little baby storm, but obviously I was wrong," he said. His home had about a foot of water inside. "It ain't pretty."
Welch reported from LaPlace, La.; Leinwand Leger from Washington. Contributing: Rick Jervis in Braithwaite, La.; Doyle Rice in McLean, Va.; and Alison Bath, Shreveport, La. | <urn:uuid:7379b7c4-0773-496e-8dcc-33f01e886fb7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/334862/3/Isaac-aims-at-Gulf-Coast-after-raking-Florida | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966001 | 1,309 | 1.804688 | 2 |
friends of the earth international website
In 2007, our website hosted a number of urgent cyberactions at www.foei.org/en/get-involved. Hundreds of individuals around the world responded to each action, often with inspiring results as you can read in these cyberaction highlights.
The community testimonies area of our websites, where people around the world speak for themselves, continued to grow throughout the year. Read more about this initiative here.
And our web team covered many special events, including the December 2007 UN climate meeting where Friends of the Earth campaigners published a Bali blog and photo gallery about their activities and demonstrations. A dedicated team from Australia; England Wales and Northern Ireland; Malaysia and Indonesia uploaded daily blog posts and photos. The main blog page received around 2,000 views with individual pages getting around 200 views each in December. The photo gallery had more than 15,000 views! | <urn:uuid:b3f1a9ea-b31e-4451-a1e8-4d66cc6f8699> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.foei.org/en/resources/publications/annual-report/2007/what-we-achieved-in-2007/communications-in-2007/our-website | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955271 | 182 | 1.703125 | 2 |
New Jersey voters approved borrowing $400 million for land preservation programs today, narrowly passing the open-space question on the ballot.
Gannett reported that as of 11:35 p.m., with 98 percent of the state’s precincts reporting, the question was ahead 52 percent for to 48 percent against. More than 1.5 million votes were cast, according to the Associated Press.
The AP says the question passed in 15 of the state’s 21 counties, meeting with the most resistance in Sussex, Warren and Morris — all of which gave strong support to winning gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie.
The question’s approval was cheered by members of the New Jersey Keep it Green Campaign, a large coalition of organizations that had worked to get out information on the ballot question and urged the public to support it.
“Today we heard from the voters with a strong and unwavering voice that New Jersey continues to believe in these programs and recognizes the value of open space, clean water, farms and parks, not only to our pocketbooks, but to preserving what we love about New Jersey and protecting our quality of life,” said Kelly Mooij of the New Jersey Audubon Society, the campaign’s coordinator.
Democratic Assemblyman John McKeon, the ballot measure’s lead sponsor, has said that for every dollar New Jersey spends on open space, it gets 10 back.
“Today’s vote ensures that we can preserve available sources of clean drinking water by preserving thousands of acres in the Highlands region and saving hundreds of millions of dollars in filtration costs,” he said. “It is a vote to limit urban sprawl in the nation’s most densely populated state and a vote for jobs in tourism and farming.”
Of the $400 million approved by voters, $218 million will be set aside for Green Acres open space purchases, $146 million for farmland preservation, $24 million for purchases of flood-prone land and $12 million for historic preservation.
This story was updated Wednesday, Nov. 4.
More: Open space ballot question generates mixed reactions (Trenton Times)
A ‘yes’ for open space and New Jersey’s future (Green Jersey)
Why I’m voting ‘no’ on the open space bond question (Green Jersey) | <urn:uuid:a92c55cc-0b86-4954-a717-941a33140859> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://greenjersey.org/2009/11/03/open-space-bond-question-passes-by-slim-margin/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938271 | 488 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Best Known For
Retired magician Siegfried Fischbacher was one-half of the performing duo Siegfried and Roy.
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Siegfried Fischbacher was born on June 13, 1939, in Rosenheim, Germany. In 1957, while working as a steward on an ocean liner, Fischbacher met Roy Horn. The pair put together a magic act and eventually made it to Las Vegas, where they performed for more than 30 years. In October 2003, one of the show's tigers attacked Horn during a performance,
leaving him in critical condition. Siegfried and Roy officially retired from show business after a final performance in 2010.
Magician and stage performer Siegfried Fischbacher was born on June 13, 1939, in Rosenheim, Germany. From a young age, Fischbacher was drawn to the world of magic, and would spend hours practicing tricks out of a book for his family.
In 1957, while working as a steward on an ocean liner, Fischbacher met Roy Horn, who became his assistant for an impromptu magic show. Soon, the pair were collaborating, upping the ante from making a rabbit disappear to vanishing a cheetah. For the next five years, they performed throughout Europe, playing for little money. They eventually received their big break while performing at a casino in Monte Carlo, where a scout spotted them and invited them to do their act in Las Vegas.
Siegfried and Roy have been combining magic tricks with tiger stunts in Las Vegas for more than 30 years, at first with shared billing and eventually as their own show. In addition to their hugely popular performances, they are active preservationists of white tigers and white lions. The duo has created a special compound outside of Las Vegas for the birthing, care and conservation of these rare animals.
In October 2003, the show was brought to its knees when a white tiger attacked Horn during a performance, leaving the trainer in critical condition. Horn insisted that the tiger was not at a fault, and the show was closed down indefinitely following the incident.
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The blistering pace that has characterized Utah’s economy for the past few years has begun to cool, experts say. The national housing slump and high oil prices have both played a part in the slower pace, but the Beehive State remains at the head of the pack in significant areas such as home appreciation and job growth. Experts see the slowdown as part of the natural economic cycle and are cautiously optimistic that Utah will continue to attract companies looking to relocate, thus maintaining low unemployment and providing a stable local economy.
When the national housing market took a hit in 2007, Utah seemed unaffected at first. By the first of this year, however, home sales had dipped and the number of housing starts declined dramatically. In the first quarter of 2008, for example, home and condo sales in Utah were down 11 percent compared to the previous quarter while housing starts were down 60 percent.
Despite the negative number, that 11 percent decrease was an improvement over the fourth quarter of 2007, which showed a quarterly decrease of about 33 percent, according to the Utah Association of Realtors and it appears that picture will continue to brighten. In May, the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight reported that Utah showed a 5.58 percent change in housing prices in the first quarter of 2008 – the second highest home price appreciation in the nation.
“The housing market is still a little sluggish. We anticipate it will stay that way probably through the summer, but the third or fourth quarter should improve some,” says David Mansell, president of the Utah Association of Realtors.
Like the housing trend, other national factors affect the local economy, says Kelly Matthews, executive vice president and economist for Wells Fargo. “The costs of food and energy are evident in terms of the Utah economy. We have not been immune. The Utah economy has slowed in its growth.”
Matthews is almost as optimistic as Mansell about the duration of the housing decline, saying that he thinks the market is “probably at least halfway and maybe more than halfway through the adjustment process. We’re not done yet. A lot of these homes are not sold yet [and] I think that home prices will still decline. I think by the end of this year we will have a significant reduction in the size of the housing overhang and, in fact, I think sometime this year we will actually start building a few more houses.”
As with the housing market in 2005 and 2006, the state’s unemployment and job growth rates accelerated at a record-setting pace. In the first half of this year, they’ve slowed down. The Department of Workforce Services estimated the April job growth at 2 percent while unemployment was at 3.1 percent. Experts say job growth will likely slow even more through the end of the year.
“I could clearly see us dipping to a point where we may have a 1 percent job growth on average for this year,” Matthews says, but also adds that “we will remain among the better-performing economies in the Western area.”
The retail sector also set records during the past few years, but had an unremarkable showing in 2008.
That’s not surprising, says Darrell Tate, an investment specialist with Commerce CRG, because new retail projects weren’t planned for this year. “This marked slowdown does not reflect the health of the market. Retailers are establishing their market position and the product [built in the past few years] is being absorbed.”
Vacancy and lease rates remain low, Tate says, indicating a healthy retail sector. Nevertheless, he does see retailers being less likely to expand in the current economic climate. “There’s virtually not a retailer we work with or have talked to that hasn’t expressed a more cautious approach,” he says.
Meanwhile, construction of City Creek Center in downtown Salt Lake and the remodeling of virtually all the major shopping malls in the Salt Lake Valley, except South Towne, point to a vigorous retail picture in coming years, Tate says.
Much more promising for the current economy is the manufacturing sector, which continues to draw new companies such as Procter & Gamble. The closure of La-Z-Boy’s Tremonton plant and the layoffs at West Jordan’s KraftMaid appear to be anomalies, says Mark Knold, chief economist with the Department of Workforce Services, “but it does show the vulnerability of manufacturing and does bring home the point that it is fragile. If the national [situation] does get worse, if the oil just pushes people too far, then one of the first places it’s going to show itself in Utah would be the manufacturing sector.”
Jeff Thredgold, Zions Bank economist, compares Utah’s economy to a car: “In the summer of 2006 it was going at about 80 mph. The summer of last year it was down to about 60 mph and right now it would be running about 25 mph.”
That may seem to be a snail’s pace, “but when you look at a U.S. economy that’s right on the edge of recession, that has slowed down to essentially zero mph, then that 25 mph pace doesn’t look quite so bad,” Thredgold says.
Within that speed limit, Utah’s economy has many green lights. Every market sector except construction has showed job growth, and even non-residential construction remains strong. Knold points to health care, which has had consistent growth of nothing less than 4 percent in the past decade, as one particularly vigorous sector. The education and government sectors have also been strong during this cycle of weakening economy, he says.
Another of Utah’s bright spots is exports, Thredgold says, and the natural gas, coal and oil exploration sectors are doing very well also.
In the residential investment market, the flippers of the past few years seem to have fled, but “investing in apartment buildings and multifamily right now may be the darling investment of our small economic downturn here,” says Kip Paul, a Commerce CRG investment specialist. “There are a lot of good reasons why they’re not only good right now but they’re going to get nothing but better from the investment perspective.”
The supply of apartments in the Salt Lake Valley has grown only about 1 percent annually, while the pool of renters has swelled, leading to the classic problem of high demand and low supply. As a result, rents have risen, Paul says. “And I don’t think anybody sees those variables or circumstances changing in a dramatic way that’s going to change the outlook of increasing rents. And as rents increase, that’s how you develop rapid equity in your apartment investments.”
Unfortunately for investors, the supply of multifamily properties for sale also is at a premium, Paul says. “We can sell them as fast as we can find them. It’s difficult to get current owners to become sellers. We definitely don’t have enough sellers for what we have as buyers.”
Slow But Steady
The number of firms looking to relocate or expand in Utah “has continued to be steady, if not increasing,” says Jeff Edwards, CEO of the Economic Development Corporation of Utah, “and the inquiries are from a diverse set of industries. There is expansion of manufacturing going on and it’s happening in areas where there needs to be a high value added and other concerns that won’t allow that process to be off-shored.”
Utah’s educated workforce, as well as the state’s increasing population and central location, are appealing factors to companies such as Sephora, West Liberty Foods and Nucor Steel, Edwards says. Moreover, those companies are locating throughout Utah, not just along the Wasatch Front.
“There are opportunities all over this state,” Edwards says. His examples: a new FedEx facility in Salina, Heritage Plastics in Millford and Charlotte Pipe in Cedar City as well as Oracle in West Jordan.
While several of the new companies have yet to open their doors, Utah’s job growth is half that of a year ago.
That’s not entirely a bad thing, Matthews points out. “The important thing for everybody to realize is that [there] is still growth,” he says. “That 2 percent in April still represented about 25,000 jobs greater than what was in Utah a year ago. Yes, we have slowed, but we continue to be in pretty good shape compared to some of our major competitive states, which are already flat or negative in terms of job growth performance.”
Overall, local economists are mixed in their predictions about Utah’s economy through the remainder of 2008.
Matthews remains the most optimistic. “I think we’re well on the way to adjustment in the housing sector, we’re fortunate that our job growth is positive even though it is slow, and I don’t think that Utah is facing anything that would remotely be a state recession,” he says. “If somebody smiles on us and crude oil prices should stabilize at this point and gradually ease, I think our economy in Utah nine months from now could be noticeably better.”
For Thredgold, the good news is comparative. “It’s an economy that’s slowing down, but one that still looks awfully good versus its neighbors and versus the rest of country,” he says.
Knold, on the other hand, balances positive factors such as the job growth against the higher prices of oil and food. “Consumers are the weak point here,” he says. “The more things that keep battering consumers as we go on through the rest of this year, the more it weakens the overall [economy.]” He projects Utah’s job growth will bottom out at 1 percent, but adds, “the odds could be worse than what I think. There are some real tough tea leaves out there.” | <urn:uuid:387647d6-7e89-4864-a20b-387a16447b4e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://utahbusiness.com/articles/view/holding_steady_moving_forward | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969341 | 2,123 | 1.742188 | 2 |
California bans .22 rimfire use in condor areas
From the Ventura County Star:
"California hunting regulators Friday broadened a prohibition on lead bullets scheduled to take effect July 1, adding .22-caliber ammunition to the ban.
The new rules will apply only in those areas where the endangered California condor roams — generally, the coastal mountains from Monterey south to Ventura County and in the southern Sierra.
The action by the Fish and Game Commission follows enactment of a landmark law signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger this fall that bans the use of lead ammunition by deer hunters in the affected areas."
It’s no big deal, right? California appears to be executing a well thought out plan. After all, there’s no need to deal with the fuss of constitutional rights if you want to ban firearms, just make the ammunition difficult to find or expensive. Then only the ruling elite will be able to afford the shooting sports, which is how they want it.
Posted by: Chris at December 11, 2007 08:59 AM
What's the lamebrained theory behind this one...that condors eat lead pellets and die?
Posted by: Doug in Colorado at December 11, 2007 10:58 AM
On this past Saturday I was at a meeting where three
people closely connected to this issue spoke.
We came to a couple of preliminary conclusions.
1) The report adopted by CA Fish & Game as the
"factual basis" behind the legislation specifically
states there is no known connection between lead
bullets and condor lead poison problems. Do
not confuse those in power with the facts.
2) Lead fishing weights are next on the list.
Expect them to be eliminated in a matter of weeks.
3) There is no clear exemption for things like
predation permits. So if a bear or cougar eats
a child in the effected zone, apparently
archery is the only valid method of pursuit!
Forget about shooting a coyote attacking livestock.
4) The law is strict. There are no "Lead Free"
bullets. Down at the one part per billion
level, there is lead in most alloys. The
existing copper bullets and shot alloys are not
5) The most likely "Lead Free" metallic bullets
are made from highly refined gold, as it might
be pure enough to be "Lead Free".
Posted by: Frank at December 11, 2007 11:39 AM
Silver bullet, Keemo-Sabe...that what kill great bird who feeds on settlers' children.
Posted by: Doug in Colorado at December 11, 2007 12:04 PM
Start shooting those damn birds and help them out of their beleagered existance. Without massive infusions of money and stupidity on the part of the State, they would have died out decades ago.
Posted by: emdfl at December 11, 2007 12:41 PM
Quoted from SCI:
"Despite the strong opposition of SCI and other sporting groups, the California Fish and Game Commission expanded a statutory ban on the use of lead ammunition in condor "range" in central and southern California (about a 1/3 to 1/4 of the State). Lead ammunition is now prohibited in condor range for all big game (e.g., deer, elk, bear, wild pig) and non-game birds and mammals (e.g., crow, coyote, ground squirrels). While the legislative ban recently passed by the California Legislature and signed by Governor Schwarzenegger did not include non-game bird and mammals (other than coyote) and did not cover rimfire firearms, the regulatory ban covers all of these. Most troubling, the regulatory ban covers .22 caliber rimfire rifles, used mainly for small game. Currently, no nonlead ammunition exists for this firearm. In addition, the State's environmental review concluded that nongame bird and mammal carcasses do not represent a significant threat to the condor. The regulatory ban tracks the statutory ban's definition of condor "range" to include large areas of historic range where no condors currently exist. Consistent with SCI's comments, the Commission did define nonlead ammunition as allowing up to 1% lead, as currently available nonlead ammunition contains trace amounts of lead. Under the statute, the Commission must establish procedures to certify nonlead ammunition and a coupon reimbursement program if private funds can be found. Finally, the Commission established that mere possession of uncertified (i.e., leaded) ammunition and a firearm capable of discharging it in condor "range" is a violation of the law punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and a year in jail. The lead ammunition ban goes into effect on July 1, 2008. "
Posted by: RKM at December 11, 2007 02:16 PM
Can the police carry lead ammunition or are only the citizens banned from possession of it?
Posted by: Rudy DiGiacinto at December 11, 2007 02:59 PM
Depleted unranium, perhaps?
Posted by: Jerry in Detroit at December 11, 2007 03:12 PM
Anything remotely as dense as DU rounds would probably be considered armor piercing and also illegal.
Posted by: GeorgiaPacking at December 11, 2007 03:50 PM
Oh Lord help us.
You Peta Antis make me sick. How I would love to put you on the front lines so you can do your part in defending this great free country. Maybe then you opinion will matter to some. I swear, This country has had hunting going since before any one alive today. Seems to me you idiotic lead haters should be looking at the human death toll from drunk drivers, smoking, aids, etc...... and so on. Instead you show the love, dedication and money for a freaken bird.
If I lived in Ca. as years ago, your Law would not have any effect on me. How about your bone headed Govener reimbursing every shooter and hunter for his lead so they can by the copper rounds. Liberals have there way, you will be screweed.
Jst stay away from the mid west, we do not want you or your opinions.
Posted by: David Salter at January 27, 2008 03:48 PM
I am a biologist that lives in the sierra foothills about 200 yards from a "buzzard"(vulture) roost. In the 28 years that I have observed them, not one has ever died at the roost. I'm sure they have eaten lead in dead animals. Where is the REAL SCIENCE in this condor flap ! Also, in 50+ years of hunting and fishing in the Fresno/Madera county mountain area I have NEVER seen a California Condor yet the area is included in the no-lead zone. Again, Where is the science ?................ Politics ?
Posted by: mossygramp at June 5, 2008 01:44 PM
Ive been hunting ca for 40 years. there is no real science to this condor thing.ive been from the top of this state to the bottom and never seen one.so if they cant get our guns they go after our ammo i think all the hunters in this state should not buy a deer tag next year.
Posted by: ricky johnson at August 12, 2008 07:58 PM
I am truly at a loss here folks. I have served our country, in these great states and abroad. Have been a target shooter for a while and although I have never been on a hunt of any kind so far. Now that I have made the decision to do so. I am being told that I can not, unless I use this CA. approved ammunition in a CA. approved rifle/handgun, in most of southern CA.. I now change my first statement. I am truly appalled. How can a person hunt for small game (rabbit) using a .22rimfire. You can't. From what I have read there is no available round for these fire arms that is legal to hunt with. Seriously though, I am glad I started the research now for next years season. As I think I will Be hunting (please read as, spending lots of monies)in another state that does not have so many restriction on a rather safe competitive sport.
I just wanted to say that I am disappointed with this as all the hunters I know are also some of the most responsible people I know.
Thanks for listening
Posted by: Joe at September 12, 2008 03:47 AM
Condors are much more sensitive to lead than vultures and most other birds. I participated in studies done in the 80's that looked at condor lead sensitivity and the science is there. Each year condors die or have to be hospitalized and treated for lead poisoning due to ingestion of lead picked up from gut piles or gun shot carcasses of hunted animals that were not clean kills and got away from the hunter. It seems a small thing to ask shooters not to use an environmental toxin as ammo in order to help save a species on the brink of extinction.
I understand that to most people having condors or not having condors is irrelevant to their lives, so why not use lead ammo and help finish the last stragglers of the species off? Most modern Americans don't really have much contact or appreciation with the natural world and would never know the difference. But hunters are people who get out into the more wild areas still remaining and some of them better understand the complex relationships between different species of plants and animals and, yes, even humans and know that it is impossible to pull one piece out of the puzzle without affecting others.
Nobody is talking about taking guns away from anyone. This is simply about changing to a different ammo. Inconvenient? Yes. More expensive? Yes. Sorry. Too much to ask or people? Apparently yes for some. I understand the logic of gun rights advocates not yeilding an inch in any regard to any legislation affecting any aspect of gun rights. But this is the same fundamentalism that leads to excesses we've seen too much of lately. Fortunately, we still live in a pleuralistic society, so you will just have to suck it up for now. Flame away....
Posted by: Kikemon at August 31, 2010 06:25 PM | <urn:uuid:88b9af19-768d-4b6f-87b6-2cdaba648fad> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://armsandthelaw.com/archives/2007/12/california_bans.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962214 | 2,132 | 1.617188 | 2 |
October 14, 2012
“The idea of this agreement going around is a positive start to a new beginning for all inmates. If we could maintain this valuable peace treaty within the prison system, why not work on spreading the word outside the prison walls so that we may put an end to the gang violence and work on becoming a bigger force?” writes a prisoner in the Pelican Bay SHU. And in a large rally outside the LA County Jail, youth called for a “parallel cease fire in the streets” to correspond to the end of hostilities inside the prisons. Prisoners need this news. Please copy and mail this story to a prisoner.
July 15, 2012
In protest against the ongoing foul and inhumane conditions at Virginia’s Red Onion State Prison – one of America’s most notoriously abusive and racist prisons – dozens of inmates went on a hunger strike. The strike began on May 22 and lasted several weeks. I was imprisoned at Red Onion for over a decade.
June 17, 2012
We are the families of thousands of loved ones who have been incarcerated indefinitely – some for decades – in California’s “supermax” segregated and administrative housing units. Solitary confinement, even for short periods, has been known for centuries to cause irreparable physical and psychological damage: torture. Yet California continues to condone this practice.
December 28, 2011
Arriving at Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport from cities throughout America, aspiring college students were excited. The tour would visit Spelman College, Morehouse College and Clark-Atlanta University in Atlanta, also Alabama State University and Tuskegee University in Alabama.
June 9, 2011
U.S. babies are dying at an increased rate. While the United States spends billions on medical care, as of 2006, the U.S. ranked 28th in the world in infant mortality, more than twice that of the lowest ranked countries. The recent CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report indicates that in eight cities in the northwest U.S., infant mortality increased 35 percent in the 10 weeks after the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant disaster.
June 6, 2011
Freedom Flotilla II – Stay Human will be leaving from unspecified ports in the Mediterranean in late June to break the siege on Gaza carrying about a thousand journalists, teachers, students, attorneys, human rights activists, members of parliament and others from 22 countries.
March 12, 2011
African American contractors are more likely to hire workers of color, so a barrier to the contractor has a broad impact. Now a new initiative in Oregon is working to stop the lockout of Blacks from construction.
June 5, 2010
Foreclosures are soaring. Some housing experts say 4 million foreclosures are possible in 2010. To fight back, organizations across the U.S. are engaging in “housing liberation” and “housing defense” to exercise their human rights to housing. Here are a few examples. | <urn:uuid:57f6a797-ca9e-4e9a-a71a-d260daadf435> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://sfbayview.com/tag/oregon/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948444 | 605 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Foremost, I'm a Plant 3D man. But I see a strong market for a program that would 'marry' the usability of Plant 3D with the technical prowess of AutCAD Structural Detailing (ASD) into a program that would put out simple, "single line' structural design drawings - AutoCAD Structural Design. Alternatively, they could either 'dumb down' ASD or 'smarten up' Plant 3D's structural module. We use ASD for our shop fabs, but what we also need is software that will give us simple, structural design drawings with connection (not fabrication) details.I believe this would bridge the gap between Plant 3D and ASD. I think Revit can do something like this, but I'm not sure (I don't use Revit). The Plant 3D structural module 'almost' does what we want with it's Line Model mode, but not quite...
Your thoughts, World...
I'm fairly new to P3D but I would like to see a better, more efficient inter-connection between Revit and P3D. We do most of our structural work in Revit. Exporting the Revit Model to DWG and Xref'ing works but it's not great visually and it's certainly not what I would call efficient. Even in Navisworks I have to export a NWC file first. A "live" connection in Navisworks (like with DWG files) would be very useful. This would be even more useful in P3D itself but that's probably pushing it right
One of the correct workflow for doing detailing structure is: REVIT -> ASD -> Plant3D
The step from REVIT to ASD is doing using the subsription plug-in which send the model directly to ASD. It's posible to send for calculation to Robot too. After insert details, is necessary to insert the dwg ASD model to Plant3D project. | <urn:uuid:d338a280-62b3-4400-9c60-37cbbfe4ead9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/AutoCAD-Plant-3D/AutoCAD-Structural-Design/m-p/3374399 | 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 | 0.942363 | 402 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Alberti's De Pictura, (or was it Kirby's cover art?) I have approached drawing and painting more-or-less as a window. At least when I am in my "representational" mode.
From page 69 of Practical Perspective: Being a Course of Lessons, Exhibiting Easy and Concise Rules for Drawing Justly All Sorts of Objects, by Henry Clarke:
"I think. . . it would be no bad method if our capital landscape painters. . . were to write down on the back of the canvas, the height of the centre, and the distance of the perspective plane. For then the picture might be placed to advantage. . . [and] would appear to the eye exactly agreeable to the painter's intention."
But now I want my audience to be sucked in until their noses are pressed against the surface and simultaneously repelled so that the painting can only be taken in from a distance. Multiple distances. I suppose I was doing something like that in 1994. Interesting surfaces disrupted by planes that other painters would turn to me and say "How did you do that?" while stroking the background. Philistines would like them because they could sense space. Win win.
|Steven LaRose, The Insect that Deceives, 1994|
Acrylic on wood, 12 x12 inches | <urn:uuid:33b943b9-0fee-4409-a100-a83193ebb05c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://stevenlarose.blogspot.com/2012_06_01_archive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97011 | 274 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Meet Gil. He’s an 8-year-old kid. Gil is a bit of an underdog. He’s a little on the chubby side, and he’s usually the last kid picked at school to play dodgeball. He doesn’t have the newest toys or live in a fancy house. His parents are split up – his single mother supports them with her factory job income and his father isn’t around as often as a father ought to be. But none of these things seem to have an adverse effect on Gil’s relentless optimism and upbeat attitude.
Norm’s daily comic strip GIL is a realistic and funny look at life through the eyes of a young boy growing up under circumstances that are familiar to millions of American families. GIL is syndicated by King Features, and launched in newspapers nationwide on January 2, 2012. If your local paper doesn’t carry GIL, you can read it online every day at gilcomics.com.
Gil: A chubby and cheerful 8-year-old boy. He loves comic books, video games and superheroes, all of which fuel his already overactive imagination. He is an only child who lives with his mother and sees his father on alternate weekends. He’s somewhat oblivious to the complexities of the adult world, which almost always leads to a funny situation.
Shandra: Gil’s best friend, neighbor, classmate and supportive confidante. Like Gil’s folks, Shandra’s parents are also divorced. With her signature puffy pigtails and sensible attitude, Shandra is a loyal friend and well-adjusted child. She and Gil have a lot in common and speak openly about living in their respective single-parent homes.
Mom: A hardworking single mother whose primary concern is the welfare of her young son, Gil. She is a hands-on mother who works full-time in a factory. She struggles with the guilt that all working mothers face. Her income allows her to meet the necessities in life, like food, rent and utilities, but not always the bonus stuff like the latest video game console.
Dad: A classic under-achiever who is lazy and lacks motivation. He holds out hope that one day he will strike it rich with a scratch-off lottery ticket. He gives questionable fatherly advice and is an unlikely candidate for winning “Father of the Year” any time soon. He loves his son, but it’s clear that he simply isn’t ready for full-time fatherhood.
Morgan: Gil’s mean-spirited classmate and antagonist. Some say if someone teases you, it must mean that they secretly like you. That’s really not the case with Morgan and Gil. | <urn:uuid:4a4800c2-5fc8-44f1-8177-af7e40b2df64> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.normfeuticartoons.com/gil/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965153 | 575 | 1.570313 | 2 |
The debate over whether to privatize the County Home rages on stronger than ever as emotions from both sides run high.
Some people believe that government shouldn't be in the business of health care while others believe it shouldn't be considered a business, but instead a service it provides to the people. I can understand why people feel the way the do in regard to this issue. I can also understand people who are reluctant to take a stand either way.
The county exec's new mission in regard to the Home appears to be its one-star rating. Well, Lutheran Social Services also received a one-star rating so should that facility be sold as well?
As a matter of fact there are quite a few one star facilities listed. Does that mean they should all be sold? The medicare.gov website clearly states that the star rating is not meant to be used as substitute for visiting any facility.
It's only a tool to be used for asking a long-term care facility questions. A state survey is a five-day snapshot done once a year. It's an imperfect rating system for all facilities that are expected to perform perfectly. There is always room for improvement in every aspect of health care but nothing is ever perfect.
Perhaps there's an even bigger issue at hand though. Why is it that the county executive, the Chamber of Commerce and a newspaper working so hard to divide a community? Why is this a South County vs. North County issue? Is it the thrill of the fight? Perhaps it's a show of power or a political agenda? It could be all of them for all we know.
Whatever the reasons, I'm hard pressed to believe that the people of Chautauqua County would be so divided if it weren't for these influences.
Now don't get me wrong, people in high-profile positions have every right to take a stand but I don't think it should be at the expense of one's own community. Instead of trying to find solutions people have chosen to place blame on others instead of being held accountable for their own actions.
The County Home deserves the opportunity to prove that it can cut costs by making the changes Committee for Government Research recommended. The County Home's mission does not deserve to be sold just to balance a budget or because of a one-star rating. And the people of Chautauqua County deserve to be led by those who want more unity and less divide.
Mindy Kaufman is a Dunkirk resident. | <urn:uuid:8010fae7-6515-47b2-8e1c-15699a65b012> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://observertoday.com/page/content.detail/id/577207/Leaders--divide--in-Home-debate.html?nav=5046 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974224 | 504 | 1.515625 | 2 |
You dread paying your monthly bills; the balances aren’t decreasng, the due dates change, and extra fees keep adding up. What can you do? Getting a debt consolidation loan can help stabilize your finances and reduce bill paying chores. Here are some options, along with pros and cons for each.
Secured Debt Consolidation Loans
Home refinance or home equity loans: If you own your home, and have enough equity, you may qualify for a mortgage refinance or home equity loan. These loans provide cash to pay off bills, typically at much lower rates than credit card companies charge. The bad news is that adding to your mortgage amount can potentially increase your risk of losing your home to foreclosure. You also have to pay lender fees and other costs to refinance your mortgage or take out a home equity loan. These costs may negate potential savings unless you’re carrying a significant amount of consumer debt.
Auto title loans: If you cannot qualify for an unsecured personal loan (and those with high levels of debt may have difficulty getting approved), you may be offered a “secured” loan, or vehicle title loan. Typically, you sign the title to your car over to your lender until you’ve repaid the loan. You keep your car, but this can be risky; if you fail to make payments, you could lose your car. Carefully weigh the benefits of consolidating debt with a secured loan; it may be worthwhile if you’re certain of your ability to pay off the loan quickly.
Pawnshop loans: These are lenders of last resort; they charge exorbitant rates and many borrowers end up losing the goods they put up as collateral. Before going to a pawnshop for money, check into non-profit credit counseling. These agencies can help you reduce the cost of debt and work with your creditors to provide debt relief.
Unsecured Debt Consolidation Loans
An unsecured debt consolidation loan may be worthwhile, but only if you can pay off all of your bills with the loan. Unsecured loans involve greater risk, so lenders charge higher rates. Compare the APRs of your debts with APRs quoted for debt consolidation loans. The major risk with debt consolidation is that you incur future debts. If you doubt your ability to control spending and live on a cash based budget, a debt consolidation loan may lead to more debt. Consult a credit counseling service to learn more about debt consolidation and debt management assistance that can help you get and stay out of debt.
Filing for bankruptcy should only be used as a last resort if you can’t dig your way out of debt. Don’t be fooled into thinking that a bankruptcy filing has little impact on your financial situation. Going this route is certain to affect your entire life for years to come.
Pushed into Bankruptcy
There are many reasons people resort to bankruptcy. Too much credit card debt, a job loss, divorce, or illness can push anyone into financial ruin. For example, a recent Families USA report said nearly two-thirds of bankruptcy filings are related to medical issues. Read the rest of this entry »
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Welcome to the DebtHelp Blog
This blog covers a wide variety of debt consolidation and loan topics.
We rely on a large network of financial experts and leading authors to write the content for the DebtHelp.com Blog.
Chris Rocks is the Regional Director of the National Credit Federation (NCF). NCF is a nationwide membership-based organization that assists consumers recovering from a financial difficulty and those who need a significant increase in their credit score.
Chris began his financial services career as a Financial Advisor helping young families with risk management and asset accumulation strategies. It was during that time that Chris realized that many of these young families also needed someone to guide their choices with regards to debt management.
He made the transition into the mortgage industry where he first worked as a loan originator and later the Vice President of a small mortgage company. As Chris came across clients who had suffered through financial challenges and saw the difficulty they had in re-entering our credit driven economy, he discovered there was a real opportunity to leverage his unique background and help others.
He can be contacted by visiting his personal site, GoodCreditLiving.com.
Francine L. Huff is the Publisher and Editorial Director of Super Savvy Publishing, LLC, which provides editorial and publishing services. She is a gifted author, freelance journalist, and motivational speaker who has entertained and motivated a variety of audiences through workshops, panels and keynote addresses. Francine is the author of The 25-Day Money Makeover for Women, which has inspired and motivated many readers to rein in poor financial habits, become good stewards over their money and work toward a debt-free life. She has appeared on a variety of TV and radio shows. Francine previously worked for the Wall Street Journal, where she was the spot news bureau chief, a news editor and a copy editor. She has interviewed a variety of financial professionals about financial issues and strives to present information about managing money in an easy-to-understand format that is accessible to people of all backgrounds and income levels.
Karen Lawson is a freelance writer with more than 15 years of experience working in mortgage banking and loan servicing. She holds BA and MA degrees in English from the University of Nevada, Reno. She enjoys writing informative articles about debt management and personal finance. | <urn:uuid:da222eb0-29fa-458d-be9e-d8f865b90a8c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.debthelp.com/blog/?m=2009&w=47 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963742 | 1,109 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Queen Elizabeth II
A regular day at Buckingham Palace for Queen Elizabeth begins at 8:00am with a cup of Darjeeling tea (and milk) that is brought in by her Personal Assistant. The burning question is: is the Queen a Tiffy (tea-in-first) or a Miffy (milk-in-first) ? ? ?
The British Standards Institute has proclaimed that milk is best poured in before the tea, though this is debated by some tea lovers. Those in favor say that the hot water scalds the milk, which brings out the tea's flavor. Others have speculated that the milk-in-first theory prevents the china cup from cracking in reaction to the boiling water.
But I guess when you’re a Queen, broken tea cups don’t present a problem. Her Majesty reportedly enjoys her tea by adding the milk afterward. | <urn:uuid:b8ec097d-2b36-4a4e-b3bf-da0c629ca356> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://uniquelytea.blogspot.jp/2009_08_06_archive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945287 | 183 | 1.625 | 2 |
From listening to the more vigorous critics of illegal immigration, our porous borders are a grave threat to safety. Not only can foreign terrorists sneak in to target us, but the most vicious criminals are free to walk in and inflict their worst on innocent Americans.
In xenophobic circles, this prospect induces stark terror. Fox News' Glenn Beck has decried an "illegal immigrant crime wave." A contributor to Patrick Buchanan's website asserts, "Every day, in the United States, thousands of illegal aliens unleash a reign of terror on Americans."
Sure they do. And I'm Penelope Cruz.
There is a surface logic here. If people are willing to commit the crime of slipping into the country without permission, it might stand to reason that they have no respect for our laws and will break even more once they're here. Add in Mexican drug lords and Central American gangs, and it looks like we should all be fleeing to Canada to save our hides.
Chicago's Latino residents have risen to 28 percent of the population, and among that population are many people who came illegally. So why doesn't it feel like we're fighting the battle of the Alamo?
Simple: The things that would happen if the alarmists were right simply have not happened. A continuing inflow of violent, predatory Latinos would produce an unprecedented epidemic of larceny and slaughter. In reality, as the illegal immigrant population has grown, crime has, well, gone south.
Since 1986, the year of the infamous amnesty for illegal immigrants, the U.S. murder rate has plunged by 37 percent. (In Chicago, the number of homicides went from 747 in 1986 to 460 last year.) Forcible rape is down 23 percent. Drunk driving fatalities are off by more than half. You are safer today than you were before all those undocumented interlopers arrived.
Much is made of the alleged fact that 30 percent of federal prison inmates are illegal immigrants. Actually, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the correct figure is 14 percent, and many are in just for violating immigration laws. In prisons at the state level, where most violent crime is prosecuted, illegal immigrants account for less than 5 percent of all inmates.
How can all this be? It's partly because native-born Americans are less prone to senseless mayhem than they used to be. But it's also because people who come here from other countries are actually more law-abiding than the norm.
A 2007 report by the Immigration Policy Center noted that "for every ethnic group, without exception, incarceration rates among young men are lowest for immigrants, even those who are the least educated. This holds true especially for the Mexicans, Salvadorans and Guatemalans who make up the bulk of the undocumented population."
Harvard sociologist Robert Sampson, who has focused his research on Chicago neighborhoods, documents that felonious behavior is less common among Mexican-Americans, who constitute the biggest share of Latinos, than among whites. Second and third generation Latinos, contrary to what you might expect, fall into more crime than immigrants. But Sampson says that overall, "Mexican-American rates of violence are very similar to whites."
The phenomenon is so evident that it was even recognized in a recent article in The American Conservative—a magazine founded by the lusty nativist ("we're gonna lose our country") Patrick Buchanan. It was written by Ron Unz, who made some enemies among Latinos by pushing a California ballot initiative to sharply limit bilingual education in public schools, but who knows better than to regard Latinos as the enemy.
Unz points out that in the five most heavily Hispanic cities in the country, violent crime is "10 percent below the national urban average and the homicide rate 40 percent lower." In Los Angeles, which is half Hispanic and easily accessible to those sneaking over the southern border, the murder rate has plummeted to levels unseen since the tranquil years of the early 1960s.
This is not really hard to understand. Today, as ever, most foreigners who make the sacrifice of leaving home and starting over in a strange land do so not to mug grandmothers or molest children, but to find work that will give them a better life. Coming here illegally does not alter that basic motivation.
In other words, they want to become full-fledged Americans, and they're succeeding. Is there something scary about that?
This column first appeared at Reason.com.
COPYRIGHT 2010 CREATORS.COM | <urn:uuid:023e3c62-f525-4022-9fbb-fa779658747f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://reason.org/news/show/immigration-and-crime | 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 | 0.96301 | 904 | 1.601563 | 2 |
California Internet Voting Task Force
Technical Committee Recommendations
Table of Contents
The current paper ballot systems set a security standard that we adopt as the baseline for i-voting. They represent certain tradeoffs between voter convenience and protection against fraud that the Legislature and Congress, have deemed appropriate; hence we take it as a guiding for the design principle. We require that elections with i-voting be at least as secure as those without; however, we view our charter as not to make broad recommendations for election security reform, but to offer means to integrate i-voting as smoothly as possible into the current systems.
In any engineered system there are design tradeoffs that reflect necessary compromises between conflicting goals. In i-voting, one key tradeoff is between ease and simplicity of voting on the one hand, and the integrity and privacy of votes on the other. Absentee balloting, for example, is more complicated than voting at the polls, even though it is potentially less secure. The requirement for voters to send a new request for an absentee ballot for each election, and do so with a live signature, and then sign the ballot envelope when mailing it back, are all security procedures that have no analog when voting at the polls, but are the necessary price to be paid for the convenience of remote, early voting afforded by absentee ballots. Likewise, i-voting will have its own security procedures, which will often make voting more complex than other Internet transactions, more complex than voting at the polls, and, when voting from home, school, or office PCs (as opposed to a voting kiosk), more complex than using a paper absentee ballot. The additional complexity is the inevitable price of security and convenience.
Since i-voting systems are assumed here to augment, rather than replace, voting at the polls and voting with paper absentee ballots, this task force has adopted the criterion that the overall security of elections must not be reduced by the addition of i-voting as an option. But in the absence of improvements in security of the current registration and voting systems, a very tight security for Internet voting can do little to increase the overall security of an election. Putting strong locks and guards on one barn door, when there are weak locks and no guards on the other doors, does not increase the overall security of the barn.
As an application of this reasoning, we note that there are some weaknesses in current electoral practice that we do not anticipate will be rectified in I-voting systems. Among them are the potential for vote coercion, or the sale of votes, or potential privacy violations under the current absentee ballot system. Nothing prevents a voter, perhaps under coercion, from allowing another person to watch over his shoulder as he votes and mails the ballot. Nor does anything prevent him or her from pre-signing the ballot envelope, thereby authenticating it, and then selling the envelope and the blank ballot to someone else who then casts the vote (other than the fact that it is illegal). Neither of these problems occurs with voting at the polls. Since these possibilities are already inherent in the current absentee ballot system, we did not adopt the criterion that they must be prevented with i-voting systems.
On the other hand, we did not want to introduce new modes of vote coercion or vote sale, or extend their scope or time window. For example, several security problems could be solved or ameliorated if it were possible for Internet voters to contact the county after voting to verify how they votedóa possible feature that is perfectly feasible technically, but has no analog in paper voting systems. However, that would also allow the coercion or sale of votes not just before the ballot is mailed, but also for as long afterward as the window of verification remains open. We believe that would open the door to widespread abuse, and would reduce the overall security of elections; hence, we recommend instead that there be no way for an Internet voter to verify his or her vote after the fact.6.1 Security issues specific to i-voting
There are several broad security issues that must be dealt with in any i-voting system that are specific to Internet voting, and may have no analog in conventional voting systems. Here is a short list of them:
The first four of these properties are referred to as "end to end" properties, in that they call for maintaining a security property all along the multi-step path from one end of the communication (the mind of the voter), to the other (storage on the county vote servers or canvassing computers). For example, ballot integrity requires that the contents of a voterís ballot not be changed by malicious software on the computer he or she votes on, nor by any of the routers, computers, or employees of the several private networks along the Internet path to the vote servers, nor by the vote servers themselves, nor by any employees of the contractor that runs the VSDC, nor in transit to from the VSDC to the county canvass computers.
If the voter is voting from a home PC, the most insecure, uncontrolled part of the end-to-end path is inside the computer used by the voter. Any i-voting protocol will transmit the ballot in encrypted form, which guarantees that it cannot be read by any third party, and that it cannot be modified by a third party without detection. Therefore, the riskiest part of the trip that the ballot takes is inside the vote client, before it is encrypted.6.2 Malicious software
Malicious software is software that is deliberately designed to do harmful things that the user neither wants nor expects, and to either hide the harmful action or perform it so quickly that it cannot be stopped.
Also known as malware or vandalware, it can be introduced on a client machine, and in such a way that the voter is unaware of its presence. Among the things that malicious software can easily do if no preventative measures are taken are (a) change the votes on the electronic ballot without the voterís knowledge, (b) reveal the supposedly secret votes to some outside party, or (c) simply prevent a person from voting, possibly leaving him or her with the impression that the vote was recorded.
Malicious software is usually distributed to home and office computers through a variety of mechanisms known in the security literature as viruses, worms, back doors, trapdoors, logic bombs, Trojan horses, bacteria, rabbits, or liveware. Prof. Eugene Spafford of Purdue University provides an excellent set of definitions and discussions around each of these methods.6.2.1 Scope of the malicious software problem
Malicious software is probably the most difficult technical problem involved in i-voting. While we will describe the problem is some depth to indicate its seriousness, it is important to keep in mind that there are solutions, some of which we will describe in a later section.
Todayís PC operating systems are designed as open software systems, so that users routinely change their functionality by adding device drivers, DLLs, extensions, control panels, patches, upgrades, and other code modules acquired from any number of places. Usually such code is added to the operating system as a side-effect of deliberately installing application software or system upgrades, although operating system changes can also be caused by viruses. In any case users are frequently unaware that the operating system has been changed, and certainly have no way of certifying the safety of the changes.
This easy extensibility of the operating system and browser are extremely valuable for the general flexibility and adaptability of PC software. It is part of what allows such astonishingly fast evolution of PC technology. But the background danger is that any of these kinds of software extensions can harbor a malicious program, for example a "Trojan Horse", i.e. a program that surreptitiously does something other than it is advertised to do, usually harmful in some way to the userís files. Since a typical home PC has numerous operating system and browser extensions from a wide variety of places, and since there is not, and cannot be, a general test for whether these extensions carry malicious code, the home PC is an extremely dangerous platform from which to perform transactions that must be secure.
If voting were permitted from PCs with standard web browsers running over a standard operating system with no further security measures, then it would be very easy for a rogue programmer to write a malicious program in the form of an ActiveX control or plug-in or virus, then lure thousands of users to download that code, possibly unknowingly, and have that rogue program either spy on the userís voting, or even change the userís votes without the voterís knowledge, and regardless of any other features of the i-voting protocol.
A special case of the problem arises with computers connected to local area networks (LANs), or connected to the Internet through certain technologies such as cable modem connections in which the last link of the coaxial cable is, in effect, a local area network connecting many households in the neighborhood. Unless the software on a computer is very carefully configured, it is extremely easy for a person on one computer to install software, including malicious code or remote control software, on another computer on the same LAN. In the case of computers connected to certain cable Internet access systems, this would include computers owned by strangers in other nearby households, whose owners are very unlikely to know this is possible.
It is essential that any i-voting system offer some kind of guarantee that it is immune from the sort of malicious code attack that could affect the outcome of an election. It is not sufficient to argue that such an attack is unlikely, or even very unlikely. An election would be an extremely tempting target for any motivated person, from a lone hacker to a political partisan to a foreign government. Such an attack would be a political and public relations disaster; or worse, if undetected, compromise the results of the election. We must presume therefore, that if a malicious code attack is possible, it will happen sooner or later. Even before it happens, security experts will surely criticize publicly any election system having such a vulnerability, and the public would likely lose confidence in such a system.
It is important to understand that the problem of malicious code on PC platforms (including Macs and other computers) cannot be fully solved simply by adding more software, because it is a fundamental fact of the theory of computation that there can be no general test to detect whether or not a PC is harboring malicious software. Commercial virus detection software can detect and neutralize known viruses and other malicious programs that have already come to the attention of the security experts. But they can do very little about unknown malicious programs, such as those that might be quietly lying in wait for a specific event (e.g. voting) and that then take invisible action (e.g. changing a vote).
There are ways around the malicious code problem, but they all require security measures beyond ordinary use of the current PC platform and browser. It may involve a new operating system with a security architecture built in from the ground floor. It may rely on some device, communication, or human process that occurs outside the PC, and would therefore be immune to manipulation by a malicious PC programóperhaps telephone communication, or paper communication via the postal service, or a closed, uninfectable security device that plugs into PC via the serial or USB port. Or it may involve some special-purpose appliance, useful only for voting, that is software-closed and communicates with the Internet directly, bypassing PCs altogether. But i-voting mediated solely through standard PCs with the standard software available now or in the next couple of years is not recommended.6.2.2 Internet voting systems designed to thwart malicious software
As indicated, there are ways to design i-voting systems that detect, avoid, or ameliorate the problem of malicious code. Most of them have in common one crucial point: that all cryptographic operations, and all manipulation of unencrypted vote data, take place in a software context that cannot be affected by malicious code.
Here we enumerate some of the possible approaches to the problem of malicious software; this list is not exhaustive, and other approaches might be created and certified.
The application program used for browsing, presumably distributed on the same CD-ROM, would also have to be "clean". Current commercial browsers are not suitable for voting because they are particularly vulnerable to malicious software. A special-purpose web browser that does not accept extensions such as plug-ins, applets, controls, or scripts, and that is dedicated solely to voting, would be far more resistant to infection than todayís commercial browsers, and its integrity could be conclusively verified with a cryptographic hash or digital signature.
Note that this technique does not prevent malicious code attacks; it only detects them after the fact. Hence it must be combined with one of the previous preventative techniques. Still, it is a very powerful technique because it can also be used to detect any systematic cause of lost ballots, not just malicious code attacks, and because it provides a quantitative measure of the size of any problem it detects.
6.2.3 Security for i-voting vs. security for electronic commerce
A commonly-asked voting security question is this: If the PC is widely used for secure electronic commerce over the Internet, and people buy everything from books to stocks online, then what is so problematic about online voting? Arenít the authentication, integrity, privacy, and malicious code concerns similar for the consumer and the voter?
The simple answer is "No". Security issues in i-voting are more difficult than for electronic commerce because of one fundamental difference: in electronic commerce, financial transactions are performed online, but there is a separate offline process for checking them and for correcting any errors detected, whereas such is not, and cannot be, the case for voting. Therefore, the fundamental security emphasis in voting must be up-front prevention of fraud and error, with no reliance on any possibility of after-the-fact correction, a much more stringent requirement than is generally necessary today for financial transactions.
Online financial transactions today are usually followed later by account statements delivered on paper from the credit card company or merchant. The consumer should, and usually does, check those statements, at least superficially, and can contact the merchant or credit company if there is an error. Errors can often be corrected by an eventual refund to the consumer; but if not, current U.S. law limits the consumerís liability in most cases for fraudulent transactions to $50. Substantial errors are almost always caught, and small errors, if not caught, do only minimal damage to the consumer. Financial fraud is not uncommon; but credit card companies have enormous staffs that specialize in reducing its incidence and lowering its cost; they write off the remainder as a cost of doing business.
But with i-voting, the situation is completely different. There is no way for anyone to check after the fact how anyone voted. In fact, it is important that a voter not even be able to verify that his or her own vote was recorded correctly, for that could open the door to vote coercion and vote selling, and it could also lead to a large number of almost certainly false claims that the vote reported after the fact was not what the voter thought he or she originally cast.
Without a way to check on a vote, it is difficult to detect vote fraud committed through the use of stolen authentication information or through malicious software on the voterís machine, and it is impossible to correct even if it is detected. Hence, we have no choice but to go to great lengths to prevent electronic vote fraud in the first place. | <urn:uuid:e6360e7b-7289-4b0b-8b42-0b8ca791dcec> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ivote/appendix_a6.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951908 | 3,191 | 1.773438 | 2 |
Who is responsible for the BP Oil Spill?
We are. Every person who was willing to spend 4.00 a gallon for gas was responsible. Every one of us has to wake up and realize that giant corporations are just acting out our unconscious drives to expand, eat, work as little as possible. They are vast, dispersed, protozoic quasi-organisms suffering the macro-version of America’s obesity epidemic. They are no better, and no worse, than the human beings that compose them. And the only answer to their growing power is that we, as the component cells of these “organisms” had better wake up and make conscious choices.
What stops us from awareness, awakeness, from taking adult responsibility for our lives and the world is fear. Face our fears of scarcity, of “the other”, of death, of loneliness, and virtually all the selling propositions of Madison Avenue, Washington, and Hollywood evaporate like vapor.
We can point the finger, or we can re-examine our priorities, and heal our hearts. Hypediaphobia (hy·peg·i·a·pho·bi·a) is the fear of responsibility. And responsibility is the door to adulthood. Trying to seek enlightenment? Fuggetaboudit unless you have first taken responsibility for your existence here and now.
And as long as you blame “them” for larger versions of what we, as individuals, do every day…this nightmare will continue, unabated, growing larger and stronger as we squabble. Wake up, people.
Our grandchildren are watching. | <urn:uuid:4ffd0f7b-4cd7-4e29-99d9-3bb7897aac12> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://darkush.blogspot.com/2010_07_01_archive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956785 | 332 | 1.648438 | 2 |
|Scared skinny: HBO's 'Weight of the Nation' an eye opener, obesity expert agrees|
The four-part 'Weight of the Nation' is part of HBO's public service efforts to reveal how obesity has affected Americans and what can be done to correct it. It begins tonight on HBO (May 14).
"The Weight of the Nation," HBO's new four-part documentary exploring the rising obesity ratesamong Americans, brings the fat out of the closet.
We are way too fat and our kids are fatter than ever in the history of humankind. In fact, experts interviewed for HBO conclude many of the obese children will die before their parents.
Obesity ushers in painful joints, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, sleep apnea and many cancers, and it affects the nation's quality of life span.
Over two-thirds of adults age 20 and older and nearly one-third of children are overweight and/or obese; 26 million Americans have Type 2 diabetes and more than 79 million are pre-diabetic.
HBO delivers this grim news in four events: "Consequences," "Choices, " "Children in Crisis" and "Challenges" running Monday and Tuesday, with a separate three-part series called "The Weight of the Nation for Kids" debuting on Wednesday.
But the bright spot was the fact that losing just 7-10% of your overall body weight brings about physical health benefits.
Three years in the making, this limited series offers an unflinching look at the severity of the obesity crisis, highlighting the groundwork for the societal transformations that must take place in order to slow, arrest and eventually reverse the prevalence of obesity and bring the nation to a healthier weight.
"The Weight of the Nation" mostly tells us what we already know. Sodas, juice, sugary breakfast cereals, fast food and its ilk are all bad. Fresh food costs more than junk food, which puts the poor in fat city (carbs are cheap). You need to get up and sweat and move, daily.
Noted bariatric surgeon and obesity expert Dr. Carson D. Liu, MD, FACS, FASMBS, a frequent Monsters and Critics' contributor to our Lifestyle and Health section, screened the series with TV reviewer/editor April MacIntyre.
"I watched through all five episodes of DVD from HBO, and I would say that this was a very realistic view of obesity. I really enjoyed seeing the twin studies as well as the bariatric surgery which had some complications and this may scare people from seeking surgery for weight loss. Surgical intervention of obesity has been shown to be the best treatment in reversing diabetes and hypertension more than any other medical treatment."
"The overall problem with childhood obesity is very alarming and I think that HBO has done a perfect job of capturing what we can do to help prevent this from becoming a major problem in the future which is through education on diet and exercise. Surgical treatments are still the best alternative for weight loss but diet and exercise are still required in order to achieve success."
Dr. Liu urged parents to especially tune in to The Weight of the Nation for Kids: The Great Cafeteria Takeover - which debuts May 16:
According to a survey published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2009, roughly 94% of schools served a lunch that failed to meet federal standards for healthy school meals, and 80% of the lunches served in those schools exceeded federal recommendations for total fat and saturated fat.
Armed with these startling facts, a group of New Orleans kids – who dubbed themselves the Rethinkers – set out to make a difference in their community during the post-Katrina rebuilding period. This leg of the Weight documentary shows how they transformed their school lunch menu when it debuts Wednesday, May 16 (7:00-7:30 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.In their campaign to change school lunch menus, the Rethinkers surveyed students at schools in their community and issued annual report cards to attract media coverage and capture the attention of decision-makers.
The Rethinkers met with school officials and corporate executives from Aramark, one of the nation’s largest food service providers, to get them thinking about the quality of school meals and how they could be improved.
Using the report cards and survey results, the kids negotiated with Aramark to provide healthier food choices. When a general agreement to provide more local, healthy fooddid not result in change, the kids held the school officials’ and the company’s feet to the fire and finally arrived at a specific agreement to serve fresh, locally produced food at least two times a week.
Among the young people featured in the film are:
Lucy Tucker – A passionate student who is dedicated to presenting adult decision-makers with student survey data that they can use to provide healthier food options.
Victoria Carter – A student who cares deeply about the goals of the Rethinkers and wants adults to listen and act.
Ron Triggs – A younger student who is pleased to deliver the results of the report card at a Rethinkers’ press conference highlighting each school’s “grade.”
“Thirty-three percent of people within the State of Louisiana are obese,” says Johanna Gilligan, an adult advisor to the Rethinkers. “People are finally realizing that they have no idea where their food has come from, they have no idea what’s happened to it before it got to them.”
“We, as Rethinkers, know that adults will listen to us if we have great ideas and solutions, instead of just complaining,” says Carter.
“We are very excited about our new agreement,” adds Rethinker Jada Cooper. “We hope as the years go on, school food will continue to improve, and that every child in New Orleans will have a healthy school lunch with fresh local food, school gardens and food education.”
For more information, visit www.hbo.com/theweightofthenation.
Official site: www.hbo.com/theweightofthenation
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/theweightofthenation | <urn:uuid:e08fedf5-f12e-44f5-b193-f7210383ada9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bestplasticsurgeon.biz/latest-plastic-surgery-news/172-scared-skinny-hbos-weight-of-the-nation-an-eye-opener-obesity-expert-agrees | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960788 | 1,301 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Charles I. Plosser told a bankers conference in Somerset he is forecasting that the nation's unemployment rate could decline to near 7 percent by the end of 2013, and that the Fed's target is to keep rates low until the jobless rate falls to 6.5 percent. "We must guard against the medium and longer term risks of inflation" when the Fed begins to unwind the low-rate policies in place since the 2008 financial crisis.
Plosser said, "Business balance sheets are in pretty good shape, and they are actually borrowing a lot because the money is cheap, so they do have cash. But historically business investment is not as sensitive to interest rate movements as a lot of people think it is. Actual business fixed investment doesn't move around that much with interest rates."
Plosser said that while low interest rates provide an incentive for business investment, "something else is holding (business) back—either a lack of demand or uncertainty." He said businesses need households to be healthy to provide the demand for goods and services that drives business investment—but ironically, households are saving more to rebuild the wealth they lost in the housing downturn and the recession, while the current low interest rates are making it difficult for households to rebuild their wealth.
Plosser addressed more than 500 people at the Economic Leadership Forum of the New Jersey Bankers Association at the Palace in Somerset. The association released its 2013 economic survey of New Jersey bankers, which found that two out of three respondents believe both the national and state economy are in "fair shape."
Bankers also reported that loan demand is improving, with two out of three saying current loan demand is fair or good, and predicting increased demand over the next six months for both commercial real estate and commercial lending. But nearly all cited the lack of qualified borrowers and the lack of demand as the largest obstacles to new business lending.
John E. McWeeney Jr., president of NJBankers, said, "New Jersey banks have the capital, the liquidity and the appetite to invest in New Jersey's future."
Plosser, whose bank oversees southern New Jersey, said New Jersey's unemployment rate is 9.6 percent, while the U.S. jobless rate is 7.8 percent. "(Hurricane) Sandy was not an insignificant factor in the unemployment rates, and New Jersey still has some challenges. I think it will gradually come down, but right now New Jersey has higher than national average unemployment."
At some point the Fed will reverse course and begin to gradually increase interest rates, Plosser said. "The Fed has always found it easier to lower rates than to raise them. It is much more politically acceptable: the Fed gets a lot of pushback when it tries to raise rates."
On Twitter: @bethfitzgerald8 | <urn:uuid:fcdc3bc6-b6bc-41cb-ad54-8d73bc305d0d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.njbiz.com/article/20130111/NJBIZ01/130119946/0/0king-george/Fed's-Plosser-talks-interest-rates-unemployment-with-NJ-bankers | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966008 | 572 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Formidable Scrabble players
Good headline writers could be formidable Scrabble players.
To successfully write headlines or excel at the popular board game, a person must have an extensive vocabulary that includes an arsenal of short words. Hard-core Scrabble players know, for instance, that if their last four tiles are the letters u-e-z-b, they can create zebu. It means an ox native to Asia and some parts of Africa.
One of our hed writers (who could likely trounce Scrabble opponents sans merci) came up with redux in the headline above. Webster’s definition of redux is “brought back, revived, restored, etc.” Words such as this come in amazingly handy when a writer must squeeze a lot of information into a short line.
The headline above summarizes the editorial’s observation that the GOP’s Scott Tipton will once again face Democrat John Salazar in a bid for a Congressional seat after a similar contest in 2006. In early November we’ll know who has scrambled to the top.
The editorial appears below. | <urn:uuid:beed3aeb-578e-4fc5-82ce-93c3b4a8bf96> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gjsentinel.com/blogs/whats_in_a_word/entry/formidable-scrabble-players | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941819 | 234 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Whenever I fill in a form that asks for my occupation, the answer I always put is ‘student’. That’s because being a student is a full time job. Unlike a ‘real job’ where you do what you’re paid for within set hours, as a student from the moment I wake up to the moment I go to bed almost everything I do is somehow related somehow to university.
My job as a student comes with a job description. Part of my job as a student is to socialize, to make friends and connections with dorm-mates, course-mates and professors. Another requirement is being frugal, (depending on your financial circumstances) since most students don’t have piles of money under their beds. Finally, it is also my job as a student to do all of the assignments and reading and attend of lectures and so on. These requirements can create pitfalls that keep me from being as healthy as possible.
obstacles to great health
1. Drinking too much. For some reason, it has become a cultural rule that the best way to make friends is to have a drink with them. Personally, I am not opposed to this, and actually I think it’s a great way to bond with people. However, I do think there is a line between just a social ‘drink’ and a social ‘binge’. Of course, there are some special nights where it’s sometimes nice to drink ourselves silly, but most of the time is that really necessary? There was once a time when I would have gone past the line far enough that I would barely remember the entire night. Looking back at it now, not only was that extremely dangerous, as well as expensive, I probably would have had way more fun if I knew what I was doing and perhaps didn’t make such a moron of myself.
2. Giving into peer-pressure. Now, this may sound like something we were told not to do in high school, but unfortunately I still see it happening at college level. It may be disguised as a ‘suggestion’ or whatnot, but it is what it is. Sometimes when we’re trying to impress people, we do what they say against our better judgement. I’m all for the ‘try-everything-once’ mantra, but for me there are just a few things that are a little too risky, and I don’t think I’ll gain much ‘experience’ from trying them anyway.
3. Buying cheap food. I can’t speak for everyone here but I would say I fit into the usual ‘student’ financial bracket if there is such a thing. I’m not exactly loaded, but I’m not struggling either. There shouldn’t be much reason for me to skimp on food, even though it is tempting. The cheapest food, especially cheap meals, most of the time aren’t good for you. They are filled with additives and flavourings to make up for their lack of real taste and nutrition.
4. Not cooking at home. Every now and again there comes a time when you are absolutely swamped with work and you just don’t have time. Occasionally ordering a take-out is fine, but having three or four a week is bordering on lazy. Not cooking at home is a pitfall to good health because unless you’re ordering salads etc. it’s unlikely that what you get in a polystyrene box is good for you.
Most of these pitfalls can be helped. Almost all of these aren’t forced on you, you can choose the better alternative if you want to. All you need is a little willpower plus the want to be a healthier, more productive and happier person.
3 ways to great health
1. Get enough sleep. Getting enough sleep is crucial to your success as a student. Even a 20 minute nap will boost your concentration and therefore your understanding and retention levels. At night, try to calm your mind down before going to bed by doing some meditation or light stretches. Alternatively, drink a cup of camomile tea or listen to some soothing music. Make sure you’ve packed everything you needed for the next day so that you’re not tossing an turning at night in the vain hope you’ll remember to grab something in the morning. Try to go to bed at the same time every night, even if you only have an afternoon lecture the next day. By maintaining a routine, your body will be able to relax easier when it comes to bedtime and you’ll be able to sleep deeper and wake up feeling more refreshed.
2. Eat a minimalist diet. A minimalist diet doesn’t mean you don’t eat much. It means that instead of choosing processed ready meals or fatty takeaways, replace them with fresh and simple ingredients in a home-made dish. A lot of minimalist recipes only require a few minutes to prepare. Even the cooking process is quick and minimal, such as just steaming or quickly boiling, which means that it shouldn’t take you a lot of time to prepare even the most satisfying meals. A minimalist diet can also save you money, especially if you spend a few bucks each week on junk food. On top of that, it can help you boost your concentration and energy levels throughout the day.
3. Plan exercise time and do it. Eating healthily is only half of the battle. The other half is exercising, and there’s no getting away from it. Student life means that your body can spend hours at a time sitting at a desk. If you don’t really do any exercise, don’t start out with something extreme like jogging everyday. Instead, just take a walk or do some stretches. Schedule time out to do exercise and actually do it. If you can’t find the time to fit it in, don’t give up. There are many exercises you can do even whilst at your desk. You don’t have to aim to have a model’s body or to be able to run a marathon. Just getting your heart pumped a little releases happy hormones which will lift your mood and make you more willing and able to learn.
Depending on your academic course, you could have it easy. You could have a few days off a week, long weekends and generous deadlines. Or you could be on the other end of the spectrum, the one with library marathons and late-night cramming. Either way (or if you’re somewhere in between) it’s easy for your mind to be full about your job as a student, instead of thinking about what you are apart from that.
Above the outer label, you are a human being, with a real body that hopes and dreams. But without your body, can you accomplish those dreams? You may not want to be a pro-star athlete, but essentially in order for you to achieve your best, your body needs to be at it’s best. Without it being at optimum levels, it becomes something that can hinder your potential. Think about any time when you didn’t get enough sleep, your body probably felt tired and you might have found it difficult to concentrate. Because you didn’t take care of it, your body stopped you from doing your best. Take good care of your body, and it will take care of you. | <urn:uuid:410d2e67-eae0-4484-a54b-78163114be9d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.minimalstudent.com/the-recipe-for-student-success-ingredient-three-grea-health/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968141 | 1,556 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Trolls win: Rude blog comments dim the allure of science onlineFebruary 14th, 2013 in Other Sciences / Social Sciences
The trolls are winning. Pick a story about some aspect of science, any story, scroll down to the blog comments and let the bashing begin.
- "Wonder how much taxpayer cash went into this 'deep' study?"
- "I think you can take all these studies by pointy headed scientists, 99 percent of whom are socialists and communists, and stick them where the sun don't shine."
- "Yawn. Climate change myth wackos at it again."
- "This article is 100 percent propaganda crapola."
- "Speaking of dolts, if you were around in the 70s, when they also had scientists, the big talk then was about the coming ice age. And don't give me any of that carbon emission bull@!$%#."
Such nasty back and forth, like it or not, is now a staple of our news diet, and in the realm of online science news, the diatribes, screeds and rants are taking a toll on the public perception of science and technology, according to a study by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
UW-Madison science communication researcher Dominique Brossard reported the results of a study showing the tone of blog comments alone can influence the perception of risk posed by nanotechnology, the science of manipulating materials at the smallest scales.
The study, now in press at the Journal of Computer Mediated Communication, was supported by the National Science Foundation. It sampled a representative cross section of 2,338 Americans in an online experiment, where the civility of blog comments was manipulated. For example, introducing name calling into commentary tacked onto an otherwise balanced newspaper blog post, the study showed, could elicit either lower or higher perceptions of risk, depending on one's predisposition to the science of nanotechnology.
"It seems we don't really have a clear social norm about what is expected online," says Brossard, a UW-Madison professor of Life Science Communication, contrasting online forums with public meetings where prescribed decorum helps keep discussion civil. "In the case of blog postings, it's the Wild West."
For rapidly developing nanotechnology, a technology already built into more than 1,300 consumer products, exposure to uncivil online comments is one of several variables that can directly influence the perception of risk associated with it.
"When people encounter an unfamiliar issue like nanotechnology, they often rely on an existing value such as religiosity or deference to science to form a judgment," explains Ashley Anderson, a postdoctoral fellow in the Center for Climate Change Communication at George Mason University and the lead author of the upcoming study in the Journal of Computer Mediated Communication.
Highly religious readers, the study revealed, were more likely to see nanotechnology as risky when exposed to rude comments compared to less religious readers, Brossard notes.
"Blogs have been a part of the new media landscape for quite some time now, but our study is the first to look at the potential effects blog comments have on public perceptions of science," says Brossard.
While the tone of blog comments can have an impact, simple disagreement in posts can also sway perception: "Overt disagreement adds another layer. It influences the conversation," she explains.
UW-Madison Life Sciences Communication Professor Dietram Scheufele, another of the study's co-authors, notes that the Web is a primary destination for people looking for detailed information and discussion on aspects of science and technology. Because of that trend, "studies of online media are becoming increasingly important, but understanding the online information environment is particularly important for issues of science and technology."
Provided by University of Wisconsin-Madison
"Trolls win: Rude blog comments dim the allure of science online." February 14th, 2013. http://phys.org/news/2013-02-trolls-rude-blog-comments-dim.html | <urn:uuid:f027d30f-dd99-4eac-8fd9-280e164d8271> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://phys.org/print280079824.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942315 | 830 | 1.828125 | 2 |
Here at LeadFormix we mourn the passing of Stephen Covey, author of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and other books that brought together essential wisdom for improving the quality of human existence. 7 Habits is generally regarded as one of the most influential business books of the 20th century; and many of us can remember in the early 1990’s when it was the hottest topic of conversation at the office. In some cases, the book was mandatory reading. Companies sent entire departments to week-long training courses based on the book’s principles.
There are endless numbers of essays, articles and blogs in printed media and on the Internet about why 7 Habits made us (or should make us) better marketers. It’s hard to find anything to disagree with, and regurgitating those viewpoints here isn’t necessary.
We prefer to step back and take a more holistic perspective about the significance of Covey’s work. It’s actually less about business and more about the potential richness of our lives and strengthening the fabric of society. Effective people are generally happier people, who in turn enrich the lives of those around them. Note that the focus is on success, not money or wealth. Often one correlates with the other, but success isn’t always defined by the number of zeros in front of a decimal point.
There is no doubt that Covey’s religious background and his Ph.D. in religious education influenced his world view. He could have stopped after the 6th habit and called it a day. We believe the book would have been no less influential. But his 7th habit (“Sharpen the Saw”) speaks explicitly to self-renewal, nourishment of the soul (relationships and service to others), healthy lifestyles and spirituality. This stuff is not typically found in business school curricula. It paints all seven habits in a different light entirely.
So, why are we discussing this in a blog about marketing?
All of us owe Covey a debt of gratitude, whether we realize it or not. His principles affected an entire generation of people in the business world who took his wisdom to heart and made entire organizations more effective. In the process, those organizations probably became better places to work. You can of course tie specific habits to the day-to-day mechanics of marketing (or specifically marketing automation), but we think the big benefit is something a bit more profound.
At the end of the day marketing is about finding people with needs and providing solutions to them. But if you are buying something more sophisticated than pencils, the relationship with (and trust of) a vendor takes on increasing importance for the purchase decision. Any company that wants to establish and retain long term commitments from customers must build those relationships by practicing Covey’s habits as part of their way of doing business. Today that may seem like repeating common sense, but twenty years ago those principles were not so obvious.
Marketing automation is certainly where the “rubber meets the road” in establishing and maintaining strong customer relationships. A robust marketing automation solution uses technology in new ways to extend a marketer’s reach by allowing him/her to stay linked with prospects, customers, partners and stakeholders. We think about that a lot.
Dr. Covey, thank you for sharing your wisdom with world.
- No Related Links | <urn:uuid:1bd74dad-952f-482b-99c2-8df9138b152f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.leadformix.com/blog/2012/07/remembering-stephen-covey/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964478 | 696 | 1.625 | 2 |
Unedited news and product information from vendors.
PA Leadership Charter School Meets All AYP Performance Targets for 2010
Aug 03, 2010 (12:08 PM EDT)
WEST CHESTER, Pa., Aug. 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School is pleased to announce that it has met the state's Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) designation. PA Leadership is a state-wide, tuition-free cyber charter school. Students receive books and computers, then complete their work, interact with teachers and meet with their classmates via the Internet. PA Leadership is one of Pennsylvania's four cyber charter schools to make AYP.
To achieve AYP, the school was required to meet 25 targets set by the state. The targets measure academic performance on the PSSA testing, student participation in the testing, and the school's graduation rate.
Dr. James Hanak, Chief Executive Officer, stated, "Our students are making amazing strides, and we are proud of them for this achievement. Meeting this goal demonstrates that cyber schooling can be an excellent learning environment. This designation also is a testament to the hard work of our faculty, staff and supportive parents. Great things are happening at PA Leadership and we could not be more excited for the 2010-2011 school year."
The school's proficiency percentages increased for both Math and Reading in all subgroups.
The State Target for Reading proficiency is 63% and Math is 54%. In the Overall Subgroup, PA Leadership students achieved a Reading proficiency of 64.4% not only surpassing the State Target, but also the school's 2009 scores by 5.1%. In Math, there was an overall increase of 6.3% from 2009.
"As a Title 1 designated school, PA Leadership serves a low income population of 75%." Dr. Hanak continued, "We also serve a larger percentage of Special Education students than the average brick and mortar school. This diversity makes it more challenging for us to achieve the state and national standards set by No Child Left Behind."
"The Board of Directors is extremely proud of the faculty, staff, students and parents. Without 100% commitment from each, we would not have reached this goal. I believe it is the dawn of a new renaissance for Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School," said Bill Middleton, Chairman of the Board.
Media Seeking interviews, photo ops, or general coverage should contact Carolyn Fell at 610-701-3333 ext. 1102.
About PA Leadership Cyber School
PA Leadership Charter School has offices in Pittsburgh, and its home in West Chester, Pa. It is a public charter school open to all Pennsylvania residents and serves nearly 2,000 students throughout the Commonwealth. PA Leadership offers various programs, including Performing Arts, University Scholars, and Leadership training with international learning opportunities. PA Leadership's students reside in 340 of Pennsylvania's 501 public school districts. For more information, visit http://www.palcs.org or call 610-701-3333.
SOURCE PA Leadership Charter School | <urn:uuid:fa2c970f-a9ec-4545-ab1c-42dd1809df8a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.techweb.com/show-press-release/X811799/pa-leadership-charter-school-meets-all-ayp-performance-targets-for-2010.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948364 | 622 | 1.59375 | 2 |
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St Mary, Eccles
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St Mary's round tower has been recently restored, and the whiteness of it forms a beacon for miles around. Here we are in the rolling fields of south Norfolk, but I am afraid any chance of rural peace is rather spoilt by the noise from the Snetterton race track, barely a mile off. However, the trees that shroud the graveyard are beautiful, and St Mary is a real haven for the visitor and pilgrim, making itself open every day to receive the stranger within the gate, as the Gospel demands.
Rather oddly, there is a doorway on the outside of the south wall giving access to the roodloft stairway. The reason for this is that there was once a south aisle, and this entrance was then at the east end of the arcade. The filled arcade is apparent from the outside, but the 14th century doorway was moved back into a new position when the aisle and porch were demolished. This becomes obvious as you step inside. You turn to see that you are actually entering through the most westerly bay of the arcade. The frosted glass that fills the upper part of the arches isn't entirely successful, but it is nice to be able to see the pillars and arches standing proud of the wall.
The interior of the church fits exactly the setting, for this is an intensely rustic space. Even the old patterned carpet seems to speak of days now gone. In the little vestry are photographs of the church choir here in the early 1960s. Dressed in their cassocks and surplices,accompanied by their priest in full eucharistic vestments, they are shown processing up the narrow nave behind the crucifer and the acolytes with their candles, and are a reminder that nothing appears as ancient as the recent past. St Mary must have been very High Church. I couldn't help thinking, with a slight twinge of nostalgia for my own childhood, how beautiful those full choral services out here in the fields must have been.
Up on the wall, a memorial has fine lines of moss growing in its lettering where damp has collected. Around the chancel arch are gorgeous little faces of animals and people, similar to those you see around the doorways of some of our great cathedrals.
Simon Knott, March 2008
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links I small print I www.simonknott.co.uk I www.suffolkchurches.co.uk | <urn:uuid:4de4fbbb-43fb-419e-be60-198a11a008e8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/eccles/eccles2.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969115 | 591 | 1.632813 | 2 |
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Weather with Cliff Mass
Mild but damp weekend coming
The heavy rain we saw earlier this week was part of an "atmospheric river" carrying moisture across the Pacific, but it's gone now, and off-and-on showers will be the norm for the next few days, says Cliff Mass, KPLU's weather expert and a professor of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Washington.
Northwest dampness comes as the rest of the country is drying out, and Mass says that's good news for President Obama. He cites research that shows Republicans do better when it's rainy on Election Day, and Democrats do better when it's dry.
If you're looking for dry spells, Mass suggests today's your best chance, and he predicts a fairly dry Monday, too.
Do you have a weather question? Cliff Mass and Keith Seinfeld occasionally answer reader questions on the air. Share yours here.
The weekly KPLU feature "Weather with Cliff Mass" airs every Friday at 9 a.m. immediately following BirdNote, and repeats twice on Friday afternoons during All Things Considered. The feature is hosted by KPLU’s Science and Health reporter Keith Seinfeld. Cliff Mass is a University of Washington Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, a renowned Seattle weather prognosticator, and a popular weather blogger. You can also subscribe to a podcast of “Weather with Cliff Mass” shows. | <urn:uuid:06e64ff0-870d-41b9-86ac-53f7aaccbcbb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://kplu.org/post/mild-damp-weekend-coming | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942955 | 372 | 1.640625 | 2 |
BROCKVILLE, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Jan. 29, 2013) - The Government of Canada is helping people with disabilities in the Brockville area gain the skills they need to successfully participate in the workforce, announced Gordon Brown, Member of Parliament for Leeds-Grenville, on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development.
"Our government's top priorities are job creation and economic growth. To support Canada's long-term prosperity, we must ensure that everyone who wants to work has the opportunity," said Mr. Brown. "People with disabilities face particular challenges entering the job market and that's why partnerships with organizations like the Career Services of Brockville are so important."
Career Services of Brockville is receiving more than $120,000 through the federal Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities for two projects. Through its Pathways to Employment project, participants will develop work action plans and benefit from job coaching sessions that will enable them to better prepare for and obtain jobs. Through its recruitABLE project, the organization will host one-day networking events for employers in Brockville and surrounding areas to increase awareness of the labour market potential of people with disabilities.
"The Opportunities Fund provides much-needed resources for the people of Leeds and Greenville, and enables our organization to assist people with disabilities to find employment in the community," said Cynthia Sparring, Project Manager, Career Services of Brockville. "We appreciate the support from the Government of Canada in recognizing this under-represented population in the labour market."
Canadians with disabilities have a tremendous amount to offer employers, but they remain under-represented in the workforce. That is why the Government of Canada, through Economic Action Plan 2012, is investing an additional $30 million in the Opportunities Fund to help more people with disabilities gain the hands-on experience they need to find jobs.
The new investment will be dedicated to national projects that connect people with disabilities with jobs in small- or medium-sized enterprises. Some of the projects will also promote to employers the valuable contribution that people with disabilities can make to their businesses and to the Canadian economy.
In addition, as part of Economic Action Plan 2012, Minister Finley and the Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance, announced the Panel on Labour Market Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities. The panel identified private-sector successes and best practices, as well as barriers to the participation of people with disabilities in the labour market.
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IF THERE IS A DISCREPANCY BETWEEN ANY PRINTED VERSION AND THE ELECTRONIC VERSION OF THIS NEWS RELEASE, THE ELECTRONIC VERSION WILL PREVAIL.
This news release is available online at: actionplan.gc.ca.
The Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities assists people with disabilities to prepare for, obtain and keep employment or become self-employed. The Government of Canada invests $30 million annually through this program to connect individuals with the skills and work experience needed to participate fully in the economy.
For more information, or to propose a project, visit servicecanada.gc.ca. | <urn:uuid:f2f54cb6-d90f-4ba8-9864-938365e1fc44> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/government-canada-helps-people-with-disabilities-brockville-area-succeed-workplace-1750736.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946528 | 648 | 1.804688 | 2 |
In balance with its academic curriculum, the school’s Center for the Arts Magnet program offers students professional instruction in art, music, broadcasting, dance, photography and theater. Students are selected to the magnet program after being evaluated for talent, potential and maturity.
“Being talented brought them here and sets them apart from all others,” said Evonne Alvarez, the school’s principal for the past two years. “Being an SMMCS student is many things but most importantly, believing in yourself.”
A recipient of the “Principal of the Year” for the SMMCS Feeder Pattern and the Race to the Top Principal Awards, Ms. Alvarez tells students that achieving success is not an accident. They need to plan ahead, develop goals and pursue them.
Aiming to prepare students for more advanced programs, the arts program enhances student’s artistic talents by focusing on the areas of drawing, painting, print making, ceramics, sculpture, design and technology.
The school’s music program offers intensive training in band, chorus, and orchestra.
In a setting identical to that of a TV and radio station, the broadcasting arts program teaches broadcast production, filming, editing, sound mixing and recording. Working with state-of-the-art equipment, students completing the program are ready for career opportunities in the competitive field of broadcasting.
With training provided in a fully equipped dance studio, the dance program prepares students for audition opportunities and advanced programs through instruction in modern dance, jazz, pointe and ethnic dance.
Students who complete the photography program leave with a portfolio, comprehensive sketch book for advanced placement auditions and career opportunities.
Provided with a professional drama studio, students in the theater arts program learn about theater history, musical theater, set construction, sound engineering, lighting and costume design.
“Education is a pivotal factor that can impact the quality of life of a person, a family and a community,” Ms. Alvarez said, adding that a student’s educational performance is greatly determined by parental involvement.
“Ask questions, inquire about assignments, check the parent portal, and involve your child in activities that develop their natural abilities and social skills,” she said.
Leading a school of 1,021 students, Ms. Alvarez said she could not see herself doing anything else.
With her work ranging from making sound financial decisions to impacting the educational programs, each day requires her to use a different set of skills to guide the children “who teach what life is all about.”
Miami-Dade School Board Member Raquel Regalado may be reached at 305- 995-1334
Short URL: http://www.communitynewspapers.com/?p=35010
Comments are closed | <urn:uuid:5b132f15-9e46-4a27-a35f-3de704fe25cf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.communitynewspapers.com/south-miami/south-miami-middle-balances-traditional-magnet-programs/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949312 | 576 | 1.5 | 2 |
|The All New Republican Party: A ¨pack of dogs¨ led by Romney!|
¨Today, GetEQUAL a prominent LGBT advocacy group, is demanding that Mitt Romney “cut out” LGBT bullying. As The Washington Post reported this week HERE , Romney bullied Lauber for his “nonconformity” and “presumed homosexuality” throughout their time at Cranbrook. In one disturbing example, Romney rounded up a gang of students to corner Lauber in his room. Romney then tackled the young student, pinned him to the ground and, ignoring Lauber’s crying and screams for help, hacked off his hair with a pair of scissors.
Mitt Romney claims he doesn’t remember the event. But five former Cranbrook students cited in the article have independently corroborated the story. They have also all apologized. This morning, another former student and friend of Romney’s, Phillip Maxwell, came forward to ABC News HERE to describe the “haunting memory.” Romney and his friends acted like a “pack of dogs” during the assault, Maxwell recalls. He told ABC that it was “bullying supreme.”
In light of the painful amount of bullying experienced by students across the country, GetEQUAL went to the headquarters of the Republican National Committee today to protest Mitt Romney’s continued bullying of LGBT young people and adults via his anti LGBT policies and campaign promises.
“It’s been clear to LGBT Americans for years that Mitt Romney is a bully by looking at his unapologetic refusal to move forward on LGBT equality — now, the rest of the country is seeing his bully tendencies,” said Heather Cronk, managing director of GetEQUAL. “Bullying doesn’t end at the graduation stage — people like Mitt Romney who cause pain to people simply for being different than them tend to take that worldview into the workplace, into churches, and into governance. Romney has an obligation to govern on behalf of all Americans — but he’s made clear that he is incapable of treating people equally.” HERE
According to the National Education Association, “Students who are targets of repeated bullying behavior experience extreme fear and stress, which can be expressed as: fear of going to school, fear of using a public bathroom, fear of the bus ride to and from school, physical symptoms of illness and diminished ability to learn.”
•Everyday 160,000 students stay at home from school due to fear of being attacked or violently bullied.
•282,000 students across the nation are physically attacked at school every month
•In 85% of bully cases, there is no intervention or effort to stop action from taking place.
According to the National Youth Association,
•9 out of 10 LGBT students have experienced physical harassment or bullying at school.
•LGBT teens are bullied 2 to 3 times as much as straight teens.
•More than 1/3 of LGBT kids have attempted suicide due to bullying.
· Thanks to ABC News
· Thanks to The Washington Post
· Thanks to Get EQUAL, sidebar | <urn:uuid:015ad819-7caa-43ae-a381-dbe551d6d08f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.leonardoricardosanto.blogspot.com/2012/05/get-grip-on-reality-people-like-mitt.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969554 | 646 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Detectives are appealing for information after a man was seriously assaulted in Govan on Thursday 22 March 2012.
Between 1545 and 1600 hours on Thursday afternoon, a 32 year old man was attacked by two men as he left a house in Crossloan Terrace, Govan. He was taken by ambulance to the Southern General Hospital where he was detained. At the time of writing (Saturday 21 March ) hospital staff described his condition as stable.
Detective Constable Chris Smith, Govan CID, is appealing for witnesses. He said: “The man was in his friend’s house when two men came to the door and entered the flat. Once inside, an argument took place between them and the friend, so he left the flat. However, as he went into the street, he was attacked from behind and badly beaten.
“We are keen to speak to three men who were in the area at the time and who might be able to help us with our enquiries. They are described as possibly being in their 30’s, white and Scottish. One was wearing a red tracksuit, another a brown jacket and the third a green top. Their information could prove significant in the enquiry.
“Crossloan Terrace is residential and overlooked by many flats. It is possible that people nearby will have seen or heard a disturbance outside. If they did, I would ask them to phone Helen Street CID on 0141 532 5400 or CRIMESTOPPERS on 0800 555 111 where details can be given in confidence.”
TITANIC to the Great East Japan Earthquake
Documentation of Disasters
Thursday 22nd March
University of Glasgow
10am – 3pm
The White Star liner Titanic sank after striking an iceberg in the North Atlantic in April 1912 and the Great Eastern Japanese Earthquake took place almost a century later in March 2011. Both disasters sent shock waves round the world and were extensively covered in the world press that in both cases had to rely heavily on eye-witness accounts.
The sinking of the Titanic still attracts huge public interest and the centenary will be commemorated in many events this year. Will the Great Eastern Japanese Earthquake be similarly commemorated in 2111?
The memory of the sinking of the Titanic was transmitted through images, film and records from before the events, the evidence of survivors and the reports of public enquiries on both sides of the Atlantic. The event was memorialized in public monuments such as that in Washington and subsequently in books and films.
The memory of the Great Eastern Japanese Earthquake will be transmitted through the same media, but with the important addition of digital images and the recorded testimony made by eye-witnesses at the time, using mobile phones and other personal devices and uploaded on social networking sites.
This joint symposium between Humanities Advanced Technology and Information Institute (HATII), University of Glasgow, and Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies (IIIS), University of Tokyo, in Glasgow, will bring together Japanese and Scottish scholars and is free to members of the public.
10.00 Coffee & welcome
There is no charge for attendance and all are welcome.
For more information or to register for attendance , please contact Kirsti-Ann Mullen, [email protected] | <urn:uuid:8c778286-369a-4a87-b659-6368e8aa0ca8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.localnewsglasgow.co.uk/tag/thursday-22-march-2012/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969888 | 682 | 1.578125 | 2 |
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