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Prayers: “Interfaith Prayer for the World”
In the spirit of love and compassion, let us pray. Spirit of Life, gods of many names, be in our hearts and minds as we come together today to pray for our world. We come today as people of privilege, grateful for this blessing, and hopeful for our future. Let us know that each from our own tradition comes today to lift our spirit in unity. Knowing that we are part of an interconnected web of life, let us acknowledge and embrace our oneness. We pray that we may be loving and able stewards of this world. We pray that we acknowledge our differences as we seek out our common ground, each of us working toward the good of all. We recognize that there is hurt and sorrow, deeds that confound us, and actions for which we can find no justification. Yet, we also know that there is untold good, folks that work every day for the benefit of all people. Let us stand with them. We pray that we have the strength to recognize the inconvenience of our soul work and to overcome the inertia that invades us during these difficult times. We pray that while we recognize the occasional tiredness in our bones and in our hearts, that we call upon the strength of our higher power that we might be the best person that we are called to be. Yes, let us be the good we want to see in others. Let us work to be the change that we seek. As we renew these goals in our hearts, let us say, Amen.
Copyright: The author has given Unitarian Universalist Association member congregations permission to reprint this piece for use in public worship. Any reprints must acknowledge the name of the author.
For more information contact [email protected].
This work is made possible by the generosity of individual donors and congregations. Please consider making a donation today.
Last updated on Tuesday, February 19, 2013.
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- Submission Form | <urn:uuid:107be75e-6410-4218-860d-4c035a5ff869> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://uua.org/worship/words/meditations/184735.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943593 | 454 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Backpacking family explore the jungles of Borneo
Most people have to wait until their gap year between school and university before they have the chance to travel around the world. But siblings Finley and Layla West are experiencing the wonders of exotic locations during a three month backpacking trip before even starting primary school. Finley, four, Layla, two and their parents Andrew and Kate are currently exploring the jungles of Borneo, this is their second column for the SNJ. Words by Andrew West.
WE are officially a third of the way through our trip now and I feel we are no longer novice backpackers.
Our rucksacks have been stripped of non-essential items and these have been returned home by sea freight and we feel tuned into our way of life.
Both the children continue to surprise us with their ability to cope with the constant movements to each new destination.
With mainland Malaysia behind us we took a short flight to Sarawak in Borneo.
For us, getting to Borneo has been a dream for years but we never expected to visit the jungle-covered island with children.
Borneo is home to the orangutans and we were lucky enough to see some in their natural environment.
We decided we would visit an authentic Iban longhouse set deep in the Sarawak jungle.
The huts house up to 50 families all under one roof and are governed by a chief tribesman.
Iban tribes have a long history of conflict with other tribes who threaten their territory and are notorious for decapitating their captors, hence why they are known as the Iban headhunters.
We hired a local guide and his taxi to take us to the Ngemah ili longhouse, situated six hours into the jungle and one hour by river boat.
Upon arrival we were greeted by an old lady banging a metal drum, which is a traditional for new guests to warn off unwanted spirits.
With only a few toys to play with from our packs the young inhabitants were kind enough to share their toys with Layla and Finley, which was wonderful to watch.
The children played with ease where the language barrier and culture differences did not hinder them in any way.
Later on we chatted to the chief about our lives and how they compared to the lives of families living in the jungle.
Here life feels stripped of the everyday stresses such as traffic jams and IT problems.
We were told by the chief that not many outsiders visit the longhouse and Layla is the youngest western visitor in its history.
We have promised to send them a photo of Finley and Layla with their new found friends but are not convinced that the postal system will be able to deliver the mail.
We have returned now back to the capital of Sarawak and we look forward to travelling to Thailand and making our way to Koh Chang island en-route to Cambodia. | <urn:uuid:7c31bd26-40da-444b-87e5-2bcb6cbea3c6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk/news/10224569.Backpacking_family_explore_the_jungles_of_Borneo/?ref=rss | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978382 | 603 | 1.710938 | 2 |
In the Kent town where my parents live there lie still the remains of three Germans who, having been shot down in the Blitz, were buried with full honours by the people they were trying to kill. Long after the war the townspeople continued to care for their graves and tend to them.
Those Germans were the townspeople’s enemies. They were trying to kill them. In contrast Margaret Thatcher, to those now celebrating her death, was an opponent. There is a crucial difference, one that seems to be lost on many people, which is what makes the planned street parties disturbing, as well as saddening and embarrassing.
It’s one of the easiest things in the world for politicians or journalists to say a single, even freak event, represents some new societal change, but the celebrating over Thatcher’s death… Read More
Some people may be tiring of the talk about Maggie Thatcher, both the vitriol and the praise; to others it perhaps shows we’re capable of healthy debate over real issues, with many of the country’s best comment writers on top form this past week. It’s been a festival of commentary (which sounds like some people’s idea of hell).
But it almost certainly won’t have helped the Conservatives, this endless parade of Tories paying tribute to the Lady. The latest YouGov polls show the party sliding further, and yet Tories seem largely oblivious to it.
I suspect it’s hard for many… Read More
Projection is a powerful thing in politics, which is why many people who claim to be opposed to hatred, bigotry and demonisation are guilty of precisely those things. Lady Thatcher’s death has brought some of that out with street parties, the revellers joining Gerry Adams and George Galloway in applauding her death (the ultimate projection being Galloway accusing Thatcher of being a friend to dictators). Still, the difference between Thatcher and Adams is that when he dies no one will party in Catholic areas of Northern Ireland – because they’d be shot.
What’s striking is that the party animal… Read More
Britain’s greatest post-war leader has gone, greatest in the truest sense of having stature. Death always brings clichés, and we’ll hear that she was loved and hated in equal measure – but, contrary to what we all feared, most Lefties have been dignified today.
For those of us who grew up in the 1980s she was a towering presence; I remember feeling quite a strong sense of sadness when she left office, not because I was an especially weird 12-year-old Tory, but because as far as I knew she had always been Britain’s leader.
• Margaret Thatcher dies: full story
• Margaret Thatcher dies: latest reaction
• Margaret Thatcher dies: coverage in full
No other modern prime minister can compete with this, and no PM can claim to have transformed… Read More
Tags: baroness thatcher
If you're feeling ever down, have a look at this timeline of people sending abusive messages to a clearly fake Iain Duncan Smith account. It's definitely ROFL, perhaps even ROFLcopter. That's even funnier than the petition calling for IDS to live on £53 a week, 300,000 people completely missing the point of what he said, which is that he could survive on that (after rent and energy bills); he'd be miserable, but he could survive.
But it's true to say that when Ian Duncan Smith talks about losing his job twice and struggling, it's a different thing thing altogether to poverty.
Poverty is a lot more than not having any money. Lots of us have been in situations where we're skint, but poverty goes deeper than that, being a lot to… Read More
One of the most boring characteristics of the big internet shouty-battle, aside from people who say “fallacy” about everything, are those annoying people who shout “EVIDENCE?!” after every assertion or statement or belief.
Of course some claims need to be justified by evidence, but to rely on evidence in itself leads us into the rationalist delusion that different pieces of evidence can’t point to different conclusions, or that humans will choose fairly, when in fact most people ignore the things they don’t want to hear.
Take the family. Yesterday everyone’s favourite real-life Prince Joffrey, George Osborne, reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to financially disincentivising one-income, two-parent families. The Government has decided that, in the greater scheme of things, they’d rather subsidise families with two working parents than one where a mother (or father) stays at home to look after the children. In comparison to the hysterics over welfare… Read More
Whether you're on the Left or Right, when it comes to welfare, the only question that matters is “how do we make it possible for more people to escape poverty?” The Tories can be reassured that while they are grappling with this question, their opponents aren’t.
Take this article in the Guardian today, arguing against the Government’s raising of the income tax threshold. It claims that reducing the tax burden on the poor "suggests that people on low wages are effectively earning pin money, not 'proper' money that requires being taxed, and therefore that the low-waged aren't full citizens". Labour's 10p rate, likewise, is deemed patronising, because "it had a ring of Fisher-Price 'My first tax band' about it". Not being taxed, apparently, is "disenfranchisement by any other name".
This is very strange. If taking the… Read More
However down I get, I’m always cheered by the thought that at least I’m not Iain Duncan Smith. A rather low-key former leader of the Conservative Party, he’s now been given the task of reforming the welfare state at a time of job scarcity and falling revenues; it can’t be fun being a hate pin-up for the Left.
Welfare reform is a job that could, and should, have been carried out in 1998, when Frank Field was brought in to “think the unthinkable”. A good soundbite from the Government, but unfortunately most people who think the unthinkable, historically, have found themselves being sent to Siberia or its equivalents. So Field was moved aside, and instead the government opted to replace the native working class with more pliant replacements from abroad.
And a… Read More
David Cameron has given a speech on welfare and immigration, and as always when a Tory talks tough on the subject, it has been panned by the commentariat of Left and Right.
That's because this is a subject that cuts across the political divides. Various opinion polls attest that the real division over migration is between social classes, with the London media set the most in favour.
In David Goodhart’s new book The British Dream he argues that “Hampstead liberals” like himself got it wrong over immigration and chose universalism (looking after the whole world) over looking after their fellow citizens.
I’ve also got a book out (I might have mentioned it once or twice), and in it I argue that the Right is also responsible, too willing to see mass immigration as an economic… Read More
One of the unintended consequences of writing the book The Diversity Illusion is that I started learning French, which I had neglected since school. It wasn’t the only or even main reason, of course: when I visited the country, my instinctive youthful Anglo-Saxon aversion to all things Gallic was swept aside by a overwhelming passion and love for French history, the French landscape and of course the French language.
But writing about multiculturalism in Britain, the system that arose as a result of mass immigration, reinforced my interest in what is sometimes called “soft multiculturalism”, the term applied to more natural, small-scale cultural interaction – going to night school to learn another language, finding out about German classical music or Turkish architecture or Sufi texts.
One of the paradoxes of the diversity illusion is that the idea that… Read More
On this page | <urn:uuid:c5f5ad8e-b6ec-4b60-a2cf-13accfc342cc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/edwest/page/2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964501 | 1,724 | 1.632813 | 2 |
See also: AARP's Drug Interaction Checker.
For the past few weeks I have been experiencing leg cramping, muscle aches, and — mostly and more recently — itching. I felt itching in my throat and extreme itching on my face, along with a burning sensation.
I went to see my dermatologist, thinking it was another episode of rosacea, but she said it wasn’t. Please advise.
The package insert that comes with your pravastatin prescription, for example, makes clear that if you take the drug with a fibrate (such as fenofibrate), “you may have an increased risk for serious reactions, including serious muscle problems.”
Because either drug can cause muscle problems on its own, the combined use of the drugs exponentially increases the risks of such adverse effects. (One Harvard study, for example, found that the combination of a statin and a fibrate increases the risk of muscle damage more than sixfold.) And the same goes for the itching problems you are experiencing.
The unexplained itching is especially worrisome, as it might suggest that your liver is having problems metabolizing the fibrates. Fibrates, in fact, can cause liver and kidney damage.
You need to report these side effects to your doctor right away, as well as address the risks that are posed by the simultaneous use of these drugs. If you are over 60 years old, it would also be advisable to talk to your doctor about safer ways to treat your high lipids, as the risks of the drugs you’re taking may outweigh their possible benefits.
"Ask the Pharmacist" is written by Armon B. Neel Jr., PharmD, CGP, in collaboration with journalist Bill Hogan. They are co-authors of Are Your Prescriptions Killing You?, to be published next year by Atria Books. | <urn:uuid:16ff8e95-f6a7-48fd-a76e-da6dc274e7af> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.aarp.org/health/drugs-supplements/info-08-2011/ask-the-pharmacist-medications-and-itching.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970898 | 387 | 1.640625 | 2 |
We have a guest blogger today. Rides manager Lori had an interesting experience at the New Tech Institute in Evansville.
Eric (director of Special Events), Cathy (Director of Cleaning) and I recently visited a class of sophomores who are studying Africa.
Instead of simply lecturing about the country and its culture, the instructors created an interesting group project.
The project was to design a theme park that could compete with Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari as well as reflect the culture and history of Africa. The students were to draw a map of their park to display attractions themed for some of Africa’s World Heritage sites.
The students did a fabulous job. We saw so many innovative ideas!
One group had created a monkey ride that carried riders in barrels and another had rides located on a star-shaped island. Several of the parks were actually “built” in the shape of Africa. One park even offered free soft drinks (hmmm...where'd they come up with that idea?).
After speaking with the different groups, we each choose our favorite park.
Cathy, above, loved the comfortable seating options in one group and Eric, below, was all about the park that modeled closest to Holiday World.
My favorite design had themed sections from periods of Africa’s history. The group even drew their images by hand – and they were so detailed! It was wonderful to see so many neat ideas come together in the classroom – who knew a history project could be so much fun? | <urn:uuid:63a90d9e-5e3b-43fb-8cf5-a28750356586> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.holidayworld.com/holiblog/tags/vp-eric?page=3 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981 | 312 | 1.570313 | 2 |
'Truly one of the great French song cycles of the first quarter of this century' (Fanfare, USA)
'Utterly seductive music with depth, sensitively performed. Highly recommended' (Classic CD)
'Le belle chaleur de timbre de Martyn Hill rehausse la sensualité de ces pages. Un miracle de beauté' (Diapason, France)
Hymne au soleil [3'59]
It must be nearly thirty years since, as a student, I first encountered the music of Lili Boulanger on the classic Markevich record originally issued on the Everest label in the USA (and subsequently available on EMI). I was transported by what I heard and immediately wrote to her sister Nadia, then in her eightieth year but still teaching and functioning with the same formidable energy that had won her pupils and admirers the world over for fifty years. That music – and that letter – effectively changed my life. After spending the summer of 1967 studying with Nadia at Fontainebleau I made my first broadcast on music the following year, and published my first article – both on the subject of Lili (1968 was the fiftieth anniversary of her death). I have kept in sporadic contact with her music, and produced a (now deleted) record of chamber works for Unicorn-Kanchana in 1982, three years after Nadia’s death. Biographies of both Nadia and Lili have since appeared containing much fascinating food for thought. But nothing provides a rational explanation for how Lili, at the age of twenty-four, died the great composer which in my estimation she was. The entire Boulanger phenomenon, in fact, is unique in the history of music.
Everyone knows of the contribution made by Nadia Boulanger to the music of our time, principally as a teacher. I am now convinced that the whole pattern and purpose of her life of mature achievement was determined by her relationship with her sister. In her first letter to me, in November 1967, she wrote: ‘She [Lili] died in 1918 but her words are still guiding and helping me.’ Surely it was recognition of Lili’s superior gifts as a composer which led her to give up composing herself; just as surely it was Lili’s premature death which led to a special, indeed unique, quasi-maternal rapport which she tried to establish with every member of her international family of students. As she explained once to David Wilde: ‘My mother lived from the day of my birth to the day of her death to me, for me, as me, in understanding me. And my sister, knowing she was to die, being twenty-four, said to me: “Remember that your students will always, when you’re older, bring you what I brought until the day I left you.” And that is a fact: that they enter, and very often I think of what she said; and then I love them in a way which is not earthly, which is an ideal, but they take a great importance, and they make teaching a sacred form of life.’
Both the Boulanger sisters were attractive and gifted women, though Lili could perhaps lay the greater claim to orthodox beauty of feature. They were both photogenic, particularly Lili with her beautiful deep dark eyes. (Nadia’s personality was such that to the end of life she could hold an audience enraptured by the music of her voice alone.) Of Lili’s strength of character a number of contemporary reports have come down to us; but the soundest evidence of all is, of course, provided by her music, in which masculine and feminine elements are startlingly juxtaposed. Roy Harris once stated that Nadia had the ‘judgment of a strong man combined with the intuition of a marvellous woman’, and much the same could be said of Lili. In fact all the qualities which assumed for Nadia a paramount importance in music, and which she strove tirelessly to foster in her students, are seen to have been present in Lili. She had star quality, a passionate inner life, inner energy, enthusiasm, awareness, strength of thought, poetic sensibility, involvement, gravity of purpose, discipline, concentration – her life and music bear testimony to all these, and I dare say she lived the span of her twenty-four years as intensely as those who achieve their statutory three-score-and-ten and more. Certainly her masterpiece Du fond de l’abîme (‘De profundis’) is a work of complete technical and spiritual maturity: into it she seems to have compressed the emotional experience and depth of insight of a lifetime.
The question is: how did Lili do it? At the age of two she contracted bronchial pneumonia, from which she recovered only with a permanently undermined resistance to infection. Ultimately it was a form of intestinal cancer which destroyed her, and a protracted and painful business it was. Yet she fought back with astonishing strength, determined she would say all she had to say while there was time. (Does the increasing predominance of ostinato in her music have anything to do – as it certainly does in the case of Holst – with the God-given labour-saving device of the repeat-mark? Holst, who was plagued by neuritis in his right arm, found it very useful to be able to write two or more bars for the price – in terms of expenditure of effort – of one.) She very nearly succeeded: the only major score she left unfinished was an operatic setting of Maeterlinck’s La Princesse Maleine. How she learned what she needed so quickly and so thoroughly is hard to explain. Probably her mother’s insistence on intensive concentration helped, and there was also the fact that Boulanger père was already seventy when Nadia was born in 1887, seventy-seven when Lili arrived; adulthood must have been assumed early on by the sisters. Whatever the means, Lili acquired a totally professional technique with unnerving speed and facility. Her orchestration, for instance, is masterly. She was essentially a poet-in-sound, with an artist’s feeling for beauty of colour and texture. Yet Lili’s opportunities for hearing the actual sound of her orchestration were limited basically to a few performances of her cantata Faust et Hélène. Her finest scores – Du fond de l’abîme, Psaume 129, the Vieille prière bouddhique, the Pie Jesu – were never performed in her lifetime; but when they were, no changes were needed apart from a few modifications of dynamics. Woman’s intuition, perhaps? Du fond de l’abîme also demonstrates that, from a formal point of view, Lili was in complete command of the technical resources she required. Her architecture shows masterful awareness of symphonic practice; and whether or not Nadia was at that time impressing on her pupils the importance of the grande ligne – the thread or lifeline that runs through music and provides at any moment the link between what goes before and what follows after, so creating flow, continuity and inevitability – she could have pointed to no finer example than Du fond de l’abîme.
Most of Lili’s published compositions are vocal. This reflects not only the traditions with which she was surrounded by family, friends and teachers as she grew up – solo song, opera, vocal or choral ensemble, sacred music – but also the need to prepare herself technically for the up-and-coming Prix de Rome, which she won in 1913 (the first time it was awarded to a woman). Of the five choral pieces here recorded, Lili provided all except Hymne au soleil with orchestral accompaniment (unpublished and difficult to obtain); she also made orchestral versions of several of the Clairières dans le ciel song-cycle. First to be written were Les sirènes and Renouveau, both completed towards the end of 1911 when she was eighteen; both are impressionistic nature-pieces, expertly written in what Nadia called ‘the language of her time’ (‘le langage de son époque’). What is immediately apparent is the trainee-composer’s poetic sensibility and, in particular, her feeling for vocal texture. By 1913 – the year in which she won the Prix de Rome with Faust et Hélène – her technique was maturing rapidly. Renouveau was in fact written for the preliminary round – the concours d’essai – of this competition.
Like Renouveau and Les sirènes, Soir sur la plaine is a nature-poem dating from 1913; but if the first two were freshly inspired water-colours, here Lili is painting richly in oils. She is still using an impressionist vocabulary but gives it more than a touch of her own mind. Hymne au soleil belongs to the previous year (1912) and clearly registers the impact of Debussy’s then-brand-new Martyre de Saint Sébastien; but it also looks forward in its sturdy masculinity to one of the first works of Lili’s true maturity, her setting of Psalm 24 (‘The earth is the Lord’s and all that therein is’).
For Lili, B flat minor was the key of the abyss, of mourning and despair. Its Stygian gloom envelopes not only Du fond de l’abîme but also Pour les funérailles d’un soldat, a de Musset setting for solo baritone, chorus and orchestra which, within the quasi-objective context of funereal formality and ritual, articulates the young composer’s prescience of human misery. The opening and closing sections, with their pungent scoring for brass, wind, and drums on the one hand and the wordless chromatic lament of the chorus on the other, certainly rank amongst her best inventions. The pizzicato figures for double basses, as they imitate, Britten-like, the marching beat of muffled drums, sustain the B flats implacably to the end. What is here recorded is the composer’s own version with piano accompaniment; and it is remarkable how the ‘B flat minor’ black resonates over the keyboard in all directions.
Clairières dans le ciel (‘Clearings in the heavens’) is perhaps the most important of Lili’s secular works. Ever since she acquired a copy of Francis Jammes’s collection of poems entitled Tristesses she wanted to set them to music. Jammes is classified as a symbolist poet on account of his versification and syntax; on the other hand his concern for clarity and simplicity is decidedly un-symbolist. Having acquired both the poet’s permission to set his verses, and his agreement to a change of title, Lili chose thirteen from the twenty-four poems of the cycle. As her biographer Léonie Rosenstiel points out, Lili almost certainly identified with the heroine of the poems – a tall, somewhat mysterious young girl who had suddenly vanished from the poet’s life, we do not know how or why. Jammes recollects his emotions more or less in tranquillity; for the most part they are induced by fleeting natural phenomena – two columbines on a hillside, the sight of a country landscape, a memory of last year’s lilacs, a sudden rainstorm. Material objects also arouse strong feelings – a keepsake medallion given him by his love, a black Madonna at the foot of his bed. (Darius Milhaud, one of Jammes’s greatest friends and admirers – he turned Jammes’s play La brebis égarée into an opera – explains that the poet’s ancestors hailed from the West Indies: hence the many Creole echoes in his work.) The music of the Clairières engages the lyrical fragrance and innocence of Pelléas et Mélisande in a sequence of self-portraits untainted by sentimentality. However, a seeming naïveté is occasionally belied by flashes of violence, particularly in the last song (an epilogue in all but name) which refers nostalgically to earlier songs and is gradually heard to be assuming the emotional burden of the cycle as a whole.
Any account of Lili Boulanger’s life and work must perforce leave a number of vital questions unanswered: the specific relationship between sickness and creativity, for example. Did Lili’s illness and oncoming death give her music an edge and depth which no ordinary career or state of health would ever have provided (as in the cases of Wolf, Mahler, Delius and Britten, for example)? Or was it rather the compulsion, the irresistible vocation to compose music which pushed her meagre physical resources beyond the limit and killed her? (We remember that sixty years later Nadia, in her nineties, was giving lessons virtually on her death-bed.) Was Lili so sequestered and chaperoned that she remained emotionally untouched by the usual storms and stresses of adolescence and early adulthood, as Nadia stoutly maintained? I find this hard to believe, chiefly on account of her music which is anything but jejune. Did Nadia, as Léonie Rosenstiel claims, actually feel some resentment towards Lili for having upstaged her in terms of first-hand, first-class musical creativity? To what extent did it compound her natural guilt feelings that she – the lesser of the two luminaries – survived, while Lili died? Did she do enough for Lili – or did she, as some think, do too much? Roger Nichols is definitely of the opinion that Nadia’s cult of Lili to some extent obscured the real person. What really counted was not Lili ‘the feminist’, not Lili ‘the martyr’, but Lili ‘the composer’; and not a composer ‘who might have been’, but one who very definitely ‘was’.
Christopher Palmer © 1994 | <urn:uuid:c129858f-800a-4a97-84fa-57f4979208d2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/al.asp?al=CDA66726 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968555 | 3,015 | 1.617188 | 2 |
After School Activities
UC Berkeley's Bay Area Writing Project is hosting a Young Writers Camp July 22 to Aug. 9 at California High School this summer for incoming third through ninth graders. If you have a student of this age and are interested in learning more about the camp, go to www.bawpwritingcamp.org.
You can also contact Cal High English teachers Brian Barr ([email protected]) and Donna Montague, both of whom will be working at the camp.
Be sure to check out all the activities listed to the right under "Around San Ramon". Many camps are taking place in San Ramon or close by.
San Ramon Soccer is proud to announce tryouts for the 2013 Fall Season. Tryouts begin January 26th. All U9-U14 players interested in playing SRS Competitive level or Copper Select soccer for the 2013 Fall Season need to register and attend the tryouts for their respective age group. Visit www.sanramonsoccer.org for more information and to register." | <urn:uuid:691d445d-2bcd-4406-82e2-813a411acb1e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.qres.srvusd.k12.ca.us/forms/flyers&activities | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933377 | 213 | 1.5625 | 2 |
County Wide Bike Share? Metro Committee Says “Yes, We Can”
Will Los Angeles County have an integrated bike share system in the next five years? Metro is taking the first steps to become a coordinator for bike share efforts already underway so that L.A. County could have one integrated bike share program instead of many local bike share systems.
Earlier today, Metro’s Planning and Programming Committee approved a bike share strategy for the agency that would create a mechanism for municipalities and cities to work together and create a county-wide bike share plan. Metro’s bike share strategy needs to be approved by the full board before it becomes policy.
Cities that have bike share programs funded and on the way, such as Santa Monica, and that are hopeful to bring bike share at some date in the future, such as South Pasadena, attended the hearing to voice support for the motion.
Before the hearing, B-Cycle, Bixi, and Bike Nation put on a demonstration of what bike share is and how it works. Through a bike share program, people can rent bikes at a docking station and ride it to another station located somewhere else. Systems can be publicly or privately owned and sometimes require renters to be members of the bike share program.
Bike sharing systems have been installed in many of the most progressive cities around the country. Modeled after Velib in Paris, France Washington D.C. is widely credited for having the first bike share program in America. New York City will launch a large bike share program of its own later this year including a GPS program that will be used to inform transportation planning decisions.
Locally, Long Beach, Los Angeles and Santa Monica all have plans and funds set aside for bike share programs. Los Angeles’ is mainly planned for the Downtown sometime in the next two years. Long Beach has two phases planned, 160 bikes and 16 statsions within the next two and a half years with another 500 bikes and 50 stations coming in the next five years. Santa Monica plans for 250 bikes and 25 stations in 2016 or 2017.
Los Angeles has larger plans for bike share, but the funds for that plan were won by the Community Redevelopment Agency, the embattled agency that will fold either by the end of the month or April 15.
Los Angeles has been discussing bringing bike share to Downtown Los Angeles and Hollywood since then Transportation Committee Chair Wendy Greuel attended the 2008 Democratic National Convention where Bikes Belong had created a temporary demonstration project to show delegates and elected officials what a bike share program could look like. In July 2011, Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky penned a motion for Metro to consider creating its own bike share program that led directly to today’s demonstration and committee vote. | <urn:uuid:6ca46eff-99e0-4d7b-9b29-7984ffcf1745> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://la.streetsblog.org/2012/01/18/county-wide-bike-share-metro-committee-says-yes-we-can/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965552 | 559 | 1.679688 | 2 |
REPORTER: (Question inaudible)
SECRETARY WOLFOWITZ: They [the Civil Defense Corps] are coming on-line relatively quickly. In fact, in this big incident just the other day, in this area in Karbala, it was Iraqi Civil Defense Corps who played a very important role in law enforcement, actually.
REPORTER: Is the U.S. going to have to reconsider rehiring or re-recruiting some former Iraqi military to accelerate the pace?
WOLFOWITZ: It's not a matter of reconsidering; we are doing it on a daily basis. I mean there is no question that a very large number must be part of this. So it's happening as we speak.
REPORTER: What about bringing on whole Iraqi units, engineer units for instance, support services in particular?
WOLFOWITZ: Those units have sort of largely dissolved and melted away. There might be some circumstances in which you might look at an individual one. The notion there was an Iraqi army to be hung onto is simply – it didn't exist, it didn't happen. Most of the officers from the old Army are in fact currently receiving pensions of some sort through the CPA. And actually we would like to get as many of them doing more than just receiving their pension, actually fighting for their country, as I say in large numbers they are. | <urn:uuid:322fa607-0eac-477b-b695-c684e8074877> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.defense.gov/Transcripts/Transcript.aspx?TranscriptID=3603 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985084 | 296 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Yangon, Myanmar (AP) State radio in Myanmar says the death toll from a weekend cyclone is nearly 4,000 and the country's foreign minister says it could be more than twice that.
The storm struck the southeast Asian country's southern coast early Saturday with winds up to 120 miles per hour. It swamped low-lying communities in the Irrawaddy River delta and state radio says nearly 3,000 people are unaccounted for in one town alone.
Relief officials say up to 95 percent of houses have been destroyed in some villages and the country is “in dire need of shelter and clean drinking water.” They say the destruction is making it difficult to get aid in and information out.
The state department says the U.S. Embassy in Yangon has authorized a quarter of a million dollars to help with relief efforts. But it also says Myanmar's military rulers initially refused to allow a U.S. Disaster response team into the country to assess damage. | <urn:uuid:23418a57-5224-4ea4-b29b-fadc97c9f7f0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nbc11news.com/internationalnews/headlines/18606704.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965167 | 200 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Well Christmas day lived up to expectations.
Too much dinner.
Crap programmes on the television.
Nothing but Christmas music on the radio.
If the railway asked for volunteers to run a Christmas day service I would flatten you all in the rush to be the first to put my name down.
However, one story that did make me sit and think was this one on the BBC web site.
I make no apology for reproducing it in full and acknowledge the Copyright of the BBC
A real Good Samaritan
One act of kindness that befell British writer Bernard Hare in 1982 changed him profoundly. Then a student living just north of London, he tells the story to inspire troubled young people to help deal with their disrupted lives.
The police called at my student hovel early evening, but I didn’t answer as I thought they’d come to evict me. I hadn’t paid my rent in months.
But then I got to thinking: my mum hadn’t been too good and what if it was something about her?
We had no phone in the hovel and mobiles hadn’t been invented yet, so I had to nip down the phone box.
I rang home to Leeds to find my mother was in hospital and not expected to survive the night. "Get home, son," my dad said.
I got to the railway station to find I’d missed the last train. A train was going as far as Peterborough, but I would miss the connecting Leeds train by twenty minutes.
I bought a ticket home and got on anyway. I was a struggling student and didn’t have the money for a taxi the whole way, but I had a screwdriver in my pocket and my bunch of skeleton keys.
I was so desperate to get home that I planned to nick a car in Peterborough, hitch hike, steal some money, something, anything. I just knew from my dad’s tone of voice that my mother was going to die that night and I intended to get home if it killed me.
"Tickets, please," I heard, as I stared blankly out of the window at the passing darkness. I fumbled for my ticket and gave it to the guard when he approached. He stamped it, but then just stood there looking at me. I’d been crying, had red eyes and must have looked a fright.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Course I’m okay," I said. "Why wouldn’t I be? And what’s it got to do with you in any case?"
"You look awful," he said. "Is there anything I can do?"
"You could get lost and mind your own business," I said. "That’d be a big help." I wasn’t in the mood for talking.
He was only a little bloke and he must have read the danger signals in my body language and tone of voice, but he sat down opposite me anyway and continued to engage me.
"If there’s a problem, I’m here to help. That’s what I’m paid for."
I was a big bloke in my prime, so I thought for a second about physically sending him on his way, but somehow it didn’t seem appropriate. He wasn’t really doing much wrong. I was going through all the stages of grief at once: denial, anger, guilt, withdrawal, everything but acceptance. I was a bubbling cauldron of emotion and he had placed himself in my line of fire.
The only other thing I could think of to get rid of him was to tell him my story.
"Look, my mum’s in hospital, dying, she won’t survive the night, I’m going to miss the connection to Leeds at Peterborough, I’m not sure how I’m going to get home.
"It’s tonight or never, I won’t get another chance, I’m a bit upset, I don’t really feel like talking, I’d be grateful if you’d leave me alone. Okay?"
"Okay," he said, finally getting up. "Sorry to hear that, son. I’ll leave you alone then. Hope you make it home in time." Then he wandered off down the carriage back the way he came.
I continued to look out of the window at the dark. Ten minutes later, he was back at the side of my table. Oh no, I thought, here we go again. This time I really am going to rag him down the train.
He touched my arm. "Listen, when we get to Peterborough, shoot straight over to Platform One as quick as you like. The Leeds train will be there."
I looked at him dumbfounded. It wasn’t really registering. "Come again," I said, stupidly. "What do you mean? Is it late, or something?"
"No, it isn’t late," he said, defensively, as if he really cared whether trains were late or not. "No, I’ve just radioed Peterborough. They’re going to hold the train up for you. As soon as you get on, it goes.
"Everyone will be complaining about how late it is, but let’s not worry about that on this occasion. You’ll get home and that’s the main thing. Good luck and God bless."
Then he was off down the train again. "Tickets, please. Any more tickets now?"
I suddenly realised what a top-class, fully-fledged doilem I was and chased him down the train. I wanted to give him all the money from my wallet, my driver’s licence, my keys, but I knew he would be offended.
I caught him up and grabbed his arm. "Oh, er, I just wanted to…" I was suddenly speechless. "I, erm…"
"It’s okay," he said. "Not a problem." He had a warm smile on his face and true compassion in his eyes. He was a good man for its own sake and required nothing in return.
"I wish I had some way to thank you," I said. "I appreciate what you’ve done."
"Not a problem," he said again. "If you feel the need to thank me, the next time you see someone in trouble, you help them out. That will pay me back amply.
"Tell them to pay you back the same way and soon the world will be a better place."
I was at my mother’s side when she died in the early hours of the morning. Even now, I can’t think of her without remembering the Good Conductor on that late-night train to Peterborough and, to this day, I won’t hear a bad word said about British Rail.
My meeting with the Good Conductor changed me from a selfish, potentially violent hedonist into a decent human being, but it took time.
"I’ve paid him back a thousand times since then," I tell the young people I work with, "and I’ll keep on doing so till the day I die. You don’t owe me nothing. Nothing at all."
"And if you think you do, I’d give you the same advice the Good Conductor gave me. Pass it down the line." | <urn:uuid:61df406f-97c4-4019-9da4-277ee1079a13> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.arkwrightsoforton.co.uk/blog/?m=201012 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983646 | 1,588 | 1.507813 | 2 |
MEDIA ADVISORY: PHOTO OPPORTUNITY
For November 4, 2009
The Wilma Theater Welcomes Area Students to Nov. 4 Performance;
Student Enrichment Program Presenting Athol Fugard’s Coming Home to Philadelphia Youth sponsored by PNC Arts Alive
WHAT: Special student matinee performance of Coming Home
WHO: Philadelphia middle and high school students, cast of Coming Home including two local youth actors along with professional actors, The Wilma Theater staff, PNC Arts Alive representatives
WHEN: Wednesday, November 4, 2009 9:30 a.m. – Students arrive
10:00 a.m. – Performance begins
12:30 p.m. – Q&A with students and members of the cast and artistic team
Members of the press are welcome before, during and after the performance.
WHERE: The Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St, Philadelphia
INFO: The Wilma Theater will welcome area middle and high school students to its latest production, Coming Home by internationally acclaimed playwright Athol Fugard, on Wednesday, November 4 at 10:00 a.m. The special student matinee kicks off a program funded by PNC Arts Alive, which provides student tickets at a reduced rate and offers students an in-depth look at the Wilma’s productions through pre- and post- show discussions and workshops relating to the plays in the company’s season.
Two area students will also appear onstage. For Coming Home, director Blanka Zizka has cast two young actors in the role of Mannetjie – 10-year-old Antonio J. Dandridge of Cherry Hill, NJ and 9-year-old Elijah Felder of North Philadelphia.
Schools attending the matinee include: Abington Friends School, Bartram High School, Constitution High School, Fitzsimmons Young Men's Leadership Academy, Meade Gen George Charter School, Strawberry Mansion High School, South Philly High, and T.M. Pierce Elementary School.
Students attending the Coming Home matinee participate in either the Wilma’s Wilmagination or Wilma Classroom educational program. Wilmagination is a successful decade-long, residency based student educational outreach program in Philadelphia public schools. The program is designed to increase literacy through interactive and creatively engaging theatrical techniques. Through Wilmagination, students study a play in class, attend a performance of it at the Wilma on fully subsidized tickets, and write their own pieces inspired by the play’s themes and theatrical styles. Wilma Classroom is a program designed to encourage local educators to incorporate Wilma productions into their high school and college curricula by providing educator guides, as well as pre- and post-show discussions to facilitate curricular connections.
A post-show discussion will begin in the theater at 12:30 p.m. immediately following the performance, with an opportunity for students to have a Q&A with members of the cast and artistic team.
In his latest play, Fugard, described as “the greatest active playwright in the English-speaking world” by TIME Magazine, crafts a moving tale of a young South African woman’s never-ending hope for a better future. As a teenager, Veronica left her cherished grandfather's farm with aspirations of becoming a cabaret singer in Cape Town. Years later, she returns to her hometown with broken dreams, a painful secret, and the unflinching hope of building a new life for her young son.
Coming Home at the Wilma runs through November 15, 2009. Tickets are available at the Wilma Box Office by calling (215) 546-7824, visiting 265 South Broad Street, or online at www.wilmatheater.org.
Reduced ticket pricing for students is made possible by PNC Arts Alive, a five-year, $5 million investment from The PNC Foundation with the goal to increase engagement in the visual and performing arts, develop new audiences and make the arts more accessible to diverse communities in the Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey region. In advance, students can save 50% off full-priced tickets (excludes Opening and Saturday nights) and purchase $10 tickets for Sunday evening performances. Tickets for same day performances can be purchased for $10 at the Box Office. Tickets are subject to availability; valid student ID is required; limit one ticket per ID. | <urn:uuid:a6297922-c4a6-4fa1-b1a2-dffe44753ec8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wilmatheater.org/about/press-room/413 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939881 | 906 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Soon after Canonical's unveiling of its slick Ubuntu Touch platform for phones and tablets, and on the same day it released the first beta of Ubuntu 13.04, the Ubuntu project announced a potentially significant -- and already controversial -- change in windowing interfaces.
Starting with the Ubuntu Touch smartphone implementation in this coming October's Ubuntu 13.10 release, a revised version of Ubuntu's Unity environment will shift from the X.org Server implementation of X Window to a homegrown display server called Mir. Two years ago, Canonical had said it would instead switch to the Wayland windowing interface. According to a MirSpec wiki written by Canonical's Mir project leader, Robert Ancell, Wayland was unable to meet Ubuntu 14.04's goal of being able to smoothly display window environments from the same code running on different desktop and mobile devices.
Mir will support Android drivers right from the start. According to Ancell, in an email to Linux.com, the first two targets will be the Android-based Galaxy Nexus and the Nexus 4 smartphones, which were already slated as the first devices to run Ubuntu Touch.
"We expect this list to grow in the future," said Ancell. The current Ubuntu Touch version running on those devices uses the Android-based SurfaceFlinger windowing technology, which will be swapped out for Mir in October.
Moving Beyond X
Unix- and Linux-based systems have been depending on X Window for some three decades, and it's definitely showing its age. When Canonical's Mark Shuttleworth announced in Nov. 2010 that Ubuntu would scrap the venerable display server in favor of the newer Wayland interface, there was relatively little grumbling. After all, other Linux distros such as Fedora were looking to adopt Wayland, and Google took a pass on using X in Android.
The shift from X was nowhere near as controversial as the earlier decision to swap out GNOME in favor of Canonical's Unity UI environment. Nor did it stir the same angst that came from the Jan. 2011 announcement that in Ubuntu 11.04 Canonical would scrap the GTK+-like "Nux" OpenGL toolkit in favor of Qt.
All three changes would help Ubuntu support both desktop and mobile devices with a single binary, promised Shuttleworth. Unity was quickly cemented as the default Ubuntu environment, despite some defections to other distros, but Qt has only been partially integrated, and Wayland has been missing in action.
Like Wayland, Mir is faster and less complicated than X.org, and it similarly adds built-in support for the hardware-accelerated graphics commonly found on modern computers and mobile devices. In fact, Mir requires a GPU, says Ancell.
They are also both similarly well-suited to work with Qt, he adds. "Qt doesn't matter here," says Ancell. "Qt has a Wayland backend and we have developed a Mir backend, so applications will work in both."
According to Ancell, Wayland is less flexible than Mir in supporting existing resources like hardware-based compositors or Android device drivers, while at the same time has difficulty adapting to new input methods like 3D gesture technology. Unlike the more rigid Wayland, Mir offers a well-crafted "protocol-agnostic inner core" as well as an "outer-shell together with a frontend-firewall that allow us to port our display server to arbitrary graphics stacks and bind it to multiple protocols," according to Ancell's wiki.
The switch to Mir means that "certain legacy applications" will require "an in-session rootless X server that is integrated with Mir," according to the wiki. Ancell told me these potentially include some major apps like LibreOffice and Firefox, "though we will investigate if it's possible to have them running natively on Mir." Ancell added, "GTK+ and Qt applications should run on Mir fine, which will cover the vast majority of current applications out there. Cases that won't be native are Java applications and other toolkits." In any case, he says, "The end user shouldn't notice."
Another challenge may be getting GPU manufacturers to quickly support the technology. So far, Canonical has yet to announce any specific Ubuntu Touch support from chip vendors, hardware manufacturers, or carriers. The wiki notes that the Mir project plans to "distill a reusable and unified [OpenGL-based] EGL-centric driver model that further eases display server development."
Ancell expanded on this in his email, saying, "Currently Mir doesn't work on closed source drivers and we want to change that. We are working actively to solve that and the timeframe will be dependent on working with those driver developers."
Another Ubuntu Controversy?
Mir is already proving more controversial than the switch to Wayland, according to some Google+ discussions summarized by Michael Larabel on Phoronix. Wayland developers led by Kristian Høgsberg claim that Mir's benefits over Wayland are overstated, and that Wayland's input handling is not nearly as bad as Canonical says. Open source driver developer Jerome Glisse argues that the architecture described on the wiki appears to be missing key components like atomic commit or frame synchronization.
At this point, it is difficult to determine how serious the alleged gaps may be, and whether they will delay Canonical's proposed timeline. Although there do appear to be some issues here beyond sour grapes over the late-stage switch, there is also a lot of pent-up anger at Canonical for insisting on homegrown solutions rather than established open source technologies.
Larabel himself seems to agree with the overall critique, writing, "If there is one thing though that Canonical is becoming wildly successful at is alienating and fragmenting the core upstream Linux communities with their 'Not Invented Here' syndrome." | <urn:uuid:cd7074cd-8e0c-4d2e-aaf0-17efc0b29d36> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.linux.com/news/embedded-mobile/mobile-linux/707710-canonicals-windowing-shift-more-than-a-mir-techie-footnote | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948177 | 1,194 | 1.757813 | 2 |
Get a child in need a pair of shoes for free
Britain's Queen Elizabeth has bought four portraits of herself by Andy Warhol.
The quartet of iconic screen prints by the pop artist have been purchased by the Royal Collection to mark the queen's Diamond Jubilee this year and will go on display in Windsor Castle later this year.
The portraits, each measuring one metre by 80 centimetres, were produced in 1985 as part of a series called 'Reigning Queens'.
The particular paintings are from the Royal Edition, which is sprinkled with "diamond dust", fine particles of cut or crushed glass which sparkle in the light like diamonds.
Royal librarian Jane Roberts described them as "huge, extremely colourful and very striking".
She added: "The Warhol prints of the queen are in many ways the most important popular image of the queen to be created by an artist print maker over the last few decades.
"What Andy Warhol did with print making was very new, and particularly in these images where he uses the same outlines and applies different colourways to it, which is something very personal to him. It's playing around with an image in a way which is entirely new.
"Warhol produced these prints in these different colourways with the intention that they should be seen together as a set, reacting off each other."
It is not known how much was paid for the prints, but a recent auction of a similar set fetched £109 250.
The exhibition at Windsor Castle will see the paintings sit alongside a selection of other official, commissioned and formal portraits of the queen from her six decades of rule. It will run until June 9 next year. | <urn:uuid:92d135d1-3709-456c-876b-e64afe74a6fa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.iol.co.za/tonight/the-queen-s-a-work-of-art-1.1389695 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978954 | 342 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Cam Cam's Preschool ABC Free
1,000 - 5,000 downloads
- Good tool for children
- Alphabet, words and drawings...
- Excellent design
- Nothing special
Cam Cam’s Preschool ABC Free app is an educational application for children up to five years old. This game lets them learn to distinguish the letters, learn the first common worlds and basic spelling.
The main menu has several sections: In Alphabet Flashcards, there are many basic words following the alphabet with a drawing that illustrate the concept so they can begin to learn some words. In Picture to Word Matching, they have the chance to match the drawing with the correct word. lastly, in the last two sections, they will be able to find the first or the missing letter of the word.
The graphics and the design are excellent and the activities are really useful and perfect for the kids to start learning. There are some extra features that are paid and can be purchased in Google Play. Really useful app for children, good usability and learning methods. Mobos Interactive is the developer of Cam Cam's Preschool ABC app.
The free version has a small sample of words. In the full version there are 125 words to learn, each with a colorful picture and pronunciation by a real person and not a computer. There are 5 activities. ABC Flashcards goes through each letter of the alphabet. ABC Phonic is a keyboard where the child can press a letter and the letter will be said with it's respective sound. The “what is this” game where you pick the word associated with each picture. The “find the first letter” game where you pick the first letter that is missing from the word and its picture. The “find the missing letter” game where you pick the one letter that is missing from the word and its picture. All games use the same set of 125 words so learning them is a step by step process.
Recently changed in this version:
Optimized for Tablet use
Last activity on Cam Cam's Preschool ABC Free
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Lists with: Cam Cam's Preschool ABC Free
Some lists where this application appears: Reviewed by Anna Grace.
Comments and ratings for Cam Cam's Preschool ABC Free
This free app is a good try before you buy. There are no ads. Great flashcards and intro to spelling. We got the full version. | <urn:uuid:2728055c-fdae-47ad-ac81-d0db782ca863> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.appszoom.com/android_applications/education/cam-cams-preschool-abc-free_cepof.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937984 | 597 | 1.804688 | 2 |
All That Is Solid 08: Foundation Myths
What's So Funny 'Bout Peace, Love, and Understanding?
All That Is Solid is an attempt to examine the relationships between popular music and global capitalism. Click here to access the archive.
Every genre of music has a foundation myth (or several) that serves as a basis for interpreting future contributions, and whether or not they happen to be true is irrelevant to the weight they carry in our imagination. In the case of indie rock, the foundation myth most dear to my heart (and probably to many of yours) is the one outlined most comprehensively by the profiles found in Michael Azzerrad's Our Band Could Be Your Life. If you aren't familiar with the book, it details the careers of 13 pioneering American indie bands, including Fugazi, The Minutemen, The Replacements, Black Flag, Beat Happening, and Sonic Youth. Although each band's story has unique elements, the common aspects form a template that many (some?) of us uphold as a standard against which other bands can be measured.
The template goes something like this: self-trained musicians, bound by a love of punk and leftist politics, get together to make music their muses compel them to make, without regard to any conventional measures of "success" (gold records, world tours, quitting day jobs). Said musicians love their music and the music of their peers so much that they form their own cottage industry, a budding infrastructure completely outside the normal channels of distribution (commercial radio, MTV, stadium tours, major-label deals): they press and distribute their own records; they tour the country relentlessly playing in fire halls, VFWs and YMCAs; they crash on each others' couches; they create their own music press and trade tapes and zines, etc. You likely know this story by heart, even though it is only tenuously related to the stories of most 21st-century "indie" performers, and it is a story that binds us to some sense of shared values and aesthetics. As much as the music itself, this foundation myth is what brought many of us (including me) into the punk/indie rock fold in the first place. The story's verisimilitude is almost beside the point -- what matters is that it instills the sense that the music we love is more than just music; it's a way of life. The problem is, not only does this story not describe much of what is happening in the alt/indie world today, I wonder if the story is starting to lose some of its magnetism, in which case the music is just music after all.
For a hasty thought experiment, consider two "hypothetical" musicians' back stories.
- Musician A was born to a family of radical Leftists and didn't start making music of any kind until her 20s when a friend gave her a sampler to play with. A few months after beginning to tinker around, she managed to produce and record a successful single that caught the attention of international taste-making DJs, which generated enough hype to make her debut album both highly anticipated and widely discussed via a growing number of online outlets. Her debut album, an amalgamation of a variety of dance musics from around the world, was released within the year to widespread critical acclaim. Both her debut and her sophomore albums -- one which yielded a Billboard Top 10 single -- were recorded with a handful of collaborators and are informed by radical leftist undertones while only occasionally elucidating them.
- Musician B was born to a family of radical Leftists and began playing the guitar at a very young age, landing her first gig at age 9. At 14, she left home and began touring, performing by herself in coffee shops and other small venues while crashing on couches. By the time she was 20, she had written over 100 songs and began her own record label to start distributing the tapes she had been selling to fans at concerts. Through relentless touring (over 200 dates a year) and a steady stream of recordings (to date, 17 studio albums in 20 years), she has amassed a sizable fanbase, enough so that her albums can occasionally be found towards the bottom of the Billboard Top 100 in spite of minimal/nonexistent radio and press exposure. Her radical politics are inseparable from her music, and she has a thick catalog of protest songs alongside an equally weighty collection of insightful ruminations on interpersonal relationships.
These two examples are meant to illustrate two different versions of the Indie Foundation Myth -- the first represents an internet 2.0/postmodern/21st-century version of the story, and the second is a sort of "traditional," 20th-century indie success story. Perceptive readers will no doubt have picked up on the fact that the hypothetical musicians above represent real back stories: Musician A is M.I.A., and Musician B is Ani Difranco. I choose these two because M.I.A. is one of the most talked-about, acclaimed, and admired "political" musicians working in the alt/indie universe these days, while Ani -- perhaps the most earnestly political musician around -- seems to be met with ambivalence and derision by the a lot of that same audience. M.I.A.'s story, which seems to share a lot of commonality with other recent "indie" success stories, more closely resembles the narratives of those artists who have long-graced the cover of Rolling Stone than it does the zealous, squalid road chronicles of the punk and post-punk bands we grew up listening to. Ani is dyed-in-the-wool, by-the-book, D.I.Y.-or-die Indie (with a capital I), which makes me wonder, why no love for a righteous babe?
My worry, which should be obvious by now, is that the foundation myth that brought me and so many of my contemporaries into the world of alt/indie music no longer holds quite the same gravitas it once enjoyed. While there is a part of me that is encouraged to know that the staunchly dogmatic approach of the early post-punk era has softened with time, I still insist that the one coalescent force "indie" stands for is a certain ethical commitment to making music for the right reasons. I don't mean to suggest that indiedom no longer shares those values or that we fail to live up to some holy standard set by our forebears (and a disclaimer: I do really like M.I.A.), but for the kids' sake I wonder exactly how important those values are to this epoch's musicians and audiences. As I've said in this space before, if we stand for nothing...
Back to the music at hand: whether or not you enjoy Ani, she is a musician worthy of your admiration. An outstanding rhythm guitar player, a prolific songwriter, and a gifted (if idiosyncratic) vocalist, Difranco does everything we are supposed to want musicians to do. You may call her politically-charged lyrics pedantic, but I ask, who else is even raising a fist? I end here with an open letter:
Dear Indie Rock Aficianados,
Please don't snort at my iTunes collection because it hosts ten Ani Difranco albums. Thanks a bunch! | <urn:uuid:608ce38a-6c07-426b-b067-8b65fc04190e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tinymixtapes.com/column/all-solid-08-foundation-myths | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964648 | 1,522 | 1.726563 | 2 |
First female service academy superintendent named
Posted by LT Connie Braesch, Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Update: Paragraph four has been corrected to reflect that the U.S. Coast Guard Academy was the first military service academy to accept women in 1976.
Earlier today, the Coast Guard announced that Rear Adm. Sandra Stosz will be the first female Superintendent of the United States Coast Guard Academy. Stosz, currently the Director of Reserve and Leadership, will become the first, and only female to lead a U. S. service academy when she assumes command of USCGA next summer. Today’s announcement came with the release of the 2011 flag officer assignment list, detailing key leadership positions across the service.
“Rear Admiral Stosz has dedicated her career to developing professional Coast Guard men and women,” said Adm. Bob Papp, commandant, U.S. Coast Guard. “We are also extremely proud to be the first service with a woman at the helm of our academy. The Coast Guard has always led by allowing men and women equal access to all career fields and assignments.”
Stosz, a 1982 graduate of the Coast Guard Academy, is the first female Coast Guard Academy graduate to achieve the rank of flag officer and is a surface operations officer with 12 years at sea, including command of two cutters – an icebreaking tug on the Great Lakes and a medium endurance cutter that patrolled North Atlantic and Caribbean waters.
The smallest of the five federal service academies, the Coast Guard Academy was the first military service academy to accept women among their Corps of Cadets in 1976, which now includes over 1,000 officers in training. | <urn:uuid:f4be3307-5742-4ff8-8813-2b5dc5721625> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://coastguard.dodlive.mil/2010/12/first-female-superintendent-of-a-service-academy-named/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96327 | 348 | 1.648438 | 2 |
“ROCKET” conjures up images of a symbolic space where graphic design and street culture have come together from the late 1990’s until now. It is a gallery for the artist collective CAP, which designs for magazines such as BRUTUS and VOGUE NIPPON. Opening the 1st gallery at Dojyunkai Apartment in 1996, they had historically embodied their existence with constant exhibition lineups (& parties!) every week in this quickly changing design scene. The gallery closed once in 2005, and its presence morphed into a hard-copy free paper. Still, people had an unforgettable feeling in the sound named ROCKET. That same sentiment arose again in those people who had known ROCKET for a long time, but also amongst the new generation when they heard the news of a re-opening in November 2007 in Minami-Aoyama. In its fourth iteration, the gallery is located in the underground part of the CAP office building built with bare concrete walls. The new concept is "Gallery of the night."
The gallery is open until 9pm for people who stop by after work or before going out drinking. An opening exhibition was held by flower artist Mr. Musubi Aoki entitled as "Botanical garden of the night". While perhaps not in season, a quiet yet glamorous underground botanical garden appeared. I got so excited to see this impressive restart and also what Yasushi Fujimoto of CAP would set up through ROCKET from here on. It is said that they will continue to work on such exhibitions with a main theme of “Night” by adjusting darkness and light and also mood of night.
The first exhibition in 2008 was “Used bookstore of the night”; a.k.a. CAP BOOK MARKET. There were many rare vintage magazines displayed from 1930’s Esquire to 1950’s LIFE magazines that were all collected by Yasushi Fujimo. This unique selling style was proposed by Mr. Shintaro Uchinuma from the book and idea label NUMABOOKS.
Mr. Uchinuma changed the market place into an art space that is filled with books. On the way down the stairs where it goes down to the underground, the paper cutting installation by hairstylist Kazuaki Ito of ACQUA aoyama, "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest", was on the go. And, Mr. Taihei Shii’s well known artwork, which is a jointed back of books putting also up at TOKYO BAR in New York is welcoming visitors. When you come down to the underground, you’ll find the sculpture flier by Ryuta Iida and several photo artworks framed in paperbacks by photographer Ms. Miho Kakuta. Inside of the space, there was an artwork entitled “Book + Book + Book = Forest Vol.2, No.1” by a unit of Uchinuma x Iida x Sei’s “Forest” illuminated by the light. Used books are carefully packed in and displayed like on would expect at an old record shop.
The common features of the exhibited work are that the book and paper are not only treated as materials, but also having context that jumps over the editorial articles. The artwork by “Mori” is done by the way that Mr. Uchinuma picks up the symbolic work that contains a word of “forest” in the title such as "Norwegian Wood", and Mr. Iida and Sei finished up in the work. In the collaboration work of Mr. Kakuta and Uchinuma, the title and the photograph are floating by their refraction and imagination is roused up. The book is a package of the characters, and it has the title and meta information of historical significance. There might be ways of labeling books such as “recommendation of someone” or “ones that has changed my life” and so on. There is a possibility of various options determined by one’s relationship with the book.
When you dig through such art inspired by old magazines, you might cross an unthinkable aspect in your mind. At the initial time of advertisement trends the relationship of cover art and society was revolved around “Satire”. Various discoveries like this begin to gradually have meaning. Of course it’s all right to go get items just because of their good looking packaging. If the connection with yourself was some day seen, it was what you surely had to have.
This book market of the night was always full with people and folks chating. From those fun-loving sessions, visitors might find reasons to buy their favorite one.
Open: Tue-Sat 17:00-21:00
Address: B1F CAP bldg. 3-14-10 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
“CAP BOOK MARKET” is opening from January 8-12, 2008. | <urn:uuid:86399383-e8a0-4f10-9424-00c6b72219a7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.shift.jp.org/en/archives/2008/02/gallery_rocket.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975068 | 1,029 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Killers In The Skies: Why Drones Are Everywhere Now
Photo Credit: US Navy
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In the American mind, if Apple made weapons, they would undoubtedly be drones, those remotely piloted planes getting such great press here. They have generally been greeted as if they were the sleekest of iPhones armed with missiles.
When the first American drone assassins burst onto the global stage early in the last decade, they caught most of us by surprise, especially because they seemed to come out of nowhere or from some wild sci-fi novel. Ever since, they've been touted in the media as the shiniest presents under the American Christmas tree of war, the perfect weapons to solve our problems when it comes to evildoers lurking in the global badlands.
Here’s the thing, though: put drones in a more familiar context, skip the awestruck commentary, and they should have been eerily familiar. If, for instance, they were car factories, they would seem so much less exotic to us.
Think about it: What does a drone do? Like a modern car factory, it replaces a pilot, a skilled job that takes significant training, with robotics and a degraded version of the same job outsourced elsewhere. In this case, the “offshore” location that job headed for wasn’t China or Mexico, but a military base in the U.S., where a guy with a joystick, trained in a hurry and sitting at a computer monitor, is “piloting” that plane. And given our experience with the hemorrhaging of good jobs from the U.S., who will be surprised to discover that, in 2011, the U.S. Air Force was already training more drone “pilots” than actual fighter and bomber pilots combined?
That’s one way drones are something other than the futuristic sci-fi wonders we imagine them to be. But there’s another way that drones have been heading for the American “homeland” for four decades, and it has next to nothing to do with technology, advanced or otherwise.
In a sense, drone war might be thought of as the most natural form of war for the All Volunteer Military. To understand why that’s so, we need to head back to a crucial decision implemented just as the Vietnam war was ending.
Disarming the Amateurs, Demobilizing the Citizenry
It’s true that, in the wake of grinding wars that have also been debacles -- the Afghan version of which has entered its 11th year -- the U.S. military is in ratty shape. Its equipment needs refurbishing and its troops are worn down. The stress of endlessly repeated tours of duty in war zones, brain injuries and other wounds caused by the roadside bombs that have often replaced a visible enemy on the “battlefield,” suicide rates that can’t be staunched, rising sexual violence within the military, increasing crime rates around military bases, and all the other strains and pains of unending war have taken their toll.
Still, ours remains an intact, unrebellious, professional military. If you really want to see a force on its last legs, you need to leave the post-9/11 years behind and go back to the Vietnam era. In 1971, in Armed Forces Journal, Colonel Robert D. Heinl, Jr., author of a definitive history of the Marine Corps, wrote of “widespread conditions among American forces in Vietnam that have only been exceeded in this century by the French Army’s Nivelle mutinies of 1917 and the collapse of the Tsarist armies [of Russia] in 1916 and 1917.”
The U.S. military in Vietnam and at bases in the U.S. and around world was essentially at the edge of rebellion. Disaffection with an increasingly unpopular war on the Asian mainland, rejected by ever more Americans and emphatically protested at home, had infected the military, which was, after all, made up significantly of draftees. | <urn:uuid:705e0449-1bf7-4c4a-ae41-6241518f66dc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.alternet.org/story/154370/killers_in_the_skies:_why_drones_are_everywhere_now | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959334 | 850 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Even if you have nothing but base rock in your tank, growing a healthy, colorful crop of coralline algae may not be as difficult as you think. If you already have coralline growing in your tank, there are a few steps you can take to help it quickly multiply.
Forums: Coralline Algae Bleaching Out? "We just re-rockscaped my 55g tank a couple nights ago when I added 60lbs of hirocks. It appears I have some coralline that is bleaching out?? What could cause..."
Photo by Stan & Debbie Hauter | <urn:uuid:2a310163-6803-4d0b-af1b-ddaa02fca9bc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://saltaquarium.about.com/b/2013/01/08/how-to-grow-terrific-coralline-algae.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967641 | 125 | 1.84375 | 2 |
Anxious parents await word about their children's safety during a lockdown at Wilson Southern Middle School and Cornwall Terrace Elementary on Tuesday morning. Police said a 14-year-old boy stabbed another 14-year-old boy four times with a pocket knife at Southern, and that the victim was hospitalized. There were no other injuries, and police apprehended the suspect.
A social media feud might have led to a Wilson Southern Middle School eighth-grader stabbing another eighth-grader Tuesday morning at the school.
The 14-year-old student attacked the other boy, also 14, in a second-floor hallway as classes were changing, Spring Township Police Chief Bryan D. Ross said.
The attacker stabbed the victim four times with a pocketknife: once in an arm, the abdomen and a shoulder blade, police said. The location of the fourth stab wound was unclear.
Police and school district officials did not release the names of the boys.
The victim was initially taken to Reading Hospital and was listed in stable condition, Ross said. Police said he was later transferred to Hershey Medical Center.
"His wounds are not superficial by any means, but they are not life-threatening," Ross said.
The suspect was charged as a juvenile with attempted homicide, aggravated assault and related offenses. He was turned over to Berks County juvenile authorities and is being held in Abraxas juvenile detention center in New Morgan, police said.
Ross said the teen is the only suspect in the case and that he specifically targeted the other student.
Investigators learned there was some kind of communication between the two boys on the social media site Facebook that precipitated the attack, Ross said.
"Obviously, we're going to have to delve deeper into the motive for this incident," he said.
After the stabbing, the victim ran into a classroom and called for help. Police said the suspect fled through a rear door of the school building and at some point threw the knife onto the roof of a nearby apartment building.
The first call to police came from the school at 8:28 a.m.
The first officer arrived at the school at 8:31 a.m. School officials led him to the victim, who told the officer his assailant's name and what the boy was wearing.
Meanwhile, an estimated 50 officers from 10 area police departments, state police, the Berks County sheriff's department and the district attorney's office surrounded the middle school and the Cornwall Terrace Elementary School, which is connected to the middle school at 3100 Iroquois Ave. About a dozen Spring fire rescue and ambulance personnel were also on the scene.
When Dan O'Brien dropped his kids off at school, he wondered if had delivered them into some kind of nightmarish scenario torn from recent headlines.
"I dropped my sons, Jeremy, a first-grader, and Dylan, in second grade, off around 8:30 a.m., and as I was leaving I saw the first of the police cars arriving," O'Brien said.
Soon police, fire and ambulance vehicles were speeding by him into the parking lot. Sirens could be heard wailing from blocks away as officers made their way to the school.
"It's terrifying," O'Brien said. "The things that go through your head. It's very scary."
Catching the suspect
Some officers did a room-to-room search of the two school buildings while others ringed the buildings and began patrols in the neighborhoods around the school in search of the suspect.
A Cumru Township police sergeant who had responded saw a boy matching the description of the suspect at Shakespeare Drive and Tennyson Avenue and took him into custody without incident at 9 a.m.
Dr. Rudy Ruth, superintendent, spoke with hundreds of parents outside the school shortly before 10 a.m. while the school remained in lockdown.
"Everything is safe and secure," he said. "The children are fine."
Both schools were closed for the day, and children were released to their parents or allowed to board buses home beginning about 10:15 a.m. The schedule at both schools was to be normal today.
Shivering parents, shut classroom doors
On Tuesday, parents - many of them dressed lightly because they weren't expecting to be out in the cold - shivered while waiting for their children in front of the building.
Among them was Shawn Olanin, whose twin 12-year-olds, Kyla and Cole, are sixth-graders in the building.
Olanin was at work when he got a text message from his wife that a student had been stabbed, but the victim's name wasn't known.
"I called her and she was hysterical," he said of his wife, Christy.
Olanin drove to the school, where police told those waiting for news that the parents of the injured student already had been notified.
Kyla Olanin said an announcement was made during second period that teachers should keep students in their classrooms. A second announcement informed everyone the school was in lockdown.
Kyla said her class and her teacher huddled in the corner for about 30 minutes.
They stayed silent the entire time, part of the lockdown procedure that they coincidentally practiced last week, Kyla said.
She said it was hard not knowing what was happening.
"We were all kind of scared," Kyla said.
Shawn Olanin said he felt likewise, especially in the wake of last month's Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Newtown, Conn.
Other parents had similar fears after learning of the stabbing from media reports.
"I just melted when I heard," said Caterina Amoroso, mother of eighth-grader Lorenzo Cappa.
Contact Dan Kelly: 610-371-5040 or [email protected]. | <urn:uuid:5d1c7cac-22a5-48a7-9cc3-b2e869c24c18> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=443817 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.988553 | 1,197 | 1.507813 | 2 |
According to a Gallup poll, "a majority of Democrats and liberals say ... they have a positive view of socialism, compared to a minority of Republicans and conservatives." Thankfully, members of both parties respond positively to "small business, free enterprise, and entrepreneurs." The terms polled are noteworthy--Walter Lippmann invented the term "big business" as derisive, just as Marx (or his contemporaries) did for "capitalism."
Democrats today appear to be very much in the spirit of the man FDR called "their commander-in-chief," the future president who declared that socialism and democracy are in principle the same.
While Dems (apart from the outbursts of a silly staffer, of which the Hill is full) will likely not begin appealing explicitly to socialism, its functional equivalents of community, civil society (of a certain sort), and solidarity may appear more often in their rhetoric. They would be better off heeding Bill Galston, who tries to dispute Harvey Mansfield's assault on Obamacare.
Over 20 years ago the late John Wettergreen loved to call out liberals who labelled themselves "civic republicans" or such, in the spirit of the founders. He once got a prominent American historian to admit that her talk of "republicanism" was simply a "chicken word for socialism." Gallup seems to confirm that more on the left have gotten the courage of their convictions, or at least of their feelings. | <urn:uuid:26859b9a-4343-4a5e-8dc5-6686e0f8bb2e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://nlt.ashbrook.org/2010/02/compromising-with-socialists.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964695 | 292 | 1.8125 | 2 |
Virtually everyone asks you to take a survey—your job, restaurants, stores, schools, airports and the list goes on. It’s been reported that American adults are invited to take surveys 7 billion times a year. There have even been surveys about what people think of surveys (they’re not too crazy about them)!
Not too long ago, surveys were generally reserved for use by researchers and evaluators like us. Then, organizations of all types realized the benefits of getting large amounts of quantitative data quickly and began surveying their customers, stakeholders, employees and more. Many of these are marketing surveys—shorter surveys, asking simply about satisfaction with or use of very specific things. In contrast, evaluation surveys tend to be longer and more complex since we are interested in the impact of a program. Because we’re trying to assess deeper levels than satisfaction and use, our surveys may include more detailed and personal questions that ask information related to respondent’s background or how their attitudes or behaviors have changed.
In today’s over-surveyed world, people may click on our evaluation survey expecting a customer satisfaction survey—something they can finish in a couple minutes without needing to think too deeply about it (or possibly even profit from). That is not the mindset we want them in. It can lead to respondents quitting in the middle of the survey or feeling disgruntled afterwards and less likely to take another survey (such as that post-program survey we’re hoping they complete in a couple months).
What can we do to still get the data we need in this era of customer satisfaction surveys?
- Stay as focused as possible – we must push ourselves (and our clients) to avoid adding more than is needed for the key evaluation outcomes.
- Explain why we’re asking questions, particularly the more personal ones (this could even come at the end of the survey if you are worried about biasing them).
- Emphasize how their data helps the program or organization they have been involved with keep receiving funding or improving (possibly even encourage clients to share findings with their respondents).
- Provide accurate time estimates – don’t say it is a short 5-10 minute survey when it’s really 15-20 minutes or people won’t be mentally prepared for what we’re asking them.
- Consider other types of data collection – can you shorten the survey and use interview follow-ups or other existing data to get the information needed?
We can’t control how many other survey requests our respondents receive, so we need to provide appropriate and accurate information about the survey we’re asking them to take. | <urn:uuid:70cc773a-9446-48a8-9ab2-789a3cb493e1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://btw.informingchange.com/aboutus/cat-ideas | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941349 | 548 | 1.523438 | 2 |
I am trying to find the lower bound of a marble problem, the problem is;
There are n marbles, there may be 1 marble that is lighter than the rest or they may all be equal.
I know from the standard weighing problem that the the lower bound for finding the lighter marble is O(log3 n).
However in this case the could be a case when all marbles are equal, would this change the lower bound?
So is the lower bound equal to the best case that it can be solved in? | <urn:uuid:a69dfdf1-d07f-4baf-81f8-a2bfda6aa050> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://stackoverflow.com/questions/9665920/working-out-lower-bound-of-an-algorithm/9665974 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957782 | 109 | 1.84375 | 2 |
Can we love Mary too much? I doubt it. The late Pope John Paul took as his motto, “Totally Yours,” in reference to the Blessed Mother. He had lost his mother when he was a child. The only real mother he ever knew was the Virgin Mary. He would even credit her with saving his life from an assassin’s bullet.
Could Jesus love his Mother too much? If the divine love is infinite then it would seem that whatever measure we can weigh in her regard will always be lacking. Nevertheless, we seek to imitate Jesus.
Some critics act as if they are embarrassed that Jesus ever had a Mother. This is not the Catholic stance. Jesus kept the commandments, including the honoring of his parents. If Jesus could love and honor Mary, who are we not to do likewise? We love Mary and she loves us with a Mother’s heart.
Imitating Mary, women of faith are essential to the life of the Church, but they need the heart of the handmaid and not the feminist terrorist who comes to tear down. Mary loved her Son, the Great High Priest.
Women with a maternal love for priests are at the heart of the Church. Mary’s strength was creative, not destructive. | <urn:uuid:c98c4c7f-34f0-4b99-a015-4eff4337e225> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bloggerpriest.com/2011/06/10/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985905 | 259 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Publish & Flourish
By Ryan Brenizer
On a warm day this past spring, a group of young authors was rehearsing for an upcoming reading at a Barnes and Noble bookstore in
With a poster of Richard Wright looking down on them from their classroom wall, the students sat with their interview subjects, receiving public speaking tips from SPI Director Erick Gordon, project consultant Kerry McKibbin and several Millennium teachers and staff members.
"So what don't you do when you are speaking before an audience?" asked Iris Witherspoon, Millennium's Director of Intergenerational Programs.
"Mumble," a girl yelled out.
"Stare at the floor," offered another girl.
"Chew gum," said a boy and laughed.
"How about this?" Gordon said, leaning so far over the podium that it seemed about to tip over. The kids cracked up.
"And what about this?" asked Carmen Tieso, a Millennium social worker, reading a passage at such lightning speed no one could understand a word she said. Again, the kids broke into laughter. Next came the tongue twisters and breathing exercises. And then the final exercise of the day--putting all the practice exercises together for an actual reading.
Anthony was first up--a risky choice. Smart, funny and entirely unpredictable, he could do something spectacular or turn the whole exercise into a joke. Anthony paused, took note of his audience and began to read. And suddenly, just like that, he was Mrs. Lillian Terry--not just in his words, but in his diction, tone and body language.
My first job when I was younger was as a bus girl at a rest a u rant called Bi c k f o rd. The only thing I could do, be cause of racism, was to bus the dishes off the table when the customers was finished eating. Clear off and clean and then you would have a corner to stand where you would wait for the next person to finish eating. Then you'd take the dishes off and do the same thing all over again 'cause that was the only thing you could do well there! I started working. Wow! How old was I? 13. I think about 13.
He finished and took his seat. The entire room, including Mrs. Terry hers elf, broke into loud applause.
PART OF A MOVEMENT
SPI has its roots in the 1960s-era Writing Process movement that promoted student self-expression, discovery of one's personal voice and collaborative learning. In the spirit of those times, SPI's approach is also pointedly democratic.
"This is not like your traditional school literary magazine where some kids don't make the cut," says Gordon, a full-time TC instructor and TC alumnus with a master's degree in the Teaching of English. "It's about equity--it's all-inclusive. Everyone in the class participates."
While most writers hone their craft with a distant eye toward publication, SPI takes the reverse approach: kids publish as a way of learning to write.
"Students who are more invested in the end product are much more likely to carefully learn the steps that go into it," Gordon says.
By natural extension, that idea puts SPI firmly in the "whole language" camp of writing instruction and at odds with the more mechanistic approaches embraced by the U. S. Department of Education under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
"The idea that you write the word, then you write the sentence, then you write the paragraph, and then you write the piece - there's no passion in that. SPI takes a whole language approach, but it is a very directed one," Gordon says. He's quick to add that grammar, punctuation and spelling are by no means given short shrift, but they are taught within the context of the class. "Because we draft and re-d raft rigorously, there's plenty of time for both developing skills and self-expression. But there's so much more. We're supporting students to build knowledge and take real action in the world through writing."
In fact, a short piece in an SPI book is typically the product of at least 10 weeks of work, during which as much as two entire days might be spent on, say, transitional devices and how their use differs in review essays as opposed to persuasive essays.
"We've spent three days on titling alone," says Gordon, "But then we use that as an opportunity to teach relevant skills. I taught assonance, consonance and alliteration all through titling. We were looking at Daily News headlines just as much as more subtle examples to see how language works in titles."
SPI consultants have helped more than 2,000 students create and publish some 30 books at schools across
Students typically take the SPI process from first drafts all the way through camera-ready copy for book production (depending on the technological capacity of the school). Then SPI takes over, using TC student interns and professional artists who have donated their time. The final product is sent to a book bindery in upstate
Producing beautiful, professional- looking books is, of course, a major confidence boost for the young student authors--but that's not the only reason why SPI makes that investment. As part of TC's
Although Gordon has used book creation as a classroom tool for years, it wasn't until he returned to TC as an adjunct faculty member in 2002 that SPI was born. It was then that he started to work with his former advisor and long-time mentor, Ruth Vinz, TC's Enid and Lester Morse Professor of Arts and Humanities, hers elf an advocate and practitioner of using bookmaking as a teaching tool. Vinz had just received a start-up grant and saw Gordon as the perfect colleague with whom to establish the SPI program at TC. Gordon also saw an extraordinary opportunity. "Ruth has this Gatsby- like quality - in the best sense," Gordon says. "She's like a mirror that helps you see your greatest potential."
Four years later, SPI is a
"We now have a waiting list of schools and teachers who want to participate, but our staff is already stretched so thin. We desperately need to build an infrastructure, and that costs money."
HONORING KIDS' WRITING
Meanwhile, Gordon and the SPI team continue to follow the charge that came with the original grant that got the project off the ground: to "honor kids' writing."
One way they are doing that is through their work with students at the
The focus at Horizon has been on helping the students produce their own oral histories. Gordon and his team interview the young men on tape and then lead them through the process of shaping the raw transcripts into finished narratives. In the process, the students learn about narrative structure and practice specific skills such as verb tense and clarity - all within the context of describing their own experiences.
"What is significant about this way of working is that we start with success. We offer a text that is accessible to the student because it is his own," Gordon says.
The Horizon students, too, work toward a final reading for a live audience. Not surprisingly, their material is often painful and raw. Last year's book, Killing the Sky: Oral Histories from Horizon Academy, Rikers Island, was dedicated to Saint, a Crip gang member who wrote a piece for the collection entitled, "Why Can't Everybody Fear Me Like That?" in which he mused about getting out of the gang life. Days after getting out of jail, he was killed. The collection's title refers to a ritual described in another piece, in which kids go up on the roof of their buildings on New Year's Eve and shoot guns straight up, to honor dead friends or friends in jail who can't celebrate the new year. This past spring, the current class read from its recently completed publication, Killing the Sky 2: Oral Histories from
The reading took place in a drab room with painted cinder block walls and plastic molded chairs, but the excitement was no less palpable than it was at Millennium. The students read before a packed audience that included their fellow students and inmates, teachers, counselors, the high school principal, SPI staff, officers and others.
The first to read was Phat Boi, a soft-spoken 21-year - old from
I've been in too much trouble in my life. I've been in and out of jail like six or seven times so I really don't want to come back here. I'm tired of this. I see people here - 50, 60 years old - and I don't want to be them when I get older. When I have a son someday, I'm going to explain my life to him, all the things I've been through. Tell him, "Son, you don't need to go thro ugh this. Just do what you've got to do. Go to school and finish. And just think about yourself." I'll al ways keep reminding him nobody's better than him. He's the best because if he thinks that somebody's better than him, he's going to want to be like them. He's going to fall into the traps that I fell in. So if he'll grow up saying that he's the best, he'll think he's the best. He won't need nothing in life. That's all I'll tell him.
Next came Jermaine, a bodybuilder who dreams of opening his own gym. Despite his powerful physique, he was clearly nervous as he read from his piece, "That's How You Get Around."
[My grandmother] was the first person to put me on a plane. I was nervous 'cause I was young when I went. I was, what, eight? So I would think, "Oh, the plane will probably go upside down." So I was nervous. At the same time I was happy, like, "Damn, I'm going to the sky, I wanna see how it is!" But at the same time, I thought it might flip upside down like when you watch movies. I thought in my head I might be dying.
In the middle of his reading, Jermaine suddenly stopped. He seemed about to give up and leave the stage when a voice rang out from the back of the room. "Take your time, we're with you, brother." It was the voice of the warden. Jermaine persevered.
Gordon, who was at the reading, was very impressed by Jermaine's effort. "He showed great courage at the reading; his discomfort exposed such vulnerability," he says. "His piece was an enormous success for him. We try to bring every student to a personal level of success with the belief that publication provides motivation and helps raise the bar for what, how and why students write."
That's one way of seeing it. Or, as Jermaine writes, in the conclusion of his piece:
I'm gonna be honest. I'm going to feel intelligent when I finish with this book - I never wrote a book before. I mean can you imagine the first time you write a book! And you're young? That's unusual! You don't see a whole lot of k ids in my generation writing books like this. So, it's a good experience. I want to write this book.
For more information, visit www.publishspi.orgprevious page | <urn:uuid:eff058cc-7084-43c6-acc4-5b9e909d836b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tc.columbia.edu/news.htm?articleId=5868 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98261 | 2,359 | 1.78125 | 2 |
The business intelligence community has made much of its ability to transform the way enterprises operate, and even the way the world works. Open source takes this to the next level, as OStatic recently described. And yet, as exciting as open-source business intelligence is, it's not what gets me out of bed every morning before sunrise. What drove me out of bed to climb 2,474 feet on my mountain bike this morning is the personal intelligence movement or, more accurately, the personal data movement.Tim O'Reilly talks eloquently about " data as the Intel Inside" of … Read more
A correction was made to this post. Read below for details.
Photo-sharing site Photobucket announced Thursday that it has inked a deal with T-Mobile that makes it a provider of a mobile photo service for T-Mobile customers. According to the company, users will be able to send photos directly from their mobile phone to their Photobucket album, their PC hard drive, or any e-mail address. To use the app, customers will need to download it onto their BlackBerry Curve, Pearl, or any one of three Windows Mobile devices. The app is available in a free 21-day trial. Once that period … Read more
Managing your money online has become much easier with the help of services that monitor your bank accounts and other financial information. I've found five sites that do a fine job of providing information and data to help you make more informed financial decisions.
Buxfer offers a simple tool for managing your money online. And since it lacks in-depth assessment into your financial health, it's great for beginners.
Buxfer allows you to link your credit card and bank accounts to the site. If they belong to a major institution like Bank of America, the site asks you … Read more
I just read Glyn Moody's post on the importance of open data and, increasingly, open source, in science. Good science requires good data--data available to any who want to replicate another's results and ensure that true science is going on, not pseudo-science.
Marry that to Tim O'Reilly's insistence that data, not code, is the new lock-in (and cross that with my own declaration that Microsoft's new platform for lock-in is Sharepoint, not Office), and you end up with what I think is an implicit, urgent need in open source today:
The need to ensure data remains free/open.… Read more
Years ago, my wife and I used to religiously enter everything from our checkbook into Quicken. Unfortunately, we did very little analysis of how we were spending beyond "too much" or "just right." We knew exactly how much we were spending, but not why or where.
Years have passed, and we have become even worse about managing our money. When big or out-of-the-ordinary chunks of cash (bonus, consulting, whatever) come in, we're good at applying that to car loans/etc. such that we have no debt beyond our mortgage. But we still stink at managing our money, in part because we don't have anyone advising us on how smart people manage their money.
So, today, I gave Wesabe a spin. I've known about Wesabe well before it became a company, having discussed it with Marc Hedlund while he was still an EIR with O'Reilly Media. The basic idea: harness the power of a community to analyze one's spending and to get collective help (tips, etc.). | <urn:uuid:eaa1bae6-0287-486b-9974-11962a5e08a7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://news.cnet.com/8300-5_3-0.html?keyword=wesabe | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959982 | 723 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Playing With Clay
By Lady Mary of Montevale
Artisans’ Row hosted its first ever Pottery Day on Friday, and it proved to be quite a popular (and delightfully messy) activity for all ages. “Pottery is great for families,” said instructor Baroness Laurens de Vitrolles (Caer Adamant, East). “You can develop your skills as you go along.”
She and other potters at Pennsic decided that a pottery day would be the best solution for overflow attendance at the more traditional pottery classes conducted in previous years. An almost equal mixture of adults and youth were working at four plastic-covered tables on Friday. The day’s heat meant that everyone needed to frequently moisten their clay to keep it from becoming too dry to work with easily.
Sir Ragnar Karlsson (March of Tirnewydd, Middle) brought his daughter Zoe and her best friend Wendy, both age four, and he was busy fashioning two drinking cups, one for each of them. “This is easy kid entertainment,” the novice-to-clay knight explained as he used his palms to roll out long ropes of reddish-brown clay on the tabletop and then coil them to form the cylinder of a cup. Zoe had already used a rubber stamp with a floral pattern to embellish a lozenge-shaped medallion for her mother.
Liz (East) had also chosen to make a cup of coiled clay rope, but instead of smoothing its exterior with her fingers moistened in water, she was using a wooden tool to incise marks evenly along the coils so that the surface of her cup with resemble a woven basket.
Baroness Laurens announced that all the items created at Pottery Day would receive their first, or bisque, firing sometime next week provided that they were sufficiently dried by then. Master Simon de Okewode, who has a kiln at the War, has generously offered space in his third firing of this Pennsic next week.
The dark, damp clay being rolled by hand or large rolling pin on Friday will become a terra cotta (orange) color after that first firing. One way to create a lovely patina of age on the pieces, the Baroness told me, is to rub them with black or brown shoe polish (instead of using a glaze) so the dark color of the polish settles into the 3-D designs stamped or carved into the item.
Her Excellency got involved in pottery when she was an art major in college and has been teaching it in the SCA for about a decade.
Friday she was teaching some older youths and adults about making clay tiles which might be used in a garden or for some decorative purpose indoors. Even with wooden guide strips and rolling pins to guarantee a tile of even depth all over, and with a variety of rubber stamps to make Celtic patterns, medieval flora and fauna, or Oriental chrysanthemums, the tile maker’s hands are going to get dirty. But that’s part of the fun of playing with clay.
A particularly nice tile was being created by Telyn (Æthelmearc) who will be a high school senior this fall. When he was finished, the Baroness came over to inspect his handiwork. “This is the essence of a medieval tile!” she exclaimed to the grinning young man. | <urn:uuid:f56d0bfd-a8aa-4869-b650-f01852f69644> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://pennsicindependent.com/playclay | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974845 | 710 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Getting Rid of Pesky Warts
In general, the treatment for a wart depends on the type of wart a person has.
“It’s a good idea to have a doctor look at a wart before trying to treat it, especially if it is on the bottom of your foot.”
For some kinds of warts, the doctor may even suggest that you don’t need medicines to make them go away. In time, these warts will disappear on their own.
Warts can be hard to get rid of because the thick layers of skin make it hard for medicine to reach the virus that causes them. There are many ways to treat warts, but treatments can sometimes be tricky. After a wart seems to be removed, it might come right back.
Which Chemical Peel is Best for Warts?
The Salicylic 20% solution is a very effective treatment for removing warts. You will want to apply the salicylic acid to the area of the wart after showering or bathing while the skin is still damp. This will increase the depth of penetration and be more effective at removing the wart. Over time, the wart crumbles away from the healthy skin. | <urn:uuid:61e8c92e-5a79-4b16-890f-3bc9384b5c3d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.skinlaboratory.com/skin-conditions/warts/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937189 | 246 | 1.507813 | 2 |
“This investigation is very appropriate,” Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington said Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union, “No one is above the law. This is not a political process. This is a legal process. It’s a legal process to find out whether the law was broken.”
Cantwell was answering Republican criticism – most notably from former Vice President Dick Cheney - that the recent decision by Attorney General Eric Holder to open an investigation into CIA interrogations was politically motivated and runs the risk of making the spy agency timid in tracking down terrorists who intend to do the country harm.
Related: CIA probe is political, Cheney says
“They’re making it so the people at the CIA are afraid to do anything,” said Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch, who sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee. “Frankly, it’s gone way too far,” Hatch told CNN Chief National Correspondent John King.
But Cantwell rejected the notion that pursuing an investigation of possible wrongdoing would make the CIA shy away from combating terrorism in the future.
“This is not about being timid. This is about being effective,” Cantwell said, “And if we want to be effective in the war on terrorism, we have to communicate to everyone that we are going to follow the law and we want their help in bringing about justice for the American people and to make them secure.”
“I applaud the Attorney General,” Cantwell added, “because I’m sure it’s a tenuous issue to be the chief law enforcement officer of this country.” | <urn:uuid:01020e57-2481-4471-ab60-4418e066784b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/08/30/dem-on-cia-probe-no-one-is-above-the-law/comment-page-7/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962082 | 348 | 1.5625 | 2 |
VII. THE EPISTLE TO POLYCARP.
[This epistle was one of those which were written from Troas immediately before Ignatius and his guard set sail for Neapolis (c. 8), and probably accompanied the letter addressed to the Church at Smyrna. It is of a more personal character than any of the others, and reveals the affection entertained by Ignatius for Polycarp. Ignatius had stayed at Smyrna and had apparently received much kindness from its bishop, of whom he makes a grateful mention in the letters written from that city (Eph. 21, Magn. 15).
Whether Ignatius had been acquainted with Polycarp before this visit it is difficult to say. The Antiochene Acts speak of Polycarp as the 'fellow-student' of Ignatius, and add, 'for in old time they had been disciples of John' (c. 3). But the tone of the present epistle certainly indicates that Polycarp was considerably the younger of the two, and was in fact a comparatively young man. The disparity of age would thus render improbable the statement of the Acts. On the other hand, when Ignatius expresses his gratitude that he has been permitted to see Polycarp (Polyc. 1), this language is insufficient to justify us in assuming, as Pearson and Lightfoot do, that Ignatius had not seen him before his visit to Smyrna.
The epistle was undoubtedly intended to be read also by the members of the Church at Smyrna, as in c. 6 he addresses them and enjoins them to obey their bishop. In the more directly personal part of the epistle he gives advice to Polycarp with reference to the various responsibilities of his office and his own personal conduct. He gives full instructions as to the choice of a delegate to represent the Church of Smyrna at Antioch, and makes a passing allusion to heresy. See c. 3.]
IGNATIUS, who is also Theophorus, to Polycarp, who is bishop of the Church in Smyrna, or rather, who has God the Father and Jesus Christ for his bishop, abundant greeting.
I. I welcome your godly purpose which is firmly planted as on an immovable rock, and I render ex-
Cf. Magn. 3 ; Rom. 9 (notes).
ceeding glory that I have been granted the sight of your blameless face—may I have joy of it in God. I urge you in the grace wherewith you are clothed to press on in your race, and to urge all men to be saved. Assert your office with all diligence of flesh and spirit. Give heed unto union, for there is nothing better. Bear all men, as the Lord also bears you. Suffer all men in love, as indeed you do suffer them. Devote yourself to unceasing prayers. Ask for greater understanding than you have. Be watchful, possessing a wakeful spirit. Speak to each man individually after God's way. Bear the infirmities of all men, as a perfect athlete. Where there is more toil there is greater gain.
II. If you love good disciples, this does not win you favour. Rather subdue by meekness the more pestilent. Not every wound is cured by the same salve. Ease sharp pains by fomentations. Become prudent as the serpent in all things, and harmless continually as the dove. Therefore you are of flesh and spirit, that you may humour the things which are visibly present before your face. But ask that the things which are unseen
Polycarp is urged to make the power and influence of his office felt
by an attentive discharge of all its duties.
For the idea of this passage, cf. Gal. vi. 2. The latter part of the sentence is probably taken from Is. liii. 4, following the version given in Matt. viii. 17, which differs from the LXX rendering. The influence of the same passage is also to be noticed a few lines below, where Ignatius says: 'Bear the infirmities of all men.'
i. e. in conformity with the character of God as revealed in the principles on which He acts. Cf. Matt. v. 45 ff., which probably suggested this passage.
Cf. for the figure 2 Tim. ii. 5 and Heb. x. 32. In later times the word 'athlete' became a common synonym for a martyr.
The spirit of this passage resembles that of Luke vi. 32 and 1 Pet. ii. 18.
A reference to Matt. x. 16.
By 'the things visibly present before your face' Ignatius means 'the visible, material world.' This world is to be 'humoured' into obedience to God. The two elements of man's nature, flesh and spirit, render it possible for him to act as a mediator between the
may be manifested to you, that you may lack nothing and may abound in every gift. The season demands you, as pilots demand winds and the tempest-tossed man demands the haven, so as to attain unto God. Be temperate, as God's athlete. The prize is incorruption and life eternal, concerning which also you have been persuaded. In all things I devote myself for you, even I and my bonds which you have cherished.
III. Let not those who seem to be specious and yet bring novel teaching dismay you. Stand firm as an anvil when it is smitten. It is the part of a great athlete to suffer blows and to conquer. And above all for God's sake we ought to endure all things, that He also may endure us. Become more zealous than you are. Consider the seasons. Look for Him Who is above all seasons, Who is timeless, invisible, made visible for our sakes, Who is beyond the touch of our hands, beyond suffering, Who yet suffered for us, Who in every way endured for us.
IV. Let not widows be neglected. Next to the Lord
material and the spiritual world. The passage expresses in a somewhat homely way a truth which recalls the great saying of St. Paul, 'I am made all things to all men.'
The text here is probably in some confusion. The reading translated above represents the crisis as the pilot and Polycarp as the breeze, which gives an unnatural sense. Lightfoot suggests an emendation of the text which would yield the translation: 'The season demands you, as a ship demands a pilot, and as a tempest-tossed mariner the haven.' The metaphor of a ship to denote the Church is frequently found in later Christian writers. The abridged Syriac version contains a reading in this passage which indicates the presence of the word 'ship' in the text.
Or, as Zahn would translate it here, following Bunsen, 'kissed,' referring to a practice alluded to by Tertullian and the Acts of Paul and Thecla. But, though αγαπαν is used of external demonstrations of affection, there seems no authority for this precise sense.
Cf. Matt. xvi. 3; Luke xii. 56.
See note on Smyrn. 6.
be yourself their guardian. Let nothing be done without your approval, neither yourself do anything without God's approval, as indeed you do not. Be firm. Let assemblies be held more often. Search out all men by name. Treat not disdainfully bondmen or bondwomen, yet neither let them be puffed up, but let them serve the more to the glory of God, that they may obtain from God a better freedom. Let them not desire to gain their freedom out of the common fund, that they may not be found the slaves of lust.
V. Flee evil arts, or rather discourse upon them. Charge my sisters to love the Lord and to be satisfied with their husbands in flesh and spirit. Likewise charge my brethren in the name of Jesus Christ to love their wives, even as the Lord loved the Church If any one is able to abide in purity to the honour of the flesh,
Or 'trustee,' 'a semi-official term.'—LIGHTFOOT.
συναγωγαι, lit. 'synagogues,' a name derived from Jewish usage and applied in the N. T. to the meetings for worship held by Jewish Christians. See James ii. 2. Here, however, it is used quite generally. For the duty here enforced see Heb. x. 25.
Cf. 1 Tim. vi. 2.
For this custom of the early Church cf. the Apostolic Constitutions iv. 9, where the ransom of slaves is included among the objects to which the Church alms may be devoted.
Various interpretations have been given of this warning. Some have seen in these 'evil arts' a reference to the 'black arts' of witchcraft, sorcery, etc. which we know to have been common in these regions. See Acts xix. 19. Others, as Zahn, take the phrase more generally to denote all improper ways of earning a living. Zahn rightly urges that it would be an easy transition for the writer, after speaking of slaves, to pass on to the other elements of life to be found in the great cities of the day, the disreputable callings of actors, mountebanks, wizards, etc.
Polycarp is urged to warn his hearers against the dangers alluded to by 'holding discourse' upon them, i.e. by making mention of them in his sermons in the Christian assemblies.
An echo of Eph. v. 25.
The word for 'purity,' αγνεια, is used here in the strictest sense to denote 'virginal chastity.' In the second and third centuries there grew up within the Church a widespread feeling upon this subject, which led many both married and unmarried to devote
which is the Lord's let him abide therein without boasting. If he boast, he has perished. And if it be known further than the bishop, he is corrupted. It is fitting that those who marry, both men and women, should enter into the union with the approval of the bishop, that the marriage may be according to the Lord and not according to lust. Let all things be done to the honour of God.
VI. Give heed unto the bishop, that God also may give heed unto you. I devote myself for those who submit to the bishop, presbyters, deacons. May it be mine to have my portion along with them in the presence of God. Share one another's toil, contend together, run together, suffer together, alike in rest and rising be together, as stewards and assessors and ministers of God. Please Him under Whom you serve, from Whom also you shall receive your pay. Let none of you be
themselves to perpetual chastity. The starting-point for such a view was probably the words of St. Paul, 1 Cor. vii. 1 ff.
Cf. I Cor. vi. 15 sq. The words are especially applicable to those spoken of here.
Those who devote themselves to perpetual chastity are to make known their vow to the bishop, but to no one else. To parade their virtue would be an act of immodesty. Others, however, as Zahn, would translate here 'if he become better known than the bishop,' i.e. if his chastity win him greater fame than the bishop, supposing the latter to be married.
At this point Ignatius turns to the members of the Church of Smyrna. In the whole of this and the following chapter he is addressing them.
The phrase alludes to the hard course of training which athletes underwent. Cf. Phil. ii. 16; Col. i. 29 ; 1 Tim. iv. 10. The following passage continues the metaphor, and the words 'rest' and 'rising' refer to the hours of sleep and rising appointed by the trainer.
The word 'stewards' is used here of Christians generally. Cf. 1 Pet. iv. 10. The following word 'assessors' is a strong expression of the idea found in 1 Cor. iii. 9.
Cf. 2 Tim. ii. 4.
found a deserter. Let your baptism abide as your shield, your faith as your helmet, your love as your spear your patience as body-armour. Let your works be your deposit, that you may receive the sums credited to you as your due. So then be long-suffering with one another in meekness as God is with you. May I have joy of you continually.
VII. Since the Church which is at Antioch in Syria enjoys peace through your prayer, as I have been informed, I also have been more greatly cheered, and God has set my mind at rest; if haply I may through suffering attain unto God, so that I may be found, through your entreaty, a disciple. It is meet, most blessed Polycarp, that you should assemble a godly council and appoint some one of your number, who is greatly
The word used here is the Latin word 'desertor'; similarly below the words translated 'deposit' and 'sums accredited to you ' are Latin words. The presence with Ignatius of an escort of Roman soldiers helps to explain the use of such words, and also the repeated reference to the details of a soldier's life and equipment.
i. e. your baptism into the privileges and blessings of the Christian life will be found your best defence against sin. The metaphor in this passage was undoubtedly suggested by Eph. vi. 13-17, though it is worked out differently.
Zahn compares for the general sentiment here Matt. vi. 20, xix. 21; Tobit iv. 8, 9. The metaphor is derived from the savings-bank attached to the cohorts of the Roman legions. The sums accumulated in this way were paid over to soldiers at their discharge. Deserters forfeited their savings.
Cf. Philad. 10, with note.
In the Greek there is a play of words which may have been intended to recall, as Lightfoot suggests, a Greek proverb, παθηματα μαθηματα, 'suffering brings wisdom.' There is, however, some doubt about the text in this passage. Another reading, supported by some MSS. and adopted by Zahn, would yield the translation, 'so that I may be found at the resurrection your disciple.' Then the contrast would be between 'suffering' and 'resurrection.' The expression 'your disciple' would find a parallel in Eph. 3, where his readers are spoken of as his trainers for the athletic contest.
Cf. Smyrn. 11, where the messenger is called 'God's ambassador.'
beloved and full of zeal, that he may bear the name of God's messenger:—it is meet, I say, that you should commission him to go to Syria and glorify your untiring love to the glory of God. A Christian has not power over himself, but devotes his time to God. For this is God's work and yours, when you have completed it. For I trust in God's grace that you are prepared to do a good work which is meet for God. I have exhorted you in a brief letter, because I know how earnest is your sincerity.
VIII. Seeing that I could not write unto all the churches, because I sail immediately from Troas to Neapolis, as God's will commands, you shall write to the churches which lie in front, as yourself possessing the mind of God, to bid them also do the same thing. Let those who can send messengers, the rest letters by the hands of the messengers whom you send, that you may be glorified, as you are worthy to be, by a work that will live for ever.
I salute all by name, as also the wife of Epitropus, with all her household and her children's. I salute Attalus my beloved. I salute him who is to be commissioned to go to Syria. God's grace shall be with him continually, and with Polycarp who sends him. I bid you farewell continually in our God, Jesus Christ, in
The purpose of this mission is more fully stated Philad. 10 ; Smyrn. 11.
For Neapolis see Acts xvi. 11. It was the port of Philippi. From Philippi Ignatius would travel along the Via Egnatia to Dyrrhachium and thence by sea to Italy.
i. e. nearer to Syria.
Lightfoot thinks the passage may be translated 'the widow of the procurator.' His reasons are — (i) there is no mention of the husband in the following salutation; (2) the word 'Epitropus' may possibly be, not a proper name, but the title of an office, as inscriptions found at Smyrna mention an officer called επιτροπος στρατηγος.
Whom abide in the unity and under the governance of God. I salute Alce, a name dear to me. Farewell in the Lord.
The word here is επισκοπη, the title of the bishop's office. Cf. the opening words of the epistle, where Polycarp is said to have God as his bishop.
Go to the Table of Contents for The Epistles of St. Ignatius
Please buy the CD to support the site, view it without ads, and get bonus stuff! | <urn:uuid:12bd6ca2-f098-4da0-b9fa-8490c9cb870a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/srawley/polycarp.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96538 | 3,715 | 1.671875 | 2 |
As the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office, I want to bring attention to two recent stories published by KSL-TV and the Deseret News. Specifically, I am concerned that the stories are inaccurate and have misled readers and viewers.
In these reports, which rely on hypothetical circumstances, the public was led to believe that FBI security measures are lax and, as a result, national security is at risk. The reports used phrases such as, "could result in a leak of information", "could have catastrophic consequences", and "could be risking national security."
Moreover, the headline in the Deseret News essentially accused the FBI of 'corruption' based on a quote from a single, anonymous source, with, apparently no substantiating evidence to support it in the article. This sweeping characterization is offensive to the loyal, dedicated people in this office who work day in and day out to keep this community and our country safe.
National security is the FBI's highest priority. Neither KSL nor the Deseret News presented evidence of a national security breach within the Salt Lake City Field Office, yet made such claims as: "KSL has confirmed that some classified information is being removed from the Salt Lake Field Office." KSL never explained how they knew this, which begs the question: How did the reporter or producer "confirm" classified documents were leaving the building?
This office follows strict protocols to ensure classified documents are properly handled and secured. Employees must have appropriate clearances to access classified materials or areas where classified information is stored. All FBI employees must have Top Secret clearances and undergo thorough background investigations. Unauthorized removal or possession of any classified documents constitutes a federal crime.
We also work with personnel from other law enforcement agencies. These are known as task force officers (TFOs), and they are critically important partners in the FBI's mission. TFOs must go through a process similar to FBI employees to obtain appropriate clearances.
To ensure compliance with FBI policies, anyone who has an FBI Top Secret clearance is subject to regular reinvestigations and polygraphs. Also, FBI employees are obligated to report any security violations they witness. The story's allegation that reports of security violations are "swept under the rug", or that those employees who report them are subject to retaliation, is simply untrue. In fact, there is a formal process for reporting violations. In addition, security audits of this office are regularly conducted by our Chief Security Officer, FBI Inspection Division, FBI Security Division, and the Department of Justice.
Finally, I was disappointed that both news reports granted anonymous sources with so-called "strong ties to the FBI's Salt Lake field office," a stage to voice unsubstantiated allegations of wrongdoing within the Salt Lake City Field Office. KSL touted its objectivity by claiming it conducted "individual interviews without the knowledge of other sources". Unfortunately, their assertions apparently were taken at face value by KSL-TV and the Deseret News.
It is important that the public understands the claims made in these stories are misleading. We, the FBI, are not afraid of criticism. The FBI is held to a high standard, as the public would expect, and on a daily basis tackles a multitude of issues addressing National Security, Cyber and Criminal matters. The Salt Lake City Field Office of the FBI, which serves Utah, Montana and Idaho, is firmly committed to its mission of protecting this community and our nation. | <urn:uuid:e194df28-06ea-46a1-9bef-47d702a8c719> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ecprogress.com/print.php?tier=1&article_id=10952 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959918 | 698 | 1.554688 | 2 |
School board hosts meeting at Huntington Elementary
The December 2012 meeting of the Emery County School District Board of Education was held at Huntington Elementary School. Members of the Board reviewed the consent agenda, including the warrants, minutes for the November 2012 Board meeting and financial reports for November 2012. Katelyn Behling was approved as an Educational Assistant, 3 hour, Special Education for Ferron Elementary.
The monthly meeting calendar for School Board Meetings in 2013 was approved. They will be held the first Wednesday of each month during the school year except the summer meetings which are held at the district office on different days.
Principal Garth Johnson reported he is enjoying his transition to Huntington Elementary School. He thanked the Board for the opportunity and expressed that he feels rejuvenated in his current position. He commented on how impressed he is with the teaching at Huntington Elementary. He has been impressed with both the teachers and assistants and how hard they work. He acknowledged the struggles of many students, adding that he and the faculty are working hard to find ways to help each student, particularly with reading and math. Principal Johnson showed the Board the new iPad cart the school is using. The school has a committee looking for the best educational apps to use on the iPads. He thanked the Board for their support. President Johansen thanked Mr. Johnson for his report.
Superintendent Sitterud reviewed with the Board the status of the education evaluation program. He then discussed a recent rural schools study. The conclusions are that, for the most part, rural schools do better than their urban counterparts in the Core tested subjects and graduation rates, but not as well on college entrance tests such as the ACT. Rural students generally thrive in the basic curriculum and have low dropout rates, but aren't offered the breadth or depth of advanced courses offered to non-rural students. This may be suppressing college enrollment rates and keeping rural students from attaining higher levels of education. The study also showed that rural schools face significant challenges related to hiring teachers, particularly those in specialty subjects.
Superintendant Sitterud reviewed the final proposal for USHAA realignment for 2013-15. Green River will see no significant changes while Emery High will continue to compete in 2A, except for football, where they will compete in 3A. He then discussed a potential bill proposing to equalize commercial based property tax. This would result in a loss of capital outlay revenue to the District. The bill is being sponsored by Senator Aaron Osmond. | <urn:uuid:f69f390a-c3d9-4ee0-8de2-6427b505d6d7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ecprogress.com/index.php?tier=1&article_id=13395 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974315 | 505 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Rage Against the Machine was formed in 1991 and is from Los Angeles, California. They are very political and it has influenced their lyrics greatly. After some shows playing live, Rage signed up with Epic and released their self-titled album in November of 1992. Then released their second album "Evil Empire" in 1996. Rage has also contributed a song to the Godzilla soundtrack called "No Shelter" and there's a video for it. Late of 1997, Rage Against the Machine released their home video with a free single (Ghost of Tom Joad). The video is a collection of live performances from their tours. It also shows all the videos uncensored, with a poem written by Zack. You can also see Tom's mom speaking about anti-censorship in the video.
"We've got to regain knowledge again, and we've got to regain an understanding again, of who we are. Not just those chosen to fuel the systems, but individuals who have the power to criticize and analyze and attack injustice when it becomes prevalent and apparent in front of our faces like it is in front of ours right now."--Zack de la Rocha
Zack de la Rocha is vocals. He is Chicano in descent and was born January 12, 1970 in Long Beach, CA. His father Beto de la Rocha, was an artist, a member of the political group the "Los Four" which depicted pictures of the Mexican farmers, and brought up Chicano history. He writes, performs poetry and organizes local shows in addition to his Rage-related activities. Zack went on to play guitar for a band called "Hardstance" and also did vocals, then he formed Inside Out (Click here for their bio) with current members of State of the Nation. They released a record, and then broke up. That's when Rage against the Machine was formed. Since then, Zack has organized college groups, and activists to visit Chiapas, Mexico, with which is heavily involved, and the National Commission for Democracy in Mexico. He has given presentations to high school students, and is currently working on/at a community center in Los Angeles.
"There's so much to be proud of when you're American that's hidden from you. The incredible courage and bravery of the union organizers in the late 1800's and early 1900's-that's amazing." --Tom Morello
Tom Morello is the guitarist. Tom was born May 30, 1964 in New York City. He graduated from Harvard with honors in Political Science. He was into Marxist politics. He was in a band with when he was younger called 'Electric Sheep'. He was in a band called Lock Up, and released an album on Geffen. His mother, Mary Morello, is the founder of Parents for Rock and Rap, and anti-censorship organization. His father was a guerilla in the Mau-Mau uprising that freed Kenya from British rule.
Tim Commerford or Tim Bob he changed his name, he says he's gonna change his name on every album they'll make plays the bass. He is long time friends with Zack; they knew each other since elementary. It was Zack who made him start playing bass. He plays because of the music not about being political, but he calls it a learning experience as well.
Brad Wilk is the drummer. He was born September 5, 1968 in Portland, Oregon. He became involved with Rage through putting an ad in a periodical and Tom responded. He is in the band for the music and is especially politically inclined. Rage Against the Machine is a band that is not afraid to stand up and fight in what they believe in. They spread their message through their music and lyrics that tells fans about the corrupt system. Rage Against the Machine supports issues like:
If you like Rage you might also like: Korn, Snot, Deftones, Juster, Downset and Orange 9mm. These bands have share a rap-metal style, but with their own distinct sound. Tool is also popular with rage fans, but they don't sound like them at all. Brad and Tom played "Calling Dr. Love" on the Tribute Kiss album with Maynard James Keenen(Tool) and Billy Gourd(Faith No More) and called themselves the Shanti's Addiction. Maynard also does the "I've got no patience now..." the interlude in Know Your Enemy in their self-titled Cd. Tom and Adam Jones(guitarist, Tool) went to highschool together and played in a garage band called Electric Sheep(Adam plays Bass). | <urn:uuid:d89e5cf3-ac48-486c-9607-a88f804fd19c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.angelfire.com/hi/Levitate/bio.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985881 | 943 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Project Tuva: highly cool Silverlight player of Richard Feynman lectures
- Posted: Aug 28, 2009 at 5:21 PM
- 1,501 Views
Sorry it's been so long without any blogging. Between my class at Stanford, finishing the second edition of my compression book, and a profoundly cool project that'll hopefully be announced soon, things have been beyond busy.
But I've got a lot of topics in the queue I hope to get posted before IBC (and yes, I'll be in Amsterdam for the whole show).
First up, the very cool Project Tuva, a Silverlight presentation of the seven classic Messenger Lectures by famed physicist Richard Feynman Microsoft Research and Stimulant. It’s named after the small Central Asian republic of the Russian Federation to which Feynman had a long yearning to travel. Project Tuva was sponsored by Microsoft’s Tony Hey, Rick Rashid, and Bill Gates.
As I've mentioned before, I've been in this digital media game for quite a while now. And since long before we had visions of HD web video, or even DVD, multimedia education has been one of the big goals for the technology.
My school years spanned the filmstrip/16mm projector and early VHS eras. And while an in-class movie was always a treat, the linear nature of the experience could be frustrating. The really interesting parts didn't last longer than the dull parts, and there wasn't any good way to ask a question or dive deeper. And with a dull part, I could easily tune out thinking about Space: 1999 and never come back. The classic lecture format has the same problem, although the teacher could at least read body language of the class to get a sense of where to focus.
So even back in the protean CD-ROM and even laserdisc eras of multimedia, there were many efforts to add interactivity to linear video educational content. The goal was greater engagement, with students able to skim, review, and dive deep when and where something grabs them.
But while we've had a lot of great examples of the genre, the cost of creating all that rich interactive content was a real barrier to making it part of everyday education.
But the combination of the web (lots of existing content ready to be accessed) Silverlight (nice portable runtime to deliver rich experiences), and Expression Studio (highly efficient authoring), we're able to do bigger, deeper projects with a lower authoring cost than ever before.
So, check out the Project Tuva player. The content itself was quite compelling even on celluloid, but they've really done some great things leveraging Silverlight and the web. And it was a delightful surprise; I hadn’t even heard it was in progress before launched.
Let me take a tour through some of my favorite features (going roughly counterclockwise from the top):
Context sensitive extras
The right-hand side shows available extras, supplementary information about what's currently being discussed. Clicking on one pauses the video (important!) and takes the user to a graphic, web page, or embedded Silverlight app like World Wide Telescope Silverlight-based web client preview. When they're done, video playback starts right where it left off.
Typing into the search box yields a list of the matches in any of the seven videos.
Clicking on any particular video shows all matches and their context in the video.
And it uses Smooth Streaming for delivery, of course, up to 2.4 Mbps. At the top rates it does a good job of retaining that crazy old-school-movie-on-16mm texture.
I haven’t got my hands on the source yet, but I’d be curious to see if HD could be extracted with some high-quality preprocessing.
All lectures have full transcripts, and automatically show the current line as a caption below the video window.
A full transcript mode is also available, and can be used for navigation; just click on a line to immediately switch to playing back the video there.
The timeline has some great user interface felicities. A quick click started playback at the start of the chapter. But holding down the mouse button a moment or grabbing-and-dragging the playhead allows scrubbing within a chapter.
If the timeline view is expanded, the location and type of all the extras are shown, as are the location of user created notes (described below).
The user can add time synched notes that are saved on the local machine.
This allows students to bookmark places for followup, or educators to set up a queue of particular topics for classrom use.
Or someone who wants to just watch the video can leave everything minimized to cut back on visual distraction. The full-screen mode is cleaner yet.
Compare the interface with all the interactive elements minimized and maximized. | <urn:uuid:1182d0d5-3e62-46d2-974c-b79408ba6589> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/benwagg/Project-Tuva-highly-cool-Silverlight-player-of-Richard-Feynman-lectures | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931972 | 1,008 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Aha, I see where you’re coming from, but if you check the ol’ dictionary, you’ll get a wider scope:
his movements were closely monitored: observe, watch, track, keep an eye on, keep under observation, keep watch on, keep under surveillance, record, note, oversee; informal keep tabs on.
But it’s not strictly limited to vision; so we’re both right! :-)
But they are, in our case, purely for audio purposes.
Another common term is wedges, due to their somewhat wedge-shape design.
Those earphones are called in-ear monitors. They are connected to a wireless belt-pack, which receives yet another special mix of audio. With the proximity of the musicians, one’s monitor mix may be heard by another; in order to get rid of that ‘spill’, in-ears ensure that a certain audio mix is heard only by that musician and none of the others.
To demonstrate what Leonard sees, I’ve taken a sneaky snap before soundcheck.
Hope that helps in the education. :-) | <urn:uuid:d1679e34-07c9-4724-8a84-c248e4da0b27> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://dragonhelm.tumblr.com/post/31194708069/thank-you-for-your-answer-to-my-query-about-the | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950705 | 237 | 1.664063 | 2 |
As fears of nuclear meltdown grew across the Asian Pacific Rim, Peninsula College student editors and staff watched broadcaster Amy Goodman of “Democracy Now!” report and analyze the threats from her New York City studio. Goodman interviewed nuclear and health experts from across the globe on the threats from the emerging crisis in northern Japan. She also reported on the labor unrest in Wisconsin.
Student journalists interviewed the syndicated columnist afterward about a range of topics.
“As Amy Goodman mentioned: ‘Mainstream media too often delivers the news in a dramatic way to appeal to the emotional side of people rather than delivering the news,’” wrote Kassandra Grimm, a Port Angeles resident and reporter with The Buccaneer, Peninsula College’s student publication.
Students and instructors from across Vermont, Pennsylvania and the Olympic Peninsula studied Goodman’s broadcast. The exercise was part of a Peninsula College directed studies course supported by the Webster Scholarship that focused on the national conference of College Media Advisers from March 12-15.
“Fair and balanced reporting is difficult to find in our society dominated by corporations with plenty of money to spend on assuring media serves their needs,” Grimm said. “We as student journalists are developing our journalistic habits and should be training ourselves with good habits, which adhere to neutral approaches to factual storytelling.”
The student journalists explored the broadcast studio of “Democracy Now!” and the Hearst Tower’s Esquire and Marie Claire magazines and joined student journalists from universities across the country in touring CNN, Rolling Stone and The New York Times. Local students included Josh Johnson-Holloway and Ryan Hueter of Sequim, Grimm and Jesse Major of Port Angeles, Jameson Hawn of Port Townsend and Nate Julander, now of California.
Boneita Smith, The Buccaneer’s business manager and instructional technician, also attended.
Details for the tours across the New York City media landscape are at nyc.collegemedia.org/schedule/media-tours/. See the “Democracy Now!” broadcast and student journalists at 47:58 minutes into the broadcast at: www.democracynow.org/shows/2011/3.
The College Media Advisers national conference kicked off with keynote speaker Judith Ehrlich, the documentary filmmaker of “The Most Dangerous Man in America, Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers,” which was nominated for an Oscar in 2010.
The final speaker at the conference was Helen Thomas, the former “dean of the White House press corps,” who recently resigned her position after a controversy involving comments she made on Middle East relations. It was Thomas’ first public appearance since her resignation. | <urn:uuid:98e1b81b-23a4-4fa3-9d8c-86d5bb008390> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://[email protected]/schools/article.exm/2011-04-05_p_c__students_witness__democracy_now__ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946729 | 564 | 1.75 | 2 |
When was the last time you rented a DVD from a rental store or through some vending machine in your neighborhood? Faced with new consumption practices, the video industry is evolving rapidly. Business proposals, methods of payment and value chains must be reinvented. But how? The digital strategy deployed by Arte France Développement provides some pointers.
In modern societies, controlling health risks is a fundamental requirement, especially for such a sensitive field as food. Substantial progress has been made over the last fifty years. However, the horizon seems to recede as we improve our standards. While it is difficult to accept that zero risk is impossible to achieve, new and unknown dangers appear every day. What are the new challenges of our time and how can we meet them?
Cloud computing is a much hyped but often misunderstood technology that is gaining traction in different industries around the world. Businesses are integrating the cloud into countless systems, from HR to finance. Full adoption and acceptance of cloud computing, however, are still far away. A recent global survey by Knowledge@Wharton and SAP's Performance Benchmarking team reveals that while the hype and excitement surrounding cloud computing is reaching a fever pitch, many businesses are still expressing concerns over cloud security and IT integration issues. While many people agree that the cloud is revolutionizing business, they still do not fully understand how it works. How will these tensions be resolved? How will the cloud transform businesses in the future? What kinds of benefits will it bring, and is it worthy of the current hype? Knowledge@Wharton discussed those questions and the survey results with David Spencer, vice president at SAP, and Don Huesman, managing director at the Wharton Innovation Group.
Try as you may, innovation can never be reduced to a mere good idea. Innovation is a process, which is played chiefly in the way those who are to implement it can successfully make novelty theirs. Quite often management tends to overlook this process of appropriation, or to consider it only in terms of hindrances and obstacles. How, on the contrary, can the internal resources of organizations be enhanced and mobilized? The answer is straightforward: by developing a culture of cooperation, which allows for some degree of transgression… and also makes way for emotion.
Just as the Internet enabled anyone with a computer to become an entrepreneur, today's newest technologies have spawned a do it yourself micro-manufacturing movement, so anyone can be both inventor and manufacturer. Chris Anderson's new book, Makers: The New Industrial Revolution, explains how all the pieces are coming together - from more affordable 3D printers to crowd-sourced designs - to create the conditions for a new way of manufacturing. In this interview with Knowledge@Wharton, Anderson talks about the ways in which technology is changing the limits of what inventors can do, what the Maker Movement is, why he started DIY Drones and how the new technologies will drive the global economy.
Big Data are all over the news. Some fear a new Big Brother, others celebrate new, astonishing possibilities in fields like marketing, epidemiology, city management, and Chris Anderson prophesies a science without theory. Obviously we are on the verge of a revolution. But, by the way, what are we talking about?
Enterprise mobility is poised to fundamentally change the IT landscape. Here's an overview of the opportunities and some early lessons on how to manage the associated security risks, costs, and organizational challenges.
When examining the car industry in the US, Japan as well as Europe, one tends to focus on the crisis that has been shaking some of its biggest players for several years. But this century old industry is also a field for experimentation and technological innovation – a field where the very culture of innovation is undergoing a dramatic, exciting change.
The May 31 successful splashdown of the Dragon capsule, the first private spacecraft to make a trip to the International Space Station, was a major milestone in the entry of private companies into the business of space exploration. The Dragon, built and launched by PayPal co-founder Elon Musk's Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, dramatically demonstrated that private enterprises will now be critical players in space at a time when governments around the globe face fiscal pressures that are forcing them to rethink their galactic ambitions. These firms are pouring money into developing new spacecraft for everything from transporting cargo to asteroid mining, creating new industries that offer tremendous opportunity - and tremendous risk.
The digital revolution is not only a matter of technologies. The players involved can be described as radical innovators, whose work has a direct impact on social exchanges - from friendship to trade. The shock wave is gradually spilling out of our screens and hitting the rest of the economy. The concept of multitude helps us grasp what is at stake.
Crowdsourcing your strategy may sound crazy. But a few pioneering companies are starting to do just that, boosting organizational alignment in the process. Should you join them?
In recent years, many firms have sped up their innovation processes. But can we protect the meaning and relevance of innovation while accelerating and increasing its impact? This is exactly the issue challenged by component innovation.
The German photovoltaic industry is in chaos. Overwhelmed by the boom of solar home systems, the government has had to brutally halt subsidies whose costs were threatening to… go through the roof. Caught between Chinese competition and the falling price of solar panels, several of the flagships of this young industry are now on the brink of bankruptcy. After having enjoyed a heyday of several years, the sector suddenly has to adjust to new conditions. And, if it hopes to recover, must adapt.
Thirty years ago, with a few colleagues, a young engineer based in Bangalore founded a software company that was to become a global giant in the world of computing. Last year, Narayana Murthy relinquished his position as president of Infosys. In an interview to ParisTech Review, he re-examines elements that paved the way to success – elements that cannot be dissociated from transformations in contemporary India.
The video game industry is full of paradoxes. The sector is booming and prospects have never been better. However, companies live in a state of constant stress. Faced with the extreme volatility of consumer habits, their competition is merciless. To wage these commercial wars, they are developing business strategies that are as inventive as their most popular games' scenarios.
Innovation is the result of constant information exchanges between technology, the markets, an innovation team, as well as other departments of the firm. How can we speed up these exchanges within big companies? Nicolas Bry (Orange – Innovation Marketing Group) suggests creating small dedicated structures led by innovation professionals with specific management methods. Then the question becomes: how to insert their work into group strategies?
How do we ensure that exponential increases in demand for bandwidth continue to be met both today and tomorrow? What hurdles must be overcome in the race to deploy ultra-high speed networks in the face of a less than favorable economic climate? Reflection on Europe provides fertile grounds for debate over some of the more delicate issues which, at their heart, revolve around new approaches toward network management and a more pragmatic idea of the network neutrality principle.
When new technologies change the world, some companies are caught off-guard. Others see change coming and are able to adapt in time. And then there are companies like Kodak – which saw the future and simply couldn't figure out what to do. Kodak's Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing on January 19 culminates a long series of missteps, including a fear of introducing new technologies that would disrupt its highly profitable film business.
The growth in unconventional hydrocarbons has passed from adolescence and is approaching an age of maturity. Yet, optimism must be offset the concerns for those living closest to the revolution. Glancing back over the North American and Australian experiences some preliminary conclusions can be drawn. While best practices are making a contribution to sustainable production the equation will remain incomplete without fearless public debate of the subject.
Information is more abundant than ever. Day after day, the flood of data is growing at exponential rates. Barely ten years ago, the main issue for politics and industries, was to hold a firm grip on this daunting explosion. Today, the challenge consists in being able, in real-time, to take advantage and transform into value massive swaths of data. | <urn:uuid:a87d06b9-27be-458c-ad4c-18233b440fe1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.paristechreview.com/tag/technology-and-business/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957943 | 1,696 | 1.578125 | 2 |
A "really rotten day" at work in late January prompted a Toronto police officer to email a spontaneous plea to the world's richest man for help in fighting child pornography.
"To be real honest, I didn't expect anything back. I didn't even save the email," said Detective Sergeant Paul Gillespie, a 25-year veteran of the Toronto force.
But his effort paid off. Microsoft founder Bill Gates forwarded the email to Microsoft Canada. "Three weeks later, I got a call. They said: 'We'd like to talk to you about your email'," Sergeant Gillespie recalled.
Microsoft and the Toronto police, where Sergeant Gillespie is in charge of the child exploitation section, are now developing software that will make it easier for police to investigate the dissemination of child pornography on the internet. They hope to complete an initial version of the software in a month.
The software is designed to store copies of all the images police find, creating a searchable database that can help them uncover similarities among cases. It can also analyse pictures and classify those that are child pornography, largely automating a job that consumes a huge amount of police labour.
"I just wondered if there was a possibility of designing . . . software to assist our investigators," Sergeant Gillespie said.
Microsoft Canada has already invested $C600,000 ($A659,857) in the software project, which started in February, and does not know what the final cost will be.
Mr Gates, who is worth an estimated $41 billion, has made large donations to global health initiatives, among other causes.
Microsoft said it could not say why Mr Gates chose to support the Toronto project but that the effort was part of the company's contribution to improving the internet. Forty per cent of people charged with child pornography also sexually abuse children, police say, but finding the predators and identifying the victims are daunting tasks.
The Toronto software, called the Child Exploitation Linkage Tracking System, will carefully document every piece of information available on child pornography suspects and victims.
Sergeant Gillespie aims to have other police forces in Canada and internationally eventually join the system. "it just seems the bad guys are winning," he said.
The explosion in computer technology and the internet have made the task of handling the exponential increase in child pornography almost impossible, police say.
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Copyright © 2003. The Age Company Ltd
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Grosvenor's key objective is to improve the visual quality of the environment.
The main way in which most of us perceive our physical environment is visually. The public realm can often present a vast array of visual information and cluttered interruption. A key objective for Grosvenor is to improve the visual quality of the environment whilst ensuring that it is accessible for all users.
At the heart of this approach is ensuring that design, detailing and implementation is of high quality and uses co-ordinated materials. In doing this the choice of materials and street furniture needs to be informed by the character and traditions of their context, striking the right balance between the preservation of character and the demands of modern urban living. | <urn:uuid:6eb5d55e-99dc-49af-ae8c-a4a522ff8c86> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.grosvenorpublicrealm.co.uk/Our-Approach/Main-Strategies/Visual+Environment.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939839 | 144 | 1.789063 | 2 |
The Umbrella Foundation Nepal
The Big Umbrella was lucky enough to spend 4 month with these amazing people, we learnt a lot from their many year experience.
The Umbrella Foundation seeks to relieve the impact of poverty and war on the children of Nepal through projects which promote education, vocational training, and community enrichment, so that they may grow up to become responsible, contributing citizens of Nepal.
Umbrella has focused on rescuing, housing, and educating trafficked and destitute children. The current capacity is 325 children, living in 8 houses. Now that the civil war is over, Umbrella can focus on reuniting the children with their families when conditions permit or, when reunification is not possible, providing them the education and vocational skills they need to ensure they can find gainful employment when they become adults. By focusing on this latter stage of the cycle now, we can endeavour to restart the cycle and rescue more conflict-displaced children, whose number is now estimated at 30,000.
Umbrella’s goal is to develop the child in all aspects of their education and life. There is no end point to this development and we will continue to work with the Umbrella children until they are confident and equipped to step out into the world on their own two feet and become contributing adults.
The first objective is to have all children pass their School Leaving Certificate (SLC), giving them a solid academic foundation. Then they will join our Next Steps Program, this programme was designed for our teenagers, to help them evolve towards professional life. The programme will teach them life skills, and help them choose the right path for them. When students excel in their academic studies Umbrella will offer scholarships to pursue further education but due to UFN’s financial constraints, most of the children will not have the chance to go to college, so UFN need to ready them for employment after SLC. This is a challenge for most Nepali youths, even for qualified candidates, as the country has a high unemployment rate, this coupled with the culture of nepotism and family businesses puts UFN children at an automatic disadvantage.
The Umbrella Foundation, along with a French partner organisation, SolHimal is also working to develop the communities of Gurje which is located 20km North of Kathmandu. It is our plan to move 220 Umbrella children to Gurje in the next two years. Before the move we are working with the local people to develop their communities with projects such as:School renovations
Building of a health post
Food for Education (FFE) programme in 5 schools
Literacy classes for the women’s groups
Income generating activity workshops for the women’s groups
Providing alternative sources of energy, green energy; biogas units will fuel the FFE programme, solar panels light the schools and the women’s literacy classes, hydro electricity will generate the electricity for the health post.
for more information | <urn:uuid:a33a9c1b-c724-4c85-9e64-fe7bb295c315> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thebigumbrella.org/who-we-support/the-umbrella-foundation-nepal/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959744 | 602 | 1.679688 | 2 |
It was obvious that the “One Billion Rising” event was destined to be the culmination of a wave of awareness that was sweeping the world concerning violence against women and girls, and in many cases men and boys. While the victims fought and the voices shouted, it was the media that would ultimately be the ones to spread the word of the new dawning. Our local media, mayor and commissioners were outstanding in updating information and embracing the significance of One Billion Rising as the target day drew near.
Organizer Lori Keys and her loyal “dancing machines” led the hundreds of attendees using dance as the voice of solidarity. If you were hiding in fear when you arrived, you were certainly shouting from the rooftops as you left with a new belief that there is still hope. To rally and then walk away is what yesterdays were all about. Today, there are several sources for help and support, and, as you saw at Parkview Field, there is an army of supporters willing to rally behind you.
News outlets from all over our area converged on the Rising to show that compassion, support and determination were very much alive in Fort Wayne and that domestic violence, rape and bullying will no longer hide in the shadows. The horrific numbers have been shown, the deaths, tears and cries have been heard and now, “The fight is on.”
Thanks to Terra Brantley for sharing her story with so many friends she had never met. To all of the reporters, videographers, photographers who opened their hearts and relayed the excitement, hope and beautiful emotions of the crowd, to the public. Parkview Field never charged a penny and was behind the event 100 percent.
But probably the most outstanding cheers go to Keys and the dynamic women and men who practiced their dance steps at 8 p.m. in the Central “Y” after school, work, after the kids went to bed and even on lunch break. The ones who planned the events, produced and danced in the “Flash Mobs” and on “V” Day, they danced their hearts out, leading the hundreds in support of victims and empowering those who refuse to become victims. As citizens, we thank all of you for enabling the hundreds of us to help become part of the answer. “And the fight goes on.”
Jerry and Linda Vandeveer | <urn:uuid:5b3389ad-b57a-438f-a6dc-f88d8fd703a4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130227/EDITORIAL/130229622/1021/CRIME | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981501 | 486 | 1.640625 | 2 |
The announcement of the Closure of the Forensic Science Service (FSS) has shocked not only the employees of the FSS but the worldwide forensic community. It has not been made clear to the general public the impact that this decision made by the government will affect society.
The cost of forensic submissions sent to the private sector will rocket, and if the police forces decide to take on their own forensic work due to their budget cuts then impartiality could be lost.
The FSS has a worldwide reputation for research and development (DNA profiling), impartiality and highly skilled scientists.
Help keep the British CSI by helping to save The Forensic Science Service!
We need 100,000 signatures to get it debated in the Houses of Parliament. We've been informed that it needs to be 100,000. Thank You to those who have informed us. | <urn:uuid:fcc71664-80fa-44c6-82f0-ece61cf2ff89> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/savethefss | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957104 | 170 | 1.679688 | 2 |
It may also be said that all the systems of Hindu philosophy believe in rebirth and pre-existence. Our life is a step on a road, the direction and goal of which are lost in the
infinite. On this road, death is never an end or an obstacle but at most the beginning of new steps.
(Source: Indian Philosophy by Dr.Radhakrishnan, Vol. II, p.27) | <urn:uuid:e53d69c1-d1ba-452e-834f-843ac88da75b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hindu-blog.com/2007/05/quote-for-day-dr-radhakrishnan.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957571 | 86 | 1.664063 | 2 |
This makes sense, because the operating system is free (unlike Windows Mobile), and it gives mobile carriers and handset manufacturers who aren’t Apple and RIM (the closed off guys) the ability to create a smartphone that someone may actually want to use. I’ve switched to Android now based largely on deep integration with Google Voice. And that is despite the fact that Android is still just an infant. Version 1.5, which most people are using, has an imperfect user interface and is somewhat laggy on today’s hardware.
But hold on. There’s just one problem. Android, an open source operating system, must avoid the fate of J2ME, an open source mobile applications platform. Open source is great, until everyone splinters off into their own world. That’s what happened to J2ME, and a number of frustrated Android developers are now saying that there is a risk Android will follow the same path.
We’ve spoken with a number of high profile Android application developers. All of them, without exception, have told me they are extremely frustrated with Android right now. For the iPhone, they build once and maintain the code base. On Android, they built once for v.1.5, but are getting far less installs than the iPhone.
And now they’re faced with a landslide of new handsets, some running v.1.6 and some courageous souls even running android v.2.0. All those manufacturers/carriers are racing to release their phones by the 2009 holiday season, and want to ensure the hot applications will work on their phones. And here’s the problem – in almost every case, we hear, there are bugs and more serious problems with the apps.
There are whispers of backwards and forwards compatibility issues as well, making the problem even worse.
More than one developer has told us that this isn’t just a matter of debugging their existing application to ensure that it works on the various handsets. They say they’re going to have to build and maintain separate code for various Android devices. Some devices seem to have left out key libraries that are forcing significant recoding efforts, for example. With others, it’s more of a mystery.
Imagine if Windows developers had to build different versions of their applications for different PC manufacturers. Or even different versions for various models by a single manufacturer. That’s what some Android developers are saying they are facing now.
Some manufacturers/carriers are opting out of the Android marketplace altogether, and only allowing custom applications on the phone. These devices can still use the Android robot logo, which is creative commons, but they aren’t able to use the Android text logo, which requires that they pass a compatibility test suite.
Developers are frustrated. And consumers will be confused when their “Android” phone won’t let them download their favorite third party applications.
When Steve Ballmer said open operating systems are hard, he wasn’t kidding. And Google, which is currently building two separate operating systems (Android and Chrome OS) doesn’t have 30 years of experience in getting it right.
But Wait…Keeping the Cart Behind The Horse
First of all, the compatibility between versions issue may be overblown. The reported problems have been limited to an Android developer contest, where developers were building on v.1.5 and being reviewed on v.1.6. We haven’t heard of any major app developers complaining of backwards or forward compatibility problems. Also, I’ve now upgraded my phone from 1.5 to 1.6, and every application continues to work fine.
The bigger issue of a general splintering of Android cross-partner may also be overblown. As I said above, the carriers are rushing to get devices to market by end of year, and they are pushing developers to ensure that their apps work. In most cases the test devices developers get aren’t running final software, and so the final devices at launch may not have these problems.
The real test will come in a month or so when sales of multiple devices running v.1.6 of Android ramp up. If apps are running bug-free cross-device without tons of developer frustration, Android may be looking good. But if developers are forced to create and maintain multiple versions of their apps for various devices, Android may be in trouble. The whole idea of Android is to let app developers build once and let users install on any Android device. Right now, it’s not a certainty that will happen. | <urn:uuid:a0d385fe-7008-46d4-b372-77de0941913d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://techcrunch.com/2009/10/11/a-chink-in-androids-armor/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943934 | 949 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Lectionary readings: Psalm 66.1-8, Galatians 6. 7-16, Luke 10.1-11
Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house!' … and say to them, 'The realm of God has come near to you.' (Luke 10. 5, 9b)
At various tricky junctures in Christian history it has been caustically observed (usually by those under the cosh of popes or prelates) that the message Jesus brings in the Gospels is one of human freedom and possibility through the life-giving of God; whereas what we have ended up with is the church and religion. In other words, the founding impulses of our faith reside in movement, but their continuation has required institutions, with all their temptations towards deadening control.
At one level this is an unavoidable tension. The idea that we can sustain purposeful relationships without organisation is a fantasy. But when money, structures and hierarchy shape our common life – rather than the other way round – the Spirit is rapidly crushed.
The New Testament readings for the Fifth Sunday after Trinity explore this dilemma from different but overlapping perspectives, and propose a radical solution. We are to live in the light of the potential and purpose offered to us in the life of Christ, rather than being constrained by received ideas about how God works within a narrow ‘religious’ framework.
St Paul is writing to the church in Galatia, a region in Asia Minor or modern day Turkey, probably some twenty to twenty-five years after the death of Jesus, in order to try to argue them out of a rather legalistic, ‘traditionalist’ stance on ritual and practice. Luke, on the other hand, is telling the story of Jesus and the dynamic movement around him from a later First Century viewpoint in order to demonstrate why Christianity has authentically found Gentile and not just Jewish expression – a point contested by the Galatians, it seems.
Paul is characteristically blunt. Echoing his argument to the Corinthians, he says in chapters 5 and 6 of this epistle that the fuss about ritual initiation has no value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through active love. “Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation,” he declares (Galatians 6.15). Don’t boast about your piety and purity, in other words; focus instead on sharing the joys and sorrows of those around you in the pattern of Christ. This echoes his theme in the First Epistle to the Corinthians.
Controversially, Paul even likens slavish religious observance to “the corruption of the flesh.” By this he is not demeaning earthly existence per se, but rather pointing out the danger of turning towards things which have nothing to do with what Jesus in another context calls “life in all its fullness” – however ‘holy’ they claim to be. Properly understood, Christianity isn’t about what we these days call ‘religion’ at all, but the reorientation of all we are away from a narrow preoccupation with self and towards engagement with others, including our neighbours, who are also loved and cherished by God. That’s a point made in different ways by figures as diverse as Martin Luther, Thomas Aquinas and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, I should add – lest you think I’ve just made it up out of convenience.
A similar impulse emerges from the story in Luke 10 about ‘the sending out of the seventy’ (or seventy-two, depending on whether you go with certain Old Latin and Sinaitic manuscripts, or the Greek and Syriac texts). Here Jesus defines the mission of his followers in terms of sharing peace with those near and far, participating in hospitality and table fellowship, curing the sick, and telling the ordinary people that God is close at hand. There are no ‘religious’ constraints. It’s about humanity restored. Remember also that those who had fallen prey to illness were defined by the people with power in the faith community as ‘unclean’ and out of sorts. It was the Temple religion that conveyed ritual purity and impurity, inclusion or exclusion. Jesus declines to play this game. Those who cultivate life and share it with others should know that “realm of God has come near to you” (10.9). Those who refuse it are their own undoing. Leave them be.
There is a starkness and urgency here that reflects a sense that an important moment of decision has come into their midst in the shape of Jesus. Things will never quite be the same again. There is also a contrast between the ‘feasting narratives’ in Luke (food shared is again and again a sign that God’s promise of life is at hand) and the overall architecture of the story he tells – which is an ordering of the things Jesus does and says, together with his fate, around an unavoidable journey to Jerusalem, the seat of both religious and political power. Here the simplicity of the Gospel hope meets the distortions and manipulations of institutional life in its most naked form: the imperial capacity to kill those who do not fit in.
For Jesus, however, the future is not defined by the powers-that-be, but by the love of God freely given and received. It is to this life-giving power that he trusts himself at the moment of his death, following his betrayal by one who has been seduced by a very different reading of what and who counts in the world.
The sending out of the seventy – to return to that particular story – is also highly significant in a number of other respects. First, note that the journey of faith is one shorn of power and pretension. God goes with this motley crew (they are not an inner core, but those gathered from around the region), rather than being located in a building or an organisation. It is relationships that are central to God’s purposes. And in the story as Luke tells it – there is no parallel in the other synoptic gospels – the mission of the multitude is rather more successful than that of the Apostles, the ‘official’ emissaries.
Though Luke’s gospel is Gentile in orientation, there is also lurking here a traditional Hebrew preoccupation with numbers. Whereas ‘the twelve’ are related to the tribes of Israel, ‘the seventy’ seem to echo Haggadic assumption that there are seventy nations and languages in the world, based upon the ethnological table given in Genesis 10. The point is that the Good News is for the whole world, not just an in-group, a point emphasised by the Revised Common Lectionary in its choice of Psalm 66, which speaks of “all the earth” as sounding the praise of the God whose eyes “keep watch on the nations”.
Here, then, is a message of biblical hope for a world which is all-too-conscious these days of the way that ethnic, exclusive religion can cause division and conflict, and where the authority of top-down institutions (including many inherited patterns of church life) is facing challenge and criticism.
So where does this gospel message leave us as Christian communities now? In a situation where, I would suggest, bold experimentation is necessary – alongside a commitment to using and re-using the best of what we have inherited in ways that builds bridges rather than barriers. That is precisely the point of something like the St Stephen’s project (http://www.stephenproject.org.uk/). It takes one of the key features of an institution, a beautiful and historic building, and turns it inside out (well, metaphorically, anyway!) so that it becomes a point of contact, service and inspiration for a wider community.
That kind of enterprise is many thousands of miles and a couple of thousand years away from the Jesus movement described in the Gospel of Luke, of course. There is no neat escape route from the entanglements that have been entailed by the long and sometimes tortuous course of Christian history. But that’s not the point. The point is that the same message of human freedom and possibility through the life-giving of God, which is the theme of our readings today, can work itself out in many different cultures and contexts.
What holds it together or lets it fall apart, of course is people… like us. For the same domination-free realm, or kingdom of God, to which Jesus and his earliest followers testified is also near this morning. Near, but not the same as us, identified with us alone, within our control, or ours to possess over and against others. It is a motivating grace that can move us to great deeds, but also keeps us in check.
Perhaps my favourite prayer-poem is one written by Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador, not long before he was gunned down in 1980 for speaking out on behalf of the poor. It is called ‘Prophets of a Future Not Our Own’ (http://www.simonbarrow.net/reflect3.html), and in it he reminds us that the realm of God which comes so very close to us when we share peace, hospitality and food (as in Luke’s story) “is not only beyond our efforts, it is” – for the most part – “beyond our vision.” For “[w]e accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God's work. Nothing we do is complete...”
But that, Romero reminds us, is not what counts. We may only be able to do a little, but we can do it well and in a spirit which is open to its completion from a horizon we do not own, but to which we are continually invited by Love – whether we are seventy, seventy-two, many more, or rather nearer a dozen.
© Simon Barrow is co-director of Ekklesia. This address was given at St Stephen’s Anglican Church, Exeter (http://www.parishofcentralexeter.co.uk/), on Sunday 4 July 2010. | <urn:uuid:6b98da77-9003-48ff-afdd-4d7e91cf525c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/12569 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961878 | 2,133 | 1.84375 | 2 |
In 1982, a fictional children's book titled The Haunted Dollhouse was written and set in a historic Westmount manor called Riverview, on the slopes of Westmount Mountain. It was a scary story about a young girl who awakens in a haunted Victorian dollhouse.
But rather than being haunted by an evil spirit, this architectural beacon might be said to be blessed and watched over by the jovial ghosts of a flamboyant and storied past.
Riverview, built in 1847, is an architectural survivor of the highest grade and anyone who has had the opportunity to visit the home would agree. Walking through this masterpiece of a house is like walking through the pages of a history book, from its colourful, rich past to its contemporary and inspiring present. Now, this historic home is about to turn another page in its esteemed and long history.
Located at 515 Côte St. Antoine Rd., this wood, brick and slate piece of history is being listed for sale by Sotheby's International Realty Quebec, for $3.275 million.
The 16,000-sq-ft. property actually encompasses three addresses. The main Victorian-style structure is at 515 Côte St. Antoine; the attached townhouse/condo at 513 is in the back of the main structure; and the completely separate - though neighbouring - small, redbrick cottage called the Well House is at the address of 555 Victoria Ave.
The main property has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and two half-bathrooms. The townhouse/ condo has two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a halfbathroom (or powder room). The pint-sized Well House, which is more of a small cottage, has a bathroom upstairs and downstairs and one bedroom.
Riverview (which was originally named Maison Justine-Solomée) looks like an elaborate, late-Victorian home, but this was the result of later renovations and additions. The original house was built by Ephrem Hudon, a Montreal merchant and his wife Justine-Solomée Hurtubise.
It was constructed as a basic, one-and-a-half-storey functional structure.
The Hurtubise family was one of the first landowners in this region of Montreal and had farmed the land along the hill since 1699. The original Hurtubise stone farmhouse (built in 1739) still stands, just across Victoria Avenue from Riverview. This structure is a treasure in itself and is the oldest standing building in Westmount.
Riverview was purchased from the Hudons in 1876 by Montreal banker William Simpson, who, in 1879, made some major changes to the structure - including building its broad, wooden, gingerbread-style veranda and a second-floor. He also added a third-floor attic, a sloping polychrome slate-tiled mansard roof and the central tower, with its wrought-iron fence or balustrade, made up of sunflower weather vanes. Simpson had transformed the home into an absolutely stunning example of Second Empire style or design.
The residence changed hands over the next number of decades, then underwent another major transformation starting in 1985, when Philip and Pauline Ronchetti bought the property and undertook an extensive restoration and preservation project.
The couple restored the polychrome slate roof to its original splendid form after the tiles had been buried under layers of grey paint for decades. They opened up some walls and closed others, repaired the flooring, cornices and ceilings and changed secondary stairwells.
They also upgraded the elaborately decorated iron radiators in the hallway and the back dining room, then topped them with a marble slab, to cover the grillwork. They stripped the living room fireplace down to the bricks and restored it with a marble and wood covering.
The Ronchettis sold the house to its present owners, Sigrid Wodtke and Robert Kruger in 1990. This couple have continued on as architectural sentinels and heritage preservationists, continuing to maintain and keep up the ambience and character of the home.
"Just after I met Robert in 1987, he showed me his favourite home in the entire city - Riverview," Wodtke said. "Then it came up for sale and we decided to buy it in 1990. At this time it was just the main home and attached townhouse that was for sale. We bought the Well House (which was privately owned) in 2000."
The interior of the main home and its townhouse is a pleasure to see, from its entranceway with the original pine staircase and its diagonal newel post, to the original casement windows with brass hardware. Another original feature is the 12-inch sculpted baseboards.
The living room is very large, with its light pinewood flooring and bright open spaces, tastefully decorated with colourful rugs and furniture. It is a wonderful mélange of modern, anchored by the maturity of the past.
There are a number of rooms, such as the den and library, where one can escape and feel as though they are in absolute solitude, without feeling lost in an open, faceless fortress.
The first-floor kitchen is smallish but very comfortable with its modern appliances and large, bright windows.
The master bedroom and ensuite are modern and clean and would fulfill the requirements of any owner.
The attic is a manly getaway, with its overall terra cotta tones, reflected from the overhead wood beams and pine flooring.
The attached townhouse has its own pleasures of homeyness and comfort, with its cathedral ceilings and separate side entranceway and parking area.
Then there is the Well House, which is like something out of fairy tale, with its quaint little dollhouse appeal, though more than ample as a guest residence. The second storey is only reachable from a pull-down, folding stairway that drops down from the ceiling.
The sum of these three properties is unlike anything else on the real estate market, and that's without mentioning its extensively well-maintained garden area for the landscape or flower lover. It is difficult to believe you are just a five-minute drive from downtown, as you are surrounded by green and quiet on the breeze-filled slopes of la petite montagne.
On Jan 12, a major portion of Westmount was officially recognized by Parks Canada as a national historic site, due to its unique architectural diversity that played a special role in the building of Canada.
"They recognized us because of the integrity of the architecture found here, particularly from the Victorian and post-Victorian period," explained Doreen Lindsay, president of the Westmount Historical Association, who, along with a small team of association members and other enthusiasts, have done much over the years to educate both residents and government officials.
"When you're looking at that house (Riverview), you're looking at history. It's right in front of you - it's in the present. That's what you get when you buy Riverview, you are buying history," she said. | <urn:uuid:e52a655d-8223-4f87-8d49-58484a8817be> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.househunting.ca/theprovince/home-renovating/Westmount+house+colourful+rich+past/7094715/story.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971826 | 1,461 | 1.585938 | 2 |
The Obama administration for the first time Thursday openly asserted that Pakistan was indirectly responsible for specific attacks against U.S. troops and installations in Afghanistan, calling a leading Afghan insurgent group “a veritable arm” of the Pakistani intelligence service.
Last week’s attack on the U.S. Embassy in Kabul and a Sept. 10 truck bombing that killed five Afghans and wounded 77 NATO troops were “planned and conducted” by the Pakistan-based Haqqani network “with ISI support,” said Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The ISI is the Pakistani military’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency.
“The government of Pakistan and most especially the Pakistani army and ISI” have chosen “to use violent extremism as an instrument of policy” to maintain leverage over Afghanistan’s future, Mullen testified during a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta also testified.
While there has been plenty of discussion of the links between the Haqqani Network and the Pakistani ISI, something that has been missed in the discussion are some of the historic tensions that made maintaining a relationship with a group like the Haqqani Network attractive to the ISI. Like so many things that have influenced this region, it has ties back to the Great Game, but this post will only really focus on the more recent history, that is to say events after the conclusion of World War II. | <urn:uuid:faf7d545-7cd5-4312-a133-e41a686256a5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://confessionsfromthepeanutgallery.blogspot.com/2011_09_01_archive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95694 | 302 | 1.609375 | 2 |
My father has been on my mind a lot lately. He was part of the Greatest Generation, and deserves every bit of credit for what he and those of his era accomplished.
But I’ve also started wondering: Could we be on the brink of a new greatest generation? We are at a crossroads in America. What President Obama called a “make-or-break” time for the middle class.
In his speech in Osawatomie, Kansas, on December 6, the President spoke about the dream of America, which has always been that people who work hard and play by the rules can achieve anything they set their minds to. My father, Alvie L. Smith, embodied that vision. He went from selling boiled peanuts on street corners in Savannah as a boy to leading the global communications program for General Motors. In between, he worked hard and studied hard and applied every ounce of his energy to making something of himself — both as a source of pride and to take care of his family.
This is what President Obama wants to see our country be again. A place where every man and woman has the opportunity to achieve greatness if they work hard. A country where everyone does their fair share, gets a fair shake and plays fair. Where even an orphan left to fend for himself and his three brothers on the streets of Savannah can grow up to become a leader in his field, like my father did. (A world-class speechwriter, I’m pretty sure my father’s response to the President’s remarks in Kansas would have been: “That was a helluva speech.”)
Sure, my father had some help here and there, but not much. He went to college on the GI Bill and scholarships, including one provided by (I kid you not) a childless tugboat captain and his wife who wanted to help a deserving young person. Most everything else my dad achieved he did through hard work and loyalty, and with great integrity.
My father was also on my mind as we observed the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. He fought in World War II, and was a member of one of the only 30 percent of B-17 crews that actually returned from that war.
There’s a reason men and women like my father have been called the Greatest Generation. They grew up in the Depression (my mother had equally humble beginnings) and did what they had to do to survive. They believed in hard work and honesty, in being neighborly and helping those in need. They had faith in the American Dream and what it promised: the chance of a better life
I honestly think our country could be poised to create a new greatest generation, or at least a great one. There’s an opportunity to restore the principles that made our country great in the first place, a chance to reassess our collective values and remember that we have more in common than not. Americans have the chance to see our country become better than ever, by emerging from the dark times we’ve faced in recent years.
But some things will have to change. Right now, about one-third of children born in poverty will never rise to the level of the middle class. They don’t have a chance. They need to have that chance. I’m not talking about hand-outs. I’m talking about programs like the GI Bill or short-term assistance that can give people the boost they need to stand on their own. Affordable healthcare so people like a tugboat captain — who I imagine doesn’t make a lot of money — can still have something to share with a poor young man with big dreams.
Making sure everyone has enough means greater equality, greater cooperation and a greater sense of our country as a community that works together instead of against each other. A country where everyone does their fair share and everyone gets a fair shot. And, maybe most important of all, where everyone plays fair.
It was a vision that worked for our country during the time of the Greatest Generation and at many other times in our history. It’s a vision that can work for our future. | <urn:uuid:8f84c734-a337-46d4-a8ea-95e1ca9e4141> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.alswrite.com/tag/kansas/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984761 | 857 | 1.75 | 2 |
FTC cracks down on employment scams
The Federal Trade Commission is expected to announce Wednesday that it has halted the operations of and imposed millions of dollars in fines on several companies that it says promised to help people find work but instead only took their money.
The crackdown is part of the agency's focus on "last-dollar scams" in the wake of the recession, which left many consumers unemployed and crippled by debt. The FTC dubbed this most recent sweep "Operation Empty Promises."
"The victims of these frauds are our neighbors - people who are trying to make an honest living," David C. Vladeck, head of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a prepared statement.
One of the companies targeted by the FTC, Ivy Capital, purported to help workers start their own Internet business and earn up to $10,000 a month. But the FTC said the firm instead defrauded consumers out of $40 million in fees for services such as tax advice and access to credit that were never delivered.
Another company, National Sales Group, advertised fake sales jobs on CareerBuilder.com and charged applicants a fee for background checks, the FTC said. The company generated more than 17,000 complaints to law enforcement agencies, and CareerBuilder has since dropped the listings. The FTC said it stopped operations at Ivy Capital and National Sales late last month.
A third company, Business Recovery Services, promised to help consumers recover money lost to these types of scams for a fee of up to $499. The FTC said the business misrepresented how effective its services were and often charged its fees in advance. The FTC has referred this case to the Justice Department.
The FTC closed seven other employment scam cases involving these companies: La Association Nacional de Trabajo, Darling Angel Pin Creations, Global U.S. Resources, U.S. Work Alliance, Preferred Platinum Services Network, Abili-Staff and Entertainment Work. Judgments imposed by the FTC and courts totaled $14 million.
"These turned out to be empty promises - and the people who counted on them ended up with high levels of frustration and even higher levels of debt," Vladeck said.
| March 2, 2011; 11:00 AM ET
Categories: Federal Trade Commission, Unemployment
Save & Share: Previous: Protests over state budget cuts, anti-union bills spread throughout U.S.
Next: Economic agenda: Thursday, March 3, 2011
Posted by: OldUncleTom | March 3, 2011 6:27 PM | Report abuse | <urn:uuid:ef341ecc-3316-4833-a193-a251a063a99f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://voices.washingtonpost.com/political-economy/2011/03/ftc_cracks_down_on_employment.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959096 | 522 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Book review: Neoconservatism by Justin Vaisse
Anatol Lieven assesses the past and future of an idea
Neoconservatism: The Biography of a Movement by Justin Vaisse (Harvard University Press)
Of all the remarkable and horrifying things about the group of American Republican neoconservative hawks who cheered America’s efforts to bring democracy to the Middle East at the barrel of a gun, not the least is their durability. There were good grounds for believing that that as a result of the disaster of the initial occupation of Iraq – a disaster that reflected appalling failures both of analysis and of planning on the part of the leading neocons – the movement would be finished as a serious force in American affairs.
Yet, as Justin Vaisse points out in his excellent study, nothing of the sort has happened (as Shadia Drury predicted in these pages back in 2007). The foreign policy team of John McCain in the 2008 elections was dominated by neoconservatives – and had it not been for the economic recession, McCain would probably be President today.
Neoconservatives remain prominent and even dominant throughout the foreign policy establishment of the Republican Party, while their moderate foes, the “realists”, remain in eclipse. Indeed, the most prominent Republican realist today is Robert Gates – who is serving as Secretary of Defense in the Obama Administration. Neoconservatives also remain extremely powerful in the media, and in mainstream US think-tanks like the Council on Foreign Relations.
Not merely that: in recent years the neoconservatives have extended their influence to Britain, through two new think-tanks, the Legatum Institute and the Henry Jackson Society (named after the movement’s political father-figure, Senator Henry “Scoop” Jackson), and through a new, much-publicised magazine Standpoint. On present form, when the Republicans eventually come back to power – which could of course be as early as 2013 – their foreign policy will be heavily shaped by neoconservatives, and their allies in Europe will once again seek to drag America’s allies along in their wake. “In short,” as Vaisse writes, “neoconservatism has a future.”
Vaisse’s book is the best yet to appear on the neoconservatives. It is comprehensive, searching, highly critical, but also dispassionate in tone. Unlike many writers from either a liberal or a traditional conservative perspective, he is not concerned to “prove” that the neoconservatives are “not really liberals” or “not really conservatives”, and have “betrayed” one or other tradition.
Instead he traces the great complexity of neoconservatism’s history, and the highly contradictory positions its members have taken at different points. He identifies what he calls “the three ages of neoconservatism”, from its origins as a reaction against the multicultural Left of the 1960s – above all in domestic US affairs rather than foreign policy – through its time as a force for hardline policies against the Soviet Union in the 1970s and ’80s, to its ongoing incarnation after the end of the Cold War as a force advocating US global hegemony through a mixture of military might and the spread of “democracy”.
Over time, many figures who were originally considered neoconservative, like Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Samuel Huntingdon, Daniel Bell and Francis Fukuyama, have either explicitly turned against neoconservatism or have gone silent on the subject. Yet the movement has never lacked for new, younger recruits. It has, however, tended over time to become less diverse and more fanatical. Whether it has also become more Jewish is an interesting question. As Vaisse writes, while unconditionally pro-Israel it is by no means simply a Jewish movement and may eventually become more and more Indian, as members of the Indian lobby in the US join it to advocate a closer US-Indian alliance against Muslims and China and in support of free market “democracy”.
As Vaisse points out, over time, even core neoconservatives have adopted radically contradictory positions on a number of issues. This is above all true when it comes to the question of whether the US can and should make the promotion of democracy abroad a key part of its strategy, and seek alliances with other democracies.
In the 1970s and ’80s, this was something of which leading neoconservatives were extremely sceptical, arguing instead that the US needed to make alliances with authoritarian states to contain the menace of Communism, and insisting that President Jimmy Carter’s concern for human rights in places like Iran constituted dangerously unrealistic idealism which was weakening the US in the face of its enemies. In the 1990s and still more since 9/11, of course, the neoconservatives have however argued for democracy promotion as a central part of US strategy, and convinced Bush (probably sincerely) and Cheney and Rumsfeld (certainly insincerely) to echo this line.
This brings Vaisse to his concluding point. Neoconservatives, he argues, are above all American nationalists. This explains their staying power, because they are able to draw on much wider, older and deeper strains of nationalism which permeate US culture as a whole: both the civic nationalist belief in America’s mission to lead the rest of the world towards democracy and freedom, and the chauvinist nationalist celebration of America’s military might (and even brutality), and intense hostility to rivals and critics of the US. So deeply rooted are these sentiments in the US that any movement that can express them successfully – even in an extreme and bitter form – is assured of some sort of future. Vaisse might have made more of this extreme bitterness.
Neocons have an extraordinary capacity for national, cultural and political hatred. This was true not just during the cultural wars of the 1960s and during the Cold War, and not just since 9/11, when so many Americans shared in that emotion, but during the 1990s when America was unchallenged and seemingly at the very height of its wealth, power and security.
For an example of this aspect of neoconservatism, readers might wish (if they have the stomach) to dip into An End to Evil by Richard Perle and David Frum: a work of snarling contempt and hatred for almost every nation except the US, Israel and a very few unconditional dependencies. The danger here is not just that another attack like 9/11 might once more get many ordinary Americans to share in this hatred, but that the decline in the living standards of the US middle classes, coupled with the impact of immigration, may resemble previous travails of the lower middle classes in Europe in its ongoing effect on American nationalism.
But the neoconservatives suffer a very important structural weakness compared to their European equivalents: their alienation from the senior ranks of the US military. This reflects a gap in culture and experience – as is well known, the neoconservatives have shown no desire to risk their own lives in the wars that they have supported (which marks a contrast, by the way, with the first generation of neoconservatives, many of whose members had served in the Second World War).
It also reflects the fact that in recent years the US military has been forced to look up close and in detail at the limits on US military resources, and the extreme difficulty of following neoconservative strategies on the ground in many parts of the world. Thus in the last year of the Bush administration it was above all two successive chairmen of the US joint chiefs of staff – Admirals Fallon and Mullen – who acted to block a possible US or Israeli-US attack on Iran, as advocated by the neoconservatives. On military advice, the Bush administration also in the end backed away from confrontation with Russia over Georgia in 2008. This lack of military support for the neoconservatives’ militarist fantasies gives good hope that in the end the neoconservatives’ impact on the real world will be limited – as long as another 9/11 does not come along to deprive the American establishment and people of their collective wits. | <urn:uuid:cf8ca8c6-e705-4478-a9b3-b39eda4510be> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://rationalist.org.uk/articles/2350/book-review-neoconservatism-by-justin-vaisse | 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 | 0.964701 | 1,678 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Other Details - ©Nicky Davis
1., 2., 3. Photos were taken March 24, 2007 just after the female eclosed and while she inflated and dried her wings.
4. Photo of Female from Pupa #7 photographed by Todd Stout.
Location and date
Pupa #6 was found March 3, 2007, at Warner Valley, Washington County, Utah
N. 37.01.675 W. 113.26.28
elevation - 3035 ft.
Pupa #7 was found on February 20, 2006 , at an elevation of 3035 feet from Warner Valley, 6.2 miles South Southeast of Shinob Kiab, Washington County, Utah by Todd Stout. The male pupa is parasitized. The female pupae Todd had at his place developed normally and emerged successfully March 24, 2006.
Back to Top | <urn:uuid:ea47147b-bbe7-412a-91ab-a4bf553de018> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wildutah.us/html/butterflies_moths/hesperiidae/h_b_m_yuccae_coloradensis.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975539 | 178 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Hey, y'all! Just sneaking in a For the Love of Books post, before all the Wplus9 Design release activity begins. I had the hardest time choosing a book to share, with you all, this month. Do I go with a winter-themed one? Valentine's Day is just around the corner. What about that funny one I adore from one of my favorite authors or that one every family should own? There are just so many AMAZING children's books to share! Sometimes it's hard to know where to begin, but with my birthday having just passed, I settled on one we found, on the New Books shelf, at our local library, with just such a theme. It is written for children ages three and up.
Happy Birthday, Mrs. Millie!, written by Judy Cox and illustrated by Joe Mathieu, details the preparations Mrs. Millie's students undergo to ready their classroom for a surprise bird-day party for their teacher. From colorful baboons and foxes tied up with gibbons to chocolate cubcakes and apple moose, the celebration begins the moment Mrs. Millie arrives and carries through to blowing out the camel and making a fish to Musical Bears and gifts, for all the children, from their creature. It is packed to the brim with word play and rhymes that are sure to make you laugh out loud.
Mrs. Millie just came on my radar, but evidently she's been around since 2005 with Don't Be Silly, Mrs. Millie!, Mrs. Millie Goes to Philly!, and Pick a Pumpkin, Mrs. Millie! We've recently reserved them all at our library.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read! And please be sure to let me know what you think of Mrs. Millie, whether you've already been introduced or are sure to pick her up today. Be blessed! | <urn:uuid:8e0952fc-d031-40c8-b9aa-efb2859e4f11> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://jinnynewlin.blogspot.com/2013/01/for-love-of-books.html | 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 | 0.97203 | 382 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Results 1 to 4 of 4
my DSL modem isn't supported by linux. But I need to get on internet through linux. So ... I put the modem in another computer, running windows XP pro, and ...
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- 09-01-2006 #1
connect linux through winXP machine
my DSL modem isn't supported by linux. But I need to get on internet through linux. So ...
I put the modem in another computer, running windows XP pro, and hooked up my linux computer onto the winXP one, that is a crossed network cable from ethernet to ethernet cable.
How do I set up my linux computer to be able to acess the internet? I already turned on the internet sharing thing in winXP. I'm a total linux newb btw, and for sure in networking stuff.
edit: btw, I did google, but there is too much information on the subject, and I really can't quite find a good guide or howto for this. -_-
edit2: forgot to mention this, I'm running the latest version of Kubuntu
- 09-01-2006 #2
- Join Date
- Oct 2004
easiest thing for you to do would be to get a cheap router, that way both xp and linux machine will be on at the same time without any headache.
the router works when the modem doesn't
- 09-02-2006 #3
though that's probably true, that doesn't quite answer my question or help me with the given problem Thanks for the reply though!
I'm not willing to put any money in this. I mean ... isn't this as simple as it can get? a windows machine on internet, and a linux one that needs to be on the same internet _through_ that windows machine ...
I just don't know how to do it ...
- 09-02-2006 #4 | <urn:uuid:74bb425a-627b-4811-9620-a736bd2b42bf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/networking/69808-connect-linux-through-winxp-machine.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937898 | 407 | 1.75 | 2 |
Often civil society activism seems like a mixture of dissatisfaction and hope without much impact on the real world. Activists are usually conscious of the formidable odds against “change” because of the all encompassing and rarely adequately defined structures of power.
Underlying this idealism is the idea that planting the seeds for alternatives today will flower into something new at some undefined point in the future. In other words, in spite of all the work, the likely outcome is that ‘things remain the same’.
In some senses standing outside the prevailing orthodoxy and extolling a vision is a lot easier when there is powerful resistance to it. But, what happens when circumstances suggest that there is an opening where intent can be translated into action?
The release of the Green Paper for National Strategic Planning and the Policy Document for Performance Monitoring and Evaluation indicates that an unprecedented space has opened up for shaping a more equal future. South Africans will be developing ‘Vision 2025’, as the long-term plan is called.
Historically, since the mid 1990s, calls by progressive civil society for ‘long-term’ or ‘comprehensive planning’ seemed destined to be the dream of activists. Over the years, motivations for a long-term plan were a response both to inadequate planning instruments as well as concerns about whether government’s policies would result in a more equal society.
Technically, the government’s programme of action lacked an internal coherence and iterative process to support policy improvements, despite improvements to the budget process. More importantly, government was chasing delivery targets without tackling the underlying causes of inequality. Consequently systemic and long-term change required reviewing and refocusing the developmental plans of government departments.
The opportunity for transformation is once again upon us, however, civil society will need to refine its focus and strategies if it is to ensure that it plays a meaningful role as a strong contender in developing Vision 2025.
Importantly, in framing this debate, it is important to be reminded that Vision 2025 will be a contested process.
As Trevor Manuel, Minister of the National Planning Commission, indicates in the green paper on planning, developing this vision will not be an exercise in searching for the lowest common denominator, but rather, as a society, we will need to make not only difficult choices, but also inspired ones.
Many will argue that a successful process will require all social partners to look beyond their narrow needs. However, more important, is the need to build a stake for each social partner through the plan.
This is a lesson we learned through the Growth and Development Summit, which arguably saw social partners taking bold decisions, but implementation rested with government -- and without much role and responsibility for social partners beyond the formal signing process, the process floundered.
The start of the current process is getting a dialogue going between social partners.
Up to this point, most of the campaigning activities in civil society have been directed at government and the ruling African National
Congress. Yet, civil society will need to engage wider society on the merits of its proposals -- including engaging those dismissive of anything even remotely “radical”. This requires understanding the bevy of recently released proposals and developing new strategies for engagement with sectors outside of government and party politics.
Civil society has some experience of engagement with established organised business, but ironically there has been little engagement with emerging business. In some instances, this more open and transparent process will reflect a growing sense of belonging for civil society, but also a democratic commitment to engaging those outside the powerful institutions of government and business.
Importantly, progressive civil society has a running start, having invested resources – albeit somewhat limited - in the development of “evidence-based” policy proposals. Campaigns, such as the People’s Budget Campaign, Treatment Action Campaign and the Basic Income Grant are amongst the better-known campaigns that have developed proposals. Yet, smaller but equally important campaigns around early childhood development, education, broadband access and renewable energy, sit together with emerging ideas on matched savings and cooperatives.
Despite having consciously invested in something akin to a network for creative solutions, these organisations will need to continuously replenish both their technical expertise and political leadership for a future engagement on Vision 2025. This is important not only because there is a continuous flow of people from civil society into government, but more importantly because engagements on policy proposals will be much more robust.
Operationally, an effective engagement by civil society will require the leadership to reprioritise the immediate. Very often civil society’s work is focused on the immediate and the tangible. These include important activities to support access to government services, intervening in this or that policy programme or even just doing the day-to-day activities to keep organisations running during a time when funding is extremely difficult to raise.
More to the point, civil society organisations have skills and capacity challenges, which are more acute than in other sectors of our society. In these circumstances, it will take vision and a commitment to the country to release some of the senior people in churches, trade unions and non-governmental organisations to dedicate a portion of their time to working on Vision 2025.
This should not be limited to “think tanks” in civil society, but rather to the full spectrum of civil society organisations. The central reason is that many civil society organisations have a mission towards creating a “different world”, and the process leading to Vision 2025 will be such an experience.
Moreover, innovation on development strategies that have emerged from civil society organisations have and will continue to require a leadership willing to open space for creativity and engagement.
At the same time, progressive civil society will need to refine its institutional mechanisms for impacting upon policy.
Thus far, providing coalitions with space to develop their strategies has been a major boon, especially as it made the best use of limited finances and human resources. However, in impacting on the long-term vision for South Africa, a greater level of coordination is needed between existing campaigns, potentially under the theme of “greater equality”.
The need for improved coordination will however sit cheek-by-jowl with important organisational and political challenges unique to civil society.
The coordination of campaigns in civil society should not replicate the decision making of all political parties in South Africa, which could be described as more centralised than democratic. Instead, a softer approach, weaving proposals together into a coherent strategy needs to be followed.
This would thus provide a space capable of nurturing emerging ideas to materialise stronger with critical engagement and eventually endorsements from powerful actors such as trade unions and churches. Moreover, it would provide the space for organisations to determine their role in relation to wider coalitions, including opting out. This requires a shift, to use management speak, from “command and control” to “coordinate and cultivate.”
The changes required in civil society are thus major ones if it is to play a meaningful role. There is the rarest of opportunities to translate intent for inclusion into action through Vision 2025. This opportunity can only be grasped by bold and decisive realignment of resources together with a refinement of political strategy by various actors in civil society. Today, more than ever having evidence based proposals are only the starting point, for a crucial and foundational dialogue about our future. Vision 2025 can only succeed if the trade unions, churches, and NGOs that campaigned for it are able to provide leadership and direction. | <urn:uuid:e65030eb-a98e-4039-851e-9d3ccd8c1c15> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sacsis.org.za/s/story.php?s=243 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951649 | 1,520 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Michael Porter famously wrote that companies differentiate themselves by performing a unique set of activities from their competitors' or by performing the same activities differently.
Here are some numbers: 86% of companies say customer experience is a top strategic priority for 2011; 76% seek to differentiate based on customer experience; 46% have a companywide program for improving customer experience currently in place and another 30% are actively considering it; and 52% have a voice of the customer program in place with close to 30% more actively considering it.
With the majority of companies focused on improving customer experience, how can a company expect to differentiate on it? Because there remains a tremendous amount of lip service and intellectual dishonesty about what it takes. Let me give a few examples:
Friendly agents game the numbers. Although not able to answer the two questions that I had, a super-friendly phone agent at a major telecommunications firm ended the conversation by asking: “We aim to not only meet your expectations but to exceed them. Have I done that today?” From the tone of the agent’s voice and the question asked, it’s clear that someone at the company is thinking about customer experience. However, the gaming of the question indicates that the company’s culture has a long way to go to actually improve the experience beyond the superficialities. | <urn:uuid:db58deb0-41b7-4086-97c4-a6bfb424e88e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.forrester.com/archiver/201103/1275 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966402 | 272 | 1.5 | 2 |
FORT WALTON BEACH — Patrick O’Neill can remember when he drove himself to school, spoke articulately and walked without help.
Those days are long gone.
O’Neill was hit by a drunken driver in 1972. Since then he has lived with a brain injury that has affected his life and his family’s.
Traumatic brain injuries know no bounds. They can occur from vehicle accidents, falls and strokes.
There also is a local support group to help the victims and those who care for them.
“With these types of injuries there’s a real need for socialization and support from people who understand,” said Martha Bayer, the volunteer facilitator for Brain Injury Connection. “These survivors have new personalities and abilities, and understanding that can be difficult. With these injuries the survivors remember what life used to be like.
“All of a sudden their life and your life is not what it was yesterday.”
The group meets every Wednesday morning at Trinity United Methodist Church on Racetrack Road in Fort Walton Beach.
Each week, the small room is filled with members who greet each other with hugs, encouraging words and waves from across the room.
Before the meeting, Bayer writes the agenda on the board and the first people who arrive put a table cloth over the table everyone sits around.
Some members walk in on their own, while others need a walker or help from caregiver. But no matter how they arrive, there are smiles and no strangers.
The group starts with the Pledge of Allegiance. Those who are able stand and face the flag. Next, each person shares one good thing that had happened since the last meeting.
Jim Castlebury tells the group he attended a Bible study he enjoyed. Tammy Zettlemoyer had a good lunch at Denny’s with her mother. Dave Mulvahill worked on his lawn.
“This group lets me know that I’m not alone. Sometimes even small things like taking initiative or planning is hard,” said Mulvahill, who suffered a stroke years ago. “Unless you’ve walked down this road you don’t know how precious life is, and in an instant it can be gone, taken in a moment.”
Castlebury, who fell seven stories at work, agreed.
“We can share similar experiences,” he said. “It means a lot that you can talk to someone who understands your situation.”
Bayer started the group 18 years ago after her son suffered a brain injury in a ski accident.
The weekly meetings can last from two to four hours. No words of anger or judgment are spoken. Everyone is normal. They are patient with those who can’t speak quickly and are encouraging whenever a member speaks, even if it’s just someone saying they are happy to be there.
The meetings usually end with members eating lunch together.
“Everyone has a different story, but they are all dealing with something similar,” Bayer said. “What we do is look at what’s left, what we can work with and develop a quality life now.
“We take each other as is and become a family.”
CHECK IT OUT
For more information about Brain Injury Connection, call 244-1310 or email [email protected].
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Angel McCurdy at 850-315-4432 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @AngelMnwfdn. | <urn:uuid:fe15a5a0-01d2-4694-b7ea-8e93610c5b96> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nwfdailynews.com/local/your-life-is-not-what-it-was-yesterday-1.103767 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960771 | 753 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Bernanke & Draghi - A Double-dose of Hope or False Hope?The US Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank are inevitably at the forefront of investors’ attention this week, as latest data showed a painstakingly slow recovery for the US and Europe is yet again dipping into another round of panic. Investors have been hoping that Bernanke and Draghi would roll out sizable new measures to boost the economy and market confidence. Are the duo able to surprise investors on the upside? Financial Planning 101: Stapled Securities – Are Risks and Rewards both Magnified? Stapled security is a new form of financial instrument that binds two or more different securities together to be treated as a single security. Ascendas Hospitality Trust, which comprises a real estate investment trust (REIT) and a business trust, is the most recent example. Why do companies opt for this vehicle to raise funds? As a stapled security is a combination of separate securities that trade together, will the risks be magnified together with the rewards? | <urn:uuid:be8b59ee-5a95-4c67-9bdd-5848e090cac2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://video.xin.msn.com/watch/video/episode-17/2efcdn7hs?cpkey=5089fee2-a0a4-4d13-b9a0-757952fd76b6%7C%7C%7C%7C | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938222 | 206 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Volatile Compound Found in Well Water Near Pompton Lake
Local residents were notified of the existence of a compound found in printing inks via a letter late last month.
Some residents living in the Pines Lake section of town were notified that drinking water in a well near some of their properties contains elevated levels of Trichloroethene, or TCE.
The Passaic County Department of Health (DOH) notified residents last month that high levels of TCE were found in a private well. The letter was mailed to homeowners within 1,000 feet of the property.
TCE is a volatile organic compound found in printing inks, adhesives, and rug cleaners.
The DOH is recommending that well owners in the affected area have their wells tested for VOCs.
Keith Furlong, public information officer with the county, said the high level of TCE were discovered due to a homeowner testing his well because he is selling his property.
If in the process of selling their homes something like this is discovered the homeowner is required to let the county health department know.
“If it turns out to be more than just one home we’ll become more active and the Department of Environmental Protection will get involved,” Furlong said. “The Health Department recommends that wells get tested ever year. We’re taking calls and answering questions about it.”
Residents who do not use a well “are not impacted” by the elevated TCE level, the letter states.
“Residents that do not have a private well and obtain their drinking water from a municipal water utility are not impacted,” the letter states.
Homeowners are responsible for paying to have their wells tested, not the DOH.
Pompton Lakes residents said at a council meeting this week that they believe the contamination is coming from Pompton Lake. The eastern part of the lake borders the Pines Lake neighborhood. DuPont is being held responsible for allowing mercury, lead, and copper to seep into the lake for years. The company used to have an explosives factory on the site.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has ordered DuPont to remove 100,000 cubic yards of sediment form the lake. DuPont has appealed the plan.
Adolph Everette, chief of the hazardous waste programs branch for the EPA’s region two section.
“There’s no evidence there is contamination on that side of the lake,” Everette said. “We know there’s contamination on the western shore but as far as anything on the eastern shore, there’s no there’s no reason to think that there is contamination from that site impacting that side of the lake.” | <urn:uuid:092d8806-260f-4176-aac6-79d6fc62b7f3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wayne.patch.com/articles/volatile-compound-found-in-well-water-near-pompton-lake | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971241 | 571 | 1.59375 | 2 |
AEW&C Visual Database - approach to Cairns (photo : Thales)
Thales Australia’s Wedgetail E-7A Flight Simulator has received a major update to its visual system, which has been granted the highest level of accreditation in Australia.
The new visual system delivers significantly better colour and brightness uniformity, sharper imagery, superior edge blending, and more realistic weather effects. Other benefits include greatly improved reliability, growth potential and lower lifecycle cost.
Thales worked closely with Boeing Defence Australia on the project, which involved replacing the simulator's obsolete calligraphic CRT projectors with Christie Matrix StIM LED DLP projectors and introducing the latest ThalesViewNG image generator.
The accreditation of the new visual system to FSD-1 Level 5 standard means the system is set to support Royal Australian Air Force 2 Squadron for many years to come.
Located at RAAF Base Williamtown, New South Wales, the Wedgetail E-7A Operational Flight Trainer is a key component of the RAAF’s Wedgetail AEW&C pilot training program. It is the sole Wedgetail pilot training device used by the RAAF, and delivers realistic and high-quality simulated flight crew operations.
The simulator was originally manufactured by Thales and has been in use by the RAAF since 2006. | <urn:uuid:16548bfe-3060-4973-94a1-61c0dcb7c4c2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://defense-studies.blogspot.com/2012/11/thales-simulator-update-supports-raaf.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931276 | 279 | 1.59375 | 2 |
The Sounds of Trastevere: It's Never Quiet For Long
I recently spent three weeks in Rome, in the cramped and cobbled district of Trastevere. Looking back on the trip, I find it was the sounds of this ancient district more than anything else that left a mark on me.
More than strolling through rustic alleys and polished palazzos. More than eating the world-renowned pasta and pizza. More than drinking the cheap but good vino rosso and demon grappa. And, yes, even more than sampling my fair share of gelato at any and every opportunity.
Dissecting the Sonic Recipe
The sound of Trastevere is a sonic brew comprised of many ingredients. Some of the sounds are loud like a cannon blast. Some are quiet like a pigeon roosting on the roof. Some of the sounds are spontaneous, like a mob of students breaking into song, and some are metronome-steady like the bells of Santa Maria in Trastevere.
It’s never quiet for long in Trastevere. The noise builds gradually throughout the morning. By 9 AM, you’re likely to have already heard the crash of bottles into recycling bins, the buzz and grind of power tools, and the “ciao, ciao, ciao” of people on their way to the café for an eye-popping jolt of espresso.
Numerous vehicles also contribute to the mix. Garbage trucks make their rounds, while motorcycles and scooters whine through the narrow streets. And so-called Smart Cars navigate the medieval maze with drivers who are sometimes smart and sometimes not.
If I were president for the day, I’d declare the whole area a pedestrian-only zone, but apparently that’s not the Roman way.
At times, something truly unexpected is added to the sound of Trastevere. I happened to be visiting during an Italian national holiday (the Festa della Republica), and as part of the festivities fighter jets rip-roared over the city’s historical center for practice runs during the days leading up to the big celebration.
On the day of the official fly-over, they released streams of green, white, and red smoke in their wake before disappearing into the wild blue yonder. Viva Italia.
A Festival of Birds
You might be surprised to learn that there’s an abundance of birdlife in Rome. I’m no ornithologist, but I can attest to the fact that birds add significantly to the Trastevere soundscape.
We have the daredevil swifts, aerial acrobats of the highest order. They zip across the sky at breakneck speeds with absolute precision.
On the other end of the bird-spotting spectrum, you can see the slothful pigeon. I’ve heard that all creatures serve a purpose in this world. Someone needs to tell me how the pigeon fits into such a scheme. Are these winged vermin necessary? Really, are they?
Case in point, we spent a few days in Venice and saw countless people on Piazza San Marco attempting to lure pigeons to eat out of their hands, off their arms, and even off the top of their heads.
Is this the pigeon’s raison d’être? To provide some strange form of entertainment to tourists? Someone tell me, please.
Meanwhile, back in Trastevere, we come to the loudest of our aviary bunch: the gull. While the Roman variety might look like their California counterparts, they certainly don’t sound anything like the birds I’m familiar with back home in San Francisco.
These Italian gulls are the perpetrators of the most heinous, blood-curdling, fingernails-on-blackboard kind of shriek imaginable. They screech and it sounds like they’re dying of thirst.
I notice the gulls most in the early morning. That is, when Trastevere is at its most peaceful, the neighborhood as quiet as can be. This is the time when the gulls have chosen to unleash their parched-throat howl.
High Noon in Trastevere
Each day at noon a cannon is fired from the Janiculum hill overlooking Trastevere. I’m sure there’s some historical significance for the blast, though I haven’t taken the time to figure out what it is.
Perhaps it serves as tribute to an ancient victory or maybe it all started as a warning shot to keep potential marauders on their toes. Like the Huns, or the Visogoths, or those Anglo-Saxon dogs. Or something like that.
Whatever the case may be, I know one thing for certain about the cannon. Though it is fired every day at noon like clockwork, the blast made me jump out of my skin every time.
Apparently the neighborhood birds haven’t gotten used to explosion either. The noise inevitably sent them into one of their terrible squawking frenzies.
By noontime, the waiters of Trastevere are already casting half-hearted “Buon Giornos” at the passing tourists to entice them into their dens of culinary delight. Tourists, for their part, roam the streets like a herd of cattle looking for the next patch of grass. The locals won’t be eating for another ninety minutes or so, but the tourists need to be fed.
As the lunch crowd settles in, I hear the banter of waiters, the multilingual layers of chatter of the restaurant goers, and the clatter of plates, glasses, and utensils. The din indicates that people are enjoying the food and drink and each other’s company. They are enjoying life in general in Trastevere.
Revelry into the Wee Hours
There’s somewhat of a lull after lunch. Then, as evening comes, the sound builds again. The waiters serve a new wave of hungry tourists first. When the Italians arrive for dinner around 9 PM, the scene really swings into life.
The crowd becomes more festive and louder, clinking glasses and inevitably breaking into song. It’s also not uncommon during the evening to hear a wandering accordionist play “My Way” or “Volare” or some other tried-and-true tourist standard. Just once I’d like to hear Led Zeppelin or Metallica. Please.
The revelry will last until 3 AM or thereabouts, at which point the restaurants and bars will have finally shut their metal gates and doors with a clang, the partygoers will have stumbled along on their merry way, and the birds will descend once again to scavenge for grub and shriek to the high heavens.
Thinking again about the noontime cannon blast, maybe it serves more of a practical purpose than I’d imagined. Maybe it’s really a neighborhood alarm clock, a signal to Trastevere to wake up and do it all over again.
Like this on Facebook: | <urn:uuid:941533c1-d5f6-4136-aa20-6efef73c807b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gonomad.com/reflections/1008/rome-trastevere.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942842 | 1,481 | 1.554688 | 2 |
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Bruce King, who led his beloved State of New Mexico as governor for three terms, died early Friday morning at his ranch in Stanley. He was 85.
In 2001, King, known as “The Cowboy Governor”, donated his personal papers to the UNM School of Law to establish an archive for the use of researchers interested in public policy and New Mexico governmental issues and history.
In making the announcement of his death, his son, Attorney General Gary King ('83) said, “Bruce King would be the first one to tell us all that death is just another phase in the cycle of life and that we must go on with our lives trying to do the best we can while helping others make their way too. None of us in the family thought this day would come so soon after we lost my mom, Alice King, but we are comforted by the thought that Bruce and Alice can be together once again."
Alice King died in December 2008.
As part of its commitment to preserving King’s legacy, the UNM School of Law has initiated a lecture series on his wide-sweeping contribution to the shaping of modern New Mexico. | <urn:uuid:f6b8024e-cb34-4d19-b9d9-5895b6b78cf2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lawschool.unm.edu/news/archives/2009/november/king.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981872 | 278 | 1.773438 | 2 |
People get into pipe smoking for many different reasons. One of the big attractions to tobacco pipe smoking is that there is an entire culture created around it that involves procedures and special accessories. People who are new to pipe culture should take the time to become familiar with the eight primary accessories that every pipe smoker uses.
Most people grow up playing with pipe cleaners or using pipe cleaners as part of arts and crafts projects. As you get into the pipe culture, you begin to realize how important pipe cleaners actually are. These are used to clean the stem of the pipe where the bowl meets the mouthpiece. To make sure that you are always getting the full taste of the tobacco you are using, you should use pipe cleaners regularly to keep the stem clean.
In order to get the most out of your pipe, you need to make sure that you pack your pipe properly. A pipe nail, also referred to as a pipe tool, is the metal instrument used to pack the tobacco tightly into the bowl so that it burns evenly.
A pipe rack is more than just a place to store your pipes. It is also the place where you can properly store your pipes so that they are always ready to be used. A pipe needs to be stored with the bowl facing down, and that is the position that a pipe rack will put your pipes in.
Lighters have also started to develop their own culture that goes hand in hand with the pipe culture. A good pipe lighter gives off a tall and broad flame that makes it easier to light the bowl. Many pipe smokers spend just as much time maintaining their lighters as they do their pipes.
A pipe pouch can be something as simple as a pouch used to carry tobacco, or it can be an elaborate pouch with holders for pipes, pipe cleaners and the pipe nail. If you take your pipes out regularly, then get a good pouch.
Cleaners and Polishes
Pipe owners are very proud of their pipes and work hard to make sure their pipes look good when on display in their pipe racks. When you clean your pipes, be sure to use only cleaners and polishes specifically designed to work with pipes.
The humidor is a storage device that keeps your tobacco fresh for a very long time. Cigar enthusiasts use humidors to keep cigars fresh for years. For a pipe smoker, a humidor means that they can keep expensive tobacco on hand without it going stale.
A pipe reamer is used to clean the bowl of the pipe and get the residue from old tobacco out of the pipe. If old tobacco is allowed to stay in the pipe bowl, then that affects the flavor of new tobacco. That is why it is important to have a reamer on hand at all times. | <urn:uuid:e93ab318-eb17-4c88-9317-3a0948194490> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tobaccopipes.com/accessories-for-new-tobacco-pipe-smoker/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963371 | 551 | 1.765625 | 2 |
The City of Pleasant Hill provides a number of important local services for community residents and businesses, including such programs as road maintenance and public safety. These local services help to enhance the quality of life in Pleasant Hill and ensure that all residents enjoy a safe, attractive, and well maintained community. Funding for these services, however, has declined in recent years.
Local city services are funded by revenues from such sources as sales tax, property tax, hotel tax, vehicle license fees, and others. Sales tax revenue accounts for one third of the City’s general fund revenue and last year declined by 16%. In addition, vehicle license fees declined by 63%, building permit fees by 31%, transient occupancy tax revenue by 18%, business license fees by 9%, and property tax revenues by 8%. The State also took away almost $2 million of redevelopment funds from the City.
In response to these revenue declines, the City has reduced the number of its employees by 20% and made cuts where possible while continuing to maintain the high level of services that businesses and residents have come to expect. However, without additional local funding, the current level of services will be difficult to sustain.
To protect local services, the City of Pleasant Hill has placed a local funding measure on the November ballot. If passed by voters, the measure will expand the local Utility Users Tax (UUT) to provide additional revenue for city services.
Local Funding Measure
Pleasant Hill currently has a 1% UUT on landline telephones. This rate is the lowest of any Bay Area city. The measure proposes a rate increase from 1% to 1.5% and will expand the UUT to cover communications (including long distance telephone and cellular phone and data services), cable TV, gas, electric, water and sewer services.
Protecting City Services
The current UUT provides approximately $189,000 per year to support local services. The proposed UUT measure would generate an estimated $1.02 million to support a number of important city services, such as:
• Maintaining neighborhood police patrols and rapid emergency response times
• Maintaining street resurfacing and pothole repair programs
• Keeping the city clean, well maintained and free of litter and graffiti
• Maintaining library hours and services
Enhancing Local Control
Every penny generated by the local UUT measure will stay within our community to support Pleasant Hill City services. The State cannot take away any of the funds. Annual audits and public reports will be mandatory, so local residents can be sure that all funds are spent appropriately.
Average Cost per Household
The proposed UUT rate would apply equally to all businesses and households in Pleasant Hill. To estimate the average cost, business owners and residents should calculate their total monthly utility costs for telephone, cable TV, gas & electric, and water services, then multiply that number by 1.5%. This amount will be the average monthly cost of the UUT.
For example, a household with total monthly utility bill costs of:
• $400 would pay an additional $6 per month
• $600 would pay an additional $9 per month
• $800 would pay an additional $12 per month
Exemptions from the UUT
To help ensure the cost is not a burden to those living on a fixed income, the proposed UUT measure provides for specific exemptions, when available. Seniors facing financial hardship may be eligible to apply for a rebate or exemption. This is in addition to the exemptions already included in the CARE program through PG&E, and Lifeline Programs available for telephone and water service users.
More details about the proposed UUT measure can be found on the City website at www.pleasant-hill.net/UUT. If you have any questions please contact Martin Nelis at [email protected] or by phone at 925-671-5229. | <urn:uuid:5f12b17c-c2a4-459e-ba2a-d6028c83ede5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ourcommunityfocus.com/view/full_story/8916093/article-Local-Measure-to-Provide-Funding-for-City-Services?instance=lead_story_left_column | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947586 | 797 | 1.734375 | 2 |
10th March 2013
Sorry to rain on the parade, but there’s no such thing as ‘cyberbullying’. This is Just Another Annoying Political Sneer Word on the part of people attempting to claim victim status without actually having anything more to show for it than hurt feelings. Get over yourself.
When Anita Sarkeesian began raising money via Kickstarter last year for a project analyzing gender in video games, she received support from almost 7,000 backers — raising over $150,000.
Of course. This sort of crap is fashionable, allowing sandalistas everywhere to feel good about themselves for being Hip and Trendy. Being a Voice of the Crust is very profitable these days. And if you’re part of the victim class — woman, foreign — it’s a slam-dunk.
She also got death threats.
Cry me a river. Try attempting to stem the tide of jihad that threatens our civilization and get more than death threats; you’ll get people actually trying to kill you, not just nasty text messages.
In starting the Tropes vs. Women In Video Games project, Sarkeesian, founder of the Feminist Frequency video blog, committed the crime of looking to produce and research a series of YouTube videos questioning why the roles female characters play in mainstream gaming are problematic at best and insulting at worst.
‘Committed the crime’? Try ‘lived the cliché’ — even the characterization of this Poor Little Victim is a cliché.
Anybody with half a brain knows that these portrayals exist because there is a market for them among the target demographic of videogames, which is poorly socialized males whose fantasies are being monetized. Of course, there’s no Kickstarter funding for something that everybody knows, which is why ‘research’ is needed.
Sarkeesian ended up giving a TEDxWomen talk about the experience of being targeted by a cybermob, and specifically how (transforming the language of games to a new purpose), the men harrassing her saw themselves as heroic victims taking on a great injustice, ”and they cast me in the role of the villain.”
Gee, just the way the Left (including Feminists) continually treat everybody they disagree with. Welcome to our world. | <urn:uuid:387be061-a85c-4a86-b9f6-61baae7c311f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://dyspepsiageneration.com/?p=87442 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940215 | 479 | 1.609375 | 2 |
The federal government hands out dos and don’ts to university authorities in a move to save tertiary education in the country
The meeting looked like a lecture and the tutor was Ruqayyatu Rufa’i, professor and the minister of education. The students were also professors and vice chancellors, VCs, of universities in Nigeria. Rufa’i read out highlights of a government white paper on university administration to the VCs on Friday February 10 in the conference room of her office. The minister did not mince words when she told the gathering that the federal government expects university authorities to turn a new leaf and halt the rot in their institutions or face sanctions.
The minister based her view on the report of a visitation panel inaugurated last year February to undertake a review of the state of federal tertiary institutions in the country and advise government on how to reposition them. The terms of reference of the panel included a review of the relationship between the management, staff and students, examination of the management of finances, assessment of infrastructure and quality of teaching and instruction facilities.
A white paper on the report was approved by President Goodluck Jonathan recently, and university authorities are expected to start implementing the recommendations immediately. The objective, according to Rufa’i, is to improve the “quality of governance” that exists in the nation’s ivory towers.
The white paper noted the practice in many universities to exceed their admission capacities, award frivolous honorary degrees and divert from their core mandate in the name of increasing their internally generated revenue, IGR. The government said this practice must stop, and universities must stick to recommended admission quota and award honorary degrees to only deserving persons.
To stem brain drain in the universities, the authorities have also been instructed to employ First Class graduates of their institutions as graduate assistants as it was the practice. According to Rufa’i, the practice would also inject “fresh minds” into the system and encourage smooth succession plan in the universities.
A committee of top ministry officials and the National Universities Commission, NUC, has been set up to ensure compliance with the government white paper. The universities have also been mandated to submit monthly governance report for their universities.
To ensure efficiency in university administration, a number of recommendations have also been made. For instance, the practice where VCs appoint special aides like politicians was condemned as a duplication of the duties of schedule officers of the university, and that it puts unnecessary burden on the wage bills. The universities were asked to “respect the approved scheme of service” for federal universities.
Lack of transparency in the university administration has been one of the sore points in the relationship between management and both the academic and non-academic staff. It is in view of this that the paper recommends the immediate establishment of procurement units in federal universities in line with the 2007 Procurement Act, and the maximum deployment of ICT in the conduct and delivery of academic programmes as well as in staff documentation and processing of emoluments. This, according to the paper, would encourage transparency and make the universities globally competitive.
The VCs are also expected to check the overbearing attitude of some council members who feed on the lean resources of the universities. The report of the visitation panel indicated that many Governing Council members of universities, who are usually appointed by government from outside the university, have abused their privilege. Some council members were found to have borrowed money belonging to the universities.
Thus, the government has asked VCs to report any overbearing council member to the ministry of education, and also ensure that funds not required for immediate use are deposited in government securities or interest earning accounts.
But the government appears to be playing the ostrich by pushing to the institutions the responsibility to increase staff strength in terms of quality and quantity, and provide qualitative facilities for teaching and learning. It is not stating how it will address its obligation in this regard.
Although the United Nations recommends a benchmark of 26 per cent of a country’s budget for education, in Nigeria it has progressively fallen below 10 per cent. The burden of funding has been shifted to the universities, a development that many believe is largely responsible for the current rot in the system.
The government has failed to address the issue of funding in the white paper. Instead it advised university management to strive to increase their IGR levels and “explore various sources of intervention from public and private sector to update their facilities and upscale capacity building programmes for their staff.” | <urn:uuid:9cdf1081-ec61-420d-98be-6c131e849da2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mailto:%[email protected]/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=1085:on-the-rescue-mission&Itemid=120 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968748 | 924 | 1.554688 | 2 |
a good or outstanding Bruckner performance?
How much of that is decided by the
workís recorded history or by ones
knowledge of the score? These are,
to a certain extent hypothetical questions.
In any event I donít really intend
to answer them. However, the relation
to this work they are significant.
I have heard Brucknerís
Third before; not often itís true,
and itís not a staple of the repertoire.
Even so when I first came to this
recording I felt that it was a totally
new piece to me. Why? What we have
here the original version of 1873.
I have heard the superb Osmo Vänskä
on Hyperion (CDA 67200) as you might
have done. He takes the 1877 version
and incorporates the Adagio from the
1876 revision. I have also heard Johannes
Wildner on a Naxos double album (8.555928-29)
where one disc has the full 1877 version
and on the other the 1889 revision.
And I have just heard that that Medici
Arts (MM016-2) have recently released
an historic 1965 recording conducted
by Carl Schuricht and the immortal
Vienna Philharmonic which should be
quite a revelation.
So how many revisions
were there and does it matter? Well
it does matter because these versions
are very different in many ways. This
however is not a scholarly article
and I am no Bruckner expert, but in
my view coming afresh to this recording,
made live in Hamburg by Simone Young
I felt that I was coming to a new
piece almost entirely.
Letís have a quick
résumé of the revisions
Bruckner made over several years of
doubt. They are clearly set out in
the long, detailed but very welcome
booklet notes by Michael Lewin.
First thereís the
original of 1873, the whole pattern
and structure of which is fairly closely
based on Beethovenís 9th
Symphony. For example, Bruckner brings
back ideas from the first three movements
at the beginning of he Finale, and
please note the key. There is then
a version from 1877-8 which is quite
often performed. Before that however
he had re-written the Adagio in 1876
but that was not aired until 1980.
In 1889-90 the work was subjected
to further extensive revisions. These,
as well as the 1878 version, were
confusingly published during the composerís
lifetime. Although this 1873 is long
- in terms of actual bars the longest
symphony by Bruckner - and at times
might appear unwieldy, the raw freshness
of the work and its gradual cumulative
power are impressive. It is extremely
well held together by the Australian
conductor Simone Young, who is exceedingly
well versed in Bruckner and has frequently
conducted all over the world, especially
in Germany and Austria.
As I listened to
this disc for the first time I was
in the car driving through the imposing
north Yorkshire moors and mountains.
This seemed to be most appropriate.
Once on foot you climb and as you
do so you think that you reach a glorious
summit but on arrival another looms
far ahead. You calm your spirits and
go on. The adrenaline soars as the
next summit is reached. Your spirits
may drop again as yet another even
greater summit emerges through the
mist. This is I hope an apt metaphor
for a composer who lived all of his
life with the mountains and loved
to walk them. Brucknerís music often
has an almost overpowering effect.
So, back to my original
question. Is this a good, serviceable
or outstanding Bruckner 3? I have
read somewhere of Wilhelm Furtwängler
that he remarked that there are instances
in Bruckner - and they are certainly
there in the 1st movement
Ė where one gazes into the face of
God. Simone Young and the Hamburgers
with their gorgeous string section
are especially good at these overwhelming
moments as for example in the great
first climax of the 1st
movement. On the other hand there
are also moments when you must eyeball
the devil and Iím not so sure that
she is able to do this. The Scherzo
of a Bruckner symphony often lends
itself to devilish confrontation.
Although this Scherzo is extraordinarily
short for such a vast work at just
under seven minutes it never seems
to take off or have anything demonic
about it. In addition the finale seems
too often to lose momentum just when
it needs to take off. Yet I am reminded
that the later revisions feature a
finale that is much shorter.
A live recording
offers a sense of great adventure
and the question about Ďaudience participationí
as it were, must arise. In this case
I am not aware of the audience at
all, but was the conductor as she
ambles her way through the Adagio.
Does she never feel the frisson
of pushing the power button that little
bit more in the vast central climax?
Or is it the recording? I have not
heard an Oehms CD before but I have
been to the Laeiszhalle in Hamburg.
I recall feeling that it was all rather
claustrophobic. Nevertheless I am
quite impressed by the recordingís
ambience and naturalness. A superb
bass is audible especially in the
lower brass, which Simone Young fosters
in the first movement in particular.
Can I recommend this
disc? Well, I shall keep it certainly
and play it again. However if I wanted
only one recording then for various
reasons I might be tempted to look
elsewhere for a Bruckner 3. Iím not
convinced by this original version
and would therefore look at the 1877-8
edition as representing the composerís
wisest thoughts as he intended them | <urn:uuid:d8c45e37-04ec-4190-881c-aabf7b8b53dc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.musicweb-international.com/classRev/2008/Mar08/Bruckner3_Young_OC624.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94311 | 1,326 | 1.789063 | 2 |
posted on November 14, 2011 at 2:59 pm
In my post, “It’s a Sad Day When Even Julia Roberts is Not Beautiful Enough,” I mentioned that even beautiful people like Julia Roberts are Photoshopped for magazine covers and advertisements.
Photoshopping celebrities to unrealistic levels is the norm in the industry, so much so that the person in the photograph often is lost in the “perfection.” Look at Kristen Stewart below. Does the Photoshopped image even look like her anymore?
But these images can be damaging to girls. As many teens transition into young women, they often experience stages of awkwardness. This is not just an emotional transition, but also a physical one. They compare themselves with their peers and even more with their favorite celebrities. And doing so causes a number of insecurity issues.
Without knowing the truth behind favorite celebrity images, many young girls brood over them, wishing and praying that they too could look so perfect. They envy the clear skin, the small waist, toned arms, and so much more. But the truth is that the majority of images are manipulated to meet the demands of perfection.
Who thinks Taylor Swift is perfect? Well she’s not, according to the Russian magazine below. No one is when it comes to selling magazines.
Below are Mariah Carey and Eva Longoria in real life bikini shots. Carey is also seen in an image that has been extremely Photoshopped.
For those of you who envy many of these celebrities, you should know that most are not this perfect. If you want to look like them Photoshopped on a magazine cover, all you have to do is Photoshop your photos.
But you can look like a celebrity. In fact, you probably already do … because without Photoshop, these celebrities look real, just like you and me.
The picture below is an untouched image of Scarlett Johansson showing the cellulite on her thighs. Because of Photoshopped images and their unrealistic presentations of perfection, a woman’s natural body is often considered flawed in comparison. Cellulite, large pores, extra weight, scars, and other “imperfections” are highlighted in untouched images because in Photoshopped images they never would be allowed.
So what’s considered offensive for these magazine editors? How about growing older? Photoshop can work wonders if you have wrinkles. See Twiggy and Madonna below. Both women were in their fifties when these pictures were taken.
Do you have large pores? Photoshop can take care of that too. Check out Megan Fox in these before and after images.
The point of this post is not to point out the flaws in these celebrities, but to demonstrate that the images of these celebrities are not real. These women are not perfect. So don’t be so hard on yourself. Take care of yourself, but don’t set yourself up to fail by looking at Julia Roberts on a magazine cover and saying, “I need to look like her,” “I wish I looked like her,” or “I will never look as great as her.”
But even Photoshop is not perfect. Kate Winslet spoke out about the image below; she didn’t like her fake flattened and toned body. Take a look at the mirror image of the actress: The graphic designer neglected to Photoshop the actress’s reflection. And what about Beyonce? In this case, the designer decided to add a better arm, but the old one’s still there too!
Check out Indy Ink’s “Don’t Compare Yourself to Celebrities” on Pinterest.com if you are interested in seeing more celebrity images.
Ladies, I pray that all of you recognize your worth. Beauty is not a flawless body on the outside, but a flawless character on the inside. Let’s all strive to attain that, rather than that which is impossible.
But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).
Image: Indy Ink on Pinterest.com | <urn:uuid:53424922-3489-42d4-90aa-8e61be8b2875> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.projectinspired.com/you-can-look-like-a-celebrity-with-and-without-photoshop/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961786 | 889 | 1.601563 | 2 |
- Ada Lovelace Day, the once a year blogswarm highlighting women in technology will be held on October 7 (unlike the previous two years when it was held in March).
- More keynoters in the open source space: Runa Bhattacharjee and Lydia Pintscher are two of the three keynotes for conf.kde.in 2011.
- “My mom has a PhD in Math” – fighting back against gendered advertising.
- @victoriajanssen tweets: ”FIVE of the SIX Nebula nominations for novel were written by WOMEN!!!” as well as 4 women nominees for short story. (via @skud)
- Top Secret Rosies is a documentary made last year about the computers of WWII, “when computers were human and women were underestimated.”
- Hillary Rosner writes about learning that she really did like science after all.
One year I took an introductory genetics class (“genes for jocksâ€), just to confirm that science still sucked, and when I earned a C+ I retreated, satisfied, to the comfort of literature, politics, and cultural theory.
And then a strange thing happened. Several years into my journalism career, I became captivated by stories about the environment. I couldn’t read enough of them.
- Cordelia Fine of “Delusions of Gender” fame writes about sexist speeches by former Harvard Presidents, and straw-feminists [trigger warning for discussion of essentialism].
You can suggest links for future linkspams in comments here, or by using the geekfeminism tag on delicious or the #geekfeminism tag on Twitter. Please note that we tend to stick to publishing recent links (from the last month or so).
Thanks to everyone who suggested links. | <urn:uuid:56eb5e05-a91e-4173-b065-ba9f5ed9ccdc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://geekfeminism.org/2011/02/24/but-hes-really-a-nice-linkspam-24th-february-2011/?wpmp_switcher=desktop | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952729 | 410 | 1.5 | 2 |
NYCEDC's Queens Plaza project is transforming Queens' front door into an inviting gateway to the borough and includes public space, improved roadway design and streetscapes, and enhanced pedestrian walkways.
The Queens Plaza Pedestrian and Bicycle Improvement Project, which is currently under construction, is transforming this primary entry point into Long Island City and Queens into a dynamic and appealing gateway. Queens Plaza is located in the Long Island City (LIC) business district, one of the City’s greatest assets, with ample capacity to support the growing need for affordable office space. Long Island City was rezoned for high density mixed-use development, and substantial development projects are in their planning stages or currently under way. The Queens Plaza project will complement the nearby Jackson Avenue streetscape improvements, which were completed in 2010.
The project area includes Queens Plaza North to Queens Plaza South, from Northern Boulevard/Queens Plaza East to 21st Street. The project aims to improve the flow of traffic and enhance the pedestrian environment with new sidewalks, curbs, plantings, landscaped traffic medians, and improved lighting.
The project will also include a 1.5-acre open space with artisan-designed benches and pavers, a bikeway, and a pedestrian walkway. The project is supported by $37.7 million in federal funds and $6.6 million in City Capital funds.
The new 1.5-acre open space at Queens Plaza will turn a former commuter parking lot into a green oasis, with an array of benches and plantings to make the space an inviting public place. The park will feature non-invasive, drought-tolerant native plantings and Artist Michael Singer designed a system of interlocking, permeable pavers that will direct stormwater to the plantings.
Wallace Robert & Todd's design for Queens Plaza received The American Institute of Architects/NY's 2008 Merit Award.
NYCEDC announced a contest to name this new, sustainably-designed 1.5 acre open space at the eastern end of Queens Plaza in Long Island City. The former John F. Kennedy commuter parking lot has been transformed into a green space that features wetlands, native plantings, artist-designed benches and paving. The City received more than 600 submissions for its contest to name the new green space, and the Mayor unveiled the plaque with the winning name, Dutch Kills Green, submitted by both Harry Charalambides and James Stark, which was chosen by a panel of City and community representatives.
A century ago, Queens Plaza was opened to mark the gateway to Queens from the Queensboro (Ed Koch) Bridge. For too long, Queens Plaza was an infrastructure-laden corridor for cars and transit riders to simply pass through. But those days are over. Queens Plaza’s edges have been softened with inviting green spaces for commuters, workers, residents, and cyclists, serving an exciting and evolving mixed-use neighborhood.
With the upcoming completion of over $45 million in roadway, pedestrian and bicycle improvements, Queens Plaza has been transformed with new sidewalks and crosswalks, lighting, historic millstones, landscaped medians, an off-street bikeway and attractive open spaces. | <urn:uuid:9aa37101-10ff-4f98-a009-5673686765c6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nycedc.com/project/queens-plaza-bicycle-and-pedestrian-improvements | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945536 | 653 | 1.648438 | 2 |
The first three months of 2005 have seen a change in the social and political situation in France. On the one hand, there has been a definite upturn in the class struggle, of which the most visible manifestation has been a series of nationwide strikes and demonstrations. On the other, the campaign for the referendum on the proposed European constitution is gathering speed, with a real possibility of a victory for the “No”.
In late February/early March 2005 the second plenary session of the International Committee, the leading body of the Fourth International between world congresses, was held in Europe. Around 50 members were present, representing about 20 countries.
Is Brazil’s president Lula following the same course as his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez? Francois Ollivier argues that to the contrary there is a strong divergence between the direction of the two leaders.
Pierre Rousset outlines the scope and effects of the CPP assassinations policy.
This article deals with the difficulties of the “governmentalist left” in justifying its positions. The term “left” is used here to designate those sectors which are still guided by a socialist project, at least in their discourse.
After the expulsion in December 2003 of senator Heloísa Helena and the three deputies who had voted against pensions reform, the Workers’ Party (PT) has seen the departure of hundreds of left activists, many of whom founded the Party of Socialism and Liberty (PSoL) in June 2004.
The imperial investiture of George W. Bush was celebrated with corporate-financed balls through the night. Half a world away in Iraq, the empire burned, and bodies from the Indian Ocean tsunami continued to be retrieved from the surf and the muck of shattered villages from Aceh to Sri Lanka to India to Somalia.
Five years after the 2000 World March of Women Against Poverty and Violence, this March 8th, the World March of Women (WMW) is officially launching its Women’s Global Charter for Humanity in Brazil.
This document accompanies the Women’s Global Charter for Humanity. It explains why women of the World March of Women felt the need to draft a new instrument that reflects our feminist vision of the world we want to build.
This third document provides argumentation for the Women’s Global Charter for Humanity.
0 | 10 | <urn:uuid:34da88c4-aa1a-421f-9388-6febfaa87789> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.internationalviewpoint.org/spip.php?rubrique74 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96115 | 480 | 1.804688 | 2 |
PARK TOOL TOOLS
Disc Brakes have been a great advancement for mountain bikes. We love them and can barely remember bikes with anything but. However, sometimes demanding terrain, heat buildup, or even packing and shipping a bike will leave a rotor out of true. They may get bent easily, especially the larger 180-200mm discs, but as easily as they bend the wrong way, you can bend them right back into shape with the Park Tool DT-2 Rotor Truing Fork. Truing disc rotors is actually much easier than truing wheels, so there is no excuse to hear them dragging as you ride down the trail.
The Park Tool DT-2 Rotor Truing Fork is laser cut from tool steel and features two narrow slots, just big enough to slide over the thickness of the brake rotor -- one at 90° that works really well for manipulating the spokes on the rotor and another at a shallower angle that allows you to gently work the braking surface of the disc without scraping your knuckles against the spokes. | <urn:uuid:c91f5d51-5768-48fe-b40d-ef8f240e5856> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CCY?PAGE=BUY_PRODUCT_STANDARD&PRODUCT.ID=6935&CATEGORY.ID=51&MODE=&TFC=TRUE&TOP_PARENT.ID=&BRAND.ID= | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956118 | 212 | 1.640625 | 2 |
I read a very interesting article in the Sunday Telegraph yesterday.
Jenny McCartney wondered about the Facebook page about Moat which attracted 38,000 members. I think a lot has been said and discussed about this topic and am not about talk about it again.
But the question is raises is that before or so far we had the print and the television,as the media. They were responsible for bringing us the news,the views and the opinions. You could write a letter to the editor, and he will more often put it in the dust bin if the contents were in any way objectionable, and the radio phone -ins and the television producers followed the same rule. Everything you wrote or said has to be legal, decent and within the bounds of decency. Or they would pull the plug out.
The same still does happen, we have the press complaints commission , and the OFCOM who monitor the airwaves.
But we have a very big change and freedom to say what we want now.
INTERNET, it has “democratised” discussions.
And as Jenny M puts it,allowing from” a witty and lonely housewife, to a blooging monk can share their thoughts with the world”. It has “given voice to every embittered,misanthropic lunatic with access to a computer”.
It is said that the speed of the internet and often the “frequent absence ” of moderating influence means that according to the author the nation has “developed a collective Tourette’s Syndrome”.
One can say that you do not have to read what you do not want to,and I often do not,but the fact remains that one can say what one wants on the electronic media.
Talking of our page we shun those who allegedly report others,may be rightly so. It is the old syndrome of “telling on you” or running to the teacher. But where do we draw a line? I read today that a stalker took nude pictures of a news reader and published them on the internet.
Today when the Prime Minister is talking about the big society,how do we respond and how do go about creating this? Where do we draw a line and do we start by cleaning our own blog site first? Or is freedom of speech is curbed if we adhere to the rules of decency ? Or is it boring?
I wonder what you feel. | <urn:uuid:23fa8e87-5e82-49aa-b652-bba226f711dc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://my.telegraph.co.uk/sabinaa/sabinaa/16104796/free-to-write/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96698 | 504 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Preparing for the Interview
Human Resources Job Line: 1-800-686-9512
Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Interviews may last up to 90 minutes or more. Be prepared and schedule enough time. In addition refresh your memory and consider specific situations you have dealt with or projects you have worked on. You may be able to use them to help frame your responses. Prepare stories that illustrate times when you have successfully solved problems or performed memorably. The stories will be useful to help you respond meaningfully in a behavioral interview.
Make sure you are aware of the job requirements, if possible ask for a job description, or review the job posting. You may want to request the job description and position requirements before your interview to adequately understand the skills necessary for the job.
To prepare for your interview, think of specific examples from your education and work experience where you:
- Solved a problem
- Coached others
- Handled a conflict
- Made decisions
- Managed Projects
- Influenced Others
- Made recommendations for improvement
- Came up with innovative ideas
We will ask you to describe the actions you took in each situation and the impact your actions had on patients, peers, customers and other staff members in the organization.
What to Expect During the Interview
It is important to keep in mind that there are no right or wrong answers. We are trying to understand how you behaved in a given situation. How you respond will determine if there is a fit between your skills and the position we are seeking to fill. Listen carefully, be clear and detailed when you respond and, most importantly, be honest.
The time you invest in preparing will ensure an effective and productive interview. Remember you are also interviewing us as a potential employer.
- A specific situation
- The tasks that needed to be done
- The action you took
- The results or outcome of the action you took | <urn:uuid:debde430-28e3-4d8b-8c50-19c672df6d16> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nationaljewish.org/about/careers/applying-interviewing/preparing-for-an-interview/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938983 | 393 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Turning Cold Weather Into Hot Fishing
Dec 15,2006 00:00
If it's not snow or freezing rain, it's bone-chilling air temperatures and icy winds that make a day on the water nearly insufferable. But just because you're uncomfortable, it doesn't mean that the bass are. Sure, it's December, it's cold outside and I'm sure you still have some holiday shopping to do, but bass are still in the lake. If they want to make it through the winter they will have to eat.
As the water temperature drops, bass follow the migrating shad out to deeper water (deep being anywhere from 30 to 40 feet in clear, deep lakes or six to eight feet in murky, shallow ones). Use your electronics and find the balls of shad. There's sure to be some bass nearby, holding up in vertical, deep cover. Typically, bass will be easier to find down lake on outside channel swings, bluff faces and points with vertical drops.
Since bass are cold blooded, the colder water has slowed them down - so you should slow down, too. This ties in directly to your bait selection, the most important aspect to catching bass in the cold. Just because the bass are following migrating shad that doesn't mean that's all they will eat. Fish biologists have discovered that a bass prefers a bait about three inches long and about an inch in diameter. That jig that you spent all summer pitching into the bushes will do just fine. But instead of relying on the oldest known fishing lure by itself, I like to dress mine up with the newest technological advancement in fishing bait.
On a 3/8-ounce jig, I trim the skirt just past the hook to keep it from having too large a profile since I want to put a large trailer on it. I rig a Berkley Gulp! Bat Wing Frog as the trailer. These two baits are meant to be fished slow - the perfect presentation for a cold-blooded bass in wintertime. I cut the front of the bait off just behind the eye and thread it onto the jig hook. The legs on the Bat Wing Frog flutter like crazy on the fall and with the slightest movements.
The Gulp! trailer isn't made of plastic so it actually breathes underwater and disperses scent like no other bait ever made. And the slower you fish it, the more scent builds up in an area, expanding the strike zone by drawing in sluggish fish in search of an easy meal that might have not been interested otherwise.
There's no secret to catching bass in the middle of winter. Just like any other time of year, you have to figure out the right pattern. And once you figure out where they are, slow down your presentation. The fishing can be good enough to make you forget all about the plummeting temperatures.
Ken Cook is the 1991 Bassmaster Classic champion and a 14-time Classic qualifier. A former fisheries biologist, Cook lives on a ranch in Meers, Okla. | <urn:uuid:15d896af-9dd2-4594-b28d-ae9f345680be> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bendweekly.com/print/1450.html | 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 | 0.957019 | 617 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Doctor Who and Shada
Author's Notes by Paul Scoones
The on-screen opening sequence in which Skagra steals the minds of his Think Tank colleagues and departs in his spaceship forms a natural prologue to the story since it is so disconnected from the rest of the Cambridge-bound scenes of Part One. This sequence forms the prologue in all editions of the novelisation.
In the first and second editions, the novelisation opened with a two-word paragraph: ‘Six dreamers.’ This is inspired by the opening words of Alan Dean Foster's Alien and Aliens novelisations. In 1988 when Jon and I were preparing the first edition, Aliens was still a relatively recent film and I'd been reading a number of Alan Dean Foster novels, including Aliens, so it was fresh in my mind. When I revised the text for the 2001 edition, I re-wrote portions of the prologue, including dropping the ‘Six dreamers’ line in favour of an establishing description of the Think Tank space station. Although it was a nice in-joke I decided that the idea that the scientists were dreaming didn't really accurately describe what was happening in this opening scene.
The counter display in the Think Tank chamber uses roman numerals, which is rather unusual. I used the roman numerals when describing the counter ticking down (and then up again) in the 1989 edition, but for the 1991 edition I decided to change this to conventional numbers, thinking that this was more in keeping with the futuristic nature of the space station. For the 2001 edition I changed it back to Roman numerals simply to be faithful to the scene as it was recorded.
Another change I decided to make for the 2001 edition was to delay naming Skagra. In earlier editions Skagra is named from the moment he appears on screen, but had the story been broadcast, the first mention of his name would have come in Part Two when Professor Chronotis warns Romana to ‘Beware Skagra’ and then at the end of that episode - a third of the way through the story - Skagra finally introduces himself when he first meets the Doctor. I decided to keep this air of mystery about the character's identity for the 2001 edition, necessitating changes to the text for his appearances in the prologue and throughout most of the first four chapters.
The poor picture quality of the fan video copy used as the reference source for the 1989 edition meant that Jon and I were unaware that Skagra had distinctive scars on his face. It was only when we saw the Shada BBC Video release that this became apparent, resulting in another change for the 2001 edition. | <urn:uuid:b20c9406-a552-45c8-8dd1-17990111e313> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://nzdwfc.tetrap.com/archive/shada/notes0.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973645 | 541 | 1.617188 | 2 |
President Barack Obama said in an interview Tuesday he regretted the "syntax" of his remarks on small business that have been used ceaselessly by Republicans and formed the central theme of the GOP convention last week.
The so-called "you didn't build that" remark came in July during a campaign stop in Roanoke, Virginia. Obama said, "If you are successful, somebody along the line gave you some help.
He continued, "There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you've got a business, you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen. The Internet didn't get invented on its own. Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the internet."
In the interview with Richmond-based WWBT, Obama said that while he regretted how he said those words, he did not regret what he meant by them.
"Obviously, I have regrets for my syntax," Obama said. "But not for the point, because everyone who was there watching knows exactly what I was saying."
Republicans struck upon Obama's remarks almost immediately, and Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential nominee, has used the president's words in television commercials, campaign signage, stump speeches, and at last week's convention.
Vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan invoked it in his acceptance speech Wednesday, praising small business owners who show up "to open the door at 5 in the morning."
"Nobody did their thinking, and worrying, and sweating for them," Ryan said. "After all that work, and in a bad economy, it sure doesn't help to hear from their president that government gets the credit. What they deserve to hear is the truth: Yes, you did build that."
Republicans, who portray the "you didn't build that" remark as a revealing slip that speaks to Obama's true feelings on the private sector, say even within context, the president's words are offensive to small business owners.
"The context is worse than the quote," Romney said in July. "The context, he says, you know, you think you've been successful because you're smart, but he says a lot of people are smart. You think you've been successful because you work hard, a lot of people work hard." | <urn:uuid:cd275e80-0984-4743-8f5b-de3bacef6ac5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wgal.com/news/politics/Obama-regrets-syntax-of-you-didn-t-build-that/-/9360314/16505556/-/y7kc0yz/-/index.html?absolute=true | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.987138 | 486 | 1.625 | 2 |
1959... Ze End.. No new iPhone 5, I've lost my bet, no "and another thing"... Good bye everyone.
1957 Apple has already built three data centers, all of them as ecofriendly as it can be.
1954 New feature called iTunes match which syncs your music with the 18 million or so on iTunes. Giving it the same benefits as iTunes, 256Kbps AAC DRM-Free. That's $25 per annum. Jobs says it's a great deal when compared to Apple, Amazon and Google. Microsoft with Zune pass is not on the table.
1953 iOS 4.3 beta available as from today and we can sync new devices over WiFi or cable. Nice.
1952 iCloud launching in developer beta today, will be part of iOS 5.
1950 Basically, iCloud will be unlimited for items you paid for from Apple (songs, apps etc) as well for documents but not for photos. Email and other storage limited to 5GB.... BOOOOO
1949 So, iCloud has nine apps, all of them free. iTunes does 256Kbps with 10 devices included.
1945 iTunes in Ze Cloud. Confirmed, no charge for multiple downloads to different devices and we're off to a new demo session.
1944 Press releases have yet to be pushed to Apple's PR section online.
1942 Demo time again. This is turning out to be one of the longer keynotes we've attended. Will we still have time for an additional... and one more thing?
1940 Cloud will store last 1000 photos, that's basically 2 to 3GB memory. Photos will be kept for 30 days.
1938 Next up is Photo Stream, basically clouds for photos, Flick or Picasa for the iPhone. Right there in Photos, no addiitonal app to download. Goes to Apple TV as well.
1937 iCloud will work on PC and Macs too and IMHO will be an interesting competitor to Dropbox and others.
1936 Job says that Docs in the cloud completes the iOS document storage story and solves the issue of having to move docs around.
1935 Oh and by the way, the demos are being done on the iPhone, not on the iPad.
1933 Demo time with Keynote
1932 Nine apps are available in all. Documents in the cloud for Pages, Numbers and Keynote.
1931 iCloud backup will work only over Wi-Fi (automated daily syncs) which is understandable given how shocking download fees could be.
1930 iCloud says Jobs will allow people to be completely PC-Free.. Now that's a rather frightening and bleak future for the rest of the PC industry.
1929 Demo Time now.
1928 iCloud will be free while Mobile Me annual subscription used to cost $99. Nice one Apple!
1927 Mail won't include apps. Messages pushed to all devices, folders and inbox kept up to date. That's basically Apple killing Blackberry in front of our own eyes.
1925 Mobileme apps have been rewritten to support the Cloud from ground up. Include calendar sharing
1924 So the iCloud creed is that it stores and pushes content to all devices, automatically uploading, storing and pushing everything to anything
1922 He literally wants to move the digital hub into the cloud. It's much more than a big disk in the cloud.
1922 iCloud is about finding a solution to sync content from all our devices. all the time, everywhere and anywhere.
1920 Maestro Jobs is back to speak about the iCloud. We're all ears.
1919 SDK available for developers today. The rest of us will get it this fall which gives us an indication when iPhone 5 will be launched. It will support all the devices that iPhone 4 supported
1917 Another cool feature is AirPlay mirroring which allows content to be displayed on your TV wirelessly, possibly through Apple TV. There's something in the background called iTunes TONE store.. WTF is that?
1916 Small demo of the mesaging service... Nice and Sleek... Won't communicate with other IM clients though...
1914 It will include receipts (delivery and read) as well as being cross device meaning that you can start on the iPhone and continue on the iPad. Works on Wi-FI and 3G.
1913 New messaging service between iOS users coming... Did Apple just copy Blackberry? The service will support ALL iOS devices and will let users send pretty much everything to anyone... What about Mac users though?
1913 You will be able to purchase and download games directly from Game Center, and play turn-based games.
1910 Game Center is next, apparently the most popular gaming platform on the planet with more than 100,000 entertainment titles in the App Store. 50 million Game center uers in 9 months. Compares positively with 30 million Xbox Live users over the last eight years. Microsoft can only sigh in silence!
1909 All updates will be delta updates which means that it will be an upgrade rather than an OS swap. What about synching though.... Weird, software update screen shows iOS 5.1
1907 And the big one!! no need for cables... PC Free. All software updates will be OTA, not via 3G we presume.
1906 Scott showing a new keyboard that reminds us of what Microsoft demoed with the Windows 8. A splitable keyboard that allows you to use your thumbs to type. NICE!
1905 Email is next with a few features worth noting like rich text formatting or the ability to search through the email body itself. S/Mime, built in dictionary, the ability to flag messages etc.
1903 BTW, thanks to the dozens of ITProPortal.com readers who are following us at the moment...
1902 Other camera features include AE/AF lock, pinch to zoom, lock screen shortcut as well as the ability to edit your photos in the app itself.
1901 And guess what.... You can use the volume up buton to take a picture.... Adele with Rolling in the Deep is on the homescreen ;-)
1900 Ding Dong, one hour on since the event started. Next big feature is camera update wiht a camera button on the lock screen. FINALLY!
1859 Twitter integration and Reminders which is basically a notepad within a browser, something that Opera did a few years ago as well as a little known browser called Maxthon. Talk of reinventing the wheel!
1857 Other new features include reading list, tabbed browsing and here comes the demo.
1855 Safari has a new reader button that provides with "a single scrolling story". Yeah, yet another nail in the publishers/advertisers coffin it seems... Who needs ads anyway?
1854 Next Is Safari most popular mobile browser with nearly two thirds of the market, far ahead of Android's 27 pc market share. Glad I'm part of the 9 pc who use alternative browsers like the great Opera Mini.
1852 Note that the demo is done on the iPad rather than the iPhone. Feature 3 is Twitter. One billion tweets sent per week from iOS. Now integrated with many native Mac App like Camera and Photos. They might just as well have purchased it and merged Twitter with Ping
1849 Next major features is Newsstand which as its name implies will allow subscriptions to things like magazines etc. Slide shows loads of known names including Telegraph and Der Spiegel. More demos....
1845 1500 new APis, 200 new user features, 10 key features; first up is new notifications system. It won't be persistent and will aggregate all the notifications in one place. More demo time...
1844 225 million iOS accounts worldwide all with CC details and one click purchasing
1843 130 million books have been downloaded through the Apple iBook Store, 90K iPad app on the market, 14 billion Apps downloaded & $2.5 billion given back to developers, that's roughly 15c per app.
1842 iOS represents 44 per cent of the mobile installed base. 15 billion songs have been purchased through iTunes making it the biggest music retailer in the world.
1841 Next up is Apple iOS. 200 million units sold already. Scott Forstall on stage BTW. Say that 25 million iPad 2 have been sold in 14 months.
1839 4GB download (ouch), $29.99 buying price (yeah!), installs in place. Available in July, not on the 14th of June as some in the press have mentioned. Developer preview available now.
1835 Schiller back on stage, enticing users to move from Windows to Mac. Apple will help Windows users migrate. Lion will offer 3000 new APIs and will only be available to download from Mac App Store, no more discs. Kind of kills the business model of brick and mortar. I can hear them gasping for air.
1833 More demo time, this time for mail. It will be over very soon.
1829 9th super duper feature in Mac OS X 10.7 is Airdrop while the last is a completely new version of Mail which makes it look a lot like iOS Mail on the iPad.
1828 Nothing interesting happening really at this stage. A lot of demonstration going around which is quite surprising given that the whole event should take around 90 minutes.
1824 As expected, only the changes are saved rather than multiple copies of the same files.
1822 It will be interesting to see whether Autosave bypasses the autosaving features of applications that already have it.
1821 Next key features; resume, launchpad and autosave, which have been covered already.
1821 FYI, for those keeping track of these things, Apple Store US and UK are still up
1820 App Store is included in Mac OS X Lion, will support in app purchases, push notifications, sandboxing & delta updates etc.
1820 Schiller says that Mac App Store is already the most popular place to buy PC software ahead of Behemoths like Best Buy, Walmart and Office Depot respectively. One startup, Pixelmator made $1m in rev in 20 days.
1818 Schiller is back to talk about Apple Mac App Store
1816 Photobooth next up with some interesting new features, facial recognition and 3D
1812 Pretty staid until now TBH. About to get even more slightly boring with some demos.
1810 Full screen apps is number two followed by Mission Control which unifies Expose and Spaces.
1807 Next up is Lion which has 250 new features. First one is Multitouch.
1806 Schiller takes dig at PC industry which shrunk by one pc last year while Mac grew by 28 pc.
1805 54 million Mac users worldwide. Shows a nice graph with a near constant gradient.
1804 Jobs confirms that software will be the focus of the keynote. Phil Schiller takes the floor.
1803 WWDC sold out in less than two hours with 5200 seats purchased in all.
1802 Classic Jobs onstage : black turtleneck and blue jeans.
1801 We're off and the closest thing to God, Steve Jobs, takes the stage.
1758 The show is about to begin.
Don't forget to follow us live for the coverage of the Apple event later today, right here, when Steve Jobs reveals everything about the iOS 5, the iCloud, Mac OSX 10.7 "Lion" as well as a potential surprise "one more thing" announcement.
While we can't make it physically to the event, we will be working just as hard to ensure that our readers get the full coverage and analysis of the launch.
Apple has not yet taken down its online stores ahead of the launch, which may could mean that there won't be any products or services readily available at launch today as it was the case for the iPad 2 in March 2011.
ITProPortal.com will be covering and commenting on the event as and when it happens from 1800 GMT tonight.
We're still waiting for Apple to release a new version of the iPhone, possibly known as the iPhone 4GS but this is likely to be just another elusive possibility. | <urn:uuid:89bdc2e0-8db3-490d-8ca5-a57e4c877128> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.itproportal.com/2011/06/06/follow-us-our-live-apple-wwdc-2011-coverage/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933764 | 2,510 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Perloo the Bold
Reviewed by Nathan L. (age 8)
Nathan L. is a student in Mrs. Calkin's 3rd Grade Class
This book is about a rabbit-like montmer named Perloo when he is taken to see Jolaine the Granter, the ruler of all the montmers. But on their way there they're stopped by Berwig, Jolaine's son. They are chased out. But they find another way to see Jolaine. When they see her she, asks Perloo to be Granter. Perloo accepts. As soon as Jolaine finishes signing the proclamation, Berwig breaks in with his army. Berwig and Perloo both have a grip of the proclamation. They both pull. The proclamation splits in half. Berwig chases after Perloo for the other half but instead Perloo leaves the building. They climb a mountain into Felbart territory. When they are climbing the mountain they fall into a hole, which is really the door to the Felbarts. They go into the room that has the Felbarts in it. The Felbarts take them as prisoners. Will Berwig take over the montmers or will Perloo lead them to freedom? Find out by reading this book.
I liked this book because it has lots of action. When Berwig's helper was fighting against Perloo, Perloo started throwing snowballs because he had nothing left to fight with. That was really exciting. My favorite part is when they find a secret way to Jolaine's room. It was abandoned and Berwig didn't know about it so it was a big surprise. I think Berwig changed the most because he surrendered at the end. He started out being really bossy and he'd put a lot of people in jail when they were innocent. By the end, when he surrendered, he lost his power and gave up.
I recommend this book for people who like action, and fantasies. This book is loaded with excitement and lots of interesting characters. | <urn:uuid:c875067f-9c8d-412a-bf86-4ba0ba2bccac> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://spaghettibookclub.org/review.php?review_id=6796 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981964 | 411 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Tuesday, December 6, 2011 15:46:27 UTC (GMT)
Tuesday, December 6, 2011 05:46:27 PM local time at epicenter
Earthquake initial reports at a depth of 10.00 km (6.21 mi)
Read the United States Geological Survey’s full report on this earthquake activity at M 4.5, Turkey-Iraq border region. An important part of the USGS mission is to maintain and improve comprehensive earthquake monitoring in the United States with focus on “real-time” systems. The earthquake information above is preliminary and this event may not yet have been reviewed by a seismologist. | <urn:uuid:6abdd578-f14a-4224-971f-1903487fcb68> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://savant7.com/earthquakenews/earthquake-reports/m-4-5-turkey-iraq-border-region | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934039 | 133 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Oviedo (Uviéu in Asturian) is a city of Medieval origin (VIII century) and is the capital of the Principality of Asturias and home to 220.074 inhabitants. It is the commercial and business capital and the administrative and university centre of the region. Its most emblematic buildings include the Campoamor Theatre, the site where the Prince of Asturias awards are granted, as well as many museums and other interesting places to visit.
The city of Oviedo is full of green areas, including the San Francisco Field, otherwise known as The Field (El Campo) among those from Oviedo. It is a 90.000 square metre park situated in the centre of Oviedo next to Uría street (the most important commercial area of Oviedo) and is one of the most noteworthy areas of the capital of the Principality of Asturias. | <urn:uuid:290352c3-5f20-47cb-ac9d-d605cd19211b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.palladiumhotelgroup.com/pt/Hotels/Destination/espana/oviedo/oviedo/ayre-hotel-ramiro-i/oviedo/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944077 | 192 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Camping Recycling Bin helps RV travelers be green
Many RV travelers have a vested interest in reducing their carbon footprint, and recycling is the first step toward living an environmentally-friendly life. However, it can be difficult to place waste in the proper receptacles on RV campgrounds where recycling bins may be limited.
For individuals who want to maintain their green habits on the road, the Camping Recycling Bin may be the perfect option. This folding bin can be toted around campgrounds throughout the duration of a trip to keep recyclable materials tucked away until they can be disposed properly. The Camping Recycling Bin folds as well, meaning it can be easily carried during long bicycle rides or treks through the woods.
"This lightweight folding bin is perfect for recycling," wrote one Camping World customer. "[It] takes up almost no room when folded up. When open, [it] has three roomy bins inside to hold plenty of cans, papers, and plastics, etc. It zips up to keep out flies and bugs. [Its] handles make it easy to pick to take to the recycling center. [It] seems pretty sturdy, too."
At less than three pounds, the Camping Recycling Bin is the perfect eco-friendly companion on the road. Instead of relying on trash bins, RV travelers can live green on the road with little hassle. | <urn:uuid:5c677dce-39d1-47ad-8c34-4f99f5e2d6c6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.campingworld.com/rvexpertcenter/print.cfm?articleID=1058 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952338 | 285 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Editorial: Sarasota's tug-of-war
A lack of progress on vagrancy and homelessness
Published: Thursday, November 29, 2012 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, November 28, 2012 at 7:15 p.m.
Chronic homelessness and the problems that attend it are not easy to solve.
But Sarasota -- which has grappled with the issue in initiative after initiative, across a time span of at least 15 years -- is not making the progress that it should be.
Instead, the community seems locked into a loud and frustrating tug-of-war, one that sees policies on vagrancy swing back and forth between progressive and regressive -- ultimately getting nowhere.
The standoff is all the more galling because Sarasota knows better. Study group after study group has examined chronic homelessness and identified the best practices to ease it. These include providing more substance-abuse treatment and mental health care; more halfway houses; alternatives to life on the streets; and law enforcement policies that emphasize diverting people from -- not sending them to -- jail. But funding, leadership and community consensus are lacking.
Indeed, Sarasota may be more divided than ever over vagrancy and what to do about it.
The extremes are capsulized in recent news stories. On one end the ACLU sues the city of Sarasota and accuses it of waging a "war on the homeless." At the other extreme, a homeless man is jailed for charging his cellphone on the city's dime.
Somewhere between those ends stands a middle ground of Sarasotans who don't want war -- they want public spaces, business areas and neighborhoods to be peaceful and inclusive.
This is not too much to ask. But achieving it requires the balancing of three key ingredients: reasonable tolerance, respect for others' rights, and -- when law-breakers must be dealt with -- options that address the root causes of chronic homelessness instead of racking up inordinate jail costs.
Again, none of this is new. The Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness reached similar conclusions last year after convening several community forums on the issue.
Much the same message emerged in 2006 after an earlier set of meetings. In 2005, Sarasota County began looking for ways to expand substance-abuse treatment programs after a consultant's study found that many of the costliest "frequent fliers" in the jail were homeless people addicted to drugs or alcohol. And even earlier, in 2000, a downtown Sarasota group began forming a committee to address homelessness, emphasizing the need for humane, socially responsible solutions. Going back to the mid-1990s, the Salvation Army recognized a need to greatly expand its homeless shelter and programs north of the downtown, eventually opening the new campus in 2003.
The attention this issue received demonstrates the city's capacity for enlightened understanding. On a parallel track with those efforts, however, the city enacted strict ordinances that gave police new tools to control people who were drinking, sleeping or smoking in public places or trespassing on private property. Widely seen as "anti-homeless," these rules put police in the unenviable position of having to enforce them.
More recently, the city removed benches from Selby Five Points Park, which neighbors in nearby condominiums described as being overrun by lawlessness and vagrancy.
What we see in this trajectory is a hardening of positions on both sides of the issue. A gentrifying downtown has grown increasingly frustrated with the nuisance (and sometimes threat) of vagrants and panhandlers, while civil rights advocates have grown increasingly alarmed by arrests of people in the public square.
This is a no-win scenario. Furthermore, the inability to come to terms on this issue and move forward is among the greatest community disappointments in decades. It is an unconscionable failure that wastes human capital and precious resources.
Both sides in this fiasco should drop the rope, end the tug-of-war and sit down together to work out how to do what many previous studies have said must be done -- if we really want to ease the problems related to chronic homelessness.
This story appeared in print on page A10
All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged. | <urn:uuid:f4eec444-28b6-4cf6-9f50-ddaa6cdb084a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20121129/OPINION/311299995/0/opinion090105 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951359 | 877 | 1.546875 | 2 |
On looking up license, I found: “A revocable permission to commit some act that would otherwise be unlawful.”
If you read the Constitution of the United States, you will find the Second Amendment reads: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
The Alabama Constitution has the following: “That every citizen has the right to bear arms in defense of himself and the state.”
It is not unlawful to carry a gun, so we do not need a permit (license). The supreme law of the United States and of the state of Alabama guarantees our right to keep and bear arms.
Although I am glad to see some freedom-minded legislators in Alabama, we do not need these laws they are proposing. We already have those rights. They might go ahead and repeal some of the unconstitutional gun laws.
It is nice for the sheriffs to be able to make some extra money by issuing permits. It is nice for the Feds to have sheriffs who have lists of people in their counties who have these permits. That makes it easier for President Obama to confiscate our weapons.
The saying, “from my cold, dead hands,” is usually attributed to actor Charlton Heston, and many people today still voice that sentiment.
Sheriff Richard Mack, who fought and won against the Brady Bill, which tried to make sheriffs pawns of the federal government, has a web page, www.cspoa.org. He lists 283 sheriffs, only six from Alabama, and eight state sheriffs’ associations who are saying no to Obama gun control. | <urn:uuid:4a1d0b0b-9f7d-4288-8e68-88881006326c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://annistonstar.com/view/full_story/21783091/article-Sheriffs-worry-about-legislation?instance=home_special_sections | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964727 | 357 | 1.5625 | 2 |
After being awarded an Earth Day mini-grant in 2011,
Kirby-Smith Middle School's Green Team decided to expand their conservation efforts on campus. The Green Team used the grant funds to install xeriscape landscaping, which reduces the need for supplemental water from irrigation.
The team took an area of the school grounds that previously contained compacted earth and weeds and beautified it in a manner that uses no additional resources. Students are sure to be surprised at the beautifully renovated gardens upon their return for the 2012-13 school year.
More 'Spotlight on Education' Articles
Stay connected to the latest school news and events | <urn:uuid:898423ac-f09c-4c1f-b756-7543efd54bc4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.duvalschools.org/static/contact/communications/spotlight/2012/0702.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948533 | 131 | 1.773438 | 2 |
CCTV Services are pivotal to supporting the partnership between GCSS, Strathclyde Police and Glasgow City Council by providing essential evidence for prosecution of offenders. CCTV services provide a 24/7 real time monitoring service; an intelligence led tasking and retrospective viewing and retrieval of stored images.
- 2780 CCTV discs provided to a range of Police partners (Division and Taskforces such as Gangs) as part of evidential packages for court.
- 224 Observation requests managed
- 17083 incidents logged
- 59% of police generated CCTV incidents
- 5538 pieces of CCTV footage disseminated to the police for action
Examples: CCTVThe following examples show where images provided have assisted in arrests:
- Drumry Road/Heathcote - 25 arrested for gang fighting and Breach of the Peace (B.O.P.), as highlighted in the local Clydebank Post newspaper
- Drumry Road - Serious assault, 2 males were arrested at the scene, however on review of CCTV images provided to the Gangs Taskforce by GCSS a further 3 males were charged.
- Slatefield Street - An ongoing problem of males and females, of various ages, all gathering in and around the local housing association areas, drinking in public, littering and causing a general nuisance to local householders. A range of images were provided for Police over a period of time. Individuals were identified resulting in 15 people being arrested for B.O.P. etc also bail conditions were attached that prevented them from gathering in and around the area in the future. | <urn:uuid:c66e4f64-5784-471e-bbbc-0ab9443e5d0d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://saferglasgow.com/what-we-do/community-protection-services/cctv-services.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946837 | 317 | 1.570313 | 2 |
One of the ways you know you're in a bad time is you have no easy, popular choices.
Which doesn't stop people from looking for them.
So some opponents of Measures 66 and 67 insist that if they're voted down Tuesday, blowing a $727 million hole in the state budget, the Legislature will come back next month and find a bipartisan, business-supported fix that would prevent the pain and leave everybody happy.
Not gonna happen.
Then there are the folks pointing out that Measures 66 and 67 don't fix Oregon's unstable, lopsided tax structure, and if they were defeated, everybody could get together and devise a tax system overhaul that would settle our problem once and for all.
Not gonna happen.
That leaves us with the reality that the defeat of the measures, and more than $700 million falling out of the state budget with a third of the budget period already gone, is indeed going to cause noticeable cuts in spending on health and especially schools.
During the 2002-03 school year, after the defeat of the Legislature's Measure 28 temporary tax increase, 90 Oregon districts had to close early, led by Hillsboro, which cut off 17 school days --and got itself into "Doonesbury." A number of other districts managed to stay afloat by passing local tax measures, led by Multnomah County, which passed a three-year personal income tax to support its schools.
Definitely not gonna happen.
A defeat for Measures 66 and 67 might not have the impact of the defeat of Measure 28; some Oregon school districts have been carefully waiting on the outcome. But it would likely have a perceptible effect on a state that already has the nation's shortest school year and some of its largest class sizes.
It's hard to see a further deterioration in our education system as an attraction for business, especially as businesses keep saying that it's a problem. And since 70 percent of our school costs are now covered by the state, most businesses paying $10 a year to the state --whatever they're paying to federal and local governments --is no strategy for getting us out of the hole.
The problem gets worse at the higher levels of education. Traditionally, the state's universities are the first target when the money runs low, which is why Oregon bounces along near the bottom of per capita higher education spending. At the end of the 2009 session, the universities got mugged again, until a governor's veto gave them some relief.
Meanwhile, in this economy, students have streamed into the state's universities, and its community colleges, at a sharply increased level --despite increased tuition. If the Legislature has to fill a $727 million hole next month, a hunk of it is likely to land on them --which would raise a whole other issue of fairness in this election debate.
And also about just which election outcome would really be better for business.
Places likely to lead the country out of this economic dive --the Bay Area, Puget Sound, Austin, the North Carolina Research Triangle, metropolitan Boston --are places packing a heavy higher education punch. We're a long way from where we ought to be --and it's a bad time for Oregon to get further away.
Nobody's going to disagree with that. Instead, some people will argue that the hole can be filled, that the Legislature will come back in February and find a happy way to replace the money. But a more likely result is what's happened after Tuesday's U.S. Senate election in Massachusetts: Republicans validated and not interested in doing anything different, Democrats battered and timid.
While some business groups talk about replacement funding, nobody's heard the idea coming from Associated Oregon Industries, the biggest funder on the No side.
And there will be players itching to send any replacement funding back to the ballot.
Last Sunday, Nike's Phil Knight wrote in this section about his opposition to the measures, arguing that they would make Oregon unfriendly to business.
It's hard to argue with Knight, who would probably see his tax bill increased by Measure 66 more than anyone in the state, and whose massive generosity to the University of Oregon entitles him to say pretty much whatever he wants about the future of Oregon.
But there is one point worth making. It's fundamentally impossible to have a great state university --no matter how sizable its private contributions, no matter how many non-Oregon students it attracts to pay hefty out-of-state tuition --perched on top of a rickety, unstable public school system.
Not gonna happen. | <urn:uuid:0878b291-6c61-4428-909c-998ba1de5747> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/david_sarasohn/index.ssf/2010/01/if_measures_go_down_dont_look.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968097 | 929 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Wouldn't it be nice if we could actually own our data and programs in the cloud? By “owning” here I mean to have control over their confidentiality and integrity. When it comes to confidentiality and integrity for the data, it's not much of a rocket since, as the classic crypto (and secure client systems) is all that we need. I have already wrote about it in an earlier post.
But it would also be nice, if we could somehow get the same confidentiality and integrity assurance for our programs that we upload for the execution in the cloud...
For example, a company might want take their database application, that deal with all sorts of corporate critical sensitive data, and then upload and safely run this application on e.g. Amazon's EC2, or maybe even to some China-based EC2-clone. Currently there is really nothing that could stop the provider, who has a full control over the kernel or the hypervisor under which our application (or our VM) executes, from reading the contents of our process' memory and stealing the secrets from there. This is all easy stuff to do from the technical point of view, and this is also not just my own paranoia...
Plus, there are the usual concerns, such as: is the infrastructure of the cloud provider really that safe and secure, as it is advertised? How do we know nobody found an exploitable bug in the hypervisor and was not able to compromise other customer's VMs from within the attacker-hired VM? Perhaps the same question applies if we didn't decided to outsource the apps to a 3rd party cloud, but in case of a 3rd party clouds we really don't know about what measures have been applied. E.g. does the physical server on which my VMs are hosted also used to host some foreign customers? From China maybe? You get the point.
Sometimes all we really need is just integrity, e.g. if we wanted to host an open source code revision system, e.g. a git repository or a file server. Remember the kernel.org incident? On a side note, I find the Jonathan Corbet's self-comforting remarks on how there was really nothing to worry about, to be strikingly naive... I could easily think of a few examples of how the attacker(s) could have exploited this incident, so that Linus & co. would never (not soon) find out. But that's another story...
But, how can one protect a running process, or a VM, from a potentially compromised OS, or a hypervisor/VMM?
To some extent, at least theoretically, Intel Trusted Execution Technology (TXT), could be used to implement such protection. Intel TXT can attest to a remote entity, in that case this would be the cloud customer, about the hash of the hypervisor (or kernel) that has been loaded on the platform. This means it should be possible for the user to know that the cloud provider uses the unmodified Xen 4.1.1 binary as the hypervisor and not some modified version, with a built-in FBI backdoor for memory inspection. Ok, it's a poor example, because the Xen architecture (and any other commercially used VMM) allow the administrator who controls Dom0 (or equivalent) to essentially inspect and modify all the memory in the system, also that belonging to other VMs, and no special backdoors in the hypervisor are needed for this.
But let's assume hypothetically that Xen 5.0 would change that architecture, and so the Dom0 would not be able to access any other VM's memory anymore. Additionally, if we also assumed that the Xen hypervisor was secure, so that it was not possible to exploit any flaw in the hypervior, then we should be fine. Of course, assuming also there were also no flaws in the TXT implementation, and that the SMM was properly sandboxed, or that we trusted (some parts of) the BIOS (these are really complex problems to solve in practice, but I know there is some work going on in this area, so there is some hope).
Such a TXT-bases solution, although a step forward, still requires us to trust the cloud provider a bit... First, TXT doesn't protect against bus-level physical attacks – think of an attacker who replaces the DRAM dies with some kind of DRAM emulator – a device that looks like DRAM to the host, but on the other end allows full inspection/modification of its contents (well, ok, this is still a bit tricky, because of the lack of synchronization, but doable).
Additionally for Remote Attestation to make any sense, we must somehow know that we “talk to” a real TPM, and not to some software-emulated TPM. The idea here is that only a “real” TPM would have access to a private key, called Endorsement Key, used for signing during Remote Attestation procedure (or used during the generation of the AIK key, that can be used alternatively for Remote Attestation). But then again who generates (and so: owns) the private endorsement keys? Well, the TPM manufacturer, that can be... some Asian company that we not necessarily want to trust that much...
Now we see it would really be advantageous for customers, if Intel decided to return to the practice of implementing TPM internally inside the chipset, as they did in the past for their Series 4 chipsets (e.g. Q45). This would also protect against the LCP bus-level attacks against TPM (although somebody told me recently that TPM in current systems cannot be so easily attacked from LCP bus, because of some authentication protocol being used there – I really don't know, as physical attacks have not been the area we ever looked at extensively; any comments on that?).
But then again, the problem of DRAM content sniffing always remains, although I would consider this to be a complex and expensive attack. So, it seems to me that most governments would be able to bypass such TXT-ensured guarantees in order to “tap” the user's programs executing in the cloud provides that operate within their jurisdictions. But at least this could stop malicious companies from staring up fake cloud services with an intent to easily harvest some sensitive data from unsuspecting users.
It seems that the only way to solve the above problem of DRAM sniffing attacks is to add some protection at the processor level. We can imagine two solutions that processor vendors could implement:
First, they could opt for adding an in-processor hardware mechanism for encrypting all the data that leave the processor, to ensure that everything the is kept in the DRAM is encrypted (and, of course, also integrity-protected), with some private key that never leave the processor. This could be seen as an extension to the Intel TXT.
This would mean, however, we still needed to relay on: 1) the hypervisor to not contain bugs, 2) the whole VMM architecture to properly protect VM's memory, specifically against the Dom0, 3) Intel TXT to not be buggy either, 4) SMM being properly sandboxed, or alternatively to trust (some parts of) the BIOS and SMI handler, 5) TPM's EK key to be non-compromised and verifiable as genuine, and 6) TPM bus attacks made impossible (those two could be achieved by moving the TPM back onto the chipset, as mentioned above), and finally, 7) on the encryption key used by the processor for data encryption to be safely kept in the processor.
That's still quite a lot of things to trust, and it requires quite a lot of work to make it practically really secure...
The other option is a bit more crazy, but also more powerful. The idea is that the processor might allow to create untrusted supervisors (or hypervisors). Bringing this down to x86 nomenclature, it would mean that kernel mode (or VT-x root) code cannot sniff or inject code into (crypto-protected) memory of the usermode processes (or VT-x guests). This idea is not as crazy as you might think, and there has even been some academic work done in this area. Of course, there are many catches here, as this would require specifically written and designed applications. And if we ever considered to use this technology also for client systems (how nice it would be if we could just get rid of some 200-300 kLOC of the Xen hypervisor from the TCB in Qubes OS!), the challenges are even bigger, mostly relating to safe and secure trusted output (screen) and, especially, input (keyboard, mouse).
If this worked out, then we would need to trust just one element: the processor. But we need to trust it anyway. Of course, we also need to trust some software stack, e.g. the compilers we use at home to build our application, and the libraries it uses, but that's somehow an unrelated issue. What is important is that we now would be able to choose that (important) software stack ourselves, and don't care about all the other software used by the cloud provider.
As I wrote above, the processor is this final element we always need to rust. In practice this comes down to also trusting the US government :) But we might imagine users consciously choosing e.g. China-based, or Russia-based cloud providers and require (cryptographically) to run their hosted programs on US-made processors. I guess this could provide reasonable politically-based safety. And there is also ARM, with its licensable processor cores, where, I can imagine, the licensee (e.g. an EU state) would be able to put their own private key, not known to any other government (here I assume the licensee also audits the processor RTL for any signs of backdoors). I'm not sure if it would be possible to hide such a private key from a foundry in Hong Kong, or somewhere, but luckily there are also some foundries within the EU.
In any case, it seems like we could make our cloud computing orders of magnitude safer and more secure than what is now. Let's see whether the industry will follow this path... | <urn:uuid:e608efa1-4297-4726-97db-9c4d375318c9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://theinvisiblethings.blogspot.com/2011/12/trusted-execution-in-untrusted-cloud.html?showComment=1323940968655 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966675 | 2,129 | 1.765625 | 2 |
However, one of those cycling troublemakers, went out trying to get some photographs of the tax-dodging criminals, and failed miserably, picking up lots of photographs on cars on pavements and bus and bike lanes instead. Well yes, there were a lot of them in the photograph -and that's precisely why there were no bikes on the pavement. It was only the selfless effort by many of Bristol's car drivers that they managed to keep the areas that Dru cycled to free of bikes on the pavement. She should be grateful, rather than implying that the whole story was made up.
Question is, what about the RNIB, down by their offices on Boot Lane, Bedminster. What is their bike-on-pavement problem really like? We sent one of our reporters down there.
We can conclude that whatever the problem was, some selfless work by the drivers of vehicles like SA06YVJ keep bicycles away from blind and partially sighted people.
Similarly another car SJ04WDB? selfless endangers its wing mirrors to ensure that no bicycles can even consider coming down this pavement at speed.
Such selfless actions by the community show how, given the complete failure of the police to enforce the cycling rules, locals are forced to take actions into their own hands.
Returning to the debate, things have moved on. The Bristol Cycling Campaign wrote a letter to the paper, complaining about their persecution in the paper. Not once did the tax dodgers complain about the wrongs their members may have done, such as cycling on the pavement or going past the ASL stop lines. Instead they whine that the reporting by ourselves and the evening post are encouraging anti-cycling feelings. Fortunately, the readers of the paper see through this, as can be seen by the many comments. The most seminal has to be from, apparently, one James Carmichael of Highridge:
We've spent years rationally asking cyclists to behave better, and to indicate they're not welcome on our roads, but like all vermin that are left unchecked they continue to multiply.
So, maybe now is the time to get a bit more 'direct' in our action. I am not condoning breaking the laws, or doing anything that endangers life. However, maybe a little more assertive driving around cyclists or some 'verbal feedback' is the only way to get the message through. I for one, will continue to make my point to the cyclists that get in my way. | <urn:uuid:4ecdc569-6432-447e-a2d4-c063a0b21404> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bristolcars.blogspot.com/2009/12/rnibbicycle-conflict-speaking.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978983 | 510 | 1.5 | 2 |
APRIL 6, 2003
Brazil start could be delayed
Heavy rain could delay the start of the Brazilian GP this afternoon. Procedures exist which allow the start of the race to be delayed every 10 minutes until conditions are good enough to start the race. The teams are worried that the intermediate tires that have been brought to Brazil cannot cope with the amount of water encountered.
"The teams unanimously agreed the regulation to restrict the wet tires last autumn," said FIA representative Alan Donnelly. "The FIA could not do anything about that. I would expect that the team principals will have another vote soon to make sure that both wet and intermediates tires are taken to the races."
|Print News Story| | <urn:uuid:fe1ead13-d6f0-47a3-aac6-97784a0a671a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns10966.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974342 | 141 | 1.578125 | 2 |
|Me Depressed? Don't Make Me Laugh!|
| This programme is designed to be an aid in helping to overcome depression. It features Spike Milligan, who, despite suffering from severe and debilitating depression, managed to live an extraordinarily full and creative life until his death in 2002.
A great many people suffer from depression, but few know that there are effective ways of managing and overcoming it. Milligan presents a programme which focuses on four people who suffer from depression - and experts working in the field - who talk about their experiences and explain techniques they have successfully used to manage and overcome it.
The programme is intended for sufferers of depression, their families and friends, and healthcare professionals who need to gain a clearer understanding of the issues involved.
|Running Time: 46 mins|
|Age Range: 18 years - Adult|
|Year of Production: 1996|
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Kevin Hayden – TruthisTreason.net
Originally published Sept 16, 2011
If you are unfamiliar with the “Primal Diet” or “Paleo” meal idea, the best way I can describe it would be doing away with the refined carbs, the grains, the sugar and the like. Raw foodism is very similar – a lifestyle that promotes the consumption of uncooked, unprocessed, and often organic foods as a large percentage of the diet. The Primal food-style adds a lot of quality grass-fed and organic animal meats and healthy fats.
Ask yourself, “What would a caveman have access to?” Certainly not modern farming techniques and a never-ending supply of GMO corn and wheat. Certainly not mass quantities of bleached starches and monosodium glutamate. The human body has been constantly evolving for millions of years and it is an incredible machine when fed fuel that it is geared for. You don’t put Kool-Aid in your truck and expect it to run very well because it’s not designed for it. Likewise, the human body is not designed nor adapted to operate efficiently to the Westernized surge in cereal grains, refined pastries, chemically preserved snacks, excess fiber, and lots of alcohol (also mostly grain).
Fruits, vegetables, and animal meat are what our body is instinctively craving because it allows us to function at our peak level, both physically and emotionally. Over-consumption of sugar wreaks havoc on our insulin regulation, leading to diabetes, mood disorders and cancer. Over-consumption of wheat and grain items lead to IBS and other intestinal problems, and again, cancer. Pseudo-franken-foods do not offer the vitamins and minerals in amounts that we need and crave internally.
I’m not saying that we can’t function on these false, deadly McPoison-foods, because we can. That is sadly evident by a large percentage of Americans. But the side effects are also evident in a population with astronomical heart disease, insanely high cancer rates, morbid obesity, horrendous blood pressure and a severe diabetes problem just to name a few.
And how do we typically solve these issues? …
By shaking hands with Big Pharma and taking another pill in order to mask and suppress our symptoms. Our society wants instant gratification and we tend to look for the easiest route to obtain it. The perils and effort exerted in truly changing our lifestyle and discovering the root problems for our symptoms are often too difficult for most to research, let alone endure. Only by feeding our bodies what they need can we operate efficiently and begin to enjoy ”symptom-free” health.
If you’ve contemplated on changing your life once and for all, or perhaps have been diagnosed with diabetes and other health issues, I suggest you look into the Primal Diet (I say diet, not as a suppression of calories, but as in “daily diet” or nutritional intake). I also recommend this same food-style for athletes, body-builders, active teenagers, grandparents and everyone in between.
There are many ways to slowly get used to it, and I’ve listed several ways in which to help you on your journey below, via Mark’s Daily Apple. I also suggest what some call the “80/20″ Rule; strive to eat Primal 80% of the time and allow yourself to have some personal vices and set-backs or even those last-minute business lunches that might not cater to the Primal lifestyle. Don’t beat yourself up over not eating 100% Primal, especially at the beginning. By slowly changing 80% of what you eat, you will see a massive return on your health investment within just a few short days.
Source: Mark’s Daily Apple (It’s a great website for those just getting started in raw foods, organic lifestyles, Primal diets and more.)
Even as we accept that our own Primal journey will be different from the next person’s, it can be a little awkward or discouraging to be the one feeling out the shallow end while others are doing flips and belly flops in the deep side of the pool. We thought a post on baby-stepping, breaking down the transition into small and very manageable steps, might come in handy for many of our readers – newcomers, renewers, or even old-timers who are coaching friends and family in a Primal direction. Kick back and get brainstorming for your next baby step!
Re-make a meal
Not that a single meal doesn’t count for something, but we actually mean a meal category (or maybe snack) each day. Maybe you want to tackle your least Primal serving of the day first (if you’re still stuck in a carb rut at breakfast, say). On the other hand, perhaps you’re more inclined to take on the simplest meal and work your way up. (Morning snack first? Meat and salad for dinner?) Setting a consistent pattern for a meal each day not only gets you on a solid track; it offers the mental boost of daily accomplishment. Furthermore, it can serve as a template for tackling further food overhauls. Remaking one meal a day gets you in the mode of delving into Primal variety, trying new recipes and eating for health rather than habit.
Drop or swap a vice
Perhaps there’s a particular offender, a persevering and pesky element of your diet that will take special time and energy to ditch. We’re not talking here about an occasional indulgence item but a regular player in the lineup. Whether it’s your favorite creamy stout, morning danish or afternoon microwave popcorn fix, you might find it easier to isolate and conquer before expanding the battle. Some readers have shared stories of choosing “better” but not totally Primal alternatives for their old favorites first and then going back to phase out these “lesser evils” once they had the rest of diet more fully Primalized.
Give up a grain at a time
Those vexing little granules that litter the dinner plates of unsuspecting diners everywhere… We’re only half kidding of course. (You know our shtick on this subject.) Sure, not all grains are created equal. Some, like brown rice, don’t seem to do quite the same number on the intestines as others. Yet, at the end of the day they’re still the same insulin and inflammation inciters. As we’ve said time and again, they add little to a healthy diet and generally fill the space of more nutritious fare. Tick them off the list based on preference or prevalence in your diet. Or work your way through the grain chain with more of a mind to gluten, bidding adieu to wheat and its various derivatives first, then continuing onward through the inventory.
Sample a new vegetable (or other Primal ingredient) each week
Out with the old, in with the new as they say. Your Primal conversion shouldn’t be a story of the incredibly shrinking menu. Take a hint from those middle school food science/home ec journals and explore a veggie a week. Remember the color illustrations, origin histories and recipe lists? Of course, adding more than one new item a week is ideal (especially with the best of summer’s bounty). And there’s nothing wrong with mixing it up either with other new-to-you Primal fare like almond butter or less appreciated cuts of meat. Don’t worry if you have to do some less than ideal adaptations at first like hiding the new item in the midst of other ingredients or incorporating favorite dips or sauces. The idea here is to add, not limit. Your taste buds will adapt with time, and you’ll find yourself with less need for the camouflage or accompaniment strategies.
Ditch the deadbeat drinks
Now more than ever Americans get an enormous amount of their calories and sugar from drinks, an easily overlooked food category. (Too many people delude themselves into thinking liquids somehow don’t count!) With the likes of mega sodas, energy drinks, syrup loaded coffee beverages and alcohol, it’s not hard at all to drink your dinner: carbs and calories through the roof, nutrients generally nonexistent. Nixing deadbeat drinks and replacing them with water, tea (and a single cup of regular joe for a morning pick-me-up) can mean a major difference in your carb count for the day, not to mention your insulin response and “real” (as opposed to jacked-up) energy level.
Change one workout a week
Whether you’re stuck in the chronic cardio circuit, the heavy lifting mode or a plateau of the same low level activity, consider mixing things up. Exercise outside your comfort zone by venturing into a different part of the gym (yoga studio, free weights?), hitting a different venue (the trails, the pool?) or just slowing it down (you cardio addicts out there). Get up the gumption to try one of Mark’s sprints, join a casual sports league or let your hair down and initiate a game of flag football or Ultimate (Frisbee) with the family.
Add a workout a week
A logical permutation of the previous tip of course… If your situation isn’t characterized so much by too much cardio or an imbalance of lifting and low level activity, you might be looking at the need for simply adding workouts period. (No worries here: everyone starts somewhere.) The idea might be to just get moving. Low level workouts are generally easiest to incorporate. We’d definitely recommend trying to add more than one a week if you find yourself in this boat. If you’re already exercising a few times a week but know you’re capable of or ready for more, throw in a weight training or sprint session. Even adding an additional day of low level work can make a difference and can help up your game later with the time you’ve learned to set aside.
Start a supplement
Mark has said unequivocally that no supplement can be a stand in for a truly healthy diet and lifestyle. That said, a quality supplement can kickstart and continually enhance the biochemical balance that characterizes good health. As you begin your own efforts in the realms of exercise and nutrition, why not give yourself a leg up? Another benefit? A supplement can help mitigate the disadvantages of less than fully Primal living as you make your transition.
Make the mental – and logistical – commitment
Of course we all have a million excuses for not getting Primal even though we know it makes sense. We care about our health. We want to eat right and be in good shape. Right? But there are all those hours of low level cardio, the sweaty sprints and all that vegetable cutting…. Hmmm. How can I possibly fit in anything extra right now? Living Primally doesn’t require more time than any other active lifestyle. When you consider the lack of chronic cardio prescriptions and the short investments of sprints and targeted weight training sessions, you’ll likely be looking at less time expenditure. As for food, food shopping is generally food shopping. (And if you do the CSA/cowpooling/etc., it’s actually less weekly outlay of time.) Cutting, chopping and cooking might add a few extra minutes, but they’re well worth the extra energy healthy food will give you. Get more done in less time and sleep better when your head hits the pillow.
There are few moments in our lives when we can truly say we don’t have the time to take care of ourselves. The weeks following a death or serious illness of a loved one, the birth of a child maybe. Even in the most difficult times, however, we can make progress even as we give up the ideal of perfection (who ever said anything about being perfect anyway?).
In other busy but regular circumstances, we are able to consider what we want to bring into our lives (e.g. healthy living) and earnestly examine what we’re willing to give up to achieve this. T.V.? Wii? Getting through the whole newspaper in the morning? Ditching the car commute for a daily walk to the bus or a bike ride? Relocating nightly discussions to the kitchen while you put together lunch for the next day? Making family outings or time with the kids more active? It’s generally not an issue of giving up valuable activities or interactions in our lives but instead a challenge/opportunity to remake them into equally fulfilling and life balancing Primal adaptations.
Develop a personal Primal diversion
By all means, remake everyday responsibilities into time-saving Primal activities, but also find a bit of time and energy to initiate something new for yourself. Figure out what will “feed” your spirit in a necessary and vital way. For some it might be a meditation practice. For others it might be a new commitment to play – the enjoyment of a favorite sport or a relaxing, rejuvenating activity that fulfills a need for space, solitude or nature. Whatever your Primal diversion of choice is, enjoy it as a gift to yourself. Use it to recenter and rediscover self-care. The small bit of investment/indulgence will make the rest of your Primal commitment come more naturally. When you believe your overall well-being is worth the time and effort, you’re ready to embrace the steps toward Primal vitality.
Got enough to get you going? Comments? Feedback? Other baby step ideas you’ve used or recommended to inspire the Primal journey? Thanks for reading.
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Both Snow White’s adventures in the forest and the Queen’s ramblings in the castle may be doomed by director Rupert Sanders’s visual imagination. The movie is truly splendid to look at, and the vast tools at Mr. Sanders’s disposal stand in for any real narrative development. Snow White undergoes surrealist hallucinations, then goes to a fairy-ruled domain that Jean Cocteau might have directed if he had the budget for CGI. The Queen’s mirror drips onto the floor and re-forms in the shape of a man. With tricks like this, why wouldn’t a director keep using them again and again in place of scenes where Snow White reveals a motivation beyond survival?
The film’s greatest and most misused visual effect is Chris Hemsworth, who has overcome the burden of remarkable good looks to become one of the most charismatic young actors in Hollywood. Smeared in dirt, Mr. Hemsworth affects the movie’s sole convincing accent (the American, South African and Australian leads of this movie all play crypto-British) and plays the most interesting character. His huntsman, contracted to kill Snow White, is mourning the death of his wife and is unmoved by Snow White’s dubious charms. The movie, though, constructs a love triangle with Snow White’s childhood friend as the third wheel; this feels de rigueur, as though the screenwriters knew Kristen Stewart choosing between two men is more appealing at the box office than Kristen Stewart independent and fighting for survival.
It hardly seems coincidental that the film’s most interesting character is the one freighted with the least baggage; Snow White and the Queen are already well-known characters despite the fact that neither of them are interesting in their particulars. The attempts to push back against the commonly held awareness of who they are end up making Snow White inert rather than nice—she just isn’t convincing as the warrior princess she becomes at film’s end—and the Queen monomaniacal in a repetitive fashion. If one is adapting a well-known public-domain story to the screen, that story should have the adaptability to bear imagination. Snow White is not an interesting character, but she is a character to whom interesting things happen. Altering those events to a repeated series of narrow escapes (the dwarfs, here, are foot soldiers for Snow White, which is as bizarre as it sounds) and casting a notably uncharismatic actress as the woman who keeps making those escapes does the tale no service.
How, then, should fairy tales be adapted? (An adult version of Hansel and Gretel is said to be in the offing.) While the creativity behind Snow White and the Huntsman is to be lauded, that same creativity results in an alteration of the Snow White character to the degree that she’s both unrecognizable—and recognizable as a typical Kristen Stewart heroine, dazed and dependent upon male intervention. Had the film been more faithful to the narrative of its source material, it would have been better; that faithfulness would not have been for its own sake, but rather an acknowledgment that archetypal stories get passed along for a reason.
Snow White and the Huntsman
Running Time 127 minutes
Written by Evan Daugherty, John Lee Hancock and Hossein Amini
Directed by Rupert Sanders
Starring Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron
Follow Daniel D'Addario via RSS. | <urn:uuid:900d6a9e-febf-4317-b7e2-786e1b6ac6e5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://observer.com/2012/05/heroine-chic-kristen-stewart-eludes-death-sentence-and-personality-in-snow-white-and-the-huntsman/2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950962 | 721 | 1.53125 | 2 |
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40 Million Mistakes: Is your credit report accurate?
A new study indicates as many as 40 million consumers have a mistake on their credit report and Steve Kroft finds it’s hard to get them fixed.
Courtesy CBS News 60 Minutes
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Finally, Ireland has an Orange leadership that will listen to my advice about moving its parades to the Republic!
It's only taken the Order about two and a half years for the penny to drop with Grand Secretary Drew Nelson's intelligent speech to the Irish Senate.
In February 2010, I suggested that one way to solve the Northern parades debacle was for the Orange Order 'go south' and follow the excellent example of the annual Donegal dander at Rossnowlagh.
Judging by the size of this year's outing, an increasing number of Northern lodges and bands are attending the well-disciplined Rossnowlagh demonstration.
If Queen Bess can meet Marty McGuinness and Orange Drew can charm the Senate, then individual lodges should hold face to face talks with nationalist residents groups.
As someone who was a member of the Orange Order for more than 20 years, literally donning the sash my father wore, I fully appreciate the important role which the Order has in Unionism's cultural identity.
The Twelfth for us was not a coat-trailing exercise, but a huge family day out with relatives and friends.
The Order should consider voluntarily re-routing some of its more contentious Northern parades and seek to establish a system in the South.
Orange members should remember that much of King Billy's Irish campaign took place in what is now the Republic.
The key southern battles were the Boyne and Aughrim, while the important siege was not that at Derry, but those at Athlone, Limerick and Cork .
On paper, it does seem a bit daft that the Twelfth is commemorated in the North, while all the Order's history is mostly centred around action in the South.
Orange Drew placed great emphasis on how the Catholic minority is treated in the North compared to how the Protestant minority should be treated in the Republic.
Roll on the day when Orangefests are as much a part of the Southern calendar as they are in the North.
What's the point in the Order's ruling body calling itself the Grand Lodge of Ireland when it is really only active in about 11 of the island's 32 counties?
The year 2016 will be an important date in the Orange calendar – the centenary of the Battle of the Somme during World War One when thousands of Orangemen were killed or wounded during that bloody conflict.
The Order should set itself a target of establishing a county lodge in every Irish county by July, 2016 – the 100th anniversary of the opening day of the Somme .
And every July 13, around 60,000 people cram into the tiny Down village of Scarva for the annual Sham Fight hosted by the Orange 's senior Marching Order, the Black Institution.
If the Dublin government is genuine about wanting to look after its Protestant minority, the Dáil and Senate should push for a series of Sham Fights commemorations to be hosted at key Williamite campaign sites.
Ironically, this year's Sham Fight also coincides with the annual republican Tyrone Volunteers Day, officially launched by Dungannon and South Tyrone Sinn Féin Mayor Phelim Gildernew.
Timed to mark the 31st anniversary of the death of IRA hunger striker Martin Hurson, it also honours the 56 Provos and three Shinners from the county killed during the Troubles.
I wonder will Mayor Phelim make mention of the 336 members of the Order which Orange Drew says were also murdered during the conflict?
Makes you wonder what all these republican and Orange dead could have contributed to Irish society had they not died. More importantly, what sort of new Ireland did they die for? | <urn:uuid:83c44e4d-21e6-4c7f-b5c1-beb9ea0e233e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nuzhound.com/articles/Daily_Star/arts2012/jul9_Orangemen_must_march_in_South__JCoulter_Star.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966599 | 756 | 1.546875 | 2 |
CVS/pharmacy, MinuteClinic remind shoppers to get flu shot before celebrating the holidays
WOONSOCKET, R.I. — In recognition of National Influenza Vaccination Week from Dec. 4 to 10, CVS/pharmacy and its in-store health clinic business, MinuteClinic, are reminding families to "vaccinate before they celebrate" the holidays and receive their annual flu shot before the flu season peaks.
"As we head into the busy holiday season, it is important to remind people that it is not too late to receive their annual flu vaccination if they haven't already done so," CVS/pharmacy VP Papatya Tankut said. "No one wants to be sick during the holidays and the most important way to prevent you and your family from getting sick with the flu is to get a flu shot."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends flu vaccinations for everyone ages 6 months and older. National Influenza Vaccination Week was established by the CDC to highlight the importance of continuing influenza vaccination through the holiday season into January and beyond.
"The CDC reports that nearly 1-in-5 adults received their flu shot in a retail setting last year, so we are doing all we can to inform and vaccinate as many people as possible," Tankut added. "CVS pharmacists and MinuteClinic nurse practitioners and physician assistants have been helping people on their path to better health by providing flu vaccinations to their patients since August and will continue to do so through the holidays and into early next year."
Flu vaccinations are available at all CVS/pharmacy and MinuteClinic locations nationwide every day, including evenings and weekends, with no appointment necessary. CVS/pharmacy has more than 7,300 locations and MinuteClinic has nearly 600 locations inside select CVS/pharmacy stores. | <urn:uuid:f8fd76e6-c09d-42f3-b5a9-8862434b9b05> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://m.drugstorenews.com/article/cvspharmacy-minuteclinic-reminds-shoppers-get-flu-shot-celebrating-holidays?device=mobile | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968468 | 382 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Do you have the skills it takes to be an Olympian? If you understand the way an Olympic athlete’s mind works, you can apply those skills to any aspect of your life. Here’s how you can tap into ten traits of Olympic athletes to create an ironclad financial future for yourself.
Olympic trials are over and the 2012 London Olympics are just days away. We will all be glued to our TVs (or computers) as we get to see some of our favorite athletes march into the Olympic stadium during opening ceremonies on July 27th. Our infographic shows how the race for the gold will pay off and has paid off for athletes in the past. Full story
Everyone is kicking off the Vancouver Olympic Games in style, heck, even the New York Times and Foursquare are doing cool things to help you make the most of the Olympics. Full story | <urn:uuid:af220a8d-929a-48b1-a8d7-792ffd46857a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.turbotax.intuit.com/tag/olympics/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955415 | 179 | 1.648438 | 2 |
By Victor Thorn
Timeline of Deception
On the 11th anniversary of 9-11, when four Americans were slain in Benghazi, a Predator drone equipped with cameras hovered over a safe house that was under attack and beamed images—via satellite in real-time—to the United States State Department, the Pentagon and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) headquarters in Langley, Virginia. Also, during an October 11 radio interview with Howie Carr of Boston’s WRKO, Colonel David Hunt stated that over 100 people watched this feed in the White House Situation Room.
All of these entities witnessed firsthand that the onslaught did not result from protests over an anti-Mohammed video. The “fog of war” didn’t blur what they saw, as Hillary Clinton asserted, nor were the details sketchy, as administration officials claimed. Moreover, the State Department’s Charlene Lamb admitted during Congressional hearings that they watched the attacks in real-time.
To reinforce that this assault did not arise from a “spontaneous uprising,” at 4:05 pm EST on September 11, Clinton’s State Department Operations Center issued an urgent e-mail alert. “Approximately 20 armed people fired shots. Explosions have been heard as well.” At no time did they mention protests or a video. Two hours later, at 6:07 pm EST, the State Department transmitted another e-mail. “Ansar al-Sharia claims responsibility for Benghazi attack.”
The blame placed on Ansar al-Sharia—a group the U.S. government says is affiliated with al-Qaeda—did not emanate from the Mossad, Dick Cheney or The Weekly Standard. Rather, it came directly from the Obama administration’s State Department. In this light, every party involved knew with certainty from day one that the attacks did not arise from some type of protest.
Yet, for the next two weeks, Barack Obama and his cronies outwardly lied about the circumstances surrounding this attack against American personnel. Beginning with a September 12 Rose Garden statement, Obama generically referred to “acts of terror,” but never called the murders themselves terrorism. However, on September 12, Libya’s deputy ambassador to London stated that Ansar al-Sharia was behind the attacks, while on September 13, Libya’s ambassador to the U.S. specifically referred to the ambush as terrorism.
Below is a damning timeline of deception emanating from the Obama administration:
September 14: White House Press Secretary Jay Carney. “We don’t have and did not have concrete evidence to suggest that this was not in reaction to the film.”
September 16: U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice appeared on five Sunday talk shows to say, “In fact, it was a spontaneous—not a premeditated—response to what transpired in Cairo.” [i.e reaction to the video]
Sept. 18: Jay Carney reiterated, “Our initial information, and that includes all information, we saw no evidence to backup claims by others that this was a preplanned or premeditated attack. We saw evidence that it was sparked by a reaction to this video.”
September 18: Obama to David Letterman. “Terrorists used this [the film protests] as an excuse to attack.”
September 19: Jay Carney, as questions surfaced about the attackers carrying shoulder-launched rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs). “We have no evidence of a preplanned or premeditated attack.”
September 20: Obama during an interview with Spanish-language television network Univision that took place in Miami. “What we do know is that the natural protests arose because outrage over the video was used as an excuse by extremists.”
September 24: When asked while appearing on The View if the Benghazi attacks were terrorism, Obama referred to them as a “mob action.”
September 25: During his United Nations speech, Obama was still beating a dead horse, citing the anti-Mohammed video six separate times.
The Attack: What Really Happened?
In a September 24 analysis of the Benghazi attacks, former CIA clandestine operations officer Claire Lopez wrote, “They let our ambassador and others die, in real time, watching it happen, and they didn’t do anything about it.” Elaborating further, Lopez stated that after Navy SEALs were told to stand down three separate times, such an order not to assist fellow Americans had to reach, at a minimum, Hillary Clinton at the State Department, or higher.
At a time when every American embassy should have been on high alert—especially since former U.S. Ambassador to Libya John Christopher Stevens had repeatedly requested additional security for months—how could a CIA safe house be attacked for hours on end without a response from the most powerful military on Earth? Incredibly, two of the four murdered Americans were killed seven hours after the attacks began. It should be noted that Israel’s assault on the USS Liberty lasted for two hours. Such amateurish incompetence on the part of this administration is difficult to fathom.
As evidence undeniably shows, the attacks were premeditated and well planned. Spontaneous mobs supposedly angered by a YouTube video don’t carry RPGs, mortars, machine guns and AK-47 rifles. After attackers doused the mission with diesel fuel and set it on fire, Stevens ultimately died of smoke inhalation in a safe-room. His bodyguard Sean Smith burst through a window, only to be killed moments later by a volley of grenades.
These men undoubtedly knew their lives were in danger, as Stevens’ frantically issued e-mails to the Pentagon warning of increased violence. Months earlier he pleaded with the State Department about being on a hit list. “What we have seen are not random crimes of opportunity, but rather targeted discriminate attacks.” Indeed, their Benghazi compound had been bombed twice prior to September 11. Likewise, shortly before his death, former Information Management Officer with the U.S. Foreign Service Sean Smith posted a message on a gaming site, “I hope we get out alive.”
Tragically, as the White House, CIA and Pentagon watched the attacks as they unfolded, Barack Obama met with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta at 5:00 pm EST. No rescue troops were sent to directly assist these Americans, and later—as the carnage continued—Obama went to bed. The next day he callously flew to Las Vegas to attend a fundraiser.
Barack Obama: The Coward
On October 11, Pat Smith, mother of Sean Smith who was slain in Benghazi on September 11, told CNN’s Anderson Cooper about the reaction she received at his September 19 funeral. “I look at TV and see bloody handprints on walls thinking, my God, is that my son’s? They [the Obama administration] haven’t told me anything. They’re still studying it, and the things they are telling me are outright lies. Susan Rice talked to me personally and said, ‘This is the way it is, it was because of this film that came out.’”
On top of Rice’s unmitigated duplicity, Mrs. Smith described our commander-in-chief as unsympathetic beyond words. “I cried on Obama’s shoulder, and then he looked off into the distance, so that was worthless to me.”
Racked with grief, she relayed more of her encounter. “I said [to Obama]: You screwed up. You didn’t do a good job. I lost my son, and he said: We’ll get back to you; trust me. Well, I don’t trust you anymore.”
On October 24, Charles Woods, father of slaughtered Navy SEAL Tyrone S. Woods, spoke with conservative radio talk show host Lars Larson about his encounter with Obama at the funeral. “When he came over to our little area, he kind of mumbled, ‘I’m sorry.’ His face was looking at me, but his eyes were looking over my shoulder like he couldn’t look me in the eye. It wasn’t a sincere, ‘I’m really sorry that your son died,’ but it was more of an insincere, whining ‘I’m sorry,’ and it was like shaking hands with a dead fish. It just didn’t feel right. Now it’s coming out that, apparently, the White House Situation Room was watching our people die in real time.”
Likewise, he explained the Secretary of State’s cold-heartedness. “[Hillary] came over separately and talked. I gave her a hug, and she did not appear to be one bit sincere at all.”
Lastly, during an October 26 televised interview, Woods said of the president. “Was [Obama] one of those cowards in the White House watching my son being murdered on TV and refusing to do anything? That’s a question he probably won’t have the courage to answer publicly.”
Obama Gunrunning: From Fast & Furious to Libya & Syria
Continuing in the tradition of U.S. arms trafficking to Afghani Mujahideen, the Contras in Central America, and the agitators that overthrew Muammar Qaddafi, it appears as if Ambassador Stevens’ primary role in Benghazi was as a liaison to dispatch weapons from Libya through Turkey into Syria. There, rebels used this firepower in a continuing campaign to topple President Bashar Hafez al-Assad.
During an October 24 interview, Scott Creighton, a blogger touting himself as an “American Everyman,” told AMERICAN FREE PRESS, “Stevens was a gunrunner and paymaster whose job was to destabilize Libya so that the U.S. could control the aftermath.” In a September 24 article, Creighton wrote, “It was the CIA and Stevens working together in Libya since early 2011 who created and ran the fake revolution in the first place.”
Former CIA asset Claire Lopez expanded on this operation in the September 24 analysis: “Earlier in 2012 President Obama signed an intelligence finding to permit the CIA and other U.S. government agencies to provide support to Syrian rebels.” She continued, “Reports that those rebels now have surface-to-air missiles call to mind the thousands of such weapons looted from Qaddafi’s stockpiles during and after the revolt that ousted him in Oct. 2011.”
Not only did Stevens use Benghazi as a stronghold for his gun-walking mission and to recruit mercenaries that fought against Assad, on September 6 a Libyan ship hauling 400 tons of cargo docked in Iskenderun, Turkey. Among the freight later smuggled across the border were RPGs and heat-seeking missiles that were subsequently used to down Syrian jet-fighters.
On October 24, Russian General Nikolai Makarov weighed in on this tense situation. “We have reliable information that Syrian militants have foreign portable anti-aircraft missile systems, including those made in the USA.”
Victor Thorn is a hard-hitting researcher, journalist and author of over 30 books. | <urn:uuid:7129da7e-b1fb-4f4f-9c00-e546db049782> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://americanfreepress.net/?p=7056 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973222 | 2,368 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Always Ready for the Storm
Adm. Thad Allen, the commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, almost didn't take the job that has put him in the spotlight. It was Labor Day weekend 2005, and Allen had just learned from the Department of Homeland Security that he might be asked to serve as the deputy to Michael Brownthe head of the Federal Emergency Management Agencywho was floundering almost a week after Hurricane Katrina made landfall. Allen, vacationing on the Virginia shore with his wife, Pam, says they talked it over and were "truly hesitant."
But that feeling wouldn't last long. He was formally asked to be Brown's deputy on Labor Day. By Friday, Brown was shuttled back to Washington, and DHS Chief Michael Chertoff appointed Allen, a gruff-faced, little-known official with a commanding presence, as head of the federal response for the entire Gulf Coast region. "I realized when you get a call to duty, you don't say no," says Allen, who was also inspired by the notion that leadership involves both ability and opportunity. "You can be a quiet, fine leader your whole life," he explains. "But if you ... don't ever act on a massive scale, you could go a whole career without anybody knowing it."
Iwo Jima. Recognition certainly isn't an issue for Allen these days. The 57-year-old coastie-as Coast Guard members are often called-has become the face of the Coast Guard, a service whose rescue teams pulled roughly 33,000 stranded Katrina victims off rooftops and overpasses. Allen and Army Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré set up their rescue headquarters on the USS Iwo Jima-a Navy ship docked in the New Orleans port-offering a breath of hope a week and a half after the storm. This May, President Bush, citing Allen's "Energizer bunny" work ethic and integrity, appointed Allen head of the Coast Guard, where he'd already served 35 years.
To those who have watched Allen's career, his guardian-angel role was no deviation. As former Coast Guard chief of staff, he led the transition team that merged the agency into DHS in 2003. Heading up East Coast operations in 2001, Allen had organized the sea response to September 11. "I was getting my blood drawn at a physical, of all things, when the first plane hit the north tower," Allen recalls. Within hours of the attack, he'd ordered the large Coast Guard cutters, the ships used primarily for patrolling the high seas, to block the mouths of every major East Coast port. Even though Allen points out the Coast Guard hadn't done that sort of thing before, the ships' practice of inspecting high-threat cargo at sea and escorting suspicious boats to shore in the days after the attacks were precursors for port security operations that continue today.
When he took over the Katrina response, Allen says he relied on a "bias for action," the practice of moving, not endlessly deliberating. Within 24 hours, he and Honoré set up a planning group that would soon meet on the Iwo Jima. Each day, the two would deliver a report on what they hoped to do the next day to New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco. Of course, decisions made quickly can have massive consequences-something Allen had experienced years earlier, in 1999, when he ordered his charges to bring 5-year-old Elián Gonzáles onto U.S. soil after he was told the youngster was hypothermic. Even though the Cuban boy's presence ignited a custody battle, Allen says he never regretted that decision. "You develop a battle rhythm in these moments," he says. | <urn:uuid:7e2ca94d-e57c-413f-8ac2-00cd75126323> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/061022/30allen.htm | 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 | 0.980878 | 775 | 1.695313 | 2 |
A Labour MP has apologised for comparing the National Party to Adolf Hitler over controversial legislation allowing partial asset sales.
While asset sales were being debated in Parliament yesterday, Wigram MP Megan Woods tweeted: "Hitler had a pretty clear manifesto that he campaigned and won on ... does this make what he did OK?''.
The "mixed ownership model'' legislation narrowly passed by 61 votes to 60.
Today Ms Woods apologised to her 537 twitter followers for drawing parallel between the Government's actions and those of Hitler that ultimately resulted in the death of six million Jews.
"My comments yesterday were said in heat and were extreme and I apologise'', she tweeted.
Ms Woods and representatives from Labour leader David Shearer's office today would not be drawn on whether an apology on Twitter was appropriate for the comments, which were broadcast and reported.
"I'm not going to be making any further comment but I just wanted to give you the courtesy of returning the call,'' Ms Woods said.
She had initially defended her comments when challenged via Twitter whether the Nazi comparison was helpful.
"As a historian usually I would agree but fact remains that nats are using faulty logic that historical examples can show,'' she tweeted.
She added: "Point is that simply stating something before an election does not make it right! Example is extreme but exposes logic''.
Her comments drew a backlash from many who said they were shocked and disgusted by the comparison.
"If we didn't have good manners, we would be utterly indistinguishable from hitler -the labour party, I guess'' wrote one tweeter.
"Whenever #Labour get desperate, they try to out-Hitler the Tories on immigration. It's pathetic and disgusting,'' said another.
This morning, Ms Woods' initial controversial comments and her later tweets defending them remained on her Twitter account.
Jewish refugee Freda Narev, who lost her family in the Holocaust, was outraged by Ms Woods' comments.
"Nothing compares with what Hitler did because he made an industry out of the annihilation of the Jews. Nothing, nothing can compare and certainly not in New Zealand, the 75-year-old Auckland woman told APNZ.
"I'm really furious because it means that sort of trivialises the sacrifice that my family made,'' she said
Mr Shearer said earlier he had spoken to Ms Woods about her comments, which he described as "unfortunate''.
"She's mortified she caused any problems and any concerns to people,'' he said. | <urn:uuid:b18a7cf2-2185-48b5-98e4-bd3800f523db> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nzherald.co.nz/news/print.cfm?objectid=10815793 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980085 | 511 | 1.546875 | 2 |
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