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CHICAGO — The road to Midwestern acceptance of same-sex marriage runs through Illinois, the home of President Obama that is poised to be the 10th state and the first Legislature in the region to endorse such unions.
In a few short years, attitudes about same-sex marriage are changing in the industrial Midwest. Iowa voters ousted three Supreme Court justices in 2010 who backed a unanimous ruling supporting gay marriage a year earlier. However, last November a fourth judge who was part of that decision survived a recall effort. In Minnesota, voters rejected a constitutional amendment that would have limited marriage to a man and a woman. | <urn:uuid:22b6f25f-7ece-4063-be4b-4910bbd74b8c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2013/02/16/illinois-lawmakers-lead-midwest-toward-making-gay-marriage-legal/Jx82nvn6hgLLHrwBeWhcHI/comments.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972474 | 125 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Fri January 18, 2013
N.Y. Governor Flexes Political Muscle To Pass Tough Gun Law
On Tuesday, New York became the first state in the nation to pass a tough new gun control law. Gov. Andrew Cuomo convinced his state's Legislature to act, even before President Obama took executive action to limit access to guns.
The governor's legislative victory followed his impassioned State of the State address earlier this month, delivered the first day of the 2013 legislative session.
In the speech, the Democratic governor, who owns a hunting rifle, exhorted the Legislature to act quickly. "No one hunts with an assault rifle. No one needs 10 bullets to kill a deer," he said.
Just days later, Cuomo was signing the Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act, which he calls "common sense," into law. "No one else has to die," Cuomo said the night before Tuesday's signing ceremony. "No more innocent loss of life."
A 'Carrot And Stick Approach To Governing'
Cuomo has translated his consistently high popularity ratings into political capital, enabling him to achieve big changes in a state government that, not very many years ago, was dubbed the most dysfunctional in the nation. And in another political victory, the governor was able to pass a gay marriage bill in 2011.
A Jan. 17 poll from the Siena Research Institute at Siena College found the majority of New Yorkers — Democrats and Republicans — back the stronger assault weapons ban.
"This governor has demonstrated that he knows how to use the carrot and stick approach to governing, and to getting the Legislature to do what he wants to do," says Siena pollster Steven Greenberg. "And that's why he'd been so successful in his first two years in office."
Other observers say there's another reason: driving ambition — Cuomo wanted to be first. Fred LeBrun, a longtime writer with the Albany Times Union, describes himself as a gun-owning liberal Democrat. He says New York's previous laws were sufficient.
"We already have an assault weapons ban. We're already down to the 10 rounds that the president is seeking to get for the rest of the country," LeBrun says. "We already have these things. Why do we need to do better than that?
"Only because the governor, driven by his own ambitions on the national scene, is saying, 'I want to be fastest and "bestest," and make everybody look at me, look at me.' "
A Head Start In Governing
LeBrun says Cuomo had a head start in trying to understand the byzantine Albany culture. He's the son of Democratic icon and former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo. Andrew Cuomo managed his father's campaign, and, just out of law school, served as a $1-a-year top adviser during the elder Cuomo's early time in office.
"He was not the most pleasant person, but then again, no one should be held accountable for the way they are in their 20s," LeBrun says. "But he was forming himself, he was difficult to deal with, he could be nasty and aggressive — but he got things done."
When Andrew Cuomo finally became governor himself, he was uniquely prepared to exploit weaknesses in New York's waning Republican Party. And when creating the gun control bill, he agreed to let the GOP have some provisions they could take credit for.
New York Senate Republican leader Dean Skelos touted the new, stiffer penalties for the use of illegal guns.
"This is going to go after those who are bringing illegal guns into the state, who are slaughtering people in New York City in particular," Skelos said Monday.
But conservative Sen. Greg Ball expressed some bitterness.
"We haven't saved any lives tonight, except for one: the political life of a governor who wants to be president," Ball said Monday on the Senate floor.
But Cuomo says that for now, he's focusing on being the best governor he can be. Should he seek higher office, though, he might find that what plays in New York might be harder to sell to the rest of the nation. | <urn:uuid:70ba95f2-a7b7-4456-bfc9-c2187ea38dfb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wvxu.org/post/ny-governor-flexes-political-muscle-pass-tough-gun-law | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978801 | 856 | 1.679688 | 2 |
As a child, I always loved teddy bears. I had an extensive collection of teddy bears in a wide range of colors and sizes. Some of my teddy bears were elaborate collector’s items like my Shakespearean Panda Build-A-Bear, whereas others were more simple teddy bears I won from those crane machines. I loved to collect teddy bears because I thought they were cute and cuddly, and I appreciated the companionship from these stuffed friends. Teddy bears are one type of toy that can really lighten up a room and create a calming atmosphere. It’s no surprise that many medical offices and hospitals give out teddy bears to sick children or decorate with them.
However, not all teddy bears are necessarily cute and cuddly. Some are actually quite horrifying. The teddy bear USB drive is one of those. This creepy little gadget features a small plush teddy bear with a USB drive built inside it. In order to use the USB drive, you simply pop the head off of the teddy bear to unveil the device.
When people walk by a computer that is using this USB device, they may be horrified by the sight of the headless bear sticking out of the computer itself. Children would probably have nightmares as they wonder what happened to their beloved cuddly friend. This could be the ultimate trick to play on someone. You could use it for Halloween, or perhaps you’d prefer to save it for an April Fool’s joke. Either way, it will be sure to generate many laughs for adults, and possible therapy for horrified children. The Teddy Bear USB drive is available for purchase on USBGeek.com with a price ranging from $22 – $38 depending on the number of gigabytes (2GB – 32GB).
The Headless Teddy Bear USB Drive
Image Credit: [USBGeek.com] | <urn:uuid:77b7f24c-a907-41f6-bcec-8cd4217d7c4b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bitrebels.com/design/headless-teddy-bear-usb-drive/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960646 | 387 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Paul came to New Hampshire from New York City working for iHeartRadio and hosting the White House Brief with Paul Westcott. The show can be listened to 24/7 on the iHeartRadio app and online. His career began in television news working as an assignment editor and producer for NBC News/MSNBC and Fox News Channel.
Paul's passion for radio began in college at Fordham University working for WFUV-FM an NPR affiliate where he honed his on-air skills as an anchor and beat reporter. At Fordham Paul earned a BA & MA in political science.
He currently lives in Manchester with his Wife Sarah.
(Jason Howerton) The University of Colorado-Colorado Springs (UCCS) is offering students up to four college credits if they attend the public university’s 14th annual “White Privilege Conference,” Campus Reform reports.
The event, which is organized by UCCS, will focus on teaching whites that they are born with an inherent privilege over other races. A stunning promotional video for the event provides an idea of what the White Privilege Conference is all about.
“I am privileged,” reads black text on an all white background. “I can if I wish arrange to be around people of my race most of the time.”
The video continues:
“I can go shopping fairly assured I won’t be followed or harassed.”
“When I’m told about our national heritage or about ‘civilization’ I am shows that people of my color made it what it is.”
“I can, whether I use checks, credit cards or cash, count on my skin color not to work against my appearing financially reliable.”
“I don’t have to educate my children to be aware of systemic racism for their own daily protection.”
“I can choose blemish cover or bandages in ‘flesh’ color and have them more or less match my skin.” | <urn:uuid:c1c6343b-679b-4c1c-8c14-00c3d5d4e2d6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nhnewsnetwork610.com/pages/paul.html?article=11064385 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950529 | 427 | 1.515625 | 2 |
It’s the summer of 1967. The Summer of Love. Hippie culture is at its height and Yorkville has become one of the biggest hubs for sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll on the continent. Just ten years ago, the first Beatnik coffee shops opened in what was then a quiet, residential neighbourhood – full of rundown Victorian homes, a few art galleries and upscale boutiques. Now, the coffee houses are everywhere, more opening and closing all the time – patios out front; poetry, folk music, go-go dancers, and rock ‘n’ roll inside. The Penny Farthing even has a pool on its roof. Streets like Cumberland and Yorkville, Hazelton and Scollard overflow with hippies, greasers, and bikers.
It all just keeps getting bigger and busier. Long-haired kids from all over Canada are hitchhiking across the country, thumbs pointed squarely at those few blocks north of Bloor between Bay and Avenue Road – those same few blocks that have already been home to countless artists and musicians over the last ten years: folk singers like Joni Mitchell and Gordon Lightfoot; poets like Margaret Atwood, Dennis Lee, Milton Acorn and Gwendolyn Macewen; rock stars like Neil Young and The Band, the beginnings of Steppenwolf and Buffalo Springfield and Blood, Sweat and Tears. Heck, even Rick James.
It’s not just Canadian kids. Americans have been flocking to Yorkville, too. Some of them come for the scene — for the drugs and music and art and free love — and some for the chance to escape the Draft and the war in Vietnam.
William Gibson came for both reasons. He’d grown up in rural Virginia reading science fiction and the Beats — Ginsberg and Kerouac, but especially William S. Burroughs. One day, they would help influence him to become one of the most celebrated science fiction authors of all-time. But first, they helped influence him to drop out of high school. And with the Draft in full swing, he figured it might be a good idea to convince the authorities that he wasn’t really cut out for a stint in the Armed Forces.
“I told them that my one ambition in life was to take every mind-altering substance that existed on the face of the planet,” he remembered later. “I just went in and babbled about wanting to be like William Burroughs. And that seemed to do the trick… I went home and bought a bus ticket to Toronto. But I don’t like to take too much credit for that having been a political act… It had much more to do with my wanting to be with hippie girls and have lots of hashish than it did with my sympathy for the plight of the North Vietnamese people under U.S. imperialism – much more to do with hippie girls and hashish.”
Yorkville had lots of both.
Gibson plunged right in, smoking pot and hash, dropping acid and doing pretty much everything else he could get his hands on. He knew better than to do heroin – thanks to reading Burroughs – but other than that: “The opiates aside, I tried whatever was going. I sort of prided myself on it.”
He wasn’t alone. That very summer, just a couple of blocks away at the University of Toronto, Yorkville’s hippies organized something of a multimedia conference on the benefits of dropping acid. “Perception ’67″ they called it. Allen Ginsberg came. (He even had breakfast with Marshall McLuhan.) So did one of the Merry Pranksters. Timothy Leary would have been there too, but the government wouldn’t let him into the country. And as amazing as the popularity of LSD was, it was nothing compared to pot. Yorkville was awash in marijuana smoke.
Money, on the other hand, was a bit harder to find. There were thousands of kids in the village that summer, especially on the weekends when “weekenders” flooded in from suburbs like Forest Hill. But there were only so many jobs and places to crash. “For a couple of weeks I was essentially homeless,” Gibson later told the BBC, “although it was such a delightful, floating, pleasant period that it now seems strange to me to think that I was in fact homeless.”
Luckily for him, at least one young entrepreneur saw the popularity of drugs in Yorkville as a new kind of business opportunity. The world’s first head shop had opened in San Francisco the year before, followed by one in New York City a few months later. Now, Toronto had a head shop of our own — with an incredibly nerdy name to go along with it: Gandalf’s. The store sold pipes and bongs and rolling papers and all sorts of other drug-related paraphernalia. The CBC called it, “A dope fiend’s idea of a dream come true.” And it seems that at the same time Gibson was looking for a way to pay rent, Gandalf’s was looking for a manager. He got the job. That’s how he bankrolled a summer spent living, as he puts it, “in various wonderful sorts of sin”.
Of course, all this drug-use and sex and long hair attracted plenty of media attention. The newspapers and television crews had been fascinated by Yorkville since the early ’60s — spending most of their time freaking out over the supposed corruption of youth, but also trying to figure out exactly what all these kids thought they were doing. And so, in September of 1967, the CBC sent a crew into the neighbourhood to interview some hippies.
By an awesome stroke of historical luck, they happened to find William Gibson.
The video of their news report is posted online in the CBC archives. (You can watch it here.) Gibson — in the slow, lazy voice of someone who seems to be very stoned — rambles on about hippie philosophy, free love and the counterculture while he wanders around the neighbourhood. The CBC’s narrator, Knowlton Nash, holds him up as a prime example: “a real hippie”.
But in truth, by then, Gibson was sick of the whole scene. And with the summer winding down, he was just looking to get enough cash together to be able to move on. He says when the CBC showed up offering $500 for an interview, he was happy to lie through his teeth. “[N]othing I’m saying there, at such painful length, is even remotely genuine,” he wrote a few years ago. “I’m thoroughly fed up… and want nothing more than a ticket out.”
He got it. For the next few years, he’d move around – even go to Woodstock – before returning to Toronto for a while. It was here that he met and married his wife, but they eventually settled in Vancouver. That’s where he went to university, got into punk, and started writing the science fiction that would make him famous. They say that not only did he coin the term “cyberspace”, but that it’s because of him we talk about stuff like “surfing” the web and “neural implants” too. His 1984 novel, Neuromancer, is still a mainstay of first year syllabuses. In 1999, the Guardian called him “probably the most important novelist of the past two decades”.
By the time he left Yorkville, the scene had already peaked. As bikers and harder drugs became bigger problems and a few cases of hepatitis sparked a media frenzy, the authorities – who had long been calling the scene a “cancer” and “a festering sore in the middle of the city” – seized their opportunity to drive the kids out of the village. The counterculture spread across downtown Toronto, to Kensington Market and Queen West and just down Bloor Street to Rochdale College (until the government shut that down too). Meanwhile, Yorkville was turned into the swanky shopping district it is today. When Gibson came back for a visit last year, the Globe and Mail was there. “It’s as though they tore down St. Mark’s Place and built the Trump Tower,” he told them. “My Bohemia is gone.”
Cross-posted from The Toronto Dreams Project Historical Ephemera Blog.
Photo: Yorkville in 1967 (via York University’s virtual Yorkville exhibit) | <urn:uuid:1bf83e07-3e65-4900-b6b7-40b028f35522> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://spacing.ca/toronto/2013/01/08/william-gibson-and-the-summer-of-love-the-authors-drug-fuelled-days-in-yorkville/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976529 | 1,826 | 1.609375 | 2 |
“Baked Plantain Load” is made of plantains, chili, rice flour, corn oil, turmeric powder and salt. The plantains are peeled, cut in small slices and mixed in a bowl until it becomes a paste. From the chili, rice flour and salt a mixture is obtained .The turmeric is fried in a pan with corn oil. When the turmeric is done, it will be added to the plantain mixture. The final mixture is cooked for about an hour. The Ivorian Coast “Vegan Brownies” are made of applesauce, cocoa powder, salt, vegan sugar, mashed banana, flour and vegan chips. All the ingredients are mixed in a large bowl while the oven is preheated to 350 F. The mixture is poured in a pan and baked for about 35 minutes. Bananas with green split peas are made of green split peas, bananas, salt, oil and onion. First the peas are well cooked in water until they become tender. The bananas are put on top of the peas without mixing them. Heat the oil in a pan that can hold the peas and the bananas. The onions need to be fried until they become brown. Last step is to put the bananas and peas over the onions using a spoon. | <urn:uuid:975ee4e1-2704-45d2-be3f-718b0ec2c70e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://recipes.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Ivoirian_Vegetarian | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94903 | 260 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Can local and organic foods from Walmart compete with those from Whole Foods? The Atlantic's Corby Kummer sets out to find out just that after learning about Walmart's new Heritage Agriculture program, which encourages farms within a day's drive to deliver crops
to one of its warehouses. Walmart being Walmart, the move isn't motivated by a burning belief in locavorism as much as a desire to save on shipping costs, but the locavorism is a benefit nonetheless. But how do Walmart's groceries taste?
To find out, Kummer set up a four-course blind tasting at locally-focused Austin restaurant Fino. Each course was split into two dishes, identically prepared but for the ingredients one set from Whole Foods and one from Walmart. Kummer called it a draw: Walmart's almonds, mixed greens, and spinach handily beat their Whole Foods competitors, but Whole Foods' chicken, milk, and pomegranates reigned supreme in their categories. Worth noting: Walmart's ingredients were also $50 cheaper. Watch the video to preview the produce for yourself.
The Great Grocery Smackdown [Food/The Atlantic] | <urn:uuid:a8837045-6311-4239-bbd8-05950e8ee81c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://boston.grubstreet.com/2010/02/can_walmart_rival_whole_foods.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949508 | 231 | 1.703125 | 2 |
❚ HERE WE SEE CLASSIC PIX of the early glam incarnations that broke the rules of rock and roll and put the gender-bending David Bowie into the headlines. Since 1972 Japanese photographer Masayoshi Sukita has gone on capturing the prolific flow of creations from the ever-inventive Bowie. This week in London his long-awaited book Speed of Life documenting their 40-year collaboration is launched by Genesis Publications in its 2,000-copy limited edition. Signed by both Bowie and Sukita, it is priced at £360 ($581) for 300 pages which they caption with their own recollections and memories. Bowie says: “It’s very hard for me to accept that Sukita-san has been snapping away at me since 1972 but that really is the case… May he click into eternity.”
Meanwhile in today’s Sunday Times Magazine art critic Waldemar Januszczak recalls his teenage outing in 5-inch platforms when he paid 90p on the door of Starkers in Boscombe, Dorset, to discover the eye-popping mystique of Ziggy Stardust in August 1972 — minutes after Sukita the photographer arrived in Britain and caught Bowie’s shock show at London’s Royal Festival Hall. He described it as “like an astronomer finding a new planet”.
Januszczak writes: “It was Andy Warhol who invented the immensely attractive cultural idea that anyone could be whoever they wanted to be. It became Bowie’s big idea as well. And the tour he set out on in 1972 featured his most determined efforts yet to become lots of people at once: Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, Major Tom, The Man Who Saved the World. That was just the beginning. The bewildering multi-identitied career photographed for us so sympathtically by Sukita-san in Speed of Life features enough different David Bowies to constitute a football crowd…”
❏ Above images copyright Masayoshi Sukita, courtesy Genesis Publications | <urn:uuid:f05e5e26-cf95-4f9b-b8f4-6a57ae3fcc73> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://shapersofthe80s.com/2012/05/06/%E2%9E%A4-sukita-sans-eye-view-of-the-weird-world-according-to-bowie/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951536 | 423 | 1.835938 | 2 |
"I still think the social function of art is that kind of negative aesthetic. Otherwise there’s no social function for it."
ART21: Your museum projects are an unusual kind of art practice.
WILSON: I came to making these museum projects and calling them art not via art history, necessarily—not via seeing Joseph Beuys or others. I came to it via being an artist and working in the museum and gallery world—creating exhibitions and working in museums in various capacities: educator, preparator, museum guard. Coming from my background as an artist, I am seeing museum space as a constructed kind of design space, as an installation environment—very much like an artist, you’re manipulating objects, light, color, spatial relationships. So, I thought perhaps I could manipulate the space, make it kind of a trompe l’oeil of a museum space. Critiquing, as well, the notion of museum.
A lot of times, people just think I’m a curator. But in fact, the things I’m creating are much more about a meta-narrative than about museums and displays. The subject of the exhibition—which is what most curators are concerned about—takes a back seat to that. I’m just using the museum as my palette, basically.
When you go into one of my projects, a lot of times you’re scratching your head. You’re scratching your head because the information—like any artwork—makes you question your own thoughts and have to work a little bit. It’s not telling you everything. Your emotions and your feelings about what you’re seeing and your experience are as important as any specific information that I’m giving you. So, it’s a very different experience when you’re in one of my projects. And it’s even a greater experience if you didn’t know that I did it, because then you’re just having this experience without knowing that it’s an artist who created it for you.
ART21: How do these projects come about?
WILSON: I never contact museums to do a project. They have to want me there, because what I do is so different from what a normal curator would do. Often it’s about the institution, and one never knows what I’m going to bring up. So, they have to really want me there. Usually the director or the chief curator invites me. With Sweden, the director invited me to do a project there. They don’t usually ask me to do something specific. I’m invited to look at their collection and create a work from their collection. I can basically have free rein to do what I want to do. And thankfully, people know what I do now in many, many corners of the globe, so I have wonderful opportunities to do projects with different kinds of museums. And I’m always looking for a very different collection, a different place, because that really inspires me to do something completely different from what I’ve done before.
ART21: Say more about your installation at the Museum of World Culture in Sweden.
WILSON: I started the way I normally start: meet everyone, look at the collection, talk to people about the collection, research the collection, and then try to understand the city I’m in and make a piece. This museum had a very old history, but it ended: there was no building. They were building a new building, but everyone on the staff was pretty new, and certainly none of them had been around when the things were collected. So, it was an unusual experience, in that there no was memory within the walls, even; no, this was a new place. The collection’s old, so I did a great deal of research on the collection and the archaeologists and anthropologists who collected the things.
I really start these kinds of museum projects without knowing what I’m going to do. I try to just go in, tabula rasa, and be a sponge. I always have a little notebook about each project and write down everything—every experience, every thought, anything that was important along the way. In the beginning it’s fun, and then as you keep going, you get a little nervous because you have to figure out what this is, and you only have a certain amount of time to get this piece done. So, it gets a little nerve-wracking. But it always comes together. If I trust the process and have enough time, all the strands come together.
Looking through all this stuff, I became interested in the archaeological things. They have huge African, Indonesian, and Latin American collections. There were going to be other exhibitions of African art in the museum, so a lot of the collection—the good stuff—was being used already. I looked at the Latin American collection and became really interested in what they had. And they had both ethnographic and archaeological things. They had many, many, many things; and the things had been around for a long time.
Personally, one issue that came up, for me, was with the ethnographic collections. I felt really uncomfortable using much of the ethnographic collections, not necessarily because how they were collected. I didn’t know necessarily how they were collected. I knew some issues, but not the subtlety of it. I usually like to talk to the people whose things I put on view. Usually I’m using things in a museum that are from that culture, but here I was in Sweden, looking at native things from Latin America. There was nobody to talk to about these things and no way to understand—on any level—how people felt about these things or how they related in the context of the culture.
A western art museum is something I’m familiar with; that’s one level of understanding that I already have. Working in the Historical Society in Baltimore, it was important for me to understand Baltimore a bit—at least absorb people’s feelings about their world—in order for me to make a piece that fit within that place. I never think specifically how it fits, but just something about being in a place with people from a place—you become more a part of that place and less an outsider, less someone who would create something that would not make sense for that location. And that, to me, is really important because that’s who’s going to see it, generally.
With this collection, this was not the case. These ethnographers from Sweden brought things in, and so I had no sense of the context of these things. It was just me and these objects, and I felt very uncomfortable. Part of the problem with ethnographic museums, in general, is that these things are put on view without the culture or the people who made them. There’s very little sensitivity around that, and I didn’t want to be a part of that. So, I really avoid ethnographic collections.
Archaeological collections I found I could work with a little more. The communities were no longer the same in contemporary times as they were a thousand years ago, so I felt that I could work with those materials, because there wasn’t really a community to talk to about them. I could lay over whatever I thought about them as much as anyone else.
But what really got to me was that I was going through these ethnographic collections—particularly I was looking through ceramics—and they had all these stones. The hysterical thing about this was I really didn’t think I was going to use stone, the first few days I was there. I had this film crew coming, following me around, and I knew they wanted me to pull out something and say, “Yes, I’m going to use this,” for the cameras. I didn’t know what I was going to use, but I thought, “Well, I’m not going to use stone, so I will just go and look at the stones.” And so, I went over to the stones to pull out a stone just to say, “Yes, this is really interesting to me.” I didn’t want to say that I was going to use it or not use it, but I thought, “Well, this is something I probably won’t use, so I’m safe to have some vague interest in it.”
The thing I found was something from my family’s island. The Carib Indians, of which my family is a part, had these ancient stones from islands in the Caribbean the size of a volcano. These stones were taken by so-called archaeologists in the 1700s or early 1800s. And here they were. I’d never seen anything like that before. So, this thing I thought I would not use at all became the center point for how I thought about looking at the collection—the idea that these ancient stones have no provenance. There’s no way to know where it came from on the island, what it was used for, where it had been—they were just in the collection, in the basement. They would never be displayed, ever; they would just sit down there.
And here I was, seeing this thing that relates to my family. There’s very little to be seen of the Caribs. Columbus came to my family’s island in 1498, and everybody knows the story of what happened with Columbus and then the colonialists. And then, here these stones are in a basement in a museum in Sweden. They would just sit there, and nobody would ever know that they were there. So, I thought, “How much of the world is moving around like this, where people have no idea where their cultures or the things that might relate to them have ended up?”
ART21: It’s often said that movement, especially global travel, is a very modern thing.
WILSON: But it’s been happening forever, for various reasons. For positive and sometimes not such positive reasons. I just thought it was interesting. I began to think that it’s a lot about why things move around in the world, and how the museum is in the center of all of that. So, the exhibition title is Site Unseen: Dwellings of the Demons. And I view the “site unseen” as the literal things that are never seen before by the public, but also these invisible processes of museums as things that are unseen.
ART21: Do you often confront radically different processes in museums around the world?
WILSON: There is an international way of working in museums. I’ll come to a museum and say, “I want to do this,” and they won’t allow me to move anything around. They all do that. (LAUGHS)
But, pretty much if I’m there long enough, they give me the white gloves, and I can start to move things. Sometimes they have museum designers. I decide on paper how I want it designed, but then these designers come in, and it all goes up by itself. The museum comes and does it. And sometimes I’m the only exhibition that’s happening at that moment, and so everything’s focused on me. And so, I have this crowd of people doing what I want them to do. And sometimes I have absolute silence and am able to concentrate. Sometimes there are a lot of meetings with different museum people; and sometimes there’s no meetings, and I’m able to do what I want to do, freely, and I have only a few people to work with. It tends to be very different.
Since this is a brand new museum, everything is happening at the same time. Everyone is trying to get things ready. The museum itself, the building, is being made ready as well. So, there’s a lot activity here. Probably more than I’ve experienced because it’s the grand opening of the museum. I thought I should mention that because it is such a different experience.
In the United States, certain things are allowed, and certain things are not allowed. I can move certain objects, and I can’t move other objects. I was in Holland and did a project where they brought out these Vincent Van Gogh paintings, and I was able to hang them myself. And of course, a Van Gogh painting in the United States—I would never get anywhere near it! But in Rotterdam, they’ve got so many of them!
So, in different museums, I have different experiences. With American Indian objects, some things you can see and work with, and other things you can’t even see. They’re closed in a room because they’re sacred objects. Or they’re secret objects that only certain members of the tribe can view, the chief or the religious person. You can’t even go in the room. There are many protocols concerning exhibiting objects in the same room when working with American Indian objects. So, each environment is very different, and that’s of course what makes it interesting for me, being in new places: different cultures, different people, different collections. I never have any problem with being inspired. There’s always something new for me to be inspired by. | <urn:uuid:f29749dd-8ef2-4bf2-8c9e-efbf3644d39a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.art21.org/texts/fred-wilson/interview-fred-wilson-museums-and-collections | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982428 | 2,824 | 1.820313 | 2 |
The EU is strongly committed to funding research and innovation. The Europe 2020 strategy, endorsed by Member States, places investment in research and innovation at the heart of EU policy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. When EU heads of state and government discussed innovation at their meeting on 4 February 2011, they called on the European Commission to bring together all of the EU's research and innovation funding under a single common strategic framework.
In consequence, the European Commission launched a wide-ranging consultation involving all key stakeholders which has led to Horizon 2020.
The outcomes of the consultation are available through this website:
- A summary analysis of the consultation, based on written responses and around 1300 online questionnaires that were submitted by interested individuals, companies, research institutes and citizens.
- The written responses provided by over 750 associations, large organisations and others that provide in-depth views which are published on this website, organised by country.
- An interactive blog, where various questions and topics from the Green Paper were posted for open comment, debate and ideas.
- Links to events, in particular the major event on 10 June to bring together and discuss the main outcomes. | <urn:uuid:14bf70b8-5e23-473d-b9e9-0f4084f605cc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ec.europa.eu/research/horizon2020/index_en.cfm?pg=public-consultation | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957459 | 233 | 1.515625 | 2 |
PHOTO: Michigan Radio
How sweet it is: Anti-gay and anti-trans Black Republican State Rep. Paul Scott has been recalled by voters.
Scott’s opponents sought to recall the second-term lawmaker for several reasons, including his votes to cut K-12 education funding, add a pension tax and his work on legislation that loosens teacher tenure protection. According to campaign finance reports, Scott out-raised the recall effort by a nearly two to one margin.
"The effort to recall Scott was financed and backed by the Michigan Education Association, the state's largest teachers union," adds Michigan Radio.
Scott made national headlines during his 2010 campaign for secretary of state by using "bathrooom" scare tactics and anti-transgender rhetoric. Included among Scott's four campaign priorities: "I will make it a priority to ensure transgender individuals will not be allowed to change the sex on their driver’s license in any circumstance."
"If you are born a male, you should be known as a male. Same as with a female, she should be known as a female," he said. When asked to explain how such a mandate from the Secretary of State would benefit Michigan, he said it was about "preventing people who are males genetically from dressing as a woman and going into female bathrooms."
When the Harvard-educated Scott made history in 2008, it had "been more than 100 years" since a black Republican was elected to the state House. "Voters in the district will elect a new lawmaker in February," adds the Michigan Messenger. "Scott will serve until then."
You May Have Missed:
MI GOP Candidate Targets Transgenders | <urn:uuid:d010904f-60f5-4627-a714-9355f39e7974> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://rodonline.typepad.com/rodonline/paul-scott/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983668 | 342 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Excalibur offers both recreational and team gymnastics. Our recreational program is designed to develop coordination, strength, flexibility and agility through motor activities and progressive gymnastic skills. Children are trained on all Olympic apparatus, including trampoline. Each child experiences success and individual accomplishment with each new skill they learn. Classes can be one or two hours a week. Two classes weekly are recommended for children to improve their motor skills. As students progress, they can be moved to an advanced class that will enhance their skills further.
PLEASE CONTACT COACH ERIC FOR MORE INFORMATION REGARDING BOYS TEAM GYMNASTICS | <urn:uuid:eb85dffe-b822-4d55-b97a-b4a3d5850834> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://excalibur-gymnastics.com/classes-programs/boys-gymnastics/ | 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 | 0.942532 | 126 | 1.632813 | 2 |
A figure artist whose work I did not know of and I suspect many others did not either is William Reginald Watkins. A number of his water color paintings are for sale on Ebay right now, though some have been sold. William Reginald Watkins was born in Manchester, England and later studied at the Maryland Institute in Baltimore Maryland. There he studied under artists such as Hans Schuler, C.W. Turner and Maxwell Miller. He was a member of the Baltimore Watercolor Club, the London Royal Society of Art, Baltimore Art Director Club, National Art Director and the Maryland Institute Alumni Board. His work was exhibited both nationally and internationally. He was best know for landscapes, snowscenes, still life, portraits, and marine paintings. These are figure studies executed to keep up his craft. There is a listing at Askart.com.
His figure studies are carefully observed and show an understanding of anatomy and the human form. Noitice the careful rendering of form and notice also the care that went into these paintings. Watercolor is a tricky medium, that is you can't go back and correct your work so the care that went into these paintings is evident in the unity of color, nothing seems overworked or out of place in the finished work.
Two ebooks on drawing the figure are available at Figure-drawings.com, Figure Painting in Watercolors, which shows the technique of British figure artists from the beginnning of the twentieth century and Lessons in Figure Painting in Watercolor which has basic lessons illustrated with prints made to resemble two stages of a water color painting in a book originally published in the 1880s.
Introduction to Painting the Nude
Interpreting the Figure in Watercolor at Amazon.com.
Classical Painting Atelier: A Contemporary Guide to Traditional Studio Practice also at Amazon.com.
Here's a website devoted to W. R. Watkins: WR Watkins - Nude Portraits :: 1930s — 1960s
How to Draw People at Figure-Drawings.com
How to Draw Proportions at Figure-Drawings.com | <urn:uuid:961b91b6-f9de-4f1e-b35d-a187138f99b6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://figure-drawings.blogspot.com/2009/01/water-color-figure-painting.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974241 | 427 | 1.742188 | 2 |
A liberal arts foundation…
The College of Arts and Sciences is central to the instructional, research, and outreach missions of The University of Alabama.
The College provides the fundamental liberal arts foundation necessary to the education of all University of Alabama students. It is dedicated to educating individuals based on the liberal arts philosophy of making each student a life-long learner.
The College is committed to leadership in pedagogical innovation and the use of technology to further student learning. It values the traditional residential campus and is dedicated to providing an array of stimulating learning communities where students may grow personally and intellectually. The discovery and sharing of knowledge is at the heart of our enterprise. The College is committed to leadership in the creation, dissemination, and application of knowledge and the preparation of future scholars. It accomplishes this by maintaining and enhancing both its nationally competitive faculty and its nationally ranked graduate and undergraduate programs.
Learning and quality-of-life are interrelated. As the state’s largest liberal arts college, the College of Arts and Sciences is central to the cultural, intellectual, and social life on campus and in the community, state, and region. It contributes fundamentally to the economic development of the state through teaching, creative activity, research, and outreach.
The College holds to the principle that knowledge must serve humanity and our environment, and it is dedicated to global responsibility, justice, and ethics. | <urn:uuid:1ed4e01b-14fd-4044-8749-29651669b274> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://theatre.ua.edu/university/college-of-arts-sciences/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941838 | 280 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Concrete is one of those materials that you think of for it’s structural purposes. Whether it’s for your sidewalk, driveway or even as concrete masonry units or commonly referred to as CMU blocks, we don’t think of concrete in an aesthetically pleasing fashion. Concrete has put on a new face in recent years and designers and architects are finding a beauty to concrete. Whether it is polished, or colored or just kept natural, concrete has a beauty that your home will love. Here are a few ways to showcase this forgotten material in your modern interiors.
Natural concrete beauty:
Concrete has long known to be a building material for pouring columns, foundations, and even used for flooring and walls. With urban warehouse lofts trending with their exposed industrial finishes and designers using the bare material as a design aspect, concrete loves to be shown off. Look at how this open floor plan by RGN Construction showcases bare concrete walls, and columns to give this contemporary space a chic industrial feel.
Bringing color and concrete together:
While concrete is inherently gray, there are many ways to add color to the mixture or to stain the surface to give gorgeous new tones. From colorful flooring to adding flecks of colorful stones and aggregate, concrete can beautify any space. Consider adding colorful textiles in furniture, pillows, area rugs and drapery to give a high contrast between soft and hard textures. This sitting area by Ehrlich Architects is a perfect showcasing of an orange colored sofa amidst a hard concrete wall and built in display area. The perfect marriage of gorgeous contrasting materials and form.
Polished concrete can look so dramatic:
While you may think you have to stick with the matte finish of concrete, just like any aggregate or stone, concrete can be buffed and polished to have a reflectance that is modern and very sophisticated. Take a look at this concrete polished floor in this modern loft apartment. The floor combined with the decorative stone below the dining room table is a great organic touch to avoid the look of a “sea of concrete”. For a softer touch, consider adding an area rug to your floor, with a good backing material to avoid the rug slipping! Many designers have found ways to form everyday household items out of concrete as well. Sinks, and bathtubs are given a whole new look with concrete.
If you have been wondering how to bring a new design aesthetic into your home, look no further. Concrete is cheaper than most resilient materials, stands up to wear and tear, but can also be formed into beautiful shapes and geometries. Before you run to look at other materials for your interiors, consider concrete. This non-traditional finish can be just as beautiful as marble, granite and slate. With all the possibilities from your walls and flooring to sinks and bathtubs, concrete is no longer just for your outdoor home or hidden behind sheetrock on your walls. Go ahead, expose concrete and see all the comments that you receive! | <urn:uuid:4d3cea69-9e75-4787-86fa-1cedaad9b801> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.decoist.com/2012-09-19/the-beauty-of-concrete-in-your-modern-interiors/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942077 | 617 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Will We Finally Get Some Prison Reform?
A huge difference between former Gov. Bill Owens and current Gov. Bill Ritter is that the former refused to consider sentencing reform while the latter is open to it. Colorado's prisons have been bulging at the seams for years. The cost is enormous:
The state expects to add more than 6,000 prisoners by 2011, requiring $800 million in prison construction. That figure is more than twice the amount Colorado expects to have for all capital construction other than roads during that period of time. A number of officials have concluded the state cannot afford it.
The tough on crime stance of the 80's and 90's just doesn't work any more. We need to find a way to lower the incidence of new crimes (through prevention) and reduce the risk of recidivism (through rehabilitation programs.) We also need to stop incarcerating non-violent drug offenders and finding a way to get them into treatment and off of drugs.
According to Christie Donner, director of the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition, the reasons for the rise in inmate population include:
- Many prisoners serving longer sentences.
- Prisoners not being released early on parole.
- Prisoners returning to prison on parole violations and on new charges .
Gov. Ritter is considering proposals to establish a sentencing reform commission to study the issue. He should be encouraged, prodded and propelled into doing it. Here's a good item for consideration for the Commimssion:
Mike Krause, of the Independence Institute, repeated his group's call for two changes to reduce Colorado's prison costs: Halve the sentences for drug possession and reduce the lowest class of drug possession from a felony to a misdemeanor. When it was brought up in the debate over Referendum C in 2005, "You would have thought the sky had fallen" from the reaction, he said.
Let's use our jails for the most dangerous among us and use the money saved to train the inmates coming out to lead productive, law-abiding lives and to provide drug treatment to those who need it. Let's also encourage employers to hire ex-offenders so they can support themselves once they get out without resorting to a life of economic crime. I wish there was a way to prevent landlords from accessing criminal records for non-violent crimes. Ex-offenders also need a place to live and housing discrimination against them is counterproductive and another reason our recidivism rate is high.
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Beginner’s guide to climbing Colorado’s fourteeners.
Top Dentists: The 2013 List.
Hip-hop’s ultimate one-hit wonders.
Remodel the master bath?
Playful accents mingle with traditional style in this Cherry Hills house. | <urn:uuid:b147a20f-a563-44c5-b33e-5239b50f075d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.5280.com/blogs/2007/01/27/will-we-finally-get-some-prison-reform | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953621 | 568 | 1.648438 | 2 |
The Bias of the Bar?
Posted by Adam Benforado on April 2, 2009
In a March 30 article, the New York Times’ Adam Liptak (“Legal Group’s Neutrality Is Challenged,” March 30, 2009) provides evidence that the answer is “yes”:
[A] series of studies have found indications that liberal nominees do better in the [A.B.A. evaluation of judicial nominees] . . . than conservative ones. The latest, to be presented next month at the Midwest Political Science Association, found evidence consistent with ideological bias.
“Holding all other factors constant,” the study found, “these nominations submitted by a Democratic president were significantly more likely to receive higher A.B.A. ratings than nominations submitted by a Republican president.”
* * *
The bar association says it does not consider ideology in its ratings, basing them only on professional competence, integrity and judicial temperament. It is the third factor, one the association defines to include compassion, open-mindedness and commitment to equal justice under the law, that critics say leaves room for subjective judgments that may tend to favor liberals.
Given research on the powerful and unappreciated influence of ideology on human decision making, this critique seems quite plausible, but it is worth considering whether other mechanisms may also be at work. It may not just be that measurements of “judicial temperament” “leave room for subjective judgments that may tend to favor liberals”; it may also be that the elements that define this factor—“compassion, open-mindedness and commitment to equal justice”—are ones that, objectively, liberals tend to score higher on than conservatives.
In their continuing work uncovering the cognitive and motivational differences between conservatives and liberals, Situationist contributor John Jost and his colleagues have shown that conservatives tend to exhibit, among other things, greater discomfort with ambiguity, greater need for cognitive closure, and greater tolerance for inequality.
If “judicial temperament” were measured by “commitment to avoiding uncertainty; desire for closure, order, and structure; and commitment to affirming the status quo”—traits that we, as a society, might very well decide that we would like our members of the judiciary to exhibit—the research by Jost and his colleagues suggests that conservative nominees would receive considerably higher scores than liberals.
All of this implies that the reason that liberals are receiving higher ratings may have more to do with liberal and conservative proclivities and the choice of rating factors than with the biased application of neutral criteria.
Perhaps the discussion concerning A.B.A. ratings would be more productive if it shifted away from accusing the members of the Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary of being “political” and, instead, focused on debating whether “compassion, open-mindedness and commitment to equal justice under the law” are the traits that we ought to seek in choosing our judges.
* * *
For a sample of related Situationist posts, see “Judicial Ideology - Abstract,”"Naive Cynicism - Abstract,” “The Situation of Judges,” “The Situation of Judicial Methods - Abstract,” “The Political Situation of Judicial Activism,” “Ideology is Back!,” “The Situation of Judges,” “Blinking on the Bench,” “The Situation of Judging – Part I,” “The Situation of Judging – Part II,” and “Justice Thomas and the Conservative Hypocrisy. | <urn:uuid:3292dc34-bad4-4ac4-a937-bb9e3e985f36> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thesituationist.wordpress.com/2009/04/02/the-bias-of-the-bar/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953006 | 754 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Chances Diminish For Solution On TRIPS And Public Health Before Hong Kong
Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen
Key officials in Geneva indicate that World Trade Organization members are not likely to find a compromise on a permanent amendment to global trade rules in order to allow poor countries to import affordable medicines in time for the December WTO ministerial in Hong Kong.
There is no formal deadline for items to be included in the Hong Kong agenda, but “in practical terms any text to be taken to Hong Kong should be completed by about 2 December at the latest,†a WTO official said. That is because the following week people will have started travelling, he said. The ministerial will be held from 13 to 18 December. The public health issue is not required to be part of Hong Kong agenda.
At issue is a mandate for members to make a permanent amendment to the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) to allow countries to import cheap generics under compulsory licenses when deemed necessary. Such a waiver was mandated to be made permanent by 2002 under paragraph six of the 2001 Doha Declaration on TRIPS and Public Health. A temporary waiver was agreed on 30 August, 2003.
Negotiations at this point are centred on the status of a statement read out by the chairman at the time of adoption.
A wide variety of group and bilateral meetings on the issue are taking place but so far there have been no breakthroughs, according to sources. A key Geneva source familiar with the negotiations said that there has been no movement among interested members and that “nothing was on the table.â€
The source said that most likely there would not be any settlement before Hong Kong, adding that the African group last week held inconclusive discussions and referred the issue to this week’s African ministerial meeting in Arusha, Tanzania.
The Arusha meeting is being held to prepare for the Hong Kong ministerial. A developing country official said that the African ministers would evaluate the situation and give directions for further negotiations, which may not start until next week.
The official noted that so far there was “no agreement on anything.†An EU delegate confirmed this.
The United States appears to have pressured the African group to have a view by Wednesday on a US proposal to, in one way or the other, accommodate or reflect the chairman’s statement in the amendment, one informed Geneva source said. But this could not be confirmed with the US by press time.
Developing countries such as Argentina, Brazil, India and the Philippines have indicated that they are worried that the African group will give in to US pressure, referring to a current uncertainty as to what move the group will make next.
The developing country official said he was not aware of any splits within the African group, but said there could be small differences.
Ragui El-Etreby, first secretary of the permanent mission of Egypt, said in an interview that it was expected that the TRIPS and public health issue would be discussed in Arusha this week, but said nobody has pressured the African group to reach a specific solution within a certain deadline.
El-Etreby said that it would be “magnificent†if a solution could be reached before the Hong Kong ministerial but said it is questionable, and would not be sought at the “expense of our interests and concerns.†The African group did not see this as pressure but rather as an opportunity, he said.
Since July, Egypt has been the co-ordinator of the African group, a function that rotates between the members every six months. Nigeria is the permanent focal point of the group on TRIPS.
“The pressure is on all of us,†the Geneva source familiar with the negotiations said, adding that the pressure was not only on the African group but that everyone was interested in finding a solution before Hong Kong.
Talks Move On Parallel Tracks
Talks are proceeding along two tracks of meetings. One involves the TRIPS Council chairman, who is holding informal consultations with the United States, European Union and the African Group, and the second, a series of bilateral meetings with the African group.
On 22 November the chairman met with a delegate from South Africa representing the African group to be briefed on the situation, a Geneva source familiar with the negotiations said.
The African group’s recent bilateral meetings with main players in the negotiations, including the US, the EU, India and Brazil, have also not lead to any specific outcome, sources said.
Some member states of the African group do not agree with what the United States is proposing and fear that the US is trying to get more than it got on 30 August, 2003, a developing country official said.
Compromise Crucial Before Hong Kong?
African governments have stressed the importance of reaching a compromise on making the waiver permanent before Hong Kong. The TRIPS and public health issue is not part of the single undertaking in Hong Kong, but the African delegate feared that if the issue was not resolved before Hong Kong, it could be used as a trade-off in other areas such as agriculture.
“This is an African issue, people are dying of HIV/AIDS…. There is a need for us to have a solution,†one African delegate involved in the discussions said. He said that the “ultimate object†of the African group is to resolve the issue before Hong Kong.
The African delegate said that the African group hoped that the EU or the US would compromise and move towards the African position, but he also signaled that the African group “had to look at reality.â€
The delegate said that “we should conclude it in a hurry†but also emphasised that it was important to get it right. In any case there should be a focus on “substance†and not the emotional aspects of the negotiation, he said.
However, another Geneva source said that the US and EU were “not giving anything,†making a solution before Hong Kong questionable. The EU and the US are also not likely to fight each other on the issue of the chairman’s statement, the source said.
Brazil, India and Argentina Concerned
On 17 November, the African group met with the US and the EU, and on 18 November it met with Brazil and India in an “interactive session†with Argentina, the African delegate said.
The delegate said that on 18 November, TRIPS and public health issues were discussed among other things, as it was important for these countries to “have a common [understanding] of what the developing agenda is all about,†noting that that had to be clear before the Hong Kong meeting.
At the meeting, “Brazil, India and Argentina explained why one should not accept the proposal by the US to include a reference to the chairman’s statement in the amendment, as the US proposal would upgrade the legal status of the chairman’s statement,†a participant in the meeting said.
A Geneva source said that at the meeting the African group had not given any indication as to its position at the moment. Argentina, Brazil and India met with the African group to show their availability to them in terms of legal questions regarding the chairman’s statement, the source said.
“On EU and the US, we have had series of consultations and the group is ready to continue to engage not only with EC and the US but also with any member,†the African delegate said, noting that there was an African consensus on the amendment and nobody had said it should drop its proposal.
Where To Put The Chairman’s Statement?
The African delegate said that the issue at hand is the chairman’s statement, adding that without it there would probably not have been an agreement on the paragraph six issue in the first place, but the question was “where do you put it.â€
The African group wants the 2003 situation to “re-create itself,†the delegate said, meaning that the chairman should simply read out the statement again. The chairman’s statement is not mentioned in the African proposal, which is the only formal proposal tabled on this issue.
Countries such as Brazil, India and the Philippines support the African proposal as a good basis for further talks, a Philippine delegate said.
And the EU wants an interpretation clause between the chairman’s statement and the TRIPS agreement paragraph six, the African delegate said. | <urn:uuid:b3b8f5ce-6ea3-470b-823e-b44d4d317df7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.phmovement.org/en/node/77 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964887 | 1,823 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Dear Desktop Engineering Reader:
Now that we’re staggering into the end of the year madness, it’s traditional to seek inspiration from tales of times gone by. And SmartCAM software is an encouraging story if there ever was one.
Begun in the ’80s, SmartCAM took the shop by storm. It was so successful as a stand-alone system that in the mid-90s it was scarfed up by a bigger outfit, which was gobbled down by still a bigger outfit. Two more acquisitions and … well, corporate benign neglect fated SmartCAM to oblivion by 2001.
Almost. See, SmartCAM users still loved it. So, inspired by that, this a gutsy band of believers, a bunch from the original developers of the software, mortgaged their careers and obtained the exclusive rights to bring SmartCAM back to the marketplace five years after it was -- for all effective purposes -- kaput.
Now, 9 years later, more than 12,000 outfits in 67 countries deploy SmartCAM from SmartCNC and the company just released version 19.5. There’s a lot to read then watch about v19.5 from today’s Pick of the Week write-up, so what I’ll do is focus on one cool thing that SmartCAM does for you. It’s called Toolpath Modeling.
Basically, Toolpath Modeling puts you in control. SmartCAM handles all toolpath elements, whether created manually or by its automated toolpath creation tools, like they are geometry. And this means that you can manipulate toolpaths like you can manipulate a model’s geometry elements. In shaggy fingernail terms, you can create, edit, and delete toolpaths as you need to. You can change CAD geometry into toolpath geometry. You can reorder or re-sequence a toolpath, and you can make changes to your post processor. Or you could just mix around some automated processes that need some editing. You’re in control.
OK, running out of space. One thing that I should mention before signing off is that SmartCNC also seems to have a close working relationship with its users. SmartCAM v19.5 has been enhanced with a number of user-requested usability improvements, and many of them seem of the ilk that can only come from the minds of seasoned users.
With that said, take a little time and learn about SmartCAM v19.5. It seems as remarkable a piece of craftsmanship as it is a story of gutsiness.
Thanks, Pal. — Lockwood
Anthony J. Lockwood
Editor at Large, Desktop Engineering
Read today's pick of the week write-up.
This is sponsored content. Click here to see how it works. | <urn:uuid:df1af361-3b37-4d6c-b7b6-b318241fd845> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.deskeng.com/articles/aabhkz.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962734 | 590 | 1.632813 | 2 |
It wasn’t dark. It wasn’t light. It wasn’t anything except cold.
‘I’m dead,’ thought Pete.
But of course, he wasn’t.
From the first page and as effortlessly as a beam of light slipping through panes of glass, author Nancy Kress eases the reader into a remarkable narrative of many faces. Simple and compelling, atheistic and allegorical, neither utopian nor dystopian, After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall is a story of humanity in incubation.
After (2035): Earth’s fragile population consists of 19 humans living in captivity: five Survivors of the Fall, six genetically mutated and infertile offspring, and seven exquisitely precious Grab children. To each, the smooth walls of the Shell represent a prison and a home. At 15, Pete is among the oldest of the Six and one of the few children born to the original 25 Survivors. In ten minutes time, he will risk his life to save humanity – again.
Before (2013): Mathematician Julie Kahn has been collaborating for months with the FBI, tracking a tenuous pattern of mysteriously linked kidnappings and burglaries occurring along the eastern coast of the United States. A few hysterical parents babble incoherently about their babies having been snatched by misshapen teenagers before disappearing in dazzling streaks of light. Their sputtering accounts are largely ignored, except by Julie and Gordon, her FBI contact and onetime lover. Following a complex algorithm she’s devised, the next attempt may be the kidnappers’ last.
During (2014): Beneath the soil and all around the world, tiny mutations begin to occur almost simultaneously in the bacteria surrounding the root systems of clover, grass and other diverse plant life. By the time a low swell of awareness of the rapidly increasing dead zones boils into full blown paranoia, it will be too late for the humanity that was.
In this Janus-styled tale, Kress weaves together the converging paths of these very different slices of humankind. Juxtaposing contemporary characters such as Julie Khan against those stripped of the context of a complex society, such as Pete, Kress brings an unusual focus to the pause between disaster and rebuilding, after the fall of a society and before its rebirth. One notable trend in the sci-fi genre in recent years has been a tendency to employ near-future settings as narrative backdrops – scenarios which could conceivably come to pass in a generation or so. Here, Kress takes this trend one bold step beyond many of her peers by incorporating a disquietingly immediate future (2014) as the stage for the Fall itself. A cautionary tale as much as a work of science fiction, this title will have widespread appeal among readers of diverse reading habits. Those who have enjoyed Walter Miller’s timeless A Canticle for Leibowitz may particularly appreciate the cyclical nature of Kress’ narrative and her treatment of humanity in stasis, before the cycle begins again. | <urn:uuid:0a5b1285-953a-4c5e-bb3a-26a1af428a65> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bcpl.info/between-the-covers?page=46 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945719 | 626 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC): Why The U.S. Is Suing The Bank
Diane Alter: Long after the disco era, Bank of America Corp. (NYSE:BAC) was still singing “Do the Hustle.”
So the federal government alleges.
U.S. regulators maintain BofA, the second biggest U.S. bank by assets, and its partner in crime, its Countrywide Financial Corp. unit, burdened taxpayers with hordes of losses by misrepresenting the quality of home loans they sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
In federal court in Manhattan on Wednesday, the Justice Department slapped BofA with the suit, seeking damages of at least $1 billion claiming mortgage fraud.
Filed under the False Claims Act, the lawsuit also threatens to impose steep fines and could provide for three times the damages suffered by Fannie and Freddie, a penalty that could swell to more than $3 billion.
The complaint claims that in 2007, ailing Countrywide, saddled with revenue shortfalls as the subprime mortgage markets came tumbling down, did away with background checks on loan quality in a process streamlining effort dubbed “the Hustle,” short for the acronym HSSL-High Speed Swim Lane. According to Countrywide documents, the program’s mantra was “move forward, never backward.”
Meanwhile, the bank gave surety to Fannie and Freddie that it was strengthening its underwriting guidelines.
The move by the U.S. government is seen as a means to help it foot the hefty costs linked to the 2008 bailout of Fannie and Freddie.
It also opens the floodgates for similar suits against the struggling banking industry, already reeling with mounds of legal issues and mountains of pricy suits.
The Wall Street Journal reports the nation’s seven biggest banks have recognized or set aside $76 billion in mortgage related costs since 2008, according to data from Credit Suisse.
“They never know who’s going to be coming after them next. There’s no central traffic cop,” Dan Hurson, a former federal prosecutor who now defends securities cases told The New York Times.
Just two weeks ago, the Justice Department went after Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE:WFC), the biggest U.S. mortgage company, claiming the bank irresponsibly issued mortgages and left the Federal Housing Administration on the hook to pick up the costs. Wells refutes the allegations.
Bank of America’s (NYSE: BAC) Rebuttal
No doubt, Bank of America must feel like is has become the sickly poster child of the financial crisis.
In a statement, the Charlotte, N.C.-based bank said it “has stepped up and acted responsibly to resolve legacy mortgage matters. At some point, Bank of America can’t be expected to compensate every entity that claims losses that actually were caused by the economic downturn.”
“This is about the tenth government case against BofA for mortgage fraud, after a $2.4 billion settlement,” explained Money Morning Global Investing Strategist Martin Hutchinson. “It relates only to alleged frauds against Fannie and Freddie, themselves fraudulent institutions that would not be allowed to exist in a real market. There’s such a thing as the prohibition of double jeopardy!”
“These cases just rob innocent BofA shareholders and transfer wealth to government bureaucrats; they do nothing to attack the executives who did the damage,” continued Hutchinson. “This kind of post facto harassment is why the US has such a lousy growth rate; we would be 40% richer if over-regulation and harassment had not been allowed to grow like weeds since 1973!”
What to Expect for BAC
Under the False Claims Act, the government is permitted to go after parties that submit false records to either receive payment from a government agency or to avoid making payment to a federal agency.
While the U.S. government has thrown both Fannie and Freddie a lifeline with piles of bailout dollars, the mortgage behemoths are not federal agencies or wholly owned government companies, even though they still owe the government billions.
That could be an obstacle for government lawyers because they, along with Freddie and Fannie lawyers, have argued in past cases that Freddie and Fannie are not federal entities.
Adam Feinberg, head of litigation at Miller & Chevalier Chartered told The Journal, “This is a real stretch. The biggest problem is that Fannie and Freddie are not federal agencies and do no receive federal dollars in the normal sense of the word.”
The fresh suit comes five years after the mortgage bubble and subsequent burst, highlighting how the after-effects continue to haunt banks.
Shares of BAC fell about 3.4% last week to close Friday at $9.12.
We’re in the midst of the greatest investing boom in almost 60 years. And rest assured – this boom is not about to end anytime soon. You see, the flattening of the world continues to spawn new markets worth trillions of dollars; new customers that measure in the billions; an insatiable global demand for basic resources that’s growing exponentially; and a technological revolution even in the most distant markets on the planet.And Money Morning is here to help investors profit handsomely on this seismic shift in the global economy. In fact, we believe this is where the only real fortunes will be made in the months and years to come. | <urn:uuid:90c4b3fa-3277-4412-9788-097c8f902a30> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://marketdailynews.com/2012/10/29/bank-of-america-corp-nyse-bac-why-the-u-s-is-suing-the-bank/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943545 | 1,166 | 1.554688 | 2 |
A "flip-flop," is a sudden real or apparent change of policy or opinion by a public official, sometimes while trying to claim that both positions are consistent with each other. Often it will occur during the period prior to or following an election in order to maximize the candidate's popularity.
Flip-Flop on Oil:
Obama sure is good at this, he can do an about face on a policy or opinion without blinking an eye. This president's lack of leadership experience is showing more and more every day. Obama from day one has been touting that America has to move forward with a more greener look at the environment. That is precisely what his cap-and-trade idea is all about.
He has been consistent in moving us away from our dependency of oil, but he is in my opinion forcing us to do it - and that is wrong. But this seems to be his way of thinking. Obama, has always been against drilling for oil, but then all of the sudden he had lightened up a little just before the "2010 oil spill" - which flowed into the Gulf of Mexico for three months. He was going to allow a little more drilling, but after the oil spill occurred he stopped the drilling in the Gulf of Mexico with his drilling moratorium.
Texas-based Seahawk Drilling, the second-largest shallow-water driller operating in the Gulf, announced it had filed for bankruptcy and would be selling its remaining assets to Hercules Offshore. This would be the first off-shore drilling company in the Gulf of Mexico to declare bankruptcy - blaming the government-imposed standstill for a shortage of shallow-water permits following the summer’s massive oil spill. read more » | <urn:uuid:eadaa5c7-6571-4dd3-b47a-e0a388eee6da> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://conservativeoutpost.com/tags/libya_0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98163 | 349 | 1.75 | 2 |
The sixth grade language arts teacher said she has a "constructiveness approach" to teaching and encourages her students to be a part of a "collaborative process."
DiSebastiano was busy setting up her room Thursday morning, choosing which posters to put where, arranging desks in groups of four and setting out supplies.
The purpose of setting desks up in groups rather than rows, she explained, is to give the student "a sense of accountability" and it pushes the kids more when they see how their peers respond to assignments.
Encouraging a bit of "friendly competition," DiSebastiano has trophies the kids can win and show off on their desk for the day.
There was still work to be done in preparation for the kids' arrival Monday morning.
DiSebastiano said she still needed to plan her bulletin board, work on seating charts and get supplies together for the more than 60 students she'll be teaching this year.
This year, DiSebastiano's class will be reading "The View from the Cherry Tree" by Willo Davis Roberts, and "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen.
Students will also write three full-length responses, including a response to literature, a persuasive essay and a personal narrative.
DiSebastiano is most looking forward to the Maryland School Assessment pep rally the school holds every year.
Last year, she said, the students took "complete control" and came up with a theme, created posters and performed a rap.
"I couldn't ask for a better job," DiSebastiano said. The teacher said she used to own a fitness business but became bored and "needed a challenge."
"I could go to school for the rest of my life," she said, and decided to try teaching.
DiSebastiano went back to school for her post-baccalaureate degree in English and secondary education.
"Every day is unexpected," she explained, "and I like to expect the unexpected."
"It's great to see all the teachers back," Principal Sean Abel, who was also in DiSebastiano's classroom, said.
He spent the summer doing more behind the scenes work, making sure everything would be prepared for the new school year.
Abel said he hired a few new teachers, coordinated with the building engineer to make sure it was clean and maintained while everyone was on summer vacation and ensure the new students had the correct schedules.
More importantly, Abel said he "planned the road map for the year," which is basically what the teachers and administrators "are going to work on to improve student achievement."
The principal also loves to see the kids come back to the school.
It's been a crazy summer for Christina O'Neill, who was named the 2012 Harford County Teacher of the Year in April.
O'Neill, also a sixth grade language arts teacher who was helping DiSebastiano with her room, said being Harford's representative "forces you to be introspective" and "think about the craft of teaching."
One of the best things she did, besides attending a Ravens game and a cruise from Annapolis to St. Michael's, was meeting all the new county school teachers and "see all the new faces that are stepping into this career."
O'Neill has taught for 19 years and said she still barely sleeps the night before school starts because of a combination of excitement and nerves.
During the summer she still works on her classroom setup and comes up with ideas for the school year.
The main thing is to make the transition for the new sixth-graders as easy as possible, including opening their lockers or walking them to class, if needed.
"I'm most looking forward to a new set of kids,' she said. "New opportunities, new kids to meet."
She loves to see the kids grow throughout the school year, learn and know she had a part in that.
"Nineteen years ago I walked into the classroom thinking I could change the world," she said, "and Monday I'll do just that." | <urn:uuid:7ccaccbf-fbd6-498e-820f-d0cd5974b387> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.baltimoresun.com/explore/harford/publications/the-aegis/ph-ag-back-to-school-preview-0822-20120821,0,460067.story?page=2 | 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 | 0.981753 | 849 | 1.765625 | 2 |
|Digital printing onto textiles is a specialist process – RA Smart have been at the forefront of this cutting edge technology in the UK for over 10 years, installing the latest systems throughout the UK, covering a vast array of applications.
We have seen enormous developments in both print head and ink chemistry over recent years and digital printing onto fabrics is now an accepted means for not only producing bespoke short and sample lengths of printed textiles but longer true production runs are now being printed on a daily basis.
With systems capable of handling every fabric including cottons, silks, wools, polyesters plus specialist and technical fabrics our unique expertise and textile printing background allows us to offer a ‘turn-key’ solution for a myriad of applications. Our in-depth knowledge of ink chemistries, textile finishing requirements, fabric pre-treatments, etc. gives our customers the assurance that they are working together with a partner that understands the various techniques associated with digitally printing onto textiles and we will help to optimize any investment in digital technology.
Textile digital printing systems can be utilized for a wide range of applications including household textiles, fashion, accessories, flags & banners, sportswear, exhibition graphics, soft signage to name but a few. Textile dyes including reactives, acids, pigments and disperse both for direct and indirect (sublimation process) can all be used in conjunction with a range of systems to suit various levels of production requirements. Soft signage using water based textile dye is a big growth area with the environmental concerns of using solvent inks in the point of sale market place.
Not only are water based inks far more environmentally sound but they also offer far more vibrant colours and a vastly superior product to the end user. With the latest generation of machines now capable of printing up to 320cm wide at superb high resolutions, more and more customers are seeing the benefits of turning to water based textile ink technology for their super wide digital printing requirements. A key part of digital printing onto textiles is the textile itself.
RA Smart has developed a range of pre-treated fabrics specifically coated for the digital process, from light-weight fashion silks through to heavy cotton canvas and linens. All of our fabrics are available from stock at our warehouse and we can even pre-treat customers’ own fabrics subject to minimum quantities. RA Smart offers a choice of dedicated textile finishing equipment for use in conjunction with our digital printing systems including continuous or batch fabric steamers and flat and rotary heat presses available in various sizes and models depending on production requirements.
Service and Support
All new wide format systems supplied by RA Smart are sold with either a 12 or 24 month on-site warranty depending on the specific model, with extended warranties and service contracts also available.
As an authorized dealer and reseller, working with the world’s leading manufacturers in digital printing equipment and related products, we can offer our customers full peace of mind that our fully trained support engineers will keep their investment running at the optimum. | <urn:uuid:bf4d667e-d72d-40d6-af64-9b8e096fdce7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rasmart.co.uk/digital-textile-printing-equipment/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935242 | 616 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Dependency Injection: An analogy
I've been working on a proposal for including service locators and dependency injection containers in Zend Framework 2.0, and one issue I've had is trying to explain the basic concept to developers unfamiliar with the concepts -- or with pre-conceptions that diverge from the use cases I'm proposing.
In talking with my wife about it a week or two ago, I realized that I needed an analogy she could understand; I was basically using her as my rubber duck. And it turned out to be a great idea, as it gave me some good analogies.
The analogies go like this: you walk into a burger join, and you're hungry.
- Dependency Injection is like ordering off the menu -- but specifying things like, "I'd like to substitute portabella mushrooms for the patties, please." The waiter then goes and brings your dish, which has portabella mushrooms instead of the hamburger patties listed on the menu.
- Service Location is like ordering with substitutions, and having the waiter completely ignore the substitutions; you get what's on the menu, nothing more, nothing less.
Now, when it comes to Zend Framework's version 1 releases, we've really got neither. Our situation is more like a buffet or a kitchen -- you grab a little of this, a little of that, and assemble your own burger. It's a lot more work.
Frankly, I'm lazy, and like my dinner brought to me... and if I want any substitutions, I'd like those, too.
Getting the Ingredients
A number of developers I've talked to seem to think DI is a bit too much "magic" -- they're worried they'll lose control over their application: they won't know where dependencies are being set.
There are two things to keep in mind:
- you, the developer, define the dependencies up front
- if you don't pull the object from the container, you're in charge
Regarding the second point, it appears some developers think that with a DI container in place, dependencies magically get injected in every object. But that's simply not the case. If you use normal PHP:
$o = new SomeClass();
you'll get a new instance, just like always, configured only with any parameters you pass in to the constructor or methods you call on it. It's only when you retrieve the object from the DI container that you dependency injection takes place; if you do that, you can always examine the DI configuration (which can either be programmatic or via a configuration file) to determine what dependencies were configured.
Basically, it's like the difference between making your own hamburger patty out of fresh ground sirloin, and ordering Animal Style from In-N-Out.
I'm done now
What's your favorite way of thinking of these concepts?blog comments powered by Disqus | <urn:uuid:21b180be-c984-4056-8ba3-46ce9f5d935e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mwop.net/blog/260-Dependency-Injection-An-analogy.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951344 | 603 | 1.78125 | 2 |
Florida Legislature considering teacher quality task force
Here are some details about a proposed teacher quality task force being considered by the Legislature in the wake of SB 6, and in the final days of the 2010 session. (We took it word-for-word from the Pinellas school district's latest "Friday update" to administrators.)
Teacher quality task force: Draft language under consideration by the House and Senate Conference Committee, a reaction to the vetoed SB 6, would create a Teacher Quality Task Force. Current House draft language provides for a 13-member task force to be appointed by July 15. The Senate is reviewing the language but has not responded to the proposal. The Commissioner of Education would serve as chair; the Senate president would appoint six members: a member of the business community; two public school teachers; a public school-based administrator; a parent of a public school student; and a school district superintendent. The Speaker of the House would also appoint six members: a member of the business community; two public school teachers; a public school-based administrator of a charter school; a parent of a public school student; and a representative of a school district classroom teachers association.
The purpose of the task force is to develop specific recommendations to improve the quality of the teaching workforce, increase student learning gains, and reward teachers by revising the appraisal, compensation, and contracting systems of instructional personnel and school-based administrators. The task force would make specific recommendations by Jan. 10, 2011, for legislation that contains comprehensive, research-based recommendations for legislation regarding:
• A new performance appraisal system for instructional personnel and school-based administrators based primarily upon student learning gains as determined by a value-added model that measures learning gains across comparable student populations, including English language learners and students with disabilities.
• A compensation system for instructional personnel and school-based administrators that would provide salary adjustments based upon differentiated responsibilities and the new performance appraisal.
• Alternative contracting instructional personnel, whereby employment decisions regarding recruitment, retention, and dismissal would be based on the new performance appraisal system. | <urn:uuid:ab2c047f-ee4a-4da8-bd47-b49742a8340e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/gradebook/content/florida-legislature-considering-teacher-quality-task-force | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958526 | 416 | 1.578125 | 2 |
WASHINGTON, D.C. (WUSA) Some of you will see an extra charge in your next electric bill because Pepco and BGE lost money when they couldn't charge customers to deliver power during the storm outage.
Click here to see update showing billing ok'd under Maryland order intended to promote energy conservation.
"The storm adjustment kicks in automatically," said Maryland Public Service Commission spokeswoman Regina Davis. "The BSA (Bill Stabilization Adjustment) is calculated and applied by the companies, but checked by PSC staff and we make the utilities correct it if they get it wrong."
CHECK OUT OUR FACEBOOK POLL ABOUT PEPCO
Only regulators in Maryland allow utilities to recoup lost billings by invoicing customers directly.
"Not good. Not good at all, that's not a good thing," said Maryland power customer Alice Jenkins "I must call Pepco and ask them about that."
"It's the law," said Pepco spokesman Bob Hainey. "It's called bill stabilization."
Hainey asked whether this reporter was capable of understanding the online explanation at Pepco.com of the Bill Stabilization Adjustment and declined to comment when he realized he was on the record.
"I'm not talking anymore," Hainey said. "I hear you typing."
Hainey later called back and said he would ask Pepco officials how the charges would impact individual Maryland customers, but had not provided an answer by publication time.
BGE officials also couldn't explain what individual customers would see on their bills.
"I think what you're saying is accurate," said BGE spokesman Rob Gould. "I'm not sure how it applies to BGE customers."
Maryland People's Counsel attorney Theresa Czarski said the billings would amount to a tiny portion of the utilities' revenues and are intended to offset storm losses.
By statute the People's Chief is an independent agency that acts as advocate for residential utility customers.
"They will be compensated up to a fashion" " Czarski said. "They won't take a dramatic hit for this month for not collecting this. The hit is smaller to them for not collecting those revenues."
Czarski said the average customer would likely see a charge of less than a dollar for the adjustment.
"It's unfair," said Maryland power customer Marie Bernes. " I don't see anything else to say."
"They're getting paid when regular citizens are losing out," said Maryland power customer Brian Barrett. "I wasn't aware of that. I think that's pretty unfair. "
Maryland officials say utilities are limited to recouping lost billings from the first 24 hours of the outage only, and that, when spread across the utilities' customer base, that could be less than a dollar for the utility's average user.
"To be technically correct, they can only adjust for that first 24 hour period," said Maryland People's Chief Paula Carmody. "After that they're not collecting any adjustment."
Carmody said regulators restricted the utility's ability to charge customers for their losses earlier this year.
"As a result of a Maryland Commission order issued in Janauary 2012, PGE and Pepco cannot collect any lost revenues resulting loss of power during a major storm, except for revenues lost during the first 24 hours after the beginning of the storm," Carmondy said.
Officials in the District and Virginia say the utilities can not charge customers for lost billings there - so this is unique to Maryland customers.
"One of the things we certainly wanted to guard against was compensating Pepco when they were out for some reason not associated with energy efficiency," said District of Columbia Peoples' Counsel Director Sandra Mattavous-Frye . "And it being a sort of double dip for them and a burden on consumers."
In 2010, Pepco recouped nearly $1.4 million for one storm alone, but since the state limited adjustments to the first 24 hours, officials say, it is likely to be less.
Neither BGE nor Pepco would explain how it would appear on customers's bills, but a state official said it would be rolled into the customer's delivery fee - without a line item identifying the charge - so many people won't even know what they're be charged.
If you know about questionable utility activity, government waste or corruption e-mail [email protected].
You can also follow Russ Ptacek on Twitter and Facebook. | <urn:uuid:fb5e99cd-6896-4555-86a8-e5d1b1baf3b2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wusa9.com/news/article/212306/158/Maryland-Pepco-BGE-Customers-Will-See-Extra-Bill-For-Lost-Storm-Income-In-Form-Of-Bill-Stabilization-Adjustment | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972192 | 930 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Mitt Romney and his running mate Paul Ryan have a plan to turn Medicare into a voucher program—a move that would not only drive up health care costs for seniors but would end Medicare as we know it. In fact, Ryan even proposed a budget that would have eliminated traditional Medicare altogether, which Romney endorsed.
Here’s what the non-partisan AARP had to say about Ryan’s policy on Medicare:
Rather than recognizing that health care is an unavoidable necessity which must be made more affordable for all Americans, [Ryan’s] proposal simply shifts these high and growing costs onto Medicare beneficiaries, and it then shifts even higher costs of increased uninsured care onto everyone else ... By creating a “premium support” system for future Medicare beneficiaries, the proposal is likely to simply increase costs for beneficiaries while removing Medicare’s promise of secure health coverage—a guarantee that future seniors have contributed to through a lifetime of hard work.”
And what about the Medicare reforms in Obamacare? Despite Romney’s completely unfounded claims, the AARP believed they were good for seniors. It said, “The legislative package cracks down on insurance company abuses and protects and strengthens guaranteed benefits in Medicare, the program millions of our members depend on and in which millions more will soon enroll.” And, as the organization noted, “The ACA … expands the number of people eligible for free preventive and wellness benefits, and cracks down on Medicare fraud, waste and abuse.”
Health organizations have also expressed serious concern over how Romney and Ryan would impact seniors. The American Hospital Association said Ryan’s Medicare policy “will severely impact access to care for our most vulnerable patients. While we recognize the serious fiscal challenges we face as a nation, this budget is not the right prescription for the health of America.” The Catholic Health Association said the policy “would damage the nation’s health care system by decimating Medicaid, Medicare and recent coverage gains made possible by the Affordable Care Act.” | <urn:uuid:2221ab8a-bdc6-487f-9383-1ebb9a02c867> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.barackobama.com/truth-team/entry/the-aarp-on-the-romney-ryan-plan-to-end-medicare-as-we-know-it | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959321 | 413 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Public-private partnerships have risks
Tim Rowland (November 30, 2010)
Properly structured, these partnerships can be an efficient arrangement that permits each sector to do what it does best. But the cornerstone has to be accountability and transparency, because without it, the wheels can come off.
As we have just witnessed. And as we have witnessed before, almost more times than can be counted.
In the volunteer fire and rescue system we have now, millions of tax and gambling dollars are shoveled into the departments, with next to no questions asked. Some of these departments are great stewards of public dollars; some are not.
Even after the poor stewards have been identified, there is precious little the county can do to correct the situation, other than to withhold future funds and enforce a sort of double-secret probation.
With that in mind, it is something of a mystery why the county bothered to spend months investigating poor performance at the Fairplay Fire Co., when in the end it was powerless to enact what appeared to be the most effectual recommendation of its specially appointed task force: Get some new blood at the top.
To understand what went wrong at Fairplay requires an understanding of the history of the volunteer system. These companies were once basically social clubs that fought fires on the side. Today, that’s evolved into a system where the word “volunteer” is a misnomer.
Essentially, many departments now have on staff paid firefighters as well as career firefighters, a number of whom work down the road for suburban departments and volunteer their time here.
Those paid and career firefighters, along with the many dedicated volunteers, are likely embarrassed by casual bookkeeping or social-club antics that make the public think less of their departments’ professionalism.
This was Fairplay in a nutshell.
Under current leadership, when the company was dispatched to an emergency, valuable minutes ticked by without any trucks leaving the station.
The obvious solution would have been to install new leadership. But the county says it doesn’t have that authority, so it must sit back impotently and watch as the current leadership at Fairplay sits on millions of dollars worth of property, with no way to put it in the hands of the men and women who actually want to respond to emergencies. Worse, if Fairplay should decide to sell its trucks and equipment, it appears there is nothing under the county’s present structure to prevent it — even if tax money helped purchase these expensive goods.
This is a bed of the (past and present) commissioners’ and delegations’ own making.
Accountability and transparency are roots of the same tree, and in its fire and rescue departments, the county has neither. The most incredible circumstance to come out of Fairplay is this: Eliminating a fire company has actually improved response times, as more efficient companies on the fringes of Fairplay’s turf picked up the slack.
Thinking citizens are bound to start asking some uncomfortable questions. Companies have complained of an increasing dearth of funding and volunteers. Might the problem not be one of too little money and too few volunteers, but one of too many stations for which the volunteers and staff raise money? And what of the terribly expensive redundancies of trucks and buildings and equipment that occur when stations are too close to each other?
As the trucks and equipment in the Fairplay hall gather dust, Fairplay leaders might take heart in knowing that some other brouhaha will come along to make us forget about their situation. Just as Fairplay made us forget about Halfway, which made us forget about Clear Spring, which made us forget about Smithsburg.
Without accountability, financial transparency and central authority, the song will remain the same. And the county and delegation seem to have no interest in rectifying any of the problems that naturally arise when public-private agencies accept tax money.
Tim Rowland is a Herald-Mail columnist. His email address is [email protected]. | <urn:uuid:d59ad8da-1685-49e1-a69a-7e543ba63923> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sun-sentinel.com/topic/hm-rowland-publicprivate-partnerships-have-risks-20130208,0,2002769.story | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967925 | 824 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Mowatt Memorial United Methodist Church
On August 2, 1945, ten people came together to form what is now the Mowatt Memorial United Methodist Church. The current location was resurrected in 1955 and the sanctuary was added in 1980. The Church is active in community efforts to support such local causes as Help by Phone, the Good Samaritan Fund, Boy Scout Troop 746 and the Greenbelt Interfaith Leadership Association. The congregation also hosts outreach programs abroad, specifically in Haiti.
- Hours: Prayer Group: Sun, 9:30am; Service and Sunday School: Sun, 10am
- Founding Date: Aug 02 1945
- Parking: Free lot
- Denomination: Methodist
- Services: Choir/music programs, Missionary programs, Study groups | <urn:uuid:b0c9fee4-1f88-4241-b717-de1ec073fd9a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://greenbelt.patch.com/listings/mowatt-memorial-united-methodist-church | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935321 | 156 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Canadian corporations cannot afford to underutilize the nation’s diverse talent pool—especially as Canadian business faces a turbulent economy and the need to maximize and leverage the best talent from an increasingly diverse workforce. This, according to Catalyst, whose fifth and final report of a groundbreaking research series on visible minorities in corporate Canada has uncovered the gap that exists between organizations’ intentions to create inclusive opportunities for its visible minority talent and career satisfaction among visible minority managers, professionals, and executives.
In this final report, Career Advancement in Corporate Canada: A Focus on Visible Minorities ~ Diversity and Inclusion Practices, Catalyst helps businesses bridge the opportunity gap by offering concrete examples of successful talent management practices that can improve engagement and career satisfaction among visible minorities and help develop, attract, and retain key talent.
“When you consider that talent management practices, such as mentoring, employee networks and diversity training for managers, increase career satisfaction scores for visible minorities by up to 22 percent, the ROI for Canadian businesses is clear,” said Deborah Gillis, Vice President, North America, Catalyst. “Still, fewer than half of the employers surveyed reported policies and practices that address the concerns of visible minorities. By following the lead of the organizations and examples in this report, Canadian businesses can take an important leap forward in their support of diversity and inclusion and ultimately strengthen their competitive position.”
“Embracing a diverse workforce is a rich part of Canada’s economic history and now is the ideal time to leverage this national competitive advantage,” said Zabeen Hirji, Chief Human Resources Officer at RBC, the lead sponsor of the study. “Canadian companies have grown by welcoming the talent and ingenuity of diverse, smart, and energetic people from all over the world. Employers who take steps to eliminate the barriers facing visible minorities not only reflect the increasingly multicultural landscape of their client base, they attract and retain the talent they need for business success.”
According to Catalyst, Canadian organizations can learn from the experience of corporations with successful diversity and talent management practices to help improve career satisfaction for visible minorities and strengthen their bottom line.
To this end, Catalyst recommends:
- Incorporating diversity and inclusion considerations into talent management processes, such as recruiting and promoting practices, as RBC does with its diversity recruitment team, to offer equal opportunity to all employees seeking career advancement. Not only does RBC have specific visible minority outreach efforts, it strives for a diverse slate of candidates for senior level job openings.
- Encouraging open dialogue to address sensitive issues, including race and ethnicities. Enhancing the exposure of visible minority employees to potential mentors and champions within the organization. Programs like RBC’s “diversity dialogues” provide mentoring with senior executives.
- Creating an inclusive environment where managers understand and respect employees cultural differences as IBM Canada has done with its “Mindsets” manager training program.
- Introduce critical relationship networks like IBM Canada’s Diversity Network Groups that provide employees with access to senior-level executives and employees from other departments and backgrounds.
- Help influence business partners who implement daily talent management practices by appointing a senior-level diversity and inclusion executive as Deloitte & Touche LLP Canada has done through its Chief Diversity Officer position.
For more information, contact Charmain Emerson, Building Blocks Communications, 416-588-8514 or 416-857-9401, [email protected], or Susan Nierenberg, Catalyst, 646-388-7744, [email protected].
Founded in 1962, Catalyst is the leading nonprofit membership organization working globally with businesses and the professions to build inclusive workplaces and expand opportunities for women and business. With offices in the United States, Canada, and Europe, and more than 400 preeeminent corporations as members, Catalyst is the trusted resource for research, information, and advice about women at work. Catalyst annually honors exemplary organizational initiatives that promote women’s advancement with the Catalyst Award. | <urn:uuid:a9880169-5d72-4560-978d-f5015d5b79f4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.catalyst.org/media/visible-minorities-represent-critical-and-underutilized-workforce-segment-could-be-key-canada | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933926 | 830 | 1.515625 | 2 |
I normally get up on Monday morning ready to write something about animals on this site. I didn’t feel like it yesterday. Five years ago yesterday, on September 11, I was a few blocks from the Pentagon when everything started to unfold. Certainly not as traumatized as those in New York, I still felt like the rest of the nation, sad and bewildered over the course of the events that day. So yesterday, I gave myself a break just to ponder things.
When I got up this morning and began reading the news, I saw this story on CNN Pipeline about the canine teams that were at the New York site for 10 days five years ago. There are only 40 dogs in the nation trained and certified to do this kind of rescue work and all of them were in New York within 24 hours of the 9/11 tragedy looking for signs of life beneath the crushed rubble of the World Trade Center. Randy Gross was one of those rescue workers and his golden retriever, a beautiful red dog (he doesn’t mention her name in the story). His dog was 5 years old at the time. As Gross put it, his dog had trained for years without a major mission. They train constantly though to be ready for the day when tragedy strikes and they can be deployed to help. I can remember photos of these dogs working tirelessly alongside their human partners. They worked as hard as anyone on the site.
Today, his golden is 9 years old and about a year from retirement. She will still get to go to work with him at the fire station and train, she just won’t be deployed for any major catastrophes once she retires. Another dog is currently in training to take her place.
Dogs do some amazing things for us and doing rescue work is just one of them. | <urn:uuid:81ad08fc-20db-4938-9d98-343a46f4aed4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.mysanantonio.com/animals/2006/09/dogs-to-the-rescue/ | 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 | 0.985339 | 369 | 1.734375 | 2 |
A highly readable exhumation of the career of Nicholas Murray Butler, president of the Carnegie Endowment and the American Academy of Arts and Letters, candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and almost entirely forgotten today.
Once upon a time in America, the opinions and prescriptions of college presidents seriously mattered. To the list of Harvard's Eliot, Princeton's Wilson and Chicago's Hutchins, add Columbia's Butler, who over the course of four decades transformed a provincial college in Morningside Heights into a world-class university. Rosenthal (English/Columbia Univ.) admirably chronicles this achievement, while at the same time exposing Butler's thinly veiled anti-Semitism, his overblown reputation as a fundraiser and his autocratic governance, which stifled all student dissent and drove off not a few fine faculty members. Hugely ambitious, hen-pecked and emotionally guarded, Butler appears truly to have loved only his daughter more than himself and the school he came to embody. From Columbia's bully pulpit and through an admixture of relentless self-promotion, friendships with great men (Carnegie, Teddy Roosevelt) and some genuine political talent of his own, Butler emerged as the model of conventional wisdom among the Republican, WASP, internationalist establishment of the first half of the 20th century. A caricature of Samuel Johnson's clubbable man (Butler's honors, awards, memberships and associations were endless), he helped shape his party's direction and the country's agenda. Most notably, through his promotion of the Kellogg-Briand Pact, he nudged the world. When the applause subsided, however, almost all his exertions outside the kingdom of Columbia amounted to little. Rosenthal shines in demonstrating how the winner of so many of life's glittering prizes should end up, for the most part, an index entry in the biographies of greater men.
It would roil Butler's immense ego to learn that—not 60 years after his death—this well-crafted study is even necessary. | <urn:uuid:eaaef835-14bf-4665-ba3c-0defe8dd026f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/michael-rosenthal/nicholas-miraculous/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961727 | 415 | 1.835938 | 2 |
AT SOME POINT, most of us will feel a little strapped for cash. Maybe we didn't set aside enough money for our kids' college tuition. Perhaps the balance on those credit cards is larger than we'd like to admit. Or, it's finally time to update that harvest-gold kitchen.
Whatever the need, tapping into the equity built up in a home offers an inexpensive way to access funds. Most homeowners can do this in one of two ways: either by taking out a home-equity loan, sometimes known as a second mortgage, or by setting up a line of credit. In most cases homeowners can write off the interest on a loan up to $100,000 no matter what the proceeds are spent on. Just remember, the stakes are pretty high. If you default, you could lose your home.
A home-equity loan is a second lien against a house. For the most part it operates like any other consumer loan. At closing, the lender hands the homeowner a check for the full amount that's borrowed. The homeowner then starts to repay the loan immediately, with scheduled monthly payments that include both interest and principal.
The majority of home-equity loans are fixed-rate products often spanning 10 to 15 years. The interest rate, however, is typically higher for a second mortgage than for a first. That's because there's no secondary market and the lender has to keep the loans on its books.
A home-equity loan is better suited for consumers looking for a one-time cash infusion. It can be an especially good tool for those embarking upon a home-improvement project that will add value to the property, like updating a kitchen or adding an additional bathroom. It's also useful for consolidating high-interest debt such as credit cards. Just make sure not to run up those balances again once that Visa card is free and clear.
Home-Equity Line of Credit
A home-equity line of credit, or Heloc, works a little differently than a loan. It's a variable-rate revolving credit line that feels more akin to a credit card with a maximum spending limit. Homeowners can borrow money, pay it back and then borrow more as needed. Accessing the funds is easy. All one has to do is write a check, charge a credit card or use an ATM card against the credit line.
Since interest is charged only on the money that's actually borrowed, a credit line works best for those with ongoing needs like recurring medical expenses or a long-term home-improvement project. Some financial planners also believe a line of credit is useful in case of an emergency, such as an unexpected job loss. In that event, just make sure not to use it for frivolous purchases like a new wardrobe.
But not all credit lines are designed the same. To avoid any surprises, make sure to ask what the terms are before signing on. Some will charge borrowers interest only, or just a nominal percent of the principal, during what's called an advance term that could last for, say, 10 years. Then, during what's referred to as a repayment period, the borrower can no longer access the funds and is put on a more traditional monthly payment schedule that includes both interest and principal. Don't be surprised to see a 5/10 or a 10/20 advance/repayment credit line advertised. (The first number shows how many years the credit line can be accessed; the second number shows how many years before the borrowed money, including interest, must be repaid in full.)
Another common line of credit includes a balloon payment. During the first 10 years, for example, a homeowner can borrower at will and only pay interest toward the loan. Then at the end of the agreement the entire balance is due. It's easy to imagine how this could get quite a few people into trouble if they don't budget properly. Fortunately, some lenders will allow borrowers to renegotiate the balance into a new loan with a fixed-rate monthly payment. There are even some termless credit lines that don't expire until one moves.
Regardless of the type of Heloc selected, the interest rate should work out to be fairly low. That's because most credit lines fluctuate based on the prime rate, the rate banks use to set interest levels. Since the borrower assumes a risk, lenders may charge a very small margin above the prime rate.
How Much Can You Borrow?
Borrowing levels depend largely on how much a house is worth. In a strong housing market, homeowners can usually tap up to 75% to 80% of the newly appraised value of a residence (this is known as the loan-to-value ratio), minus the remaining balance on the first mortgage. So if a house was worth $400,000 and the owner owed $240,000 on the first mortgage, then that consumer could have borrowed up to $80,000, assuming, of course, that the payments could be met.
In a sluggish or declining market, a loan-to-value ratio of 75% to 90% of equity is common, and anything above 90% is hard to come by, he says. But just because the bank will lend the money doesn't mean it's a good idea to take it all. The most common problem: A homeowner could end up owing money after selling a house. Even if you can sell a home for its appraised value, you may realize the net proceeds are something very different. There are, after all, many costs associated with unloading a dwelling, including lawyer and realtor fees. Also, you might lose part of your tax write-off. Any amount that you borrow over 100% of equity is not tax deductible.
The Application Process
Applying for a home-equity product is similar to a first mortgage, only the process is far less rigorous. Most banks will appraise the property and run a credit check to make sure the borrower has the income to pay off the loan. If you have good credit, it takes a lot less time to get the money, usually just 10 to 15 business days. (If you have poor credit, you may never be approved.) A first mortgage, on the other hand, can take 60 days or more.
Another benefit of home-equity products vs. a traditional mortgage is the cost of entry. Most borrowers can get a Heloc with no closing costs; a second mortgage should only run a few hundred dollars.
But like any loan, borrowers should shop around for the best deal. As we mentioned earlier, there's really no secondary market for these products so offers can vary greatly. When it comes to a line of credit, watch out for inactivity and annual fees. As for second loans, some lenders will charge an upfront fee, typically a point, or 1% of the total loan. There's also been an upswing in early termination fees. Read the fine print. For some of the best deals, make sure to check out the smaller players in the market, such as credit unions and local banks. They can't compete on advertising so they often offer better rates. | <urn:uuid:c3902c82-6ef6-4afb-9195-069b4f92dc1a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.smartmoney.com/spend/family-money/tapping-the-equity-in-your-home-15680/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968816 | 1,456 | 1.726563 | 2 |
Beijing architects MAD have unveiled their design for a 200m-long, icicle-shaped museum in Harbin, northeast China.
The museum, which will be dedicated to Chinese wood sculptures, is the first of a trio of cultural buildings in the city designed by MAD.
Construction work on the museum is already underway and an opera house and a cultural centre, both designed by MAD, will also be built in Harbin.
Harbin is capital of Heilongjiang Province in northeast China and is best known as home of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, which takes place each year in January.
Here's some info from MAD:
MAD designs China Wood Sculpture Museum in Harbin
Beijing, January 08, 2011 – MAD today unveiled their new museum for Chinese wood sculptures in Harbin. As the main city of Northern China, Harbin is in the process of defining itself as a regional hub for the arts at a time when the historic city is rapidly expanding.
Inspired by the unique local winter landscapes, the museum is a contrast between the elegance of nature and the speed of daily life. Its 200 meter long body is shaped as a frozen fluid that reflects and explores the relation between the building and the environment.
The interior of the museum combines two different exhibitions connected by a centralized entrance which both separates the two museums while simultaneously joining them, achieving a symbiotic relationship. Skylights flood daylight into the voids adjacent to the galleries, creating optimum viewing conditions and scenic moments in and around the building.
MAD was commissioned to design three cultural building in 2009; the structure of the museum was recently completed while the design for an opera house and cultural centre is to be finished in February.
About MAD - Beijing based MAD is dedicated to innovation in architectural practice. As a leading voice in the new generation of design, MAD examines and develops unique futuristic solutions, exploring a renewed understanding of nature and advanced technology. MAD defines architecture as a man-made symbiosis, in harmony with nature, giving people the freedom to develop their own independent urban experience.
The work of MAD has been exhibited worldwide. Most recently founding Architect Ma Yansong was awarded with a RIBA International fellowship, making him the first Chinese architect to receive this prize.
MAD currently has 9 projects under construction including: the Absolute Towers near Toronto and the Erdos Museum in Inner Mongolia, the Sinosteel International Plaza, a 358M high-rise building in Tianjin, and the Urban Forest Highrise in Chong Qing. | <urn:uuid:cb4f8eb8-23eb-49f8-a7b8-0d36c3b49234> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dezeen.com/2011/01/08/china-wood-sculpture-museum-by-mad/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960466 | 518 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Facebook insiders stay palsPUBLISHED: 12 Apr 2012 07:10:42 | UPDATED: 12 Apr 2012 07:11:11PRINT EDITION: 12 Apr 2012
Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz (left) with former Harvard roommate Mark Zuckerberg in 2005. Moskovitz, the world’s youngest billionaire at 27, has teamed with Facebook alumnus Justin Rosenstein on Asana, which makes online software that helps people work together more effectively. Photo: Robert Durell
All eyes are on Facebook, which is on the verge of a $100-billion initial public stock offering.
But the people to watch are an elite group of former company insiders. Already loaded, or soon to be, thanks to the looming Wall Street payday, these Facebook pals are furiously building the next generation of Silicon Valley companies.
And they’re doing it together.
Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz, the world’s youngest billionaire at 27, has teamed with Facebook alumnus Justin Rosenstein on Asana, which makes online software that helps people work together more effectively.
Adam D’Angelo, Facebook’s first chief technology officer, is working with Facebook pal Charlie Cheever on Quora, a website whose aim is to connect people to information.
Former Facebook executive Matt Cohler is now a venture capitalist bankrolling his old co-workers, including Dave Morin, who runs a mobile social network called Path.
“Very few people get to change the world with their friends. Now we are setting out to do it again,” said Kevin Colleran, 31, Facebook’s first ad sales guy, who’s now an investor handing out money and advice.
Whether these Facebook friends, most still in their 20s, can deliver on these youthful ambitions remains to be seen. Silicon Valley is littered with the wreckage of one-time meteors that burned through all their hype and cash.
What’s clear is that it pays to have friends like these in Silicon Valley, where it’s all about whom you know and whom you work with.
Innovation, researchers have found, is an inherently social act, owing as much to these tightknit networks as the garage tinkering of individual entrepreneurs.
“The basic unit of innovation in Silicon Valley is the team,” Silicon Valley futurist Paul Saffo said. “Innovation is an irrational act, and the only way to get through that irrationality is to surround yourself with other people as crazy and obsessed with changing the world as you are.”
For decades, these networks have seeded Silicon Valley with breakthrough ideas and ventures. It all began with Frederick Terman, who, as a young Stanford faculty member in the 1930s, encouraged his engineering students William Hewlett and David Packard to start a company. Terman brought together young entrepreneurs and local industry, giving rise to a powerful and wealthy high-tech community to rival the East Coast.
Interlocking social networks were forged in cubicles across Silicon Valley. In the 1960s the “traitorous eight” defected from Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory to start a competing company.
Fairchild Semiconductor quickly surpassed Shockley and became a training ground for engineers. When it began to stumble, the original eight founders moved on to new ventures. Eugene Kleiner became one of the region’s most important venture capitalists. Gordon Moore and Robert Noyce co-founded Intel Corp.
The most famous social network is the “PayPal mafia,” a high-profile band of executives who sold the payments company to EBay Inc. They then built and backed some of the hottest companies in Silicon Valley, including Yelp, YouTube and Facebook. Facebook’s first Silicon Valley investor was Peter Thiel of Founders Fund, who was PayPal’s chief executive and co-founder.
Now it’s the Facebook pals’ turn. With social networking wired into their brains, who better to out-friend the PayPal mafia?
“We have all been through the experience of building something that had a massive, massive impact on the world. Going out a second time and starting a new company, nothing short of that is very interesting,” Moskovitz said in an interview in Asana’s San Francisco headquarters. “Everyone is mission-oriented. They want to do something that will touch everyone on Earth.”
He and Rosenstein are building software that breaks down communication barriers so that people can collaborate more effectively. It’s a labor of love that dates back to their days at Facebook. As the company grew, it became harder for Moskovitz to keep tabs on what various teams were doing.
So he built a tool to help Facebook employees organize and discuss tasks. He and Rosenstein bonded over their shared desire to create ways to work more efficiently. In 2008, they left Facebook to concentrate on building a tool to help any group of people be more productive and stay on track.
“We are focused on building a company that will last. We expect to be a $US100-billion company,” said Rosenstein, 28. “We run the company with the intent and the expectation to be the next in that lineage.”
D’Angelo, 27, and Cheever, 30, have similarly lofty goals. Over Chinese food in Facebook’s offices in the fall of 2008, they began discussing Q&A sites that enabled users to answer one another’s questions. The services were wildly popular. But the answers were often wrong or useless.
D’Angelo and Cheever decided they could do better, so they started work on Quora in 2009. They rented cramped offices over an art supply store in an old building in Palo Alto, hired programming and design prodigies, and got experts to weigh in with thoughtful, authoritative answers to hundreds of thousands of questions.
Traffic grew quickly as Quora won over fans with answers that were not only smart but entertaining:
“What’s the best way to escape the police in a high-speed car chase?” A former Missouri police officer responded that it’s easy if you pick a jurisdiction where authorities are bound by strict pursuit guidelines to avoid liability.
“If you injure a bug, should you kill it or let it live?” An entomologist responded that insects don’t feel pain the way that vertebrates do, so there’s no need to put them out of their misery.
Quora landed $US11 million in funding and an $US86-million valuation via Benchmark Capital’s Cohler and now has 33 employees.
Like others in the Facebook network, D’Angelo and Cheever seem to read each other’s thoughts and finish each other’s sentences. The depth of these friendships is unusual even in Silicon Valley. These Facebook pals don’t just call on one another for money and advice, start companies together and sit on each other’s boards. They also hook up to celebrate life’s big moments.
Ruchi Sanghvi was Facebook’s first female engineer and one of the first 10 hired at the company. She and her husband, Aditya Agarwal, were Carnegie Mellon graduates who came to Facebook as a couple in 2004. In 2010 when they wed on a beach in Goa, India, dozens of their Facebook friends joined them for a weeklong family celebration. Among them was Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg in a long silk sherwani jacket.
“With this network, you are never lonely,” said Sanghvi, who with Agarwal last month sold their start-up Cove to San Francisco’s Dropbox. “It’s not just a work fabric. It’s our life fabric.”
Each winter a couple of dozen of them pile into a house at a Colorado ski resort that belongs to the family of Facebook executive Sam Lessin. This snowy retreat hundreds of miles from Silicon Valley is the gathering place for the “Lothlorien Life Conference,” or LLC for short. Named after the forest realm in “The Lord of the Rings,” LLC is the event no one misses, a time for friends to slice down the mountain and swap advice.
That’s where Morin, 31, decided to turn down a $US125-million offer from Google for Path. It was 2010, and he had just launched Path and didn’t want to sell it, nor did he want to help Google take on Facebook. But he was under pressure from investors and employees.
Morin huddled in a quiet corner of the living room with Moskovitz and Founders Fund’s Brian Singerman, both investors in Path. They talked late into the night and all the next day. Moskovitz reminded Morin about how Zuckerberg wrestled with the $US1-billion buyout offer from Yahoo in the early days of Facebook.
“I told Dave he simply didn’t need to do it and, even if he subsequently failed, that would be OK,” Moskovitz said. “After that it was clear that a huge weight had been lifted.”
Morin said he couldn’t get by without that kind of help from his friends. Path has raised a new round of funding that values the company at $US250 million, and it has more than 2 million users, including Britney Spears.
“We built Facebook, and it’s ingrained in how we think. I think in networks now,” Morin said. “It would be hard for me to think any other way.”
No one in the Facebook network has any intention of cashing in his or her chips any time soon, Colleran said. Facebook’s employee No. 7 left the company in July. He just signed on to a new gig as a venture partner with General Catalyst Partners in Boston.
“I believe after Asana, after Path, after Quora, there will be another company, and then another one, and another one,” Colleran said.
“If we are all going to be hanging out anyway, why not be productive and change the world? It’s a whole lot better than sitting around and saying, ‘Remember that time at Facebook?’ We’re all way too young for that.”
Los Angeles Times
The Australian Financial Review | <urn:uuid:f76bf1a3-c3f1-4a60-8c1f-68a34733bfc8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.afr.com/p/technology/facebook_insiders_stay_pals_oA4Nq2kXq8aK3ZfTaFjaUJ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957749 | 2,191 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Mount Royal riding should stay as is: report
MONTREAL — The riding of Mount Royal will likely remain as is for the next federal election after the commission studying proposed changes to the federal electoral map recommended something close to the status quo.
The district’s Liberal MP since 1999, former justice minister Irwin Cotler, who led the opposition to the elimination of Mount Royal, said he was “delighted” by the report of the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Quebec that was tabled in the House of Commons on Feb. 25.
“The initial proposal of the Commission called for the dismantling of the riding, erasing even the name ‘Mount Royal’ from the Quebec electoral map,” he said. “I am delighted that today’s report preserves this historic riding, benefiting both the communities and residents therein.”
Mount Royal is one of two ridings in the country with a Jewish plurality. The other is Thornhill in the Toronto area.
The proposal was that the territory that is now Mount Royal, which was created in 1925, be split into three ridings, most of it in the proposed new John Peters Humphrey riding.
The former Mount Royal would have lost much of its eastern territory in Côte des Neiges-Snowdon and would have been extended west to include Dorval and St. Laurent. The city of Côte St. Luc, which is now wholly within Mount Royal, would have straddled two ridings.
But the commission recommends that Mount Royal stay virtually as it is.
John Peters Humphrey was the first director of the United Nations human rights division and the principal drafter of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Noting that Mount Royal’s population is about 36 per cent Jewish, Cotler said at the commission’s public hearings last fall that the changes would “dramatically undermine the ‘community of interest and identity,’” one of the criteria that the law stipulates should be considered when drawing electoral district boundaries. Other ethnic communities in multicultural Mount Royal would also be adversely affected, he said.
The Council on Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), Federation CJA and its social services agency Ometz, as well as the YM-YWHA, the Jewish General Hospital, the Jewish Russian Community Centre and Congregation Shomrim Laboker also made submissions to the commission. They said Mount Royal should remain as it is, because carving up the territory would divide the community and separate it from its institutions.
“CIJA is very pleased that the commission took our recommendations into account and decided to leave this historical riding – important to the Jewish community – within the same boundaries, and keep the name Mount Royal,” said Jonathan Kalles, the organization’s associate director of government relations.
The commission’s report will now be put before a Commons committee for debate prior to the next election in 2015.
Cotler said he’s confident “the integrity of Mount Royal will remain and the recommendation of the commission for this riding will be confirmed.”
Canada’s electoral map is reviewed every 10 years after the census is conducted to reflect population growth and shifts. Quebec is set to receive three additional seats, bringing its total to 78. | <urn:uuid:7afe08f8-abdb-4b40-9460-f059faa026cc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cjnews.com/arts/toronto-shul-exhibits-photos-polish-shtetl?q=node/103014 | 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 | 0.963944 | 688 | 1.8125 | 2 |
Originator of Excel, Word leaves MS for startup
Simonyi finally Chucks it...
Charles Simonyi, the man who laid the cornerstones of Microsoft's applications software empire, is leaving the company to do his own thing, a software startup. Simonyi was one of Microsoft's longest-serving employees, joining in 1981 from Xerox PARC, and has in his list of credits Multiplan, Word and Excel.
Which are pretty impressive things to have on your CV. But there's an interesting body or two buried there, if you go right back to the start of the process. When Simonyi joined, Microsoft was just at the start of its relationship with IBM, and the IBM PC was about to go mega. Microsoft was just becoming an operating systems company (remember, Dos was bought in), and he was basically setting up the apps division. And he and Bill bear a great deal of responsibility for the faulty vision that ensued.
In the early days Microsoft thought - and told a lot of hardware companies - that Dos was the platform. This notion spawned many different pieces of hardware running MSDOS, but until 'genuine' IBM clones were invented there was only one successful piece of hardware, the IBM PC running PCDOS. And specifically, the one piece of software that made the PC, and that was habitually used by the press in the 80s as a benchmark of PC compatibility, was Lotus 1-2-3.
With Multiplan Microsoft was atttempting to supplant VisiCalc, while with Word it wanted to bring Wordstar's reign to a close. The products that actually nailed the previous generation were however respectively 1-2-3 and WordPerfect. Multiplan in particular (which predated Word) was envisaged as a multi-platform product, and The Register once even owned a ROM version of it designed to run on the Tandy 100. That was before The Register was The Register, of course.
Simonyi had envisaged a more generalised form of software design that allowed the software to run on multiple platforms, whereas one of the reasons 1-2-3 did so well, so fast was that it hit the hardware direct and used every dirty trick it could. In addition to this slight disadvantage for Multiplan, the original Microsoft Word was designed to be compatible with the Multiplan UI (which explains why The Register could never understand Word 1.0). As Richard Brodie, who was on the original team, said: "My mission: write the world's first wordprocessor with a spreadsheet user-interface. It took five years to repair the damage."
Still, it all came out right (depending on your point of view, that is) in the end, and Microsoft apps now rule the world. Simonyi, who was chief architect until 1999, is now off to start the Intentional Software Corporation. This does not mean that his portfolio so far has consisted of unintentional software, but that he will be pursuing the "intentional programming" focus he's had at Microsoft for the past few years which, to cut a long story short, is intended to produce easier to use development tools. ® | <urn:uuid:48989c96-b362-4a06-ab24-42437fe92ea4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theregister.co.uk/2002/09/17/originator_of_excel_word_leaves/print.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974579 | 648 | 1.625 | 2 |
North Carolina Loan Modification
What Is North Carolina Loan Modification?
A Loan Modification is the process of working out a permanent, equitable, and fair solution between you and your lender that eliminates or reduces current debt you have incurred from a bad mortgage. It involves a procedure whereby a loans payment plan is altered due to the hardship of the borrower. This can include the rate, term and monthly payment amounts. This is handled by an attorney and the lender’s Loss Mitigation Department.
How Loan Modification Works?
A modification to an existing loan made by a lender in response to a borrower's long-term inability to repay the loan. Loan modifications typically involve a reduction in the principal balance, interest rate or an extension of the length of the term of the loan. In some cases a different type of loan or any combination of the three. A lender might be open to modifying a loan because the cost of doing so is less than the cost of default or foreclosure.
A loan modification agreement is different from a forbearance agreement. A forbearance agreement provides short-term relief for borrowers who have temporary financial problems, while a loan modification agreement is a long-term solution for borrowers who will never be able to repay an existing loan.
Loan modification is a term very unfamiliar to homeowners but not for very long. What most people are coming to realize is that losing their house to foreclosure is becoming a real possibility. Home foreclosure in America today is at an all time high and is affecting many homeowners that never believed they could lose their home to foreclosure. Homeowners are feeling the crunch of higher interest rates and a slowing economy. A loan modification may be the only way for a homeowner to save the biggest investment of their life, their home. Negotiating with the bank for a modification of your home loan can be an overwhelming process for many homeowners. That is why retaining the services of an experienced law firm or real estate attorney rather trying on your own often leads to a much higher success rate.
The reality of today's market is one of steep drops in real estate values nationwide coupled with tighter credit requirements. The combination of the two makes a formidable opponent for someone facing an upcoming adjustment in their payments due to an adjustable rate mortgage (ARM). It's not a good idea to take on your lender alone, as they would prefer. An Attorney will represent you in bringing your mortgage lender to reasonable terms that make sense in today's volatile economy. They will fight to save your home and get you a payment you can afford. No matter what the reason, the sad truth is that millions of people are in the same boat. People are struggling to make their mortgage payments and live worry free lives.
The first thought most people have is to refinance their high interest rate mortgage. During normal times this would be the correct answer, although it's always painful to pay the associated fees with doing the refinance. In today's market this formula doesn't work, between the drop in real estate value and the tightening of credit you cannot recreate your past deal. The Attorney will work to alter the terms of your mortgage to fit a workable solution between you and your lender so it's a win-win for all involved. | <urn:uuid:f442ad99-4e0d-471e-bc10-6290d0fb6212> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.keeplivinginyourhome.com/loanmodification/loan-modifications/states.asp?id=10 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970477 | 651 | 1.609375 | 2 |
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Shots - Health Blog
Thu March 22, 2012
Answers To Your Questions About The Health Care Overhaul Law
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act — the health care overhaul law that President Obama championed and Republicans rejected — turns two on Friday.
The law is headed to the Supreme Court on Monday, where the Justices begin hearing three days of arguments about the constitutionality of the law. Ahead of the big day, we asked for questions from our audiences online and on air. Here's a sampling of questions, edited for clarity and length, and the answers.
Q: If the health care law is found unconstitutional or even repealed, are there any contingency plans? And if the Supreme Court overturns the individual mandate, are the other provisions of the law in jeopardy?
A: Very few people think the court will strike down the entire law. In the unlikely event it does, that would be it. Congress would basically have to start over from scratch.
If the Supreme Court were to find a piece unconstitutional, the most likely thing would be the individual mandate — the requirement for most Americans to either have insurance or pay a fine starting in the year 2014.
Now if that happened, the court might also invalidate just the mandate, or it might also strike down a couple of other pieces that many people — including the Obama administration — argue are "inextricably linked" to that mandate. That includes the requirement that insurance companies sell policies to people with pre-existing health conditions. Insurance companies say that without the requirement for everyone to participate, they will go broke if they have to sell policies to sick people.
And in strictly legal terms, Congress does not have to act in the wake of a Supreme Court decision. But often Supreme Court decisions end up prompting Congress to do something, either by necessity to fix a law that ends up with a big hole in it, or because the court makes a legal decision that's so out of line with public opinion that Congress feels it has to act.
Q: What's the timeline of events, if the law stays in place?
A: Later this summer, for the first time, insurance companies have to start paying rebates if they failed to spend at least 80 cents of every dollar last year on actual medical care rather than administrative expenses. So some people might be getting a check to help pay for their summer vacations.
But other than that, there's not much more that takes effect until what we in the health policy world refer to as "the really big stuff." And that happens in the fall of 2013, when people can start using the new marketplaces called health exchanges to shop for health insurance. That starts Jan. 1, 2014.
That's also when:
- The requirement for most people to have insurance begins;
- Medicaid expands to cover able-bodied adults with incomes under 133 percent of poverty; and,
- Insurance companies can no longer refuse to sell insurance to people who have pre-existing health conditions.
Q: What parts of the law have already been enacted?
A: Mostly what's referred to as the patients' bill of rights. This includes restrictions on annual and lifetime benefit limits and requires preventive benefits with no deductible or copay and preventing insurance companies from revoking coverage after you get sick.
There's also a temporary plan in every state to cover people with pre-existing conditions who have been uninsured for at least six months. It's been a bit of a disappointment, though, with only about 50,000 people signing up rather than the hundreds of thousands expected.
Medicare beneficiaries are also getting new preventive benefits, as well as a gradual closing of the "doughnut hole" in their prescription drug coverage, which is a several-thousand-dollar gap between initial and catastrophic coverage where they keep paying premiums but don't get benefits. Children are also able to stay on their parents' insurance until they're 26.
Q: How does the health care overhaul law affect small business owners?
A: Employers with more than 50 workers aren't subject to a mandate the same way individuals are. But if they don't provide their workers with coverage, and those workers buy coverage through a health exchange and qualify for a government subsidy, the employer is subject to a "free rider" penalty of $2,000 to $3,000 per employee.
That's not the case for smaller businesses — those with fewer than 50 full-time workers. In fact, smaller businesses will be able to use the health exchanges to shop for coverage and get a better deal than they can now, because of the economies of scale.
Finally, the very smallest businesses, those with fewer than 25 workers whose annual average wages are less than $50,000 are eligible for a tax credit if they help pay for their workers' health insurance.
Q: How will the health care overhaul law affect the poor? Will it impact the kind of care they receive and how much it will cost them?
A. The law includes a huge expansion of Medicaid, the joint federal-state program for people with low incomes. That expansion, in fact, is being challenged in the Supreme Court. But if the law isn't struck down, it will add roughly 16 million people to the 60 million or so people on the program now. And for the first time, they will be people who are simply low income, not low income and something else — like a child, a pregnant woman, or an elderly or disabled person. So starting in 2014, anyone with an income under 133 percent of poverty, which this year is just under $15,000 for an individual and just over $25,000 for a family of 3, will be eligible for Medicaid coverage.
And that's not all: The law also provided nearly $11 billion over 5 years to expand community health centers, which also serve people with low incomes and people without insurance. It's important to remember that even though this law is expected to dramatically expand the number of people with insurance, there will still be millions of people who will remain uninsured, including undocumented immigrants who aren't eligible for any assistance and others who are exempt from the mandate.
Q: What about other government programs, like Medicare?
A: Not as much will happen to Medicare as many people may think. But Medicare is also the focus of most of the law's experimental efforts to find ways to both improve care and save money by changing the way the health care system is structured.
For example, there are demonstrations of things called "medical homes," where teams of doctors and nurses work together to better coordinate patient care and keep patients with chronic conditions out of the hospital or nursing homes.
You may also have heard of things called "accountable care organizations." Without getting too technical, these are groups of doctors and hospitals who band together to care for a group of patients, and if they do a good job at keeping them healthy they basically get a bonus.
And yes, the law does take $500 billion out of Medicare payments, but that's being given up mostly voluntarily by hospitals and other health care providers. They're betting that they will make it up on the other end by more people being insured, so they won't have to provide free care anymore.
Q: In some cases, (especially for young, healthy people) might it make more sense to pay the tax penalty instead of paying insurance premiums every year?
A: The fact that the penalty is so small has the insurance industry very worried that young healthy people will and pay the fine until they find they need insurance. For most people it will be about $700 a year — a lot less than buying insurance, actually.
Now that's a dangerous thing, of course. If you develop a major disease like cancer, and you don't have insurance, you're in big trouble. And in most cases even though you can still get insurance with a pre-existing condition, you'll only be able to sign up during specific "open enrollment" times of the year, so if you get sick at the wrong time you could be responsible for a lot of medical bills before you get another chance to enroll.
That may help explain why in Massachusetts, where they already have an individual mandate with a penalty that's also smaller than the cost of buying insurance, it's actually pegged at half the lowest priced plan for most people. It varies by age and income level. But still most people still buy insurance. About 1 percent of taxpayers pay any penalty.
Q: If the mandate is approved by the court as constitutional, what will it mean to those who cannot afford health insurance?
One of the most expensive things about the law is a vast system of subsidies to help people afford health insurance. Subsidies are available to people on a sliding scale, up to 400 percent of the poverty level. This year that would be a family of three with an income up to $76,360 and a family of four up to $92,050. Even then, if there's no affordable policy available, people can be declared exempt. And most of those with insurance provided by their employer will meet the requirement automatically, so they won't have to do anything.
Q: The president claimed the Affordable Care Act would cost $900 billion. But the Congressional Budget Office scored the next 10 years of the program and came to a number of $2.4 trillion. Why the discrepancy?
A: There are a lot of people who are misreading this latest cost estimate by the Congressional Budget Office. What it actually found is that the law will cost about $50 billion less than it estimated last year.
Now why are people saying it will cost twice as much? Because they're looking at gross spending, not net spending. And why is gross spending so much bigger? Because the Congressional Budget Office estimates in 10 year increments. And when it first estimated how much it would cost, it includes years in which most of the law wasn't in effect. So now that these 10 year estimates include more years when the law is in force, and the federal government will be paying for more people on Medicaid and more people getting subsidies to help them buy insurance, it will obviously cost more. But the federal government will also be collecting more money to help offset that cost, through a variety of new taxes and fees.
Thus, the overall cost is about $1.1 trillion. But it's all paid for. Now you might still disagree about whether it's a good idea to expand government and expand taxes and fees to pay for it. But this latest CBO estimate in no way says the cost has doubled since the law was passed. | <urn:uuid:75029c2e-d28b-4e0e-800b-95e96d975209> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://krwg.org/post/answers-your-questions-about-health-care-overhaul-law | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971019 | 2,182 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Despite the image the City of Santa Monica has long cultivated as a fun-in-the-sun, granola-eating, svelte beach body world center, that is all about to get a very nasty makeover. Due to complaints from some people who apparently have become miffed about having to walk around people working out in the local parks, the city council is seriously considering a punitive tax on fitness trainers who operate in the public realm.
Options the council is looking at involve limiting class size to two or fewer students per class, restricting the type of training and/or equipment used, and a hefty tax on the profits of each trainer. Granted, these and other ideas may be better than an outright ban on the classes, but is any of this even necessary? Other locations such as nearby Venice Beach have numerous activities and constant traffic on the boardwalks or sidewalks, by tourists strolling along, roller and inline skaters, skateboarders, and cyclists. Nonetheless, these people are not being harassed over their supposed blocking of sidewalks, as in Santa Monica.
Already, the trainers retort, they have to fork over fees for police-issued permits and business licences to hold their training classes in Santa Monica’s parks. They also must have insurance, as they would indoors in gyms. Yet the green spaces, which are, by the way, open to all the public, are no longer going to be a friendly outdoor environment for these classes where patrons may use weights, do yoga, aerobics, or in some cases even push baby strollers in groups for mothers wanting to work off the after-effects of pregnancy. They have allegedly all been taking up too much room.
Considering the parks are for recreation which does include activities such as walking, cycling, running, and exercising in various ways, does this new rule-to-be mean that these forms of working out will have to be conducted individually only? Or will the non-exercising public get their couch-potato-noses out of joint again later on and demand that even these solo blood pumpers will have to pay fees to function? Where does it all end? Aren’t exercisers also taxpayers who support the Santa Monica parks whether or not they choose to sprawl in front of a TV all day or grovel in a cubicle, gnashing their teeth stained by Cheetos and begrudging those who make the time and effort to exercise this little bit of green space to distress? Is this some kind of societal backlash against those viewed as “health nuts” by the unfit who prefer their pasty skin colored by fluorescent lighting, stagnant air and controlled climate?
It could be just another attempt by local politicians to control what type of people are in Santa Monica to begin with. It could also be just another way of cashing in on a popular trend. The ruling class of this picturesque city by the sea is going to soon discover, though, that if you keep hounding people and gouging them for money every time they turn around, they will simply leave and take their exercise mats with them.
For more on this new threat to fitness in Santa Monica, see this story link: | <urn:uuid:c7332335-4f9c-450e-a083-fde721af4d84> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.examiner.com/article/santa-monica-s-war-on-fitness | 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 | 0.97148 | 653 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Source: The Daily Telegraph
IT's the world's sneakiest speed camera, able to spot drivers talking on mobile phones or not wearing a seatbelt from 500m away - and it's coming to a street near you.
NSW and Victorian police are considering buying big brother speed cameras with hi-tech laser technology that can detect speeding and mobile phone use from further than ever before.
The cameras, worth almost $20,000 each, are mounted on a roadside tripod and can record video evidence of up to 4000 offences to DVD.
The equipment, known as Concept II, is so powerful, and the resolution so sharp, it is able to capture motorists using mobile phones, not wearing a seatbelt, running a red light or speeding from a distance of between 20m and 500m.
NSW police last night confirmed they were considering buying the cameras - unveiled this week by UK police.
"The research and development team working at the NSW Police Traffic and Highway Patrol Command are always developing future technology for use by highway patrol," a police spokesman said.
"As speeding and using a mobile phone while driving are both dangerous, we would certainly look at technology that facilitates driver compliance on the state's roads."
The development comes as The Daily Telegraph revealed yesterday that 30 new highway patrol vehicles are now patrolling Sydney's six busiest freeways to reduce accidents by cracking down on motorists using phones, eating breakfast, or reading the paper while sitting in traffic.
Traffic data shows there have been more than 14,000 accidents on the six major roads in the last three years - a major concern for police.
UK-based designer and manufacturer Tele-Traffic UK described the new cameras as a "customer-configured speed detection and enforcement system" that is set to change the traffic enforcement landscape forever.
The camera can be set to a speed limit and the technology then records and marks the vision from as far away as half a kilometre.
"It allows the operator to set a threshold speed limit below which speed enforcement is not required," the Concept II manual states.
"Having captured the data, it will mark the DVD recorded images both visibly and invisibly in a recoverable format."
The technology boasts "flexibility for evidence gathering" in speed enforcement.
"Once mastered it will provide pictorial evidence of speeding and other offences at ranges between 20m and 500m - dependent upon the lens configuration."
Police will be able to use the pictures and video as evidence.
Police in Dorset this week began using two of the cameras mounted in speed camera vans at ranges of about 400m.
They have already filmed a man playing a harmonica with two hands, instead of driving. | <urn:uuid:f4ba3814-dee7-4b34-ba10-243d6a867eca> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.policespeedcameras.com/index.php/en/speed-camera-news-world-news-australia/australian-top-speed-camera-news-stories/victoria-speed-camera-news-stories-top-stories/341-concept2-concept-ii-new-speed-camera.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955675 | 549 | 1.75 | 2 |
December 29, 2011
Is there any good reason for Governor Jerry Brown NOT to grant clemency to Shirley Ree Smith?
The question in the title to this post is prompted by this new article in the Los Angeles Times, which is headlined "Gov. Jerry Brown weighs clemency petition for a grandmother." Here are the basics:
Gov. Jerry Brown is giving strong consideration to a clemency petition for a grandmother whose conviction for shaking her infant grandson to death was overturned by an appeals court and reinstated by the U.S. Supreme Court, lawyers close to the case said.
The governor, who received the petition Wednesday, is being asked to commute the life sentence of Shirley Ree Smith, a 51-year-old grandmother who was sentenced to 15 years to life in 1997 for causing the death of a child.
Although Brown is notoriously unpredictable, a longtime advisor said he would be "very surprised" if Brown did not grant clemency to Smith, who has spent 10 years in prison for a death she has maintained was a tragic case of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, not a crime against a beloved child.
A federal appeals court found "no demonstrable support" for the prosecution's claim that Smith shook 7-week-old Etzel Glass to death in 1996 and granted her release from prison in 2006 after striking her conviction by a Van Nuys jury. But the U.S. Supreme Court in October reinstated the conviction on the grounds that courts should not second-guess verdicts "supported by the record."
The high court admitted that doubts about Smith's guilt were "understandable," and three justices penned a dissent criticizing the majority in the 6-3 decision for intervening to assert a procedural point.
A growing number of medical experts have questioned the science behind so-called "shaken baby" cases, especially those decided in decades past. Smith's trial took place only weeks after the headline-grabbing case of British nanny Louise Woodward brought the fatal act of child abuse to the nation's attention.
Clemency petitions are generally futile, granted mostly when governors are leaving office. But Smith's case so concerned some federal judges that they privately reached out to ensure that the petition got Brown's close attention, lawyers said.
Three weeks ago, a clerk from the 9th Circuit called Michael Brennan, Smith's attorney, asking if he was going to file a clemency petition. Brennan said he told her he would but considered it futile. "All the clerk said was, 'You might be mistaken. A petition might be well received,' " Brennan said. "Clearly, she was sort of saying, 'File the petition.' "
Smith, reached at her home in Kankakee, Ill, said she has been living on tenterhooks waiting for word on whether she must go back to prison to serve the remainder of her sentence. "I've been trying to find someone who can explain to me what's going on," said Smith, who was hoping to follow her daughter to Minnesota so she could continue babysitting her younger grandchildren. "The lawyers keep saying this isn't about me, it's about the courts and the law on decisions. But how can it not be about me when I'm the one who may have to go back to prison?"
In the fall of 1996, Smith moved to Van Nuys from Illinois to help her daughter Tomeka care for newborn Etzel, 14-month-old Yondale and 3-year-old Yolanda. On the night of Etzel's death, Smith was sleeping in the living room of her sister's apartment with the three grandchildren. When she got up to use the bathroom, she found him lifeless and summoned paramedics. An emergency room physician listed the cause of death as SIDS.
An autopsy revealed a small pool of blood on the baby's brain, which two officials in the medical examiner's office testified at Smith's trial was the result of violent shaking. Neither defense expert testimony that the baby probably died of SIDS nor Tomeka's assertions that her mother had never raised a hand against her or her children dissuaded jurors from the prosecution's theory that Smith had become irritated by the infant's crying and shook him to make him stop.
Given that the majority opinion in the Supreme Court ruling that reinstated Sirley Ree Smith's conviction make express reference to the clemency process (noted here), I find it disturbing — and perhaps a telling indication of the sorry state of modern clemency politics and practice — that her lawyer considered a clemency petition to be likely futile. Moreover, as the title of this post suggests, I have a hard time coming up with a reason why Governor Brown should not commute Smith's sentence to time served.
Smith claims she is innocent, and there seems little dispute that the evidence she committed any crime is less than lock solid. If she is indeed innocent (and Governor Brown is convinced of this fact), a mere sentence commutation is really an insufficient clemency response, but still justified and justifiable. And, based on what I have read, it does not seem that the prosecution ever claimed Smith meant to kill her grandchild. Thus, even if she was involved in the child's death, the decade Smith has spent in prison surely strikes me as more than enough prison time to punish someone for accidentally causing an infact's death. Finally, California surely cannot afford "wasting" scarce prison monies and space on a person who would seem to pose no threat to the public and whose own daughter apparently still wants her involved in the care of her grandchildren.
I suppose one could urge resisting the arguments for clemency here by taking the view that a Governor should never grant clemency for any reason in any case. (My understanding is that Mitt Romney has express such a view in the past.) But unless you are absolutely against the exercise of clemency in every case, I wonder if there is any reason not to support clemency in this case.
December 29, 2011 at 11:18 AM | Permalink
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"...taking the view that a Governor should never grant clemency for any reason in any case. (My understanding is that Mitt Romney has express such a view in the past.)"
I don't think his view is that extreme. What I found on the subject was this:
By contrast, Romney has a zero-tolerance approach. "I didn't pardon anybody as governor because I didn't want to overturn a jury," he said during a June 2007 debate.
When he was asked about his policy in December 2007, Romney replied "We looked at the cases one by one and I did not want to provide commutations to people who had weapons violations that were going to be asking to use weapons in their new capacity." He told reporters that the only reasons he would have issued a pardon or commutation would have been if he found evidence that proved a wrongful conviction, prosecutorial misconduct or errors in the judicial process.
The first statement could be interpreted as "never" if taken in isolation, but I think it is a mistake to characterize a person's position on a complex issue based on one impromptu statement. His position as reflected in the latter statement is restrictive, but not "never." Also, it's important to keep in mind that there is less need for the exercise of clemency in a state where the legislature and judiciary are both much friendlier to defendants than other states. Comparing Romney's record with Perry's is worse than comparing apples with oranges. It's comparing cranberries with jalapenos.
Posted by: Kent Scheidegger | Dec 29, 2011 1:27:35 PM
Gov Brown may or may not grant clemency in this case of course, but I fail to see why as the title of this post ststes, that there is no good reason not to grant clemency. A jury heard the case and found her guilty of killing a baby. She had her appeals and her conviction stands.
She got a 15 year to life sentence which does not seem unduly harsh for the death of a seven week old. Again Gov Brown may well grant clemency but it would hardly be unreasonable not to.
Dennis Skayhan ADA
Posted by: Dennis J. Skayhan | Dec 29, 2011 3:50:16 PM
Given that you generally cannot request clemency until you have exhausted judicial remedies, it will *always* be the case that the requester will have been convicted by a jury (or judge, having waived the jury) and had his or her appeals heard and denied. So, it can't be that those facts are, by themselves, sufficient to justify or require denial of the petition; otherwise, all petitions would be denied.
Of course, arguably I have just described the actual status quo, so maybe I am the one with the flawed understanding. But I am generally with Doug B. on this -- what is the point of *having* a clemency process (which the Founders at the federal and state levels all thought was a necessary part of a multi-branch democracy) if it is never used, even in the most compelling cases?
Posted by: Anon | Dec 29, 2011 4:59:42 PM
I don't know enough about the underlying facts to make an informed opinion, but didn't the evidence show that the brain stem was sheared? That doesn't sound like SIDS to me. We see a lot of snow jobs from the defense side.
Posted by: federalist | Dec 29, 2011 8:07:03 PM
Clemency should be exercised (contrary to Mitt Romney's opinion-apparently) but with great care and concern.
Posted by: Attorney George E. Bourguignon, Jr. | Dec 29, 2011 8:48:54 PM
It appears that the sole evidence against Ms. Smith was the opinion of government experts that the baby's death was caused by from "shaken baby syndrome" (SBS). Researchers are now determining that SBS is based on tenuous evidence and flimsy theories, and that many other, non-criminal, causes can produce the symptoms attributed to SBS. Governor Brown should pardon Ms. Smith.
Posted by: C.E. | Dec 30, 2011 3:35:14 AM
"Researchers are now determining that SBS is based on tenuous evidence and flimsy theories, and that many other, non-criminal, causes can produce the symptoms attributed to SBS. Governor Brown should pardon Ms. Smith."
The injuries in this case were particularly severe. Like I said, I am no expert, but it seems to me that there is a very strong possibility that this woman killed that baby.
Posted by: federalist | Dec 30, 2011 8:59:25 AM
My mother Shirley Ree Smith did not commit this crime that she was accused of and that was killing my seven week old son Etzel Dean Glass 111. If people would just read my mother whole case then they would understand and see that there is NO way possible that she could have did this unthinkable act.
Posted by: Tomeka Smith | Dec 30, 2011 9:23:15 AM
You have clearly not been affected by a loved one of Shaking Baby Syndrome. I personally have. My name is Maria Alvarez-Garcia. I am the maternal grandmother of Adam Carbajal. My precious grandson was a victim of Shaking baby Syndrome at the age of one, 7 years ago.. I don't understand how anyone would consider giving clemency to someone, no matter what relationship they have to a child, for killing him. The baby had bleeding in the brain for gods sake, the coroners ruled it was not consistent with SIDS. I am outraged that this lady is out inspite of the Supreme Court overturning the appeal. I am speaking on behalf of that innocent baby since obviously noone from his family is. Etzel Glass deserves justice even if it's from someone that should of loved him and protected him.. Please, I am begging to please think of Etzels right for justice. Ms. Smith chose to do what she did to her precious grandson, so why should she not pay the consequences for that? Alot of "phony" doctors dispute Shaking Baby Syndrome and it's beyond me why... My grandson and other precious innocent children are proof that it exist. Ms. Smith deserve the sentence she was originally given..15 years to life and no mercy, sympathy nor clemency!!!10 yeras is NOT nearly enough for what she CHOSE to do to her grandson!!! I am going to fight this clemency petition until the end, with media support and all the support I have been getting!!! Everyone that agrees with me, please contact Gov. Brown and tell him so!! I have all the links on my facebook wall-Gracias and have a great day!! FB Maria Alvarez Garcia-Adam Carbajal
Posted by: Adam's Grama | Jan 4, 2012 11:41:50 AM
I do not serve an Elohiym of no mercy.
From Isaiah 61:
61:1 The Spirit of the Master YHWH is upon me; because YHWH hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
61:2 To proclaim the acceptable year of YHWH, and the day of vengeance of our Elohim; to comfort all that mourn;
61:3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of YHWH, that he might be glorified.
61:4 And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.
Posted by: Darla Anderson | Jan 19, 2012 9:44:08 PM | <urn:uuid:142e16ae-6fe3-4a35-9fc9-ec5a4b43cdd6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://sentencing.typepad.com/sentencing_law_and_policy/2011/12/is-there-any-good-reason-for-governor-jerry-brown-not-to-grant-clemency-to-shirley-ree-smith.html | 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 | 0.975601 | 2,946 | 1.609375 | 2 |
|Uploaded:||March 28, 2012|
|Updated:||March 29, 2012|
Here is one of my favorite tutorials I have drawn today. It is a lesson that will show you "how to draw Altair easy", step by step. If you have ever played Assassins Creed, you should know exactly who Altair is. I have done some previous works in the past on the video game mercenary, and because I love him so much, I thought that other people would appreciate a lesson on Altair in a much easier to follow fashion. Assassins Creed is one of my favorite video games of all time, and so is Altair's character. I choose to draw him in his most popular pose which is from the back with him looking over his shoulder. His face is almost always covered in the game with his hooded cloak that he wears. I love how this drawing came out, and I think you guys will love drawing Altair easy. Let me get the other lessons submitted because I really want you guys to start having fun. I will be back in two shakes of a lambs tail so stick around people! | <urn:uuid:8f703293-3018-4fb8-a3ad-747fb3d9ac54> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dragoart.com/tuts/11539/2/1/94505/how-to-draw-altair-easy,-assassins-creed-step-2.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975772 | 229 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Posted by Bob on July 13, 2005
In Reply to: Re: It can't be magic if it ain't fun to say... posted by Bruce Kahl on July 12, 2005
: : : : : Why do we say 'open sesame'? where does it originate from and why do we associate the phrase with magic?
: : : : It's from 'Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves,' one of the tales of Arabian Nights. See: http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/alibaba.html
: : : Here's a rule of thumb worth keeping: "magic words" don't become magic, and certainly don't persist over centuries, if they aren't fun to say. Felicitous and euphonious. "Open sesame" has lived on and on, spawning a million jokes about "open, says me!" which delights the children who thought it up. "Hocus pocus" is another. Regardless of its source, or seriousness, it perisits because it's (all together now:) fun to say.
: : : Not just magic words. We get lots of queries on this forum about oaths and what they "mean." Hells bells, folks, some things are just fun to say. The most colorfulversions survive. "What in the blue blazes" will live on, "by pharoah's foot" will fade away.
: : Sesame oil is a mild laxative, and was traditionally used as such by the Arabs; thus "Open Sesame!" in the original Arabic was a lavatory joke. (VSD)
: I have also seen some explanations that state the seed capsules split open with a shattering plop on ripening which could also explain the origin of the phrase.
I should have mentioned, in addition to Hocus Pocus and Open Sesame ... Eeny Meeny Chili Beany. (The spirits are about to speak....) This theory is holdin' water.... | <urn:uuid:3b991a0d-e091-4add-81bd-c914adc81991> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/42/messages/642.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961085 | 411 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Qld tent embassy deserted after fire
- From: AAP
- October 02, 2012
A SMALL Aboriginal tent embassy destroyed by fire in Brisbane was deserted when authorities arrived, police say.
Officers on Tuesday morning cordoned off a corner of Musgrave Park, in Brisbane's inner south where up to five tents were almost completely burnt out.
Forensic investigators spent the morning sifting through the charred remains of the 20 metres by 20 metres site.
Senior Sergeant Tony Collins said when firefighters and police arrived at the scene, about 7.15am (AEST), it was deserted.
"We couldn't locate anyone from the tent embassy to talk with upon arrival," he told AAP.
He said police were not sure what caused the blaze, which is being treated as suspicious.
No one was injured.
A local Aboriginal leader who inspected the damage said he was trying to contact the residents.
"Everyone's pretty shaken up by this. This embassy site is a very important place to us," Sam Watson told reporters at the scene.
He said Musgrave Park has traditionally been a sacred gathering place for his people.
The Brisbane site was one of a network of tent embassies throughout Australia.
In May, hundreds of Queensland police clashed with tent embassy residents when they removed the original site in the centre of the park to make way for a popular Greek festival.
It was relocated to the current location in a corner of the park.
Mr Watson said in any week up to 200 people would visit, and this weekend was to be particularly significant as it was the anniversary of the 1982 Commonwealth Games protests.
Thousands marched for land rights when Brisbane hosted the games to draw international attention to the issue.
"Right now, leading up to the Commonwealth Games anniversary, it's very hurtful to see our embassy like this," Mr Watson said. | <urn:uuid:3d6abe72-f55f-4ad7-ab94-eeb0ce729a85> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/national/qlds-tent-embassy-ablaze/story-e6frfku9-1226486293912?from=public_rss | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981909 | 377 | 1.757813 | 2 |
Report: Housing market in for sustained decline
|December 8, 2005|
UCLA Anderson forecasts slower slide than previously anticipated
The U.S. housing industry is in for a sustained decline, though signs of a cool-down have been slower to emerge than previously expected, according to the quarterly UCLA Anderson Forecast released Wednesday, USA Today reported.
The widely respected forecasting center at UCLA said rising interest rates, slowing population growth, overbuilding and the fact that prices had reached bubble-like heights in some hot areas will drive the decline, according to reports.
The report said that housing, which had been a big driver of growth, is contributing little to the economic expansion at present, USA Today reported.
The economists said that though a sharper slowdown in housing will hurt the broader economy, it is not expected to push it into recession, according to reports.
"The remaining questions are how hard the fall will be and when it will begin," Michael Bazdarich, senior economist at the UCLA Anderson Forecast, said in the report, according to USA Today. "The recent anecdotal evidence suggests the decline may be beginning. We'll soon see for sure," he said.
Previously, UCLA Anderson Forecast economists had predicted that housing construction would begin to slow in mid-2005, a projection it later pushed back to early 2006.
There are signs that the market has begun to cool, including a decline in existing home sales and softening prices for homebuilder stocks. But Bazdarich said it was "still too early to call the turn," according to reports.
Along those lines, the Mortgage Bankers Association said Wednesday that mortgage applications rose in the past week. The demand for purchase loans rose for the third time in four weeks, while mortgage refinance demand firmed for the first time in nearly two months.
Edward Leamer, director of the UCLA Anderson Forecast, noted that eight of the past 10 economic recessions were started by housing-market slowdowns, reports said. But, Leamer observed, loss of spending on housing alone would not be enough to trigger a recession.
And while Leamer estimated the bursting of the housing bubble could cause the loss of 500,000 construction jobs and 300,000 financial services positions over two to three years, he does not expect a large decline in manufacturing and notes that steady job gains are expected in other industries, reports said.
"Bottom line: A jobless recovery is going to be followed by a jobful non-recession," Leamer wrote in his U.S. forecast, according to reports.
In a separate forecast for California, the economists said a recession was not out of the question if the housing market slowed more than expected, according to media reports. It also said that while home-price appreciation was slowing in parts of California, it was a long way from flattening.
Copyright 2005 Innam News | <urn:uuid:ffb04bb6-e9d2-4eea-8cf7-9d4b97fa8e6b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.alta.org/indynews/news.cfm?newsID=3375 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973916 | 587 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Editor's Note: As ongoing extended coverage of the Casey Anthony trial, WESH 2 News legal analyst Judge O.H. Eaton Jr. is answering questions about the case.
Can Defense Make Up Story?
Dear Judge Eaton: Can a defense attorney make up a story or does it have to originate from the defendant? -- Joyce
A defense does not have to originate from the defendant, but attorneys are not allowed to make up a defense. There must be a good-faith basis for the defense. A lawyer is not required to present a defense based upon the defendant?s version of events if he does not believe the defendant. -- Judge O.H. Eaton
Can Jurors Ask Questions?
Dear Judge Eaton: I know in civil lawsuits the jury is allowed to ask questions of the witness after the questions have been screened by the judge to make sure they do not violate the rules following the direct and cross exams. Is that not allowed in criminal cases or are they just foregoing that? -- Paula
The trial judge has the discretion to allow jurors to ask questions of witnesses. There is a jury instruction that explains how jurors are to do that. In the Casey Anthony case, Judge Belvin Perry did not give that instruction, so the jurors are not aware they can ask questions. I used to always allow jurors to ask questions. Sometimes they were good ones. The instruction tells the jurors they are not to act as lawyers but can ask questions to clarify or explain the testimony. -- Judge O.H. Eaton
Can Case Be Tried After Appeal?
Dear Judge Eaton: You've discussed possible avenues of appeal. If the appellate court overturns a conviction, is that the same as a not guilty verdict? Can the state retry the case? What happens next? Judge Perry must have been pretty confident of the new evidence to allow it. I imagine judges prefer not to be overturned. -- Andrew, Orlando, Fla.
When an appellate court reverses a trial court?s judgment it usually remands for a new trial, a reduction of sentence or some other relief. The reversal can result in a discharge (not guilty) if the court determines the evidence presented at trial was insufficient to sustain the verdict. -- Judge O.H. Eaton | <urn:uuid:00b562ef-c4ed-466c-bf8d-f7b835e246d0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wesh.com/news/casey-anthony-extended-coverage/Ask-The-Judge-Juror-Questions-Smelling-Remains/-/13479888/13133268/-/eao4cj/-/index.html | 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 | 0.947136 | 455 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Many fondly recall the megahertz race -- the 90s phenomena in which Advanced Micro Devices and Intel raced to have the highest-clocked processor. Over time, designers realized such a blind race was foolish, and that it was conceding far too much in efficiency and heat. Now a similar race is heating up over the number of cores in a desktop processor, but only time will tell whether the race is the path of good design, or another blind charge.
Intel already has a four-core 45 nm desktop processor (Nehalem/i7) and a six-core server processor (Xeon) on the market. It plans to roll out an eight-core server processor (Xeon) in Q4 2009.
However, it may fall behind in the core race (though still presumably ahead in die-shrinks) if AMD is able to deliver on its planned release schedule. AMD plans to release its six-core 45 nm processor, codenamed Istanbul in June. The chip, like Intel's 6-core beast, is geared for the server market.
But that's far from AMD's biggest news. AMD has announced plans to beat Intel to 12 cores, releasing both 8 and 12 core processors, codenamed Magny-Cours, in Q1 2010. It has also announced that it will in 2011 roll out its 32 nm Bulldozer core, which will feature up to 16 cores, running on the new Sandtiger architecture. In short -- AMD plans to beat Intel in the core race.
Patrick Patla, an AMD vice president and general manager of its server unit states, "We are not ducking performance. We want to do top-line performance with bottom-line efficiency."
Intel, meanwhile, remains confident that it can deliver equivalent performance with fewer cores via Hyper Threading. Like NVIDIA, Intel is pursuing a slightly more monolithic design with fewer, but stronger processor cores. Intel spokesman Nick Knupffer states, "We are confident we will stay far ahead on performance--and with fewer cores--do so in a more cost-effective, manufacturing-friendly manner. This will be the first time in history where less is more."
Even if AMD can beat Intel in performance, it will still be in dire financial straits until it can translate that performance into sales. AMD took another big loss in its recently reported fiscal quarter, just the latest in several years mostly in the red.
quote: I don't see a practical application of that many cores in desktop environments RIGHT NOW.
quote: These processors will target server applications, where they will find synergy with trends in that market towards virtualization and energy (operating cost) reduction.
quote: The MHz-Warz brought about amazing per-clock efficiencies as people pulled away from the space-heater mentality.
quote: As long as we keep seeing 40%+ performance improvements with each new generation of chips, I don't really care what they do!
quote: Memory bandwidth has been dramatically improved with Nehalem. It should scale pretty well to 12 cores.
quote: How many times must I say its not merely the bandwidth, latency is disgustingly high the more cores you go. | <urn:uuid:b9b8f7f9-58de-41f5-bdea-bd6ad183e743> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=14952&commentid=435302&threshhold=1&red=512 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942506 | 656 | 1.765625 | 2 |
For those of you unfamiliar with Movember, we’re here to tell you about this campaign that is (literally) changing the face of men’s health around the world. Men worldwide start Movember, November 1st, clean shaven and then make it their goal throughout the month to grow the most impressive mustache they can.
They become walking, talking personal ads raising awareness, word-of-mouth buzz, and money for the often ignored issue of men’s health, specifically prostate and testicular cancers. As this movement continues to grow on a global scale, there is now mustache merchandise in many stores and mustache-themed fundraising parties. Movember participants nicknamed “Mo Bros” along with the women in their lives “Mo Sistas” have been very successful, raising $126.3 million in 2011. It is the goal of the organization to change the attitudes that men have about their health, to increase the chances of early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of these cancers.
If you would like to learn more about this fundraising campaign or would like to donate to this international effort visit Movember.com. Do you know anyone participating in Movember? | <urn:uuid:edd96cc4-64ba-483d-a649-4693d8380174> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.uniformadvantage.com/2012/11/12/movember-2012/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=9a71b83933 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96654 | 242 | 1.53125 | 2 |
By Kim Eun-jung
SEOUL, Oct. 28 (Yonhap) -- The Constitutional Court on Thursday justified the military's ban on books labeled seditious, arguing that the prohibition serves to prevent the weakening of soldiers' spirits.
The defense ministry banned 23 books it categorized as subversive for pro-North Korea, anti-capitalism, anti-government or anti-U.S. contents. The list included "Bad Samaritans" by Chang Ha-jun, a Cambridge-educated Korean economist critical of capitalism, "The Global Trap" by Hans-Peter Martin, an Austrian journalist, as well as books about North Korea.
In a 6-3 decision, the Constitutional Court said the intent behind the ban is just and the scope of the ban appropriate as it is "limited to books that seriously undermine the spiritual strength of the soldiers."
A group of seven military judicial officers had petitioned with the court in 2008 to say that the ban violated soldiers' basic rights and was unconstitutional. The officers were later either dismissed or given disciplinary punishment for not following the orders of their superiors and for creating controversy.
Critics charged that the ministry's ban was irrelevant, arguing that some of the books on the list were being taught at universities.
- S. Korea-U.S. military ties grow stronger amid threats of N. Korea's potential instability
- President Lee prioritizes stability over change in picking premier
- Fairness being revisited under Lee's justice drive
- Fresh U.S. sanctions symbolic, but impact in doubt: analysts
- Failure in verification of Cabinet nominees deals blow to president, ruling bloc
- Confirmation hearings raise more suspicions, divide political parties
- Lee's speech hints at no change in N. Korea policy
- Debate heats up over unification tax
- Japan steps forward with apology in effort to resolve bad blood with S. Korea: analysts
- Prime minister-designate put to test before presidential race
- Lee seeks generational shift, national unity through Cabinet shake-up
- River restoration project gains some traction, but not enough
- S. Korea in dilemma amid U.S. pressure over Iran sanctions
- DP enters new phase after leaders resign
Home > National > Society | <urn:uuid:15ba27e5-c48b-4787-b785-da4c4306d2c6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2010/10/28/35/0302000000AEN20101028009500315F.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 | 0.936083 | 456 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Tallahassee, Fl-December 30, 2012
Florida is one of 10 states where the minimum wage is going up January first.
Kim Doxey co-owns the Mocking Bird, a popular Tallahassee restaurant and lounge on North Monroe Street. He says he and his staff are bracing for the potential impact of seeing Florida's minimum wage increase January first.
"It's going to have a ripple on effect," says Doxey.
Florida minium wage is increasing to $7.79 an hour, which is a 12 cent raise or roughly an extra $5 a week.
While Doxey says most of his staff are tipped employees rather than paid minimum wage, he says he'll still have to make adjustments such as potentially scaling back employees' hours in order to make up for the increase.
"So it not only impacts that minimum wage which is going to be four dollars and something, but it's also going to affect that they are not getting tips," says Doxey.
As business across the state like Doxey's look to adjust, some consumer see the increase as a good thing, even if it means they may have to pay more.
"If the price has to go up for the customer to get service in an economy that demands more from people to be able to live and survive to make a basic just wage then I think that's the way it works," says Tom Neal.
Of the state's 7.4 million employees, only about 210,000 of them are expected to be impacted by the raise.
In 2013, Washington State will have highest minimum wage at $9.19.
MIAMI -- December 29, 2012
Florida's minimum wage earners are about to get a 12-cents-an-hour boost.
But experts say the increase won't help that many people and adds up to less than $5 a week.
Minimum wage in the Sunshine State will rise to $7.79 on Tuesday. Only about 210,000 out of 7.4 million employed workers Florida workers will benefit.
The increase likely will affect phone sales workers, drivers, housekeepers, toll collectors, security guards and many hourly wage workers in the hotel and restaurant industry.
Younger workers may feel the greatest impact. A University of Central Florida economist says workers under the age of 24 account for roughly half of all minimum-wage earners.
The National Employment Law Project estimates the increase will add $46.2 million to the state's gross domestic product. | <urn:uuid:e9671808-e7a7-4212-98ec-4e4329e3cb08> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wctv.tv/news/floridanews/headlines/Florida-Minimum-Wage-Workers-to-Get-12-Cent-Increase-185161291.html?site=full | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967404 | 517 | 1.75 | 2 |
This past Sunday, my husband Mike and I made our first trip to the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center in Skokie. We had been meaning to go for months, and finally found the time to tour the museum before a lecture I was covering for JUF News. The program, titled “Combating Terrorism and the Rule of Law: A comparative U.S.-Israeli perspective,” featured Harvard University professors Philip B. Heymann and Gabriella Blum, co-authors of the award-winning book, Laws, Outlaws, and Terrorists: Lessons from the War on Terrorism. For more on the program, visit JUFNews.org next week.
Since this was our first visit to the museum, we were encouraged to begin by visiting the Karkomi Permanent Exhibition. But first, I wanted us to check out the visiting exhibit from Yad Vashem, “Spots of Light: To be a Woman in the Holocaust,” before it left the Skokie museum on Sept. 6. And I’m glad we did.
The exhibit, a production of the Museums Division of Yad Vashem, is the first to focus exclusively on women and their experiences during the Holocaust. As I walked through the exhibit, large screens with amazing stories of courage, strength, motherhood, friendship and love flashed before me—a ketubah of a couple who married in a concentration camp, stories of mothers who told their children fairy tales while they were in hiding, of women who shared recipes and stories of great friendships. Objects in the center of the exhibit are from the Skokie museum's collection and were curated Arielle Weininger to augment the show, and to tell stories of local survivors. I was amazed to read how women found the strength to carry on and maintain these core Jewish values, even in the darkest of times, and was fascinated by their beauty in the photos. Though many of their stories had tragic endings, it was still somehow life-affirming to read of their experiences.
In an interview, Yehudit Shendar, the museums division and senior art curator for Yad Vashem said:
“This exhibit does not speak about perpetrators. There are [intentionally] no swastikas. There is no barbed wire, no Nazi attire, and no chimneys. This is a refreshing view which only shows the female reaction, and thereby empowers the female story.”
One story on the “love” screen was just captivating to me—a wedding movie shot July 6, 1942. The young couple, Rosa Wertheim and Jim de Zwarte, is seen on their wedding day at the Nieuwe Synagogue (New Synagogue) in Amsterdam. I watched the film over and over and over again, recalling my wedding day just a few months ago. As I looked closer, I noticed the Jewish stars on their sleeves. And then my eyes moved to below the video, where I read that both the bride and the groom died just months later in Auschwitz. The power and sadness of this juxtaposition was alarming to me—a couple seen celebrating the happiest day of their life, followed by such a tragic ending.
Mike and I did not have nearly enough time at this exhibit—each story and artifact drew me in deeper—but I wanted to be sure we had time to see the permanent exhibit, where we spent the next hour and a half.
We quickly learned this was not nearly enough time to get through the wealth of information and artifacts available at the museum. I myself have visited the Holocaust Museum in D.C. and been to Yad Vashem several times, but this was the first time my husband and I had gone through this experience together. It really hit home, as we passed the passports and letters from those who had fled to the Shanghai Ghetto, to hear him remark that he had those same artifacts at home from his grandparents.
Needless to say, we plan to return to finish our tour of the permanent exhibit and I hope those of you who have not yet visited will plan a trip.
Don’t forget, the last day the “Spots of Light” exhibition will be open is this Tuesday, Sept. 6.
For more information, visit the museum’s website. | <urn:uuid:7408209d-b74d-4852-9651-1192e086d3a1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.juf.org/news/blog.aspx?blogmonth=9&blogyear=2011&blogid=13571 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974301 | 883 | 1.710938 | 2 |
The Colombian capital evidently receives little tourism—odd since bogotanos are ultra friendly, the city sits in a privileged spot, the food is excellent, public transportation is easy & it’s an active & vibrant place. After seven days I felt I’d seen a good portion of the city, but there’s definitely more to explore for a second visit.
My trip consisted in exploring the 80 blocks between the colonial quarter of La Candelaria & Calle 95. After a few days, the altitude seemed to get to me… at least I’m guessing that’s why I felt so fatigued even after sleeping well. But I did a lot of walking regardless of being at 2,640 m above sea level. That elevation makes Bogotá one of the top ten highest world capitals. And there are still higher mountains running along the city’s eastern edge!
The coat-of-arms for Bogotá dates back to Spanish colonization when it was capital of the region called Nueva Granada, including what is now Panama, Ecuador & Venezuela. Being an Iberophile, I immediately recognized the granada (pomegranate) taken from the lower section of the Spanish coat-of-arms:
During the day, lots of people are out & about. I knew Bogotá would be busy, but I wasn’t prepared for the large number of people on the streets. According to Isabel Arteaga Arredondo, the expansion of Bogotá in both area & population was due to rural violence in the 1950′s-60′s & economic growth based on industrialization. The city burst at the seams & is now trying to incorporate shantytowns & other low-income districts. But at almost 8 million people, city officials are still trying to catch up:
Regardless of its rapid expansion, Bogotá seemed remarkably clean. Sidewalks were in need of major repair & quite a number of buildings were neglected, but the city itself was impeccable. We only took a couple of the ubiquitous lemon yellow taxis (cheap, fun, & clean as well) as most of our transportation was on the Transmilenio: bus service using dedicated lanes (two each way) with stations in the middle of the avenues. Although the schedules are confusing at first & lines for tickets can be long, service is quick & once again, the buses are amazingly clean. Buenos Aires could learn a lot from Bogotá:
After living so long in Argentina, the formality of Spanish in Bogotá was a nice change. Even Spain isn’t as formal these days. The norm was to address others with Usted, the response to “thank you” is a hearty con mucho gusto or “with pleasure,” & the most common reply to goodbye is “que esté bien” or “que tenga un buen día“… I wish you well or have a nice day. Super polite. Darío & I tried joking with people in hotels, restaurants, museums, etc. but they didn’t play along. It didn’t seem like they were used to that kind of interaction, pero todo bien.
One of the highlights of the trip was the food. I’ve never seen people eat so much fruit anywhere. The papaya was the best I’ve ever had, & the variety of fruit juices was paradise. Arepas (corn flour pancakes) will definitely become part of my diet when I’m back in Buenos Aires. And yes, the coffee really does taste amazing. Juan Valdez cafés dot the city like Starbucks–minus the mule–but there are plenty of other options for caffeine. And panela (basically unrefined sugarcane) rocks. | <urn:uuid:0c01c928-9ea9-4bd0-ba24-d5943cab6886> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wrighton.com.ar/archives/bogota-first-impressions/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953906 | 795 | 1.609375 | 2 |
The McClellan Road bridge, which spans Town Creek between Kings and Brookhollow roads, reopened to traffic Monday.
The estimated $350,000 project was designed and built by Anderson County Transportation Division employees and benefited from a $248,000 federal earmark secured by U.S. Sen. Gresham Barrett. Construction began in June 2006.
County Administrator Joey Preston said the county minimized its share of the project by managing, designing and building the project in-house. The move saved the county an estimated $240,000.
The bridge was initially constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1962 during the Hartwell Lake and Dam. The original structure was restricted from carrying school buses and fire trucks. | <urn:uuid:29c3496b-46f9-4fba-baaa-f51fba8ed7ae> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.independentmail.com/news/2007/feb/05/mcclellan-road-bridge-reopens/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974134 | 146 | 1.804688 | 2 |
A pair of Clinton-era telecom regulators and “card-carrying Democrats” want to bring back some of the economic magic of the go-go 1990s with an ambitious plan to accelerate growth, shrink the national debt while revolutionizing the delivery of government services, and help slow global warming.
The plan from former Federal Communications Commission Chairman Reed Hundt and his former chief of staff, Blair Levin, is outlined in an e-book called The Politics of Abundance: How Technology Can Fix the Budget, Revive the American Dream, and Establish Obama’s Legacy. It modestly proposes that huge economic growth can be spurred through reconfiguring the way energy is produced, purchased, and consumed. At the same time, the government can generate new efficiencies and savings using broadband applications in health care and education.
All it’s going to take is a grand bargain between Republicans and Democrats in which revenue from a big new emissions tax that targets energy generated by nonrenewable sources and from utility regulation reform is swapped for lower personal and corporate tax rates and a reduction in taxes U.S.-based multinationals pay on repatriated foreign profits.
It sounds like a pipe dream, but Hundt and Levin think it’s possible. “We did not put one thing in that we thought Republicans would overwhelmingly oppose,” Hundt said Tuesday morning at the Hudson Institute in Washington.
The two are shopping their plan to policymakers, lobbyists, industry leaders, and think tankers. Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., recommended it to his caucus in a letter, calling the book, “a thoughtful, forward-looking, and optimistic prescription for President Obama’s second term, and I commend it to your consideration.”
On the technology side, the plan calls for raising $45 billion thorough a spectrum auction and spectrum management fees. Some of these funds will go to an effort to digitize all government information and move it to a cloud-based system. “The government should not be the last institution in the social landscape to know which way the digital wind is blowing,” they write.
They offer a laundry list of recommendations for executive actions to push government services online, including the elimination of paper from government, creating a secure system for digital voting, new standards for making online medical records interoperable, new telemedicine rules that allow for delivery of services across state lines, and rewarding school districts that use digital course materials including electronic textbooks. They would also centralize all government spectrum leasing through the Office of Management and Budget, taking that role away from the military and government agencies that currently hold the spectrum.
Hundt said he and Levin wrote the book in anticipation of an Obama victory in the November elections. He offered another prediction — that the Obama administration and Congress will come to terms on a compromise to avert the combination of tax hikes and spending cuts known as the fiscal cliff. He expects a deal to include tax hikes on top earners, and a postponement of a reckoning on taxes and entitlements. As Obama pivots to his second-term agenda, Hundt said that the president will find a Congress “that will want accomplishments.”
The two faced a skeptical audience. Seth Bloom, general counsel on the Senate Antitrust Subcommittee, said that such transformative legislation faces strong headwinds in Congress. Filibuster reform, he said, “could be the most important thing in getting stuff like this to move.” | <urn:uuid:b1b3d0db-1889-4033-8c21-624ef844e99a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nextgov.com/cio-briefing/2012/11/technology-can-fix-budget-crisis-say-former-fcc-officials/59776/?oref=ng-channelriver | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952206 | 722 | 1.773438 | 2 |
Passion is defined as a strong liking or desire of devotion to an activity, object or concept.
It is the most passionate people who truly strive to make a career doing what they love and achieving their dream job.
Amy Manske is passionate about agriculture. Her love for the farm defines who she is and who she wants to be in the future.
Her passion and determination to share her knowledge of the agriculture industry as made her one of six finalists for the 65th Alice in Dairyland.
"Being chosen as a finalist is such an honor," Manske said. "Getting this far is an accomplishment and means a great deal to me."
Alice in Dairyland is a full-time public relations employee of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) and serves a one year contract term.
Manske's passion for agriculture began at a very young age. She grew up on her family's 60-cow dairy farm in New London where feeding calves, walking cows up from the pasture was part of her daily routine.
She was also involved in the Sandy Knoll 4-H club and FFA.
"These programs and my upbringing helped me understand that agriculture is a crucial part of Wisconsin," Manske said. "I continue to learn more about Wisconsin's $59 billion industry when I can, but I spend more time sharing what I know."
One of her fondest memories as a FFA member was helping with Food for America, a program where fourth grade students take a field trip to a local farm.
"Our job was to give tours to the kids, explain how equipment worked, and what a day in the life of a farmer was like."
In 2007, Manske was a Cow Expert at the Wisconsin State Fair where she educated people about the industry.
"What I learned through this experience is that many people covet what I know about agriculture."
She fondly remembered talking to a woman about "brown" cows for an hour, and explaining to several kids that their milk does not just come from the grocery store, but from a cow.
Manske graduated from New London High School in 2008 and has attended the University of Wisconsin Green Bay. She will graduate on May 12 with a degree in Communication with an emphasis in journalism and public relations. She will also have a minor in business.
She has the desire to work with agriculture businesses in public relations.
"The idea of promoting and communicating something to the public that you are passionate for is a really cool job," Manske said. "My passion is agriculture and public relations; what better than the Alice in Dairyland position."
Manske looks forward to competing for the 65th Alice in Dairyland position.
"Alice is something I have grown up with," Manske said. "My mom and I have followed the program for years. We have always respected the job and believe it's extremely important to help get the word out about agriculture. It has always been something I have dreamed of being a part of."
Manske will compete in the Alice in Dairyland finals May 17-19. During those three days, finalists will complete an individual interview, writing exercise, media interviews, an impromptu question and answer session, an agribusiness tour talk and a finale speech.
The 65th Alice in Dairyland will begin her duties on June 4.
If chosen for the position, Manske has ideas of what she would do.
"I would like to emphasize fun facts about agriculture to people, especially kids, to help them relate to the diverse industries Wisconsin has to offer," Manske said. "I also want to make sure we are hitting both rural and urban communities, because bridging the gap is crucial in getting everyone on the same page."
Manske's goal is to get the public excited about the agriculture industry as she is.
"I would love to get people excited about being educated in agriculture," Manske said. "I learned to never take my agriculture background for granted and telling one person something about agriculture might lead to them telling 10 more, so you should never underestimate the power of talking to one person. The Alice in Dairyland position is what I would consider my dream job."
- Farmington citizens want County Q fixed
- Clintonville hires new principal
- Meet the artists on May 28
- Olsen, Petersen discuss school revenue
- More dam issues in Manawa (2)
- W-F schools have new principal
- Schroeder to serve on Dayton board (1)
- Lessons in design
- Principal Mummy (13)
- Planting the seeds of learning | <urn:uuid:94151c64-4d1a-490b-8707-780f50c9e9a4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.waupacanow.com/communitynews/lifelong-passion-could-be-dream-come-true-----jcpg-266223-147010265.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975664 | 955 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Both presidential candidates have been laying it on thick with the ladies. Not that I blame them. We not only out-register and out-vote our male counterparts, we are also multi-issue voters otherwise known as swing voters.
Both candidates push a brand of female appeal, whether on the economy, health, or women’s rights. But, Republican nominee Mitt Romney is saddled by a serious problem, bad GOP wingmen.
It’s like Romney is that guy at a party who’s chatting up a lady and his wingman—let’s call him Senate candidate Richard Mourdock—saunters up and, instead of saying something smooth, offends the lady with whom Romney was hoping to close the deal.
While both presidential candidates desperately want the female vote, one of them has the natural advantage: Barack Obama. Today women are eight to 10 percentage points more likely than men to identify as Democrats. In every presidential election since 1980 a greater proportion of women than men have preferred the Democratic candidate. This phenomenon has come to be known as the “gender gap.” In 2008, the gender gap was seven percentage points, and in 1996, we saw the biggest gender gap ever: 11 points separated Bill Clinton from Bob Dole.
So the GOP hasn’t traditionally been popular with female voters. Yet, in the 2010 midterm elections, Republicans saw an increase of 16 percentage points among women for Republican candidates.
Less than two weeks away from this year’s presidential election, President Obama continues to hold an advantage with female voters. However, a number of respectable polls show the gender gap shrinking to as little as 3%. It seems Romney has capitalized on the economic concerns of women and effectively accused the president of waging an economic war on women.
While the top issue of concern for women is the economy, the relevance of women’s issues remains. It is under this umbrella that the president effectively wooed the female vote.
Romney knows that he can’t mobilize women based on social issues, so his strategy for reaching women has been two pronged: 1) Highlight the economy; and 2) Stay as far away from women’s issues, such as contraception, as possible. He has done a relatively good job of highlighting how women have been hit hard by a down economy and how his priority is to increase job and economic growth. For the most part, Romney has successfully dodged and side-stepped women’s issues such as abortion and equal pay.
But every so often one of Romney’s GOP buddies pops up and says something profoundly offensive like, “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.” Romney tried to distance himself as far as possible from Republican Senate candidate Rep. Todd Akin when he made this remark. Romney even called on him to step out of the race.
And just as the Akin incident was starting to fade, out comes another Republican Senate candidate: Richard Mourdock. He steps into it by saying that he opposes abortion even in the case of rape, because pregnancy from rape is “something that God intended to happen.” This wingman is a bit harder for Romney to turn away from given that just a couple of days earlier the Mourdock campaign unveiled an ad where Romney endorses the senate candidate.
With friends like that who needs the Democrats?
Romney has made a conscious effort to distance himself from the “no abortion under any circumstance” plank of the Republican platform. He has also gone to great pains to say that he does not oppose contraception, including in new advertising. While his “binders full of women” was a poor choice of words, Romney was ultimately trying to highlight his awareness of increasing gender diversity in the workplace.
Unfortunately for Romney, amidst all of this softening on women’s issues, his larger circle of friends will keep him from turning around the gender gap.
Victoria Defrancesco Soto
Posted: Saturday, 27 October 2012 | <urn:uuid:5dcc124a-ce0c-4f37-946f-9a6185f91b81> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.laprogressive.com/romney-gender-gap/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973795 | 838 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Chapel brings the ESA community together to celebrate life, worship God and nurture personal spirituality. Students have the opportunity to participate actively in Chapel as well as to benefit from experiences and lessons shared by faculty and guests of the school. Chapel is also a time for daily announcements and monthly Eucharistic services.
The School Prayer
O heavenly Father, who has given us Thy Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Friend and example, help us to understand His friendship, and to do such things as will please Him. Bless us in our work and in our play. Make us gentle, generous, truthful, kind, and brave. Keep us in purity of heart, and let the life of our school go on from strength to strength and have its place and meaning in Thy kingdom. All of which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Worship in the ESA Chapel is grounded in the Episcopal Church’s tradition of reverence for God; the teachings of Jesus Christ; the celebration of the Holy Eucharist; the presentation of personal, local and global issues; and the opportunity for prayer. Chapel programs are a shared responsibility of the total school community. Teachers, students, clergy, youth ministers and guests participate in the organization and presentation of daily chapel talks, programs and presentations. Chapel also provides a daily opportunity to communicate important information to the ESA community.
Chapel attempts to combat ignorance and apathy about religion by treating it as significant and discussing it openly and positively.
The Episcopal Church distinguishes between education and evangelism and sees these as related but distinct tasks. We believe that a true faith must be an informed choice, freely made. The primary purpose of ESA is to educate, not to indoctrinate or convert. ESA does not knowingly coerce or intimidate students on matters of faith.
The Episcopal Church acknowledges and supports liberty of conscience and esteems other traditions even while valuing its own. Through Chapel we seek to strengthen each individual’s spirituality by encouraging an understanding and appreciation of the values, talents and traditions of all members of the ESA community.
Chapel is an integral part of the ESA school day. Attendance is mandatory for all students and faculty. The Holy Eucharist, which is the principal act of Christian worship in the Episcopal Church, as set forth in the Book of Common Prayer, is celebrated monthly at ESA. All students and faculty attend and, as conscience dictates, participate in the services. | <urn:uuid:fc3d1eaf-c9b8-42b3-93b0-aaf956d2d38d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.esacadiana.com/page.cfm?p=388 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954477 | 494 | 1.695313 | 2 |
was an honest mistake by a graphic designer.
From the Australian ABC News
A Malaysian newspaper has apologised to Kuala Lumpur's Roman Catholic archbishop after publishing a front page picture of Jesus Christ clutching a cigarette.
The Makkal Osai, a Tamil-language daily, printed the picture earlier in the week, provoking criticism from religious leaders and politicians in multicultural Malaysia.
SM Periasamy, general manager of the paper, said someone had downloaded the image from the internet to illustrate an article, and did not notice that Jesus appeared to be smoking.
"We are sorry for the mistake, but it was a very honest one," he told AFP, adding that the person responsible had been suspended.
Local media reported that the picture also showed Jesus holding a beer can in one hand, but Mr Periasamy said it was in fact non-alcoholic.
He said the paper had written to Murphy Pakiam, Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur, and he had accepted their apology. They had also explained the mistake to the Malaysian Government, he added.
"At no time did we mean to downgrade any religion," Mr Periasamy said.
The New Straits Times on Thursday (local time) quoted the archbishop as saying the image was upsetting to Catholics but that he considered the matter closed.
The paper also reported that a Malaysian Indian Congress party member lodged a police complaint saying the picture threatened national harmony..
The picture was used to illustrate an article on the sayings of great leaders, and ran with the quote: "If someone repents for his mistakes, then heaven awaits them," the New Straits Times said.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi later said that such images could be hurtful to Christians and disturb religious harmony in the country.
More than 60 per cent of Malaysia's 27 million people are Muslim Malays and Islam is the official religion.
Bagelblogger: I find it extremely hard to believe that a graphic designer accidentally didn't notice that Jesus was smoking and drinking in the picture that appeared on the front page of the The Makkal Osai.
Especially considering 'the picture was used to illustrate an article on the sayings of great leaders, and ran with the quote: "If someone repents for his mistakes, then heaven awaits them'. Poor taste possibly, but an accident? I don't think so.
I wonder how the Islamic world would react to an accidental portrayal of Mohammad holding a Durex condom and a book of nursery rhymes?
ABC: Malaysian paper says sorry over Jesus with cigarette pic
: Makkal Osai * Makkal Osai smoking Jesus * Jesus Smoking * Jesus & cigarette * Jesus smoking picture * Jesus smoking photo * Jesus smoking & front page * Jesus & cigarette+drinking * Jesus Smoking and Front Page * Jesus Smoking and drinking * The Makkal Osai and Jesus * The Makkal Osai * Jesus smoking and Malaysia * Malaysia smoking Jesus * Front page and Jesus * Malaysia and drinking Jesus * Jewish * Mr Bagel * BagelBlogger * Bagel Blogger * Jew | <urn:uuid:3ac1cce7-604d-4902-8394-912e81ef7fca> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mrbagel.blogspot.com/2007/08/malaysian-newspaper-front-page-shows.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969121 | 627 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Michigan has been hit hard in this economic downturn but the good news is more people are being given the opportunity to return to school through the various programs offered by Michigan Works!. Ferris State University has worked hard to partner with Michigan Works and to make the transition back to school an easy one for students.
Here we have outlined the steps to accessing Michigan Works! funds and applying them to your program costs. Follow to advising steps.
No Worker Left Behind
No Worker Left Behind (NWLB) is Governor Granholm’s vision for accelerating the transition of thousands of workers into good-paying jobs by providing up to two years worth of free tuition at any community college, university, or other approved training provider to gain the skills and credentials for new careers in high-demand occupations, emerging industries, or to start a business.
The program will expand on the job training and education services currently available to job seekers through Michigan Works! Service Centers.
Trade Adjustment Assistance
The Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program is a federal entitlement program established under the Trade Act of 1974, as amended. The TAA program provides aid to workers who lose their jobs or whose hours of work and wages are reduced as a result of increased imports. TAA offers a variety of benefits and re-employment services to assist unemployed workers in preparing for and obtaining suitable employment. Workers may be eligible for training, job search and relocation allowances, income support, and other re-employment services. To learn more, visit the MDCD site.
Frequently Asked Questions
You have questions. We understand that and have listed out some of the most frequently asked questions we hear. Follow to FAQ.
Contacts for Cost Estimates & MI Works Questions
Lindsay Young (Grand Rapids and Lansing)
(616) 451-4777 or (800) 998-3425
Fax (616) 451-4740
Nicole Merritt (all other locations)
(231) 591-3969 or (800) 433-7747
Fax (231) 591-2127 | <urn:uuid:0b1e846b-d033-4833-bafc-dd2f21e9bd4f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ferris.edu/HTMLS/statewide/apply/miworks.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939863 | 423 | 1.679688 | 2 |
How can I become a Paralympic athlete?
If you are interested in competing as a Paralympic athlete, the best course of action would be to contact the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) in your country. You can find a list of NPCs and contact information on the IPC Website.
How can I find information on a specific sport?
Info about all sports on the Paralympic Summer and Winter Programme can be found on the IPC website under 'Sport'.
How can I become a referee or official during Paralympic Games?
There is a lot of training and expertise necessary before someone can work as an official at Paralympic Games level. If you are interested in becoming a referee or official, please contact your NPC or local sports club.
Where can I find the most current rankings and world records?
Current rankings and world records for several sports can be found on the IPC website under the respective sport. These rankings are updated following all major competitions. For most updated records and rankings you can also contact the Sports Organizations directly.
How can I find information about a specific athlete?
Provided you know the athlete's name and country he or she represents, you can contact their National Paralympic Committee (NPC).
What is the appropriate way to report on persons with a disability?
A few general rules to remember when speaking, interviewing or socializing with a person or an athlete with a disability can be found in the Guidelines Reporting on Persons with a Disability.
I want to see the Paralympic Games - where can I find information on travel, accommodation and tickets?
All of the information that you need to go to the Paralympic Games is available on the website of the respective Organizing Committees. If you want information about the next Paralympic Games in London, www.london2012.com. Information about the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games can be found at www.sochi2014.com, and information about the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games is located at www.rio2016.com.
Can you send me pins, pens and souvenirs from the Paralympic Games?
The best source for any type of Paralympic Games-related merchandise can be found on the websites of the Organizing Committees. If you are looking for souvenirs from past Paralympic Games, it would be best to contact a merchant dealing specifically with Paralympic memorabilia.
How can I volunteer for the Paralympic Games, World Championships and Regional Championships?
The best way to become a volunteer for the Paralympic Games, World Championships and Regional Championships is to contact the Organizing Committees of the competitions. For the Paralympic Games, please go to www.london2012.com, www.sochi2014.com or www.rio2016.com. For World and Regional Championships, you can find a listing of events and contact information by accessing the calendar on this website.
What is the contact information for the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) in my country?
You can find the contact information for every NPC on the following website: http://www.paralympic.org/IPC/Contacts/NPCs/index.html.
There is no National Paralympic Committee (NPC) in my country. How do I participate?
The current structure of Paralympic competition does not allow athletes to compete without having representation from a NPC.
What is classification? Can you explain the classification system?
Classification is simply a structure for competition. Not unlike wrestling, boxing and weightlifting, where athletes are categorized by weight classes, athletes with a disability are grouped in classes defined by the degree of function presented by the disability.
Traditionally there are athletes who belong to six different disability groups in the Paralympic Movement: amputee, cerebral palsy, visual impairment, spinal injury, intellectual disability and a group which includes all those that do not fit into the aforementioned groups (les autres).
Sport classes are determined by a variety of processes that may include a physical and technical assessment and observation in and out of competition. The classes are defined by each sport and form part of the sport rules.
Classification is an ongoing process. When an athlete starts competing, they are allocated a sport class that may be reviewed throughout the athlete's career. Sports certify individuals to conduct the process of classification and these officials are known as classifiers.
For more information about classification, please see the 'Sport' section -> 'Classification'.
What is the Paralympic Movement?
The Paralympic Movement encompasses all athletes and officials belonging to the NPCs, the IOSDs, the International Federations (IFs), the Regional Organizations (ROs), the IPC Regional Committees, the IOSD Sports, the IPC Sports, IPC Councils, IPC Standing Committees, other IPC bodies and any other organizations who agree to be guided by the IPC Constitution and Bylaws. The criteria for belonging to the Paralympic Movement is formal membership or recognition by the IPC.
What are the IPC Sports?
There are currently 25 sports on the Paralympic Programme. Eight of these sports plus one non-Paralympic sport (Alpine Skiing, Athletics, Biathlon, Cross-Country Skiing, Ice Sledge Hockey, Powerlifting, Shooting, Swimming, Wheelchair Dance Sport) are governed by the IPC, hence called IPC Sports.
How can our organization apply a sport to be included in the Paralympic Programme?
Any sport that wishes to be considered for the Paralympic Games must apply at least seven years before the Paralympic Games in question. The Paralympic Programme is re-evaluated each quadrennium to ensure that each sport meets specific criteria in order to maintain elite standards. The criteria are based on the principles of quality, quantity and universality. Quality refers to the competitive quality of events and disciplines offered on a sport's quadrennial competition programme. Quantity refers to the number of nations widely practicing a sport at elite level. Universality refers to the number of regions a sport is widely practiced in. The specific criteria is outlined in the IPC Handbook.
The review process respects the autonomy of the different sports by evaluating them based on official results from competitions over the last quadrennium. This means that, for instance, a sport aiming to be on the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games would be evaluated based on results and data between the 2006 and the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. The sports programme for the 2014 Games is thus determined around the 2010 Games, i.e. four years in advance. Queries on application procedures and requirements can be directed to the Sports Department at the IPC Headquarters.
Why are certain sports not a Paralympic Sport, or why are certain sports not on the Paralympic Sport Programme?
The criteria established for the determination of sports, disciplines and events looks to achieve a programme that reflects diversity and the highest standards of athletic excellence whilst guaranteeing regional access for qualification and elite opportunities for all athletes, especially women and athletes with severe disabilities. Only events that meet the standards within the timeline established are considered for inclusion on the Paralympic Games Programme. Please visit the IPC Handbook for details.
What is doping and who performs the test?
At the Beijing 2008 Paralympics, 1,155 doping tests have been executed prior and during competitions using the same equipment, laboratory and standards as the Olympics. The IPC signed the World Anti-Doping Code in March 2003 and has since then revised the IPC Anti-Doping Code to comply with the World Anti-Doping Agency's standards and code.
Could you provide me the history of the Paralympics with regards to the number of nations, athletes, etc?
You can find information about all of the past Paralympic Summer and Winter Games on the IPC Website.
Where can I find the most current competition rules and regulations?
You can find all of the rules for each of the Paralympic sports under the respective sport sections of the IPC website.
Why are the Paralympic Games not run in conjunction with the Olympic Games?
The Paralympic Games are the second largest sporting event in the world. Nearly four thousand athletes participated at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Considering the staff, volunteers, accommodation, transportation and overall scheduling that would be need to host such an event, it would be nearly impossible for one city to host both the Olympic and Paralympic Games simultaneously. Under the agreement between the IOC and IPC, it was determined that the Paralympic Games will always take place following the Olympic Games in the same host city.
How do I subscribe to the Paralympian?
If you want to receive our quarterly newsletter, the Paralympian delivered to you via postal mail or e-Mail, please use the subscription form on IPC website. Other IPC publications are available as well.
What does the IPC Symbol represent?
The IPC is an organization taking huge steps forward - growing, changing, adapting and achieving - like the athletes we represent. The new IPC symbol embodies this direction. It is a symbol that is in motion, with three Agitos (from Latin: I move) encircling a centre point; emphasizing the role that the IPC has of bringing athletes from all corners of the world together and enabling them to compete, and also emphasizing the fact that Paralympic athletes are constantly inspiring and exciting the world with their performances - always moving forward and never giving up. The Spirit of every Paralympic athlete is uncompromising - every day exceeding what others had thought was possible by pushing themselves to the their limits. With Spirit in Motion, the IPC has captured what the Paralympic Movement is trying to achieve. Enabling athletes from all backgrounds to unite on a single stage, inspiring and exciting the world with their performances.
How is the IPC funded?
As a non-profit organization, the IPC relies on private and corporate donors, sponsors and membership fees. Anyone interested in contributing to the IPC and the Paralympic Movement should contact the IPC Management Team.
How are the Paralympic Games different from the Special Olympics?
The Paralympics and the Special Olympics are similar in that they both focus on sport for athletes with a disability and are run by international non-profit organizations. Apart from that, the Paralympics and the Special Olympics differ in three main areas: 1) the disability categories of the athletes that they work with, 2) the criteria under which athletes participate, and 3) the structure of their respective organizations. The Paralympics, as the largest sports competition for athletes with a disability worldwide, involve athletes from several disability categories. The six main disability categories are: amputee, cerebral palsy, intellectual disability (currently under suspension), visually impaired, spinal injuries and Les Autres (French for "the others", a category that includes conditions that do not fall into the categories mentioned before). In contrast, the Special Olympics are solely for athletes with intellectual disabilities.
To participate in the Paralympic Games, athletes have to fulfil certain criteria and meet certain qualifying standards in order to be eligible. These criteria and standards are sports-specific and are determined by the IPC Sports Chairpersons, the Sports Technical Delegates and the relevant international sports organizations. The Paralympics are about elite performance sport, where athletes go through a stringent qualification process so that the best can compete at the Games. On the other hand, the Special Olympics does not make as clear a distinction between elite and recreational sport as the Paralympics. No qualifying events are held and there is instead a system of random selection of participants for the Special Olympics. Thus, while the Paralympics emphasizes high-level performance, the Special Olympics emphasizes participation from those who can and will.
The Paralympics are run by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). As the international representative organization of sport for athletes with a disability, the IPC comprises elected representatives from around the world. The General Assembly, its highest decision-making body, includes around 160 member nations, represented through their National Paralympic Committees, and five disability-specific organizations. The Special Olympics are run by Special Olympics International (SOI). SOI has established national foundations around the world, which are financed mainly through charity.
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- Follow us on Twitter | <urn:uuid:01143504-aa09-4e68-a679-6ab7d6fc887d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.paralympic.org/FAQ?skin=normal | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934741 | 2,566 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Tranfection cell density and overgrowth - (Dec/04/2009 )
I have been doing transfections for several months and am still unclear about overgrowth.
Lipofectamine 2000 kit suggests seeding cells to final confluency of 90-95% on day of tranfection. This is surprising to me. I will be tranfecting HEK 293 cells and other protocols online suggest a similar cell density before tranfection of this line. I am worried that if I transfect at 95% confluency, in 24-48 hours the cells will overgrow. I have been told that overgrowth leads to inconsistencies in data (and I don't understand why exactly). Would appreciate some advice.
I transfect at whatever density I need to ensure that the cells will not be over confluent at the end of the experiment. I have also found that transfections have a greater efficiency at 70ish% confluency.
I do transfection in HEK293 too. I normally seed the cells such that they reach 50% confluency on the day of transfection. After transfection, I will let them to grow for 48 hours. My boss said after seeding HEK293 for transfection, must let them to grow for more than 24 hours before transfection.
Hope this help.
Lipofectamine transfection needs a high confluency of the cells, because it is a big stress for the cells, so you will for sure see some cells dying after 24h, but the strongest cells will grow and divide.
just follow the instructions and see what happens. | <urn:uuid:0b3356d5-b1d2-4e8d-9308-f452b70bac7a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.protocol-online.org/biology-forums-2/posts/11944.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940684 | 344 | 1.546875 | 2 |
DailyDirt: Save Yourself From The Zombies, If You Can...
from the urls-we-dig-up dept
If you're looking forward to Halloween, it's coming up in a couple days -- and there will probably be plenty of zombies roaming around your front lawn (if you have a front lawn). Just give them some candy when they come to your door, and they'll go away. If they keep coming back, start handing out rolls of pennies, maybe? Here are a few zombie-related links to help you prepare for this Wednesday.
- Some zombies aren't the undead, they're just unthinking folks who might be "in the zone" and focused on other things. Aren't we all zombies in a way? [url]
- ZAICO is the Zombie Apocalypse Insurance Company for all your post-apocalyptic needs. Don't get caught unprepared -- but maybe choose a low deductible plan because cash might be a bit tight after the zombies take over. [url]
- A mathematical model of how zombies spread tells us that we need to deal with the zombie apocalypse quickly or else things will get out hand rapidly and bring the end of civilization as we know it. But how would different kinds of international relations policies deal with a zombie threat? [url] | <urn:uuid:76c229bc-a7dd-4376-8e4c-e612e2bc205e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20101011/11393511367/dailydirt-save-yourself-zombies-if-you-can.shtml | 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 | 0.943966 | 264 | 1.5625 | 2 |
> I've been using Webadmin. Which until now has been great.
> I'm no SQL chap, so creating and removing Databases is easy with Webadmin.
> But can someone tell me how to remove data from a database with out dropping
> the whole table.
>DELETE FROM table; ??? Hmmm, that didn't work, although it did on an older
version of MySQL. I'll have to look into this...
> So RTFM will happen soon, when i get a book. Any recommendations for
> complete beginner?
>I'm not the book-learnin' type myself, but I've heard plenty of recommendations
from hanging around the PHP forums and lists.
For PHP, the best all-rounder seems to be "Professional PHP Programming" by
Wrox. One of the writers - Jesus M. Castagnetto - is a fellow helper on
PHPBuilder.com and he's genuinely a great teacher - I usually just end up
repeating what Jesus taught me a year before. If you're in any doubt about
Jesus' abilities, visit http://metallo.scripps.edu and have a look around. He
built that. I dunno about you, but it scares the hell outta me... :)
SQL isn't quite as clear cut, but I've heard plenty of people recommend The
Practical SQL Handbook, including Jesus.
Both are available on Amazon. And both are rather expensive. I'd suggest that
you shop around a little for them, and avoid buying them in a "real" shop if at
all possible. Last time I saw the PHP book was in that massive bookshop in
Dublin, and it was £35. Robbery.
Maintained by the ILUG website team. The aim of Linux.ie is to
support and help commercial and private users of Linux in Ireland. You can
display ILUG news in your own webpages, read backend
information to find out how. Networking services kindly provided by HEAnet, server kindly donated by
Dell. Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds,
used with permission. No penguins were harmed in the production or maintenance
of this highly praised website. Looking for the
Indian Linux Users' Group? Try here. If you've read all this and aren't a lawyer: you should be! | <urn:uuid:03c67fb5-30d7-44a1-8c7e-f83b7dd3baf4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.linux.ie/lists/pipermail/ilug/2000-May/017996.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951858 | 499 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Economy grows at slower rate
Australia's economy grew a moderate 0.5 per cent last quarter thanks to a fresh burst of business investment, but lower export revenues, government cutbacks and a cresting mining boom mean tougher times may lie ahead.
The September quarter growth followed a 0.6 per cent rise in the June quarter, taking the growth for the year to September to 3.1 per cent, figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed today. This marked a slowdown from the 3.7 per cent rate in the year to June and a sharp decline from the 4.4 per cent to March.
The 0.5 per cent result was slightly below expectations, with a Bloomberg survey of economists predicting a 0.6 per cent rise in the September quarter. The year-on-year rate was in line expectations.
The Australian dollar fell minimally to $US1.0475 following the 11.30am AEST announcement.
The 3.1 per cent result for the year remained a faster pace of growth than almost any other developed nation, but analysts suspect a slowdown will be hard to avoid next year.
Macquarie senior economist Brian Redican said the strength of the mining sector was tiding Australia over for the moment, but the economy was likely to weaken in the months ahead.
‘‘This is a fairly sluggish rate of growth, even with mining investment adding to growth, and before the major fiscal cutbacks begin to come through,’’ he said.
‘‘Those cuts are starting to have an impact, but a negative impact, particularly from mining, is just going to get larger through 2013.’’
Mr Redican said rate cuts from the Reserve Bank of Australia could provide some relief, but previous rate cuts had taken a long time to filter through the economy.
Stephen Walters, chief economist at JP Morgan, described the result as "okay" and said it could have been "a lot softer".
"The mix of growth's not that great, with the public sector likely to remain quite a drag, the capital spending pipeline being worked off and a lot of mining companies sitting there with a lot of unused inventory," he said.
"There's still a substantial amount of mining investment still to be done and the RBA's been cutting rates for more than a year now, so they will eventually get traction from that, so I think (the probability of a recession in Australia is) pretty low."
'Meeting the challenge'
Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan said the national account figures "shine a light on the resilience of Australia's economy in the face of challenging global headwinds".
"We have around-trend growth through the year of 3.1 per cent, seeing our economy outpace every single major advanced economy," he wrote in a tweet.
"Today’s figures also show more than $1 trillion dollars of business investment has occurred in our economy since this [government] came to office."
The ABS data showed that household final consumption expenditure rose 0.3 per cent in the September quarter and was up 3.3 per cent over the year to September, adjusted.
Total investment in dwellings rose 0.7 per cent in the quarter to be down 6.3 per cent in the year to September.
Total gross fixed capital formation rose 0.4 per cent in the quarter and was up 4.5 per cent over the year. Domestic final demand rose 0.2 per cent in the quarter and was up 3.7 per cent over the year.
With AAP, Reuters | <urn:uuid:3088f0cc-cf7c-40e2-ae29-00cf5997873d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/economy-grows-at-slower-rate-20121205-2aumf.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95909 | 733 | 1.578125 | 2 |
John Baird announces plans to close Rights and Democracy group
Explore This Story
The Harper government has killed a Montreal-based human rights agency that’s been in its sights for years.
Citing austerity as the reason, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird announced Tuesday the 24-year-old Rights and Democracy, which encouraged democracy and monitored human rights around the world, would be scrapped.
“Therefore, as part of our efforts to find efficiencies and savings, I am announcing that the government intends to close the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development (also known as Rights and Democracy). Legislation will be introduced in the near future to do so and its functions will be brought within the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade,” he said.
The taxpayer-funded agency was a source of controversy, with employees suspended for speaking out and bitter debates over $30,000 in grants for Middle East human rights groups. The grant did not sit well with the pro-Israeli Conservatives who set out to take over the board with government-appointed members.
The agency’s former president, Rémy Beauregard, died of a heart attack in January 2010 after a particularly stormy board meeting.
“For some time, the many challenges of the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development have been well publicized. It is time to put these past challenges behind us and move forward.” Baird stated in a release.
“Today’s announcement gives us a clean slate to move forward,” he said.
Liberal interim leader Bob Rae told the Star the Conservatives would rather lecture others in the world about democracy “than carry out effective projects and contribute to human rights and good governance.”
Montreal NDP MP Hélène Laverdière said it was well known the Conservatives didn’t like Rights and Democracy but “we didn’t think they would go to that extent.”
“First they poisoned the institution then they killed it” even though she says it did good work around the world and gained international respect.
Laverdière also told the Star that staff at Rights and Democracy weren’t told of the government’s decision until Baird made his announcement. The agency is located in her riding of Laurier—Sainte-Marie.
The very public fight between the Conservative government-appointed board and agency employees spilled over into the House of Commons, where board members were hauled before a committee to explain why they had declared war on the agency and its employees.
That included firing three senior employees at Rights and Democracy after agency staff wrote a letter to the 13-member board, demanding the resignation of three directors.
- Doug Ford denies fresh drug-related allegations in published report
- French soldier stabbed in throat, link to London attack unconfirmed
- Conrad Black writes a kind of love letter to the America that had him incarcerated
- Thousands run and walk final mile of Boston Marathon
- Battling the lethal H7N9 virus: a look inside the lab where vaccine is being developed
- Hockey Canada bans bodychecking at peewee level
- Updated NHL playoffs 2013: Boston Bruins eliminate New York Rangers
- Blue Jays, Dickey fall to Orioles | <urn:uuid:c405d11c-16e5-4c60-a9cd-d04f0ce14a9a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2012/04/03/john_baird_announces_plans_to_close_rights_and_democracy_group.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961694 | 668 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Those of you who follow Apple news may know that with the release of iPhone OS 4.0, Apple added a clause in their terms and conditions that all software written for iPhone OS must written “directly in C, C++, or Objective-C” and developers can no longer “call any private APIs”. Effectively, this new barrier from Apple was a shun of Flash, blocking developers from using adhoc Flash on the iPhone/iPad (neither the iPhone or the iPad officially support Flash, and probably never will).
In reaction Adobe mentioned in the footnotes of their recently released financial statement that they [Adobe] may take a financial hit because of Apple’s decision to not have Flash on the iPhone/iPad (and companies do not include such a footnote unless there is a good chance of it coming true) and has announced that they [Adobe] will stop developing iPhone OS related Flash code. Of course, both Adobe and Apple have also “exchanged words.”
Now, the New York Post reports that the United States Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission “are locked in negotiations over which of the watchdogs will begin an antitrust inquiry into Apple’s new policy of requiring software developers who devise applications for devices such as the iPhone and iPad to use only Apple’s programming tools”. For those that don’t know, an “antitrust inquiry” basically means that Apple is being accused (or will be accused, if the inquiry goes forward) of purposely and illegally reducing market competition.
I find it very interesting that Apple may face legal action as a result of their Flash snub; I really didn’t think about it in terms if anti-competition when I first heard Apple announce the change – I simply thought of it is as tech giant vs a tech giant. However, I can see why it may be considered antitrust; and I really do hope Apple is held accountable. I am not an Apple hater or fanboy, per se, but I do believe Apple seems to be the only corner of the love triangle that has not come under the legal microscope (comparatively speaking); they are a bit too arrogant for my taste.
As a side note, Adobe has proclaimed that they will now focus all of their efforts for making Flash fully compatible with Android (Google’s open source smartphone OS); and Google has announced an Android update – to be released in June – will bring full Flash support.
Any thoughts on the matter? Feel free to share below in the comments. | <urn:uuid:53f0a6fa-6131-418b-9bb1-dceee32e2c06> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://dottech.org/16191/apple-may-face-legal-inquiry-on-flash-snub/comment-page-1/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946534 | 532 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Napatsi Folger, illustrated by Ann Kronheimer,
Joy of Apex
Inhabit Media, 2011.
Napatsi Folger’s first novel, Joy of Apex, explores a marital breakup through the first person account of 10-year-old Joy, the middle child in her family. Joy is a multicultural kid. Her mother is Inuit, surrounded by a large family of origin; her father grew up in Brooklyn, New York, of Norwegian and Scottish ancestry. Joy’s older brother, Alex, is nervously about to begin middle school. Her sister, Allashua, is an impish, Malaprop-ridden first grader.
Apex is a “suburb” of the town of Iqaluit in Nunavut, the northeast Canadian Arctic territory formed in 1999 (previously part of the Northwest Territory); it’s unreachable by road from the rest of North America. Apex is the sort of place where computer savvy kids know it’s back-to-school time when the dog poo freezes. Joy’s account covers four months–during which her mother moves out and the family begins adjusting to their new family reality–in chapters about returning to school, a birthday party, Halloween, Allashua’s medical emergency, and Christmas holidays. Ann Kronheimer’s simple line drawings and evocative cover help create the mood of this sad, but also funny and joyful, story.
Folger gives Joy an appealing voice and good skill at reported conversations, but the story could use more emotional cohesion. We never learn how Joy’s parents met or what they are fighting about. Her mother comes across as rather heartlessly preoccupied with finding herself, although Joy doesn’t express this directly. Her father is a kindly story-telling mensch, but how does he earn a living? Folger seems to want to present Joy’s family as normal middle-class people, and apart from one mention of eating bloody frozen caribou for dinner, nothing distinct about Inuit culture is discussed. It’s not clear whether Folger’s intended readers are Inuit kids, and her goal is to provide context for family breakups, or if she is writing to introduce Nunavut life to non-Inuit children.
Despite these questions, Folger has made a promising beginning to her literary career. As she continues to hone her narrative skills and clarify her intended audience, she may play an important role both in articulating Nunavut culture to outsiders and in helping Nunavut youth adjust to the kind of stresses Joy so poignantly reports. | <urn:uuid:2a48612b-1e86-496d-b50a-53c7c7534adb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.papertigers.org/wordpress/week-end-book-review-joy-of-apex-by-napatsi-folger-and-ann-kronheimer/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944101 | 548 | 1.773438 | 2 |
That ‘time of the month’ is dreaded by most women in America because it is viewed as a painful and negative experience. This just does not have to be. Other cultures have a very different view on PMS than ours does. Many of them view PMS as a positive experience. You can too by using [...]
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Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is what doctors call what a woman goes through if she has a group of symptoms that start up approximately 14 days before her monthly menstruation. Typically most women will have some kind of mild discomfort before their menstruation begins. If a woman has PMS however, she also feels anxious, depressed or [...]
How can Creation Essence help you? The pure Flower and Gem Essences in this unique conception formula have all been chosen according to their valuable properties for women who are planning to conceive. From flowers come seeds and flowers are therefore strongly linked with fertility. This combination of flower and gem essences will balance the [...]
A normal menstrual period occurs every 21 to 32 days and will last for between four and seven days. Unfortunately some women experience breakthrough bleeding between periods, or spotting between their normal periods. This spotting can last for a couple of hours to a couple of days depending upon the reason behind the condition. Whether [...]
There are many phases of a woman’s life, the one perhaps that most women dread if that which is known as “menopause”. Nutrition has throughout our life played an important role in keeping us healthy from the foods that helped us to build strong bones and teeth when we were young to the good nutrition [...]
by Dr. Anthony Perillo of Xtend-Life This is the adapted copy from a recent insert featured in Modern Moms – a popular pregnancy and post-natal consumer magazine in Thailand. It contains a brief transcript between Dr. Anthony Perillo, Medical Director for our Asian Regional sales office in Bangkok and Dr. Wimlack J, a highly respected [...]
There has been a great deal of debate, research, and discussion as to the effectiveness of soy in treating and reducing hot flashes associated with menopause. While some doctors prescribe soy products for women in the menopausal stage, the question which has yet to be answered is: “Can soy decrease hot flashes?” According to recent [...]
Did you know you can take childbirth classes online? You can take classes at the hospital, outpatient clinic or birthing center. And as many different places you can take childbirth classes there are even more classes available. So how do you choose the right class to fit your particular situation? What questions do you ask [...]
A hysterectomy is defined as the surgical removal of the uterus. There are two common types of hysterectomy: full and partial. A full hysterectomy involves removing the entire uterus including the cervix, while in a partial hysterectomy the cervix is left intact. Sometimes the ovaries and fallopian tubes are removed at the same time as [...]
Doctors and researchers have documented that there are more than 150 Symptoms associated with premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Some of the symptoms are changes in anxiety or mood and others are changes in attention, while still other symptoms are physical in nature. The symptoms that are changes in anxiety or mood include anger, anxiety, irritability, increased [...]
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Fill out the form below to receive our free natural health newsletter and stay informed about holistic healing therapies & effective home remedies for common ailments. | <urn:uuid:a4e107c8-acb8-4375-a045-481ba2bcc32f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.natural-holistic-health.com/category/general/womens-health/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949146 | 803 | 1.546875 | 2 |
My significant other and I share and iTunes account (don't tell!), so after I updated my iPad and her iPhone, she started receiving all my iMessages. Whoops! Turns out, though, it's easy to associate different identities to different devices in iMessages, even if they share the same Apple ID—handy if you share an account with someone, have multiple iDevices of your own and want to set up separate buckets, or just want to change the address you send or receive message from (your "Caller ID"). Here's how.
Associate a New Email with iMessage on Your Device
- Everything you need to do lives in the Messages tab of your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch's Settings app, so launch Settings and tap on Messages.
- By default, iMessage will receive messages via your Apple ID email address and, if you have an iPhone, your phone number. That's why, for example, my wife was getting my iMessages. You can't remove an email address until you've replaced it, so from the Messages setting, tap Receive At > Add Another Email.
- Type in the new email address you'd like to associate with that device.
- Once the email's been entered, Apple will send a verification email to that address. When you receive it, just click the activation link and the new address will now be linked to that device.
- Finally, you can remove the original association by tapping the email address you want to remove and then tapping Remove This Email.
Pretty simple, right? That took care of my problem (now my wife doesn't get my iMessages), associates her iMessage with her email address, and we can continue blissfully enjoying a shared iTunes account.
Change Your iMessage "Caller ID"
Last, you can adjust what shows up as your iMessage "address" in your recipient's messages in the Caller ID section. Open Settings > Messages > Receive At > Caller ID. You have the option of setting your Caller ID to any email address you've associated with iMessage or, if you have an iPhone, your phone number. | <urn:uuid:3406d479-9c3f-4270-8570-e0733acefdc7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lifehacker.com/5849916/the-ins-and-outs-of-using-imessage-on-multiple-devices?tag=troubleshooting | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932143 | 441 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Sonidos y Mas: NovaLima
Coba Coba (Cumbancha)
If you hear similarities between Novalima's modern Afro-Peruvian music and the rhythms brought from Cuba by Celia Cruz and Tito Puente in the '50s, you're on the right track: Peruvians have borrowed a lot from the Africans taken to South America as slaves during the 17th Century - the drumming and the vocals have that same intense, ardent spirit, and many tunes from the country made their way into the Caribbean.
For instance, Cruz had an enormous hit with "El Toro Mata," a composition by Lima-born Maria Chabuca Granda. But Novalima is not your grandmother's Afro-Latin music. Formed by musicians based in different parts of the world (including Hong Kong), the band draws inspiration from the sounds of their native country while incorporating elements from electronica, hip-hop, samba and other genres, coming up with something fresh that still is closely attached to their roots.
On Coba Coba, Novalima continues to explore and try different things - an example of this is "Ruperta/Puede Ser," a tune that looks at Peru's African heritage, while waxing on the reality of racial discrimination, a malady that affects black Latinos just as much as in certain parts of this country. On "Libertad," they look back at the troubled history of the slaves brought to South America, their struggles, victories and also the hope for better times.
"Mujer Ajena" blends a reggaeton beat with a jazzy keyboard groove that elevates the music to great heights. Another welcome surprise is "Tumbala," a mostly instrumental piece that reminds us of the kind of funk-inflected material that you hear around the more urban areas of Brazil - a heavy bass lays the groundwork, while the drums, vocals and keys give it shape.
"Tumbala" is a tune that is ready to be discovered by the more open-minded DJs around the country - don't be surprised if you happen to hear it at as you do your thing at your local dance club. Coba Cuba will interest those who like to look at Latin music from outside the box.
Don't expect anything to me too traditional, as this is not what these artists seek - their objective is to bring contemporary Peru to the ears of new audiences. If this CD is any indication, they might well succeed. - Ernest Barteldes | <urn:uuid:c6b6bb52-7032-4d7a-815b-74b8b220feea> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.houstonpress.com/rocks/2008/12/sonidos_y_mas_novalima.php | 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 | 0.964812 | 520 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Suzanne Arruda’s , Mark of the Lion is a colorful, suspenseful mystery set in East Africa just after World War I. An American, who grew up in New Mexico, Jade del Cameron is recovering from the stress of being an ambulance driver on the French front lines of the War. She is trying to carry out the dying wish of David, the pilot she had hoped to marry. He asked her to find the brother that he had just learned that he had. After speaking with the family lawyer Jade finds herself in Nairobi where she hears rumors about a witch doctor terrorizing the land. As she begins to ask questions about David’s father she comes to believe he was murdered. A safari, jackals, lions and gems all enter in to the search for the lost brother. | <urn:uuid:b063174a-397a-46d6-bc9d-c23d5b649873> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hcpl.net/print/7369 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975919 | 165 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Click on the arrows to proceed through a series of images of the Haymarket area. There are 22 images.
What is sometimes referred to as Haymarket Square is the two blocks where Randolph Street widens from 90 to 150 feet between Desplaines and Halsted (in some instances spelled Halstead) Streets. There was once an actual market building in the middle of Randolph just west of Desplaines, but this was gone by the time of the Haymarket meeting. The makeshift speakers' stand, which was an express wagon, was located on Desplaines Street a little less than half a block north of Randolph.
Given the gravity of what occurred here, perhaps the most striking thing about this area today is how nondescript it is. The nearby buildings are serviceable but mainly drab, and they are interspersed with parking lots. The neighborhood is currently in the midst of a major revival, however, including a number of trendy restaurants and upscale residential conversions of factory and loft buildings, as well as new construction. | <urn:uuid:bbf1f233-2dcd-4a4e-bb28-acaa84800630> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.chicagohistory.org/dramas/act2/settingTheScene/haymarketThenAndNow_c.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980773 | 208 | 1.648438 | 2 |
What an amazing opportunity is life. Through the impulse of creativity, passion, and curiosity, the ancient intelligence of the universe weaves its genetic patterns to form a new human being. Prior to our incarnation we are in the unbounded infinite void and through the amazing synchronistic events of biology, we manifest as an individual. Although we did not have attachment, intention or desire that we are conscious of prior to becoming embodied, once we do, we begin to manifest the desires to maintain our boundaries, manifest our intentions, and experience the world of form and phenomenon. At times this engagement in the world of the material and emotional can be exhilarating, and at other times it can create distress. The challenge and the opportunity of living from a deep place is to enjoy the inevitable ride of life without ever losing our connection to the celebration that gave birth to this experience.
As I am moving through my process of expanding my sense of self from personal to collective to universal, I am recognizing how all the challenges that seemed important in the past and all the concerns that we can activate about the future are simply the play and display of the creative intelligence playing hide-and-seek with itself. As I share my journey with you, I hope that you, too, will take time on a daily basis to recognize, rejoice, and experience gratitude for this unlikely opportunity to have a human conscious incarnation. If there’s something in your life that you believe is not serving you – perhaps a relationship that is not nurturing, maybe a job that you feel stifled in, a pattern of behavior that is not creating emotional or physical wellbeing, I encourage you from the depths of my heart and being to know that you have the full capacity and the right to make the changes that will enliven your awareness, raise the succulent joy in your heart, and allow you to experience the vitality that comes from living in balance with your environment.
Beyond the Mind
The mind can always come up with good reasons based upon experiences in the past or worries about the future about why this is not the time to go through these evolutionary shifts. Living in this world of light and dark, we all have our challenges to face. Our hearts sink when we see the devastation of the Gulf oil spill, learn about the disparity of opportunities for children in war-torn areas, or watch the endless parade of tragedies on the evening news. And yet, when we expand our awareness of the infinite source within, we are in a better position to solve our problems. I want to remind you that the only restriction to living a life of fulfillment, joy, vitality, and love is misinformation that you may have accumulated during your lifetime. At a deeper level than I’ve ever appreciated it before, I can authentically say that all of the answers are within us, and the deeper we go, the more freedom, connection, and bliss is available to us.
Please take some time today to bring your awareness from the outer world of form and change into the inner space of expanded eternity so that when you reemerge into the relative plane of existence, you carry that open enthusiasm and peace with you throughout your day. Close your eyes, tune into your heart, and listen to the current dialogue between your mind and body. If it is not in celebration of your life, ask what changes you can make now to move you in the direction of greater joy, love, and wellbeing. Then, as we’re reminded in A Course in Miracles, make a commitment to embrace a miracle rather than a grievance. As you move through your day, make choices so that when you close your eyes at the end of the day, you will be able to say, “This was a day worth living.” | <urn:uuid:85b02453-7d00-4b2b-b14e-b0a0053d1196> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://archive.chopra.com/agni/jul10/david | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949792 | 759 | 1.5 | 2 |
By Daniel Wiessner
ALBANY, New York (Reuters) - A New York state anti-terrorism law enacted in the wake of the September 11 attacks cannot be used to prosecute a street gang member convicted of shooting a 10-year-old girl and paralyzing a rival gang member, the state's Court of Appeals ruled on Tuesday.
The court ordered a new trial for Edgar Morales, 30, a member of the Bronx-based St. James Boys gang who was sentenced to up to life imprisonment for his role in the 2002 shooting.
Prosecutors had accused Morales and his gang of terrorizing the Mexican-American community in their neighborhood. They relied on a provision of a 2001 anti-terrorism law passed days after the September 11 attacks. Morales is the only gang member to have been prosecuted under the law, his lawyer said.
Under the law, a person is guilty of terrorism when he commits certain felonies with the "intent to intimidate or coerce a civilian population" or influence government policy.
But the Court of Appeals found that state lawmakers never intended to extend the definition of terrorism to traditional gang activities.
"The concept of terrorism has a unique meaning and its implications risk being trivialized if the terminology is applied loosely in situations that do not match our collective understanding of what constitutes a terrorist act," Judge Victoria Graffeo wrote for the court.
Morales' attorney, Catherine Amirfar, called the decision a "tremendous victory." A spokesman for Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson said his office would retry Morales without the terrorism charges.
According to the court, Morales and several fellow gang members attended a christening party in 2002 in the Bronx, where members of a rival gang were present. A brawl ensued, the court said, during which Morales shot and killed the 10-year-old girl and paralyzed an adversary.
Morales was charged under the terrorism statute with manslaughter, attempted murder and weapon possession. He was also charged with conspiracy. The prosecution's theory was that Morales and his gang had sought to intimidate the Mexican-American community in their Bronx neighborhood.
ACTS OF TERRORISM
During trial, Morales moved to dismiss the terrorism charges, arguing there was insufficient evidence to support them. Acting Supreme Court Justice Michael Gross in the Bronx denied the motion.
Morales was convicted of all charges and sentenced to 40 years to life. Under the conviction, the first three crimes were considered acts of terrorism, which carry steeper penalties.
But a mid-level appeals court found in 2010 that Morales had engaged only in gang-related street crimes, and vacated the terrorism convictions. The court rejected Morales' argument that he had been denied a fair trial.
Tuesday's ruling went further, finding that the terrorism charges had a "spillover effect" on the trial because it allowed the prosecution to admit evidence of a number of uncharged crimes allegedly committed by Morales and his gang. The court ordered a new trial for Morales on the non-terrorism charges.
"Without the aura of terrorism looming over the case, the activities of (Morales') associates in other contexts would have been largely, if not entirely, inadmissible," Graffeo wrote.
"We knew the applicability of the terrorism statute was a novel legal issue, and that the statute would not apply to most street crimes," Bronx district attorney spokesman Steven Reed said.
(Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Peter Cooney) | <urn:uuid:dbe75447-3e83-4e57-8538-2e0390220187> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wtvbam.com/news/articles/2012/dec/11/new-york-states-top-court-rules-gang-activity-is-not-terrorism/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976357 | 696 | 1.5 | 2 |
- Last Updated: 2:47 PM, October 31, 2012
- Posted: 2:32 PM, October 31, 2012
Even Iran feels bad for New York and the East Coast.
One of America's greatest enemies offered its help to cities devastated by Hurricane Sandy, Iran's official news agency reported today.
"Iran's Red Crescent is prepared to help the victims in the US," said Mahmoud Mozaffar, head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society's Relief and Rescue Organization.
"Given its preparedness and ample experience in rescuing storms and floods victims, Iran's Red Crescent can provide relief assistance for those affected in New York."
Mozaffar told Fars News Agency that the Red Crescent is ready to send fully equipped relief and rescue squads to the United States, if US authorities ask. | <urn:uuid:1813fd71-96e6-4384-8727-d0e71a412a2e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/iran_offers_to_help_cities_devastated_7dKmHIw0RJQWuk5Ar8U83I | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936084 | 164 | 1.5625 | 2 |
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|IslamiCity Forum - Islamic Discussion Forum : Regional : Europe|
|Topic: Anniversary of The Mosque of Granada|
Joined: 20 March 2004
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| Topic: Anniversary of The Mosque of Granada
Posted: 09 July 2005 at 6:44pm
Second Anniversary of The Great Mosque of Granada
A MESSAGE FROM SHAYKH DR. ABDALQADIR AS-SUFI
From the beginning of these events we have demonstrated the unarguable fact that terrorism is not and never has been a political tactic of Muslim warfare, and that suicide retaliation is itself categorically forbidden in Islamic Law. Indeed, the only record historically of it has been in the practice of the Ismaili sect which menaced the Islamic rule of the great Muslim leader Salahudin, or Saladin. This extremist sect menaced Islam as well as the christian community. Today the damage to the world Muslim community is more serious and profound than that of the physical harm perpetrated on western cities. It is a quite new historical situation for us as Muslims to find that a secret society of no known location has chosen to speak on our behalf.
A man without any Islamic education, an adventurer and former CIA operative in Afghanistan insinuated himself into the anarchic state of that country and financially placed himself as the man behind the counter-insurgent movement of the Taliban which had been created by General Musharaf and the Intelligence Chiefs of Pakistan. This man never received the bayat of either the Islamic community or the Taliban army units. This, in any event could never have happened since the Muslims of Afghanistan are almost entirely Sufis openly connected to the Qadiriyya and Naqshabandi orders and thus with a hatred of the deviant Wahhabism of Arabia.
The background to these tragic events, the death of innocents in three great cities, New York, Madrid and London must be seen in relation to the turbulent disorder of the Arab peoples. With the fall of the Khalifate and with the English and American endorsement of Wahhabism by both Churchill and Roosevelt in 1944, in the name of their oil interests, placed a short and explosive fuse into the Arab community. The western endorsement of Kemalism coupled with the fall of the Khalifate left the Arab peoples abandoned in separate national groupings which they neither understood nor endorsed. Into that crisis stepped Nasser, the Egyptian dictator. Abandoning Islam he plunged the educated Arab world into socialism. Nasser’s socialism failed to unite the Arab peoples, but in turn degenerated into Algerian communism on the one hand and fascist dictatorships on the other hand in both Syria and Iraq. It is true to say that any Arab publicly expressing belief in the Deen of Islam as it has been understood for 1400 years inside the Arab world would immediately be arrested, imprisoned and tortured, from Tunisia to the Yemen.
The invasion of Iraq was not for oil, and it did not indicate that the USA had imperial designs as had the British before them. The invasion of Iraq was the necessary requirement for the survival of Israel. The issue of it was not oil but water. Unless the US-Israeli axis controlled the three great rivers of Iraq the invented and unnatural state of Israel clearly could not survive. However, while Afghanistan was a wild and tribal highland zone, Iraq was a wealthy, enormously rich and sophisticated society. The degradation of a military occupation by an alien army which was also legally sanctioned to perform sexual intercourse freely with both women and men was a humiliation too far.
Read the whole article from Shaykh Abdal Qadir's Website
"I am a slave. I eat as a slave eats and I sit as a slave sits.", Beloved, sallallahu alyhi wa-sallam.
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Note: The 99 names of Allah avatars are courtesy of www.arthafez.com | <urn:uuid:4a0caea4-7da9-4206-a3b3-b69d4423f6ab> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.islamicity.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1428&PID=10426 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945749 | 870 | 1.828125 | 2 |
Nature Water Brushes
My Fall Open Studio is just coming to an end and I wanted to share with you the brushes that were used in this session and some of the wonderful paintings created by my students. Open Studio is always special and so much individual growth takes place with each artist, it is wonderful to see.
Nature water brushes are not Watercolor brushes, they are derived from a blender brush variant called Water Rake. Please view the videos to understand how to use them in your creative process.
How To Best Use the Nature Water brushes But Please! Experiment!
Video Two-Nature Water Brushes Continued
Painting by Student-Debby ©2011
Posted on September 12, 2011, in Painter Brushes and tagged Blending with Watercolor, Blog, Corel Painter 12, Digital Art Classes, Digital Painting, Karen Bonaker, Painter 12. Bookmark the permalink. 8 Comments. | <urn:uuid:a18bd34e-194b-4d4a-8058-cc37f9474ab2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://karenbonakerart.wordpress.com/2011/09/12/nature-water-brushes/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938902 | 184 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Airport security officers might examine an image of everything under your clothes — or nearly everything — in the not-too-distant future.
Tampa International Airport will receive four new whole-body imaging machines from the Transportation Security Administration in the next 30 days. TSA officers should begin scanning travelers for hidden weapons and explosives within the next few months, said John Van Dyke, a spokesman for the agency in Tampa. "Our goal is to be proficient with them before the Super Bowl," in Tampa in February, he said.
Ten airports nationwide are testing the body scans on randomly chosen travelers or those who don't pass an initial screening. One hundred twenty machines, manufactured by L-3 Communications in St. Petersburg under the brand name ProVision, will be deployed in 24 U.S. airports by year end.
TSA officials say the technology is a good alternative to physically patting down travelers. The machine also catches plastic and ceramic weapons that pass through metal detectors.
"Passenger imaging technologies enable TSA to screen quickly and unobtrusively for prohibited items including weapons, explosives and other metallic and nonmetallic objects … without physical contact," said TSA spokeswoman Sari Koshetz.
Civil liberties advocates call the scanners "an electronic strip search" and worry their use will spread to other public venues.
"You don't use the most intrusive equipment as your first line of defense," said Howard Simon, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida.
ProVision machines, which sell for $150,000 each, bounce harmless radio frequency signals off travelers standing in a booth as they raise their hands. A TSA officer in another room or a booth examines the image. If a suspicious object appears, the officer calls a colleague to physically search the passenger.
The TSA says its procedures protect people's privacy. Faces are blurred on images. Neither officers looking at the image nor the subjects see each other. Images are deleted after viewing, and officers can't "save, store, print or transmit" them, said TSA spokesman Christopher White.
He describes the images as robotic, like someone in a tight-fitting leotard. "You can see detail, but it's not a naked picture," White said.
Attorney Chris Calabrese with the American Civil Liberties Union in New York disagrees. "It reveals explicit details of people's bodies and medical details like colostomy bags," he said. He doubts the TSA can protect images from those seeking to sell pictures of celebrities or people with odd body shapes.
Those who refuse to go through the scanners must submit to pat-down searches.
One benefit might play well in Florida. It's a way to confirm that travelers who say their artificial hips set off the metal detectors aren't telling a fib, White said.
Steve Huettel can be reached at [email protected] or (813) 226-3384. | <urn:uuid:91f7aecb-bb2e-4162-81f7-c4463698c535> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/airlines/new-airport-scanners-take-a-peek-beneath-your-clothes/762659 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944218 | 592 | 1.664063 | 2 |
At G-20, Obama, Putin Discuss Fighting In Syria
Originally published on Tue June 19, 2012 8:48 am
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
President Obama disagrees with Russia's president Vladimir Putin over what to do about Syria. The U.S. thinks it's time for Syrian president Bashar al-Assad to go. The Russians aren't so sure. The American and Russian leaders met yesterday during a summit of global leaders and they at least agreed that they prefer a political solution to Syria's problems. They hope to avoid a civil war. They just don't agree how to do it. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio. | <urn:uuid:efd3d50a-16aa-438c-bc20-5b4d075538ef> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://kacu.org/post/g-20-obama-putin-discuss-fighting-syria | 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 | 0.94342 | 143 | 1.820313 | 2 |
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's chief of staff confirms that the U.S. is suspending $800 million in military aid to Pakistan.
William Daley says the U.S. relationship with Pakistan is "difficult" and must be made "to work over time." But Daley tells ABC's "This Week" that until "we get through that difficulty, we'll hold back some of the money that the American taxpayers are committed to give" the U.S. ally.
Daley says the countries are trying to work through issues that have strained ties.
The New York Times reported that the U.S. is upset with Pakistan for expelling American military trainers and wants tougher action against the Taliban and others fighting American soldiers in Afghanistan.
Tensions between the countries have surged since U.S. forces killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in May.
© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | <urn:uuid:4920bc6d-8a73-44d3-a5b9-cfcdf39fd582> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/US-US-Pakistan/2011/07/10/id/403052 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965002 | 203 | 1.601563 | 2 |
When to Reinstall
No matter how well you care for and maintain your computer, it will eventually become bogged down with unused data and its performance will start to decrease. Keeping your computer well maintained by uninstalling programs which are no longer used and running regular maintenance tasks will help your computer to run smoothly for longer. In spite of this, after a time, the overall performance will start to drop. Minor problems will also start to develop which, by themselves, might seem like no big deal until there are so many of these that using your computer becomes unreliable and cumbersome.
Causes of System-Wide Slowdowns and Problems
Even if you never get any malicious software worming its way into your computer or you never have a major system failure, there are many things that can influence the performance of your computer. Minor issues which are difficult to resolve can eventually amalgamate into an overall drop in performance and usefulness. Remains of programs and data not correctly removed, system updates gone wrong, fragmented data and corruption in the registry can all cause a considerable performance decrease over time.
In some cases, reinstalling Windows is the only practical way to recover the computer from a major system failure as well. System Restore may work, but if it does not, you are often not left with any other choice. If you have a major problem with your Windows installation, perhaps caused by corrupted data or malicious software, reinstalling Windows may be your only option.
When Should I Reinstall Windows?
Windows should generally be reinstalled whenever System Restore has failed to resolve a major problem which makes the computer unusable. Keep in mind that completely formatting your hard disk and reinstalling Windows will also remove any malicious software, faulty drivers and anything else on your computer. Starting fresh will ensure that you get your computer running like new again.
Reinstalling Windows is a major job. First you need to make sure that you have all of your important data backed up. Once you are ready to reinstall, the process takes about an hour until first boot up into the clean installation. At this point, you will have many drivers and programs to install. This can take many hours, especially if you have a great deal of software that you want up and running on the computer.
With the amount of time and effort it takes to reinstall Windows, it is not something that you want to do too often. Reinstalling Windows should generally be done when you have exhausted every other effort to get your computer up and running as it should again.
Enthusiasts regularly reinstall Windows regardless of whether or not it is actually necessary. Starting with a fresh installation of Windows with all of the updates, updated drivers and a system-wide optimization afterwards can be a great way to get your computer running like new again. Ideally, Windows should be reinstalled about once per year if you want to get the most out of your computer. To make reinstalling even more worthwhile, you can use your Windows DVD to make a customized setup DVD which integrates all of the updates and service packs for your version of Windows. This means that Windows, its service packs and updates will all be installed together, minimizing the risk of problems appearing. | <urn:uuid:20f405aa-943b-4a0d-9918-f58bf4413da3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.errorteck.com/good-to-know/reinstalling-microsoft-windows/when-to-reinstall.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947564 | 652 | 1.734375 | 2 |
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Ander Crenshaw (R-FL) will lead a bipartisan, bicameral group of Members of Congress and organizations in outlining the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act of 2011 (ABLE Act) at a press conference on Tuesday, November 15 at noon at the House Triangle on the grounds of the United States Capitol.
Crenshaw, Senator Robert Casey, Jr., (D-PA), and Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) will be on hand with officials from the National Down Syndrome Society, The Arc of the United States, Autism Speaks, and other disability advocacy groups to highlight the need and importance of the bill. The ABLE Act, which would amend Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Service Code of 1986 to allow for tax-free savings accounts for individuals with disabilities, will be introduced in the House and Senate on Tuesday, November 15.
“Our tax code currently provides advantages to help Americans save for college and retirement, yet people with disabilities do not enjoy those same financial planning tools. These individuals and their families face enormous financial struggles that most of us cannot imagine,” said Crenshaw, a member of the House Appropriation Committee. “The ABLE Act helps ease those strains by making tax-free savings accounts available to cover qualified expenses such as education, housing, and transportation. No longer would individuals with disabilities have to stand aside and watch others use IRS-sanctioned tools to lay the groundwork for a brighter future. They would be able to as well, and that’s an accomplishment we all can be proud of.”
Senator Casey stated, “Pennsylvanians with disabilities face incredible challenges every day. They shouldn’t be penalized simply for trying to save for their future. Congress should use current programs to ensure America’s most vulnerable have the same opportunities that are provided to all citizens.”
Congresswoman McMorris Rodgers stated, “As the mom of a child with special needs, I know firsthand how federal policies encourage those with disabilities to become dependent on the government and stay in poverty. To take one example, when my son Cole was born, my husband and I were advised not to put any assets in Cole’s name because it would penalize him if he needed to qualify for a government program someday. There are millions of parents in this
situation, and they should be able to help their children improve their quality of life without jeopardizing their access to benefits. That’s why we need the ABLE Act. This common-sense bill will allow parents to save for their children’s future and give kids with disabilities an added layer of security. I’m proud to join Rep. Crenshaw in introducing this legislation and I pledge to be a leader on its behalf.”
WHO: Congressman Ander Crenshaw, Senator Robert Casey, Jr., Congresswoman Cathy McMorris-Rodgers and officials from the National Down Syndrome Society, the Arc of the United States, Autism Speaks, and other disability advocacy groups.
WHAT: Achieving a Better Life Experience Act Press Conference
WHEN: Tuesday, November 15 at noon.
WHERE: House Triangle on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol. Backup location in case of inclement weather is Room 2359 of the Rayburn House Office Building.
WHY: Highlight the importance of the ABLE Act, which will be introduced in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate on Tuesday, November 15.
• Barbara Riley, Communications Director, Congressman Ander Crenshaw
• April Mellody, Communications Director, Senator Robert Casey, Jr.
• Todd Winer, Communications Director, Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers | <urn:uuid:6cf8d5c5-67e1-414a-92b5-73a629a51649> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://crenshaw.house.gov/index.cfm?p=PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=b46a72d9-ae58-458b-b108-d14fbeb2c6eb&ContentType_id=396da9ab-70ae-4879-a32b-15868372f5a4&Group_id=fa6c1bfd-2db1-412a-96df-d2ce340655b9 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945176 | 776 | 1.625 | 2 |
Oh Facebook, when are you going to learn? When you've got over a third of a billion people using your site to basically fritter the day away, any tweaks are going to stir up your population. What are Facebookers saying about these new ones, then?
Mark Zuckerberg is obviously sensitive to the controversies that Facebook's previous attempts to adjust its terms and conditions and privacy settings stirred up, so he chose to announce the news in an open letter posted on the site, with an alert at the top of everyone's landing page today that links to the letter. In the few hours since the letter launched, there have been over 16,000 comments--a huge number, considering that the U.S. hasn't really woken up yet.
But before we get to the user comments--what's Facebook done now? On the face of it, not a lot, actually. The core decision the company has made is to demolish the "networks" feature of the site. As Zuckerberg notes, it made sense in the early days when the site was popular among school and college students, often keen to share or learn information only with people from their academic establishment. As Facebook's exploded, networks have grown to include businesses, esoteric groupings and even whole countries--essentially eroding the usefulness of sharing with a particular network. Mark puts a positive spin on the decision to abolish them by remarking "If we can build a better system, then more than 100 million people will have even more control of their information."
The solution is to have a much simpler privacy control: You can now share information with only your friends, friends of friends, or everybody. And there's a new, and extremely powerful, system--you can now decide on an individual update basis who gets to see your data. That's going to be very useful, though no doubt will quickly be abused by the kind of "Sarah said this dumb thing at school yesterday" comment, which "Sarah" won't get to see.
So. We know Facebookers are incredibly sensitive to tweaks made to how the site works, and we know they all tend to reveal their online personality pretty openly. How do they respond to this one? We took the most recent 10% of comments, and did some analysis--the text is shown in that stark word cloud up there. And the upshot? Facebookers seem to generally like this improvement. There are 133 uses of the word "love" in this comment sample, 83 "greats" versus only 8 "hates" and just 17 discrete uses of the word "no", though of course these could be being used in a different context.
While positive, this data doesn't sound like too much of a resounding thumbs-up though, especially since there's very little discussion about privacy concerns or the loss of networks. What then, among the spam adverts and side-arguments in the comments, are Facebookers really talking about? It's obvious, when you look at the wordcloud: They all want a "dislike" button. Yes, in the face of a potentially significant tweak to Facebook's privacy settings, the biggest response is to ask for a totally different and rather trivial service. Has Facebook's community suddenly gone all shallow and careless with their online data, trusting the site's decisions more than before? You certainly could argue that. You may even suggest that that's what the whole site is about anyway.
Losing the ability to form networks will certainly irritate some Facebook users, but it would seem a small price to pay to gain the enhanced privacy settings the site's now offering. But what we really need to watch for in the coming hours or days, is whether Zuckerberg really cares about what his community wants, versus what he thinks it wants: Will Facebook get a dislike button? | <urn:uuid:50232fd7-daa8-4e69-af71-1aff076902a1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fastcompany.com/print/1475096 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966642 | 779 | 1.757813 | 2 |
Green Pine Serenity (GPS)
In Iowa, United States
How Geocaching Works
The cache is hidden up a wide mowed trail partially covered in a thick layer of pine needles. It is somewhat hilly but not too difficult. The hike in is about 3/10ths of a mile and the cache is about 50 feet off the trail. There is very little brush and poison ivy - you won't have to bush bash!
This conservation area is very close to where I live. It is such a neat place and very few people know it even exists, so I thought it would be a great place for a cache.
Way back in 1994 the Boy Scout troop that I was helping with put on a Fall Camporee here. We did a ‘Back to Basics’ theme and offered lots of basic skills stations for the boys.
My favorite station was the Orienteering. We set up control markers all over the area and as troops came in, they drew a campsite out of a bucket. They had to use their compasses and a set of descriptive clues with coordinates to find the place that they would be camping for the weekend. It was quite a challenge for some of the troops that came in a little later and had to use their flashlights with the compasses. They all seemed to have a good time and it was great practice using the compasses. Hey, that might be a neat kind of Geocaching Event.
Have fun and enjoy another one of Iowa’s great parks.
The cache is a small ammo can that was exchanged at the “Greenbelt Puzzler Event”. There is a FTF prize taped inside the lid.
This is a geocache/letterbox combo (hybrid) that contains a hand carved stamp. The stamp and the letterbox log book stay in the Ziploc bag in the ammo can, please – they are NOT trade items. You will need to bring a stamp pad to stamp the logbook with your stamp. Geocachers, you may take something/leave something (except the Letterbox container & stamp) and sign the geocaching log book if you don’t have a stamp.
For Letterboxing clues for “Green Pine Serenity” go to (visit link) or (visit link)
It seems that 2 out of 40 cachers have been atacked by the neighbors dogs - the 2 attacked had a dog with them. I added a "NO DOGS" attribute to this cache - for your safety, I would advise leaving your dog at home.
Jnl hc gur genvy jurer gur terra cvarf tebj,
Lbh'yy frr gurz fgnaqvat ebj hcba ebj.
N oebxra cvar neebj cbvagvat hc gb gur fxl,
Qba'g ybbx qbja ybj, lbh'q orggre frrx uvtu.
Last Updated: on 5/11/2013 3:14:21 PM Pacific Daylight Time (10:14 PM GMT)
Coordinates are in the WGS84 datum | <urn:uuid:0de86170-6a7c-497a-9260-ea25ca38c83f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=a6799169-06f3-4afe-bfe1-39c0c9083b51 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95532 | 672 | 1.664063 | 2 |
1. Cleanse Your Skin Regularly
When it comes to cleansing, men seem to have an all-or-nothing mentality. Either they forget to cleanse their faces regularly, or they scrub away at the skin at every possible chance.
Stick to washing your face every morning and at night before going to bed. Use a foaming cleanser rather than a cleansing lotion to really power away excess oil. But don't cleanse too often or scrub too hard. Cleansing too frequently can be irritating to the skin. Ditto for scrubbing or vigorous washing.
2. Shave Carefully
Shave lightly over acne-affected areas, and try not to drag your razor or nick pimples. An electric or safety razor may be less irritating than a traditional blade.
Whatever type you use, make sure it's sharp. Always shave in the direction of hair growth and after you shower, when hair is softened. Use warm water to wet your beard, but cold water to rinse your blade, and choose a thick shaving cream. Avoid shaving when your skin is super inflamed.
Applying acne medications afterward, instead of aftershave, can help control breakouts. However, only use them if they don't irritate your freshly shaved skin. Your doctor may be able to prescribe medications that don't sting when applied after shaving.
3. Use a Moisturizer
Moisturizer isn't just for women! And you don't have to settle for a flowery scented product in a pink pump bottle. There are plenty of moisturizers on the market today made with a man's skin in mind.
Because most acne treatment medications cause dryness, a moisturizer is a must. Gently smooth it into the skin after shaving.
Avoid triggering blackheads or breakouts by choosing an oil-free moisturizer labeled noncomedogenic or nonacnegenic. If your skin is red and inflamed, you may want a moisturizer that is fragrance-free and hypoallergenic. Dyes and fragrance can be irritating to already inflamed skin.
4. See Your Doctor to Rule Out Rosacea
Many people mistakenly think they've developed adult acne, when in fact they have rosacea. Rosacea causes acne-like bumps on the face that can look strikingly similar to common acne pimples. But rosacea also causes redness or flushing of the face, which can wax and wane.
While rosacea is more common in women, men tend to get more severe forms of this skin disorder. Acne can occur anywhere on the face and on the body, but rosacea tends to appear only on the cheeks, nose, forehead and chin.
Rosacea is treated differently than common acne. If you're unsure of what you have, it's best to see your doctor, especially if you're over the age of 30. | <urn:uuid:e635ee88-3f6a-414c-8d3a-c9b69c177cf0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://acne.about.com/od/acneskincare/tp/skincaretipsformen.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932984 | 593 | 1.515625 | 2 |
As an Australian-born feminist and possessor of an educated Continental palate, author Germaine Greer does not often get the chance to digress into sport (see also 16 Dec 03). But with the fastiduous Fabio Capello having been hired to graft Italian flair onto a stylistically maladroit England side, Greer spots the opportunity to write about the man from San Canzian d’Isonzo, Gorizia, whose name translates as “Mr. Hair.”
In the Independent on Dec 16, Greer—who has baked bread for Karl Pilkington and served a brief tour as a Celebrity Big Brother housemate—applies a corrective to English assumptions about Capello and his ilk and to other misreadings of the Italian soul. Rather than confirming the stereotype of Italian men as fiery and impulsive, Capello demonstrates stolidity and a valetudinarian impulse. (These are Greer’s words.)
“The best of Italian cannot survive transplantation to England,” Greer says, meaning pasta, coffee and other fruits of the land. Perhaps the point pertains also to football in the Continental mode, given the belief in various quarters that England knows best:
Though an Englishman will call Firenze Florence and Genova Genoa and mispronounce every ordinary Italian word he knows from addio to zabaglione, he will never mispronounce an Italian word that has anything to do with football. British football fans can even say “Serie A” correctly, and that’s not easy for Italians. | <urn:uuid:0693a27d-28bd-42fa-897f-5999a4a10a78> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theglobalgame.com/blog/2007/12/germaine-words-on-italians/?wpmp_switcher=desktop | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936889 | 333 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Happiness is not found in luxurious holidays, fast cars or expensive flat screen televisions. We find true happiness in a nice afternoon nap, beautiful music or a good glass of wine. This is concluded by researchers at the University of Nottingham. The British National Lottery asked them to investigate how satisfied lottery winners and a control group were with their lives. And especially how they treated themselves when they thought they deserved it.
Among the lottery winners 95% was satisfied and it the control group that percentage was 71. In both groups the most happy people gave themselves simple things as rewards. For example a warm bath, a relaxing walk in the park or playing a game at home. The unhappy people sooner chose things that cost money, like cds, dvds and take out food. According to the British researchers we can learn from the satisfied people in our society was it the secret of a happy live: to relax.
Popularity: 14% [?]
Green surroundings stimulate your brain
Playing golf extends your life
Being content is better than being happy
Moderate alcohol drinker is happier
Happiness is hereditary
Extend your life by parking your car far away
Mobile phones give sleepless nights | <urn:uuid:619d856c-1858-45f4-9020-e2b6a2ec9dd4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.masenka.be/2008/01/12/the-secret-of-happiness/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969065 | 243 | 1.710938 | 2 |
LONDON – Extreme winter weather swept across Western Europe on Saturday, leaving thousands of passengers stranded at London’s main international airport and claiming several lives in Spain, Portugal, Scotland and France, including those of three Mali-bound soldiers.
The frigid temperatures also caused delays and cancellations on major railway lines, and transport authorities warned of further traffic disruptions with more blizzards forecast for Sunday.
In London, thousands of passengers were forced to camp out on the floor at Heathrow airport overnight as hundreds of flights to and from the British capital were canceled. “There are lots of bodies lying around in the airport. If feels like there’s been a natural disaster,” Jerry Meng from Los Angeles, whose flight to New York was canceled, told the BBC.
London’s other main airports, Gatwick and Stansted, managed to operate fairly normally Saturday.
For Sunday, snow was expected to reduce traffic at Heathrow by 20 percent, and French air traffic authorities ordered a 40 percent reduction in takeoffs and landings at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports.
Snow and ice covering large parts of France led to several fatal car crashes, one of which killed three French soldiers about to join comrades fighting in Mali, authorities said. The troops were traveling in an army car with their military packs and weapons when their vehicle crashed in an accident involving two trucks and two cars.
In total, six people were killed on French roads Saturday, and the nation’s weather services forecast more snow across the northern and southeastern parts of the country Sunday.
In the Scottish Highlands on Saturday, an avalanche killed four climbers and seriously injured one, while a sixth survived, police said. The cold snap also led to power outages, particularly in Northern Ireland where at least 900 homes were without electricity Saturday.
In Southern Europe, the fierce weather claimed several lives, killing two men in Spain as the force of winds whipping the country’s southeastern coast caused a wall to collapse on them in the city of Cartagena.
ADIF, Spain’s national rail operator, said wind damage forced delays to high-speed trains linking Madrid with the major cities of Seville and Valencia.
Spain’s Interior Ministry issued an alert for the weekend, warning of snow nationwide with winds up to 100 kph and rough seas in the Mediterranean.
In Portugal, an elderly man was killed after strong winds hurled him into a door in the central municipality of Abrantes, leaving him with head injuries that proved to be fatal. Two teenagers were hospitalized after a chimney collapsed in Agualva, in Lisbon’s suburbs.
Some welcomed the icy spell.
Eastern Orthodox devotees braved the cold snap and plunged into holes cut into frozen rivers and ponds across Russia to celebrate the Orthodox Epiphany. Thousands plunged into icy waters Saturday as temperatures dipped below minus 40 degrees Celsius in some places.
The purification ritual, commemorating the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, sees devout Orthodox Russians plunge into cross-shaped holes cut into frozen ponds and rivers. Devotees believe the water takes on sacred powers during the holiday. In line with custom, men and women clad in long white shirts or bikinis, submerged themselves three times into the ice-holes in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
In Moscow, hundreds of people gathered for their freezing dip at a park pond in the city center, where air temperatures fell below minus 10 degrees.
Children also took part in the ancient rite, which has been passed on through generations since early czarist times.
The somewhat unusual Orthodox ceremony takes place every year from midnight to midnight between Jan. 18 and 19, mainly in Russia.
Bathers believe the plunge will purify them and the cold water will strengthen their bodies.
The Russian Interior Ministry estimated more than 2 million people had taken part in the ceremony by Saturday.
Local media reported that millions of people living in the city of Yakutsk, in northeastern Siberia, had bathed in the Lena River, where outside temperatures of below minus 40 degrees were recorded. | <urn:uuid:c6bf838a-71ab-4039-bbb1-1fa86d8a190d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/01/21/world/blizzards-storms-wreak-havoc-across-europe/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965726 | 844 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Let's Fight for a Progressive Agenda
By Senator Bernie Sanders
Progressive America Rising via HuffPost
Sept 29, 21012 - There are two major economic and budgetary issues which Congress must address in the lame-duck session or soon afterward. First, how do we reverse the decline of the middle class and create the jobs that unemployed and underemployed workers desperately need? Second, how do we address the $1 trillion deficit and $16 trillion national debt in a way that is fair and not on the backs of the elderly, the children, the sick or the poor?
Both of these issues must be addressed in the context of understanding that in America today we have the most unequal distribution of income and wealth of any major country on earth and that the gap between the very rich and everyone else is growing wider. Today, the top 1 percent earns more income than the bottom 50 percent of Americans. In 2010, 93 percent of all new income went to just the top 1 percent. In terms of wealth, the top 1 percent owns 42 percent of the wealth in America while the bottom 60 percent owns just 2.3 percent.
In my view, we will not make progress in addressing either the jobs or deficit crisis unless we are prepared to take on the greed of Wall Street and big-money interests who want more and more for themselves at the expense of all Americans. Let's be clear. Class warfare is being waged in this country. It is being waged by the Koch brothers, Sheldon Adeslon, Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan and all the others who want to decimate working families in order to make the wealthiest people even wealthier. In this class war that we didn't start, let's make sure it is the middle class and working families who win, not the millionaires and billionaires.
In terms of deficit reduction, let us remember that when Bill Clinton left office in January of 2001, this country enjoyed a healthy $236 billion SURPLUS and we were on track to eliminate the entire national debt by the year 2010.
What happened? How did we go from significant federal budget surpluses to massive deficits? Frankly, it is not that complicated.
President George W. Bush and the so-called "deficit hawks" chose to go to war in Afghanistan and Iraq, but "forgot" to pay for those wars -- which will add more than $3 trillion to our national debt.
President Bush and the "deficit hawks" provided huge tax breaks to the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans -- which will increase our national debt by about $1 trillion over a 10-year period.
President Bush and the "deficit hawks" established a Medicare prescription drug program written by the pharmaceutical and insurance industries, but they "forgot" to pay for it -- which will add about $400 billion to our national debt over a 10-year period.
Further, as a result of the greed, recklessness, and illegal behavior on Wall Street, this country was driven into the worst recession since the Great Depression which resulted in a massive reduction in federal revenue.
And now, as we approach the election and a lame-duck session of Congress, these very same Republican "deficit hawks" want to fix the mess they created by cutting Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and education, while lowering income tax rates for the wealthy and large corporations. Sadly, they have been joined by some Democrats.
The fiscal crisis is a serious problem, but it must be addressed in a way that will not further punish people who are already suffering economically. In addition, it is absolutely imperative that we address the needs of 23 million Americans who are unemployed or underemployed.
What should working families of this country demand of Congress in response to these crises? Let me be specific:
First, at a time when the effective tax rate for the rich is the lowest in decades, we must repeal the Bush tax breaks for the top 2 percent which will reduce the deficit by $1 trillion over the next 10 years.
Second, we must recognize that Wall Street caused the economic crisis, and that it has a responsibility to reduce the deficit. Establishing a 0.03 percent Wall Street speculation fee, similar to what we had from 1914-1966, would dampen the dangerous level of speculation and gambling on Wall Street, encourage the financial sector to invest in the productive economy and reduce the deficit by $350 billion over 10 years. Importantly, this fee, like similar levies in many other countries, would not apply to ordinary investors, retirees or parents saving to send their kids to college. Rather, it would apply to Wall Street investment houses, hedge funds and speculators who sell credit default swaps, derivatives and operate other risky financial schemes that nearly brought down the entire economy.
Third, we have got to prohibit offshore tax shelters. Each and every year, the United States loses an estimated $100 billion in tax revenues due to offshore tax abuses by the wealthy and large corporations. The situation has become so absurd that one five-story office building in the Cayman Islands is now the "home" to more than 18,000 corporations. According to a recent report by James Henry, a former chief economist at McKinsey, the wealthiest people in the world are hiding between $21 trillion to $32 trillion in offshore tax havens to avoid paying taxes. About a third of this amount, according to one estimate, is from wealthy Americans. The wealthy and large corporations should not be allowed to avoid paying taxes by setting up tax shelters in Panama, the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, the Bahamas or other tax haven countries. Cracking down on these tax evaders could reduce the deficit by about $1 trillion over the next decade.
Fourth, at a time when we have almost tripled military spending since 1997 and spend nearly as much on the military as the rest of the world combined, we must reduce unnecessary and wasteful spending at the Pentagon. According to a number of experts, the Pentagon today cannot account for hundreds of billions of dollars in its budget. Even Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), perhaps the most conservative senator in this country, believes that we could reduce defense spending by $1 trillion over a 10-year period while ensuring that the United States continues to have the strongest and most powerful military in the world.
Fifth, we have got to eliminate tax breaks for companies shipping American jobs overseas. Today, the United State government, despite our losing over 55,000 factories in the last 10 years, continues to reward companies that move U.S. manufacturing jobs overseas through loopholes in the tax code. Eliminating these loopholes would raise more than $582 billion in revenue over the next ten years and bring jobs back home to America.
What else? Ending corporate welfare for big oil, gas and coal companies; requiring Medicare to negotiate with the pharmaceutical companies for lower drug prices; taxing capital gains and dividends the same as work; establishing a progressive estate tax; and eliminating waste, fraud and abuse at every agency in the federal government would reduce spending by more than $350 billion and raise a significant amount of revenue without harming the middle class.
Taking these steps would reduce the deficit by more than $5 trillion.
Finally, and importantly, with these kinds of savings we could invest aggressively in rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure, transforming our energy system away from fossil fuels and restoring our manufacturing base. That investment could create millions of decent paying jobs, make our country more productive and help us lead the world in addressing the crisis of global warming.
Despite what virtually all Republicans and some Democrats want, we must not balance the budget on the backs of a collapsing middle class or the poorest people in our society.
Despite what virtually all Republicans and some Democrats want us to ignore, we must create the millions of jobs working families still desperately need.
The American people have been very clear, in poll after poll, that they do not want to cut Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans' needs, education and other vitally important programs. They also have been clear that they do want the wealthy and large corporations to start paying their fair share of taxes. This agenda, the agenda of the American people, is what I will be taking into the lame-duck session. I ask for your support.
Follow Sen. Bernie Sanders on Twitter: www.twitter.com/SenSanders | <urn:uuid:456d6666-fc02-4704-919c-d247289650c4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://progressivesforobama.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-economic-platform-for-popular-front.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951929 | 1,700 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Bastrop State Park
Effects of 2011 Wildfire
In September 2011, Bastrop State Park and the surrounding pine forest were stricken by wildfire that affected 96 percent of the park. However, firefighters were able to save the historic cabins and facilities that were constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. The park is recovering from the fire, and most trails, campsites and facilities have reopened to the public.
All areas of the park are open except the following, which will remain closed until further notice:
- Area east of Harmon Road including that section of the Lost Pines Hiking Trail
- Gotier Trace and areas north and south of the road
- Primitive Camping
Things to Do
The park provides opportunities for backpacking, camping, picnicking, canoeing (park rents canoes), swimming (pool), golfing, wildlife viewing, hiking and interpretive programs.
Biking - Whether you are a beginner or an expert rider, you will find what you are looking for on Park Road 1C between Bastrop and Buescher State Parks. Enjoy the 12-mile scenic ride through the Lost Pines of East Central Texas. This roller coaster ride is part of the MS-150 (famed bike race from Houston to Austin.). Call the park for more information.
Scenic Drives (Field Trips on Wheels) - Get in the car and go for a leisurely drive along Park Road 1C between Bastrop and Buescher state parks. This scenic 12-mile drive will take you through the beautiful Lost Pines of East Central Texas. Turn down the radio and enjoy the serenity of the forest along this quiet drive. Call the park for more information.
Fishing - Bring your pole and enjoy some good ol’ fishing along the banks of Bastrop State Park Lake. If you can’t reach them from the bank, you can rent one of the canoes and relax out in the open waters. Call the park for more information.
Golf: A golf course, operated by the Lost Pines Golf Club, is one of the finest and most scenic 18-hole golf courses in Central Texas. The course is 6,152 yards long, has Bermuda grass greens, is playable year-round, and has golf carts and pull carts available for rent. More information about golf at Bastrop State Park.
Volunteer Information: For information on volunteer opportunities at the park contact the volunteer coordinator at (512) 237-2241.
Friends of the Lost Pines State Parks - The Friends of the Lost Pines State Parks was organized to assist in the promotion, interpretation and operation of Bastrop and Buescher State Parks. As a fund raising and service group, the goal of the friends is to help in the overall operation of the park through sponsoring events, helping fund projects and raising the awareness of Bastrop and Buescher state parks as assets to the community and surrounding areas. For more information go to the Friends of Lost Pines State Parks website.
The park rents canoes, and bar-b-q pits.
This park participates in the Angler Education "Tackle Loaner Program," individuals can borrow rods, reels and tackle boxes with hooks, sinkers and bobbers.
The park offers a variety of educational opportunities. Check the calendar of events or contact the park for special tours.
Get more information on the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), which helped develop this park and numerous others over 70 years ago, by visiting our CCC page that includes the interactive on-line exhibits and education resource, “The Look of Nature: Designing Texas State Parks during the Great Depression” and “A New Deal for Texas Parks”.
Nearby attractions include Lake Bastrop, which offers 900 surface acres of water suitable for boating, fishing, swimming and water skiing. A pleasant 12-mile scenic drive through forest leads to Buescher State Park, another beautiful forested area. Other parks within a 50-mile radius include Lake Somerville State Park & Trailway, McKinney Falls State Park and . The nearby communities of Bastrop and Smithville boast many historic buildings and convenient locations for dining and shopping. The state capitol at Austin is 32 miles away. You may want to refer to nearby Lower Colorado River Authority parks. | <urn:uuid:d8dc8661-7e8c-4e23-9f7d-7f552f6b0dcf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/bastrop | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939795 | 889 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Draft is a series about the art and craft of writing.
Draft is a series about the art and craft of writing.
“Do not use semicolons,” he said. “They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. All they do is show you’ve been to college.”
At the time I was less struck by the cranky, casual bigotry of the statement (a great deal of Vonnegut’s advice sounds as if it was rasped between grandfatherly coughing fits) than by the thrilling starkness of the prohibition. A writer was simply not to use semicolons. Ever.
At that point I’d written a number of not very good short stories over which I’d sprinkled semicolons (along with inapt adjectives and “symbolic” character names) like the wishful seasonings of an amateur cook. Now I would have, if it had been physically possible, scrubbed the accursed symbol from my keyboard and never thought about semicolons again, except to harrumph cruelly when I witnessed other, lesser writers succumbing to this particular form of misguidedness.
Advice from Vonnegut was not, to me, just any advice. To say that he was my literary hero doesn’t quite capture the intensity of the worship and obsession I heaped upon him. I wrote him letters that I can only pray he never saw. I read all of his books and then, once I’d finished, I started collecting editions of “Slaughterhouse Five” in other languages (none of which, it goes without saying, I could read a word of). I even began narrating my life to myself in his weary, gravelly voice. (Ben sat down to finish his history homework. What this meant, mostly, was learning how one group of apes butchered another group of apes. So it goes.)
Vonnegut’s dismissal of semicolons therefore struck me as more than a mere matter of style. This was, like his refusal to describe his war experience in heroic terms, a demonstration of virtue. To abjure semicolons was to declare oneself pure of heart, steely-eyed, sadly disillusioned. I pictured Vonnegut and Hemingway sitting together on a porch, squinting grimly out at the road, shaking their heads at what the literary world had come to. I wanted nothing more in life than to climb onto one of the empty rockers beside them.
My disdain for semicolons outlasted my devotion to Vonnegut. Well into college I avoided them, trusting in the keyboard’s adjacent, unpretentious comma and period to divvy up my thoughts. I imagined that, decades hence, if some bright-eyed teenager were to ask me for advice, I’d pass Vonnegut’s prohibition right along, minus the troublesome bit about transvestites and hermaphrodites. By now I’d come across Isaac Babel’s famous description of periods as irons capable of stabbing the heart. And I knew, of course, that commas were indispensable. The semicolon sat there in my literary utensil drawer like a cherry pitter, theoretically functional, but fussy and unloved and probably destined for the yard-sale table.
So it’s been with considerable surprise, these past few years, that I’ve found myself becoming something of a cherry-pitting maniac. This may just, as Vonnegut says, reflect the fact that I’ve now been to college, though honestly I can’t remember anyone’s expressing a single semicolon-related sentiment while I was there. Regardless, I’ve come to love the awkward things, and to depend on them for easing me through a complex thought.
I blame my grammatical fall on an unlikely corrupter: William James. For the past year or two I’ve had on my nightstand a fat Library of America collection of his writing, and it took me a while to realize that one of the things I was loving about it — one of the things that made me feel as if I was sitting beside a particularly intelligent, humane and excitable friend on a long trip in a horse-drawn carriage — was his use of semicolons. James’s paragraphs, as lucid and unpretentious as can be, are divided and subdivided, as intricately structured as the anatomical diagrams he includes in “Psychology: Briefer Course.” Semicolons, along with exclamation points and dashes and whole sackfuls of commas, are, for him, vital tools in keeping what he called the “stream of thought” from appearing to the reader as a wild torrent.
And once I’d seen him using semicolons this way, their pleasing possibilities became irresistible. I’d been finding myself increasingly flummoxed by the difficulty of capturing even a rough approximation of thought on the page, and it seemed absurd to leave such a handy tool unused out of obscure loyalty.
Many times a week I’d been experiencing a mental event like this: I’d be reading an article about a flood in Mexico, which would lead me to thinking about a wedding I once went to in Cancún, which would lead me to thinking about marriage, which would lead to gay marriage, which would lead to the presidential election, which would lead to swing states, which would lead to a fascinatingly terrible country song called “Swing” — and I’d be three songs into a Trace Adkins YouTube marathon before I’d glance back down at the newspaper on the table.
It’s in honoring this movement of mind, this tendency of thoughts to proliferate like yeast, that I find semicolons so useful. Their textbook function — to separate parts of a sentence “that need a more distinct break than a comma can signal, but that are too closely connected to be made into separate sentences” — has come to seem like a dryly beautiful little piece of psychological insight. No other piece of punctuation so compactly captures the way in which our thoughts are both liquid and solid, wave and particle.
And so, far from being pretentious, semicolons can be positively democratic. To use a semicolon properly can be an act of faith. It’s a way of saying to the reader, who is already holding one bag of groceries, here, I know it’s a lot, but can you take another? And then (in the case of William James) another? And another? And one more? Which sounds, of course, dreadful, and like just the sort of discourtesy a writer ought strenuously to avoid. But the truth is that there can be something wonderful in being festooned in carefully balanced bags; there’s a kind of exquisite tension, a feeling of delicious responsibility, in being so loaded up that you seem to have half a grocery store suspended from your body.
So yes, Kurt Vonnegut: simplicity, in grammar as in all things, is a virtue, not to be sneezed at. But I can’t agree that semicolons represent absolutely nothing; they represent, for me anyway, the pleasure in discovering that no piece of writing advice, however stark, however beloved its deliverer, should ever be adopted mindlessly.
Draft welcomes submissions at [email protected].
Ben Dolnick is the author of “Zoology,” “You Know Who You Are” and, most recently, “Shelf-Love,” an e-book about Alice Munro. He lives in Brooklyn. | <urn:uuid:e1863741-6800-4299-aaef-b7ade1561703> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/02/semicolons-a-love-story/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963932 | 1,630 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Been fielding lots of questions from the Bungle of Joy about earthquakes this week. Why do they happen? How do they happen? Do they happen here? It’s been tough balancing the truth and avoiding pure panic in my kiddo.
In the meantime, the question looms: What to do about Haiti? How can I help? My girlfriend sent an email around with a link to CharityWatch.org and its evaluation of the Best Ways to Support Relief Efforts in the Aftermath of Haiti’s Earthquake. I went to the site and, from their list of graded organizations, chose Partners in Health, mostly because it received an A+, but also because this is the organization co-founded by Paul Farmer, the subject of a book I loved, Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder. (If you donate on PIH’s website, they ask for as little as $10–every bit helps. Or, if you buy the book through their website, PIH at least gets a kickback.)
Yesterday, I also got an email from my (wonderful) agent at WME, announcing a joint effort with Starbucks and the Red Cross (the latter received a respectable A- rating from CharityWatch.org). Starbucks is donating $1 million, plus they’re opening up their tills to accept donations from anyone–you don’t have to buy anything to stop in and donate. Of course we all know this is an ad campaign of sorts, but then again, if you can afford a mocha from Starbucks, you can likely tack on an extra few bucks for Haiti. Here’s Wyclef Jean’s video about the program:
I was also fascinated by NPR’s story about donating via text message. Small but numerous donations add up, and it’s super easy (text “HAITI” to 90999 and $10 for the Red Cross is added to your phone bill–details here). And here’s a more in-depth Talk of the Nation story about text donations to Haiti and avoiding scams.
So that’s your Haiti roundup for the day. Combined with the Supreme Court’s reversal of corporate campaign spending curbs and the setback to health care reform by the loss of Ted Kennedy’s seat in congress, it’s been a tragic news week for me. I haven’t had the heart to look at the paper today at all. | <urn:uuid:11d18211-b65a-456e-bb31-0143f671bf26> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.seattlepi.com/happilyevenafter/2010/01/ | 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 | 0.957792 | 509 | 1.515625 | 2 |
- Policy & Research
- About KHI
March 22, 2012
It’s been two years since the Affordable Care Act was signed into law.
The Commonwealth Fund and the Kaiser Family Foundation each recently released reports about the wide variance in health reform implementation going on across the states. While some states have led the way on implementation, others have held back awaiting the Supreme Court’s decision and the 2012 election results.
The resources below show health reform activity in two different areas. One, the establishment of health insurance exchanges, and the other, the review or enactment of policy to ensure compliance with the ACA’s new insurance market rules. In both cases, Kansas is behind the majority of the states in terms of advancing health reform implementation.
The Kaiser report highlights exchange-based activity across the states, showing that 14 states have already established an exchange and 23 more are studying options or making plans to create an exchange. Meanwhile, two states have decided to not pursue creating an exchange and 12 more—including Kansas—are not undertaking “any significant activity.”
The Commonwealth Fund report instead looks at how states have gone about getting insurers up to speed with the ACA’s new insurance rules. Several new insurance requirements have already taken effect such as the prohibition on lifetime limits and the extension of dependent coverage to age 26. As such, the report shows that all but one state has taken steps toward ensuring compliance with these new rules.
The report also shows that 23 states enacted legislation or regulation related to one or more of these new insurance rules. An additional 15 states took what the report calls “sub-regulatory action” to encourage compliance with the laws, in the form of memoranda or bulletins to insurers. Finally, 11 states—including Kansas—did not take any official action but are reviewing existing policies to monitor for compliance.
Nearly 60 percent of Kansans have some form of private health insurance; that proportion is even larger—over 70 percent—for adults ages 19 – 64. Many of these privately insured Kansans will be, or have already been, affected by the ACA’s rules. See our recently released Annual Insurance Update for more information. | <urn:uuid:b931ba0e-ff21-4256-8916-cc54133adc68> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.khi.org/news/2012/mar/22/status-states-action-implementing-affordable-care-/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951356 | 447 | 1.578125 | 2 |
A Closed Door Leads to a Life Saved
Employee Ashley Kicker just wanted to start her morning by picking up some things at the CVS pharmacy at GP headquarters in Atlanta. The pharmacy had not opened at 7:30 a.m. when Ashley wanted to shop, so she decided to go to the sundry shop down the hall. As she was selecting her items, the male store clerk walked up to her and said “my chest is hurting, would you please call an ambulance.”
Because Ashley knew the signs of a heart attack, she noticed that he was sweating profusely and flexing his left hand. “Unfortunately for me, I have a family member who had a massive heart attack, so I am aware and know what to look for,” Ashley said. “He kept flexing his left hand, so I knew his left arm was tingling and that’s a sure sign of heart distress.”
Given all that was happening, Ashley remained calm and called 911. “The 911 operator asked me a lot of questions, but the one that sticks out the most is him asking if I could give the store clerk some aspirin.” Because Ashley was in a store, she quickly grabbed a bottle, gave the clerk an aspirin and told him to chew - just as she was instructed. By this time, a few other people walked into the store and one GP employee came over to help. She stayed with the store clerk while Ashley waved in the paramedics.
Being someone who has experienced losing a family member to a heart attack, Ashley makes it a point to eat healthy and exercise, but she also stresses the importance of educating yourself about heart disease and knowing the signs. “In a perfect world everyone would eat healthy and exercise, but we’re not in a perfect world. However, everyone can read and educate themselves about heart disease and that can save lives too - just like it did with the store clerk.”
February is American Heart Month, and early detection plays a vital role in preventing heart attacks. The American Heart Association provides a comprehensive guide to the warning signs of heart attack, stroke and cardiac arrest. | <urn:uuid:e849c8f2-284e-47a9-b2ea-b097fe4b9740> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://gp.com/newsroom/newsarticle.asp?newsid=9883 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.986136 | 448 | 1.726563 | 2 |
The view from inside major medical centers
Question here, Brian.
KELLY: Anybody else? I just wanted to see if anybody else wanted to take Avery's question, and then we'll go over there, Jim.
MILLER: I was just going to say in the Baltimore-Washington region, the University of Maryland and Medstar with the five hospitals in Baltimore plus Washington Hospital Center and Hopkins work very well together in both exercise planning, and at the time of 9/11, figured out who was going to transport, who was going to receive, what our capacities were in ICUs, and so forth. So we had that all worked out.
SALEM: I would echo that for the Colorado public health, and I think it's well delineated. Obviously, you know what happens when the first casualty comes in. Bets are off in terms of what happens to the public, however.
RUNNING: And also in the Stanford region and the San Francisco Bay Area, we have various hospital councils that are working together. We've formulated a safety officers' task force, if you will, that also meets with EMS and county, civic, city, other providers that work together to allocate the funds that are flowing down from the government agencies and to work together to utilize those funds in the most effective manner for the region, not just for our own institutions. So for example, in our area, we've just created a disaster action planning guide, if you will, that is nicknamed CHERP comprehensive healthcare emergency response plan. And that guide then is standardized amongst all of the agencies within our county and other hospitals as well to become an actual templated guide that they can each of them take and utilize to formulate a similar disaster plan so that we all know what we are all doing on the same day when any disaster or crisis occurs. So those types of planning processes, training programs, and working with hospital councils and taskforces all flow together to create a more prepared region.
Brian, we have time for just about one more question.
KELLY: One more? Okay, Jim, over by you. You've got someone.
She just answered that question. Is there no one?
KELLY: We've answered all questions? No more anywhere? Okay, one more.
Q: Thank you. Nancy Shute with U.S.News & World Report. What about communicating to the public? Frank, if I'm in Cleveland, how do I know that you're at capacity? How would I know that there is an alternative facility that I might want to go with? Are you addressing that in advance with the public or are you waiting until a disaster happens?
PEACOCK: We actually have an Internet site that you can go to and figure out which hospitals are open and closed, because we have February, where we have problems with occupancy of all hospitals. I'm not sure all cities are set up that way, but you can just it's a web site. You click on it. It's yellow, green, and red colors that tells you who is closed and who is on bypass and who is not. In a disaster, part of our disaster plan, our emergency partners plan is that the public relations office has to come in and that's their job is to interface with the press and to communicate with the public. The issues are always is the hospital hit, is the tower still up, can we broadcast? But if that's all the case, then yeah. | <urn:uuid:3d2791d5-f10e-400d-95c5-9c1b89dd5f6c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/articles/060420/20summit_panel1_15.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978048 | 719 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Although the District and Arlington have reported growing interest in cycling as they have opened 116 sharing stations over the past year, neither jurisdiction has been allowed to launch stations on National Park Service property accessible to the public, including the Mall and Anacostia Park.
Park Service officials have cited existing contracts with bicycle rental companies and concerns about whether the stations would interfere with the historical significance of its property in the Washington region.
As a result, Capital Bikeshare users wanting to go to the Mall to sightsee or for recreational activities such as softball games have been forced to drop off and pick up bicycles at stations in other areas downtown, which can be up to a half-mile away from some popular tourist and recreational attractions.
But after discussions between city and federal officials, there is growing agreement that the bike-share desert in the heart of the District could soon come to an end.
“There are still a number of issues we need to work out, but we are hoping we can resolve those issues so we can start it up early next year,” said Carol Johnson, a spokeswoman for the National Mall and Memorials Park branch of the National Park Service. “Earlier, we were looking at whether they can get on the Mall, but now we are looking for a way to get them on the Mall.”
Johnson’s statements reflect an effort by officials across the Washington region to prepare for future growth in what is already the nation’s largest bike-sharing system. Since it launched a year ago, the system has grown to 17,400 members, who pay an annual fee. Combined with 60,000 daily rentals, about 920,0000 trips have been taken in the past year.
In the fall, the District and Arlington will spend $4 million to start adding 32 more stations in the city and 30 in Arlington. Federal grant money has been secured to open 20 stations in Rockville and Shady Grove.
Last week, Montgomery County Council member Roger Berliner (D-Potomac-Bethesda) wrote county leaders urging additional funding to also install stations in the Bethesda business district. The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments has been trying, so far unsuccessfully, to obtain grant money to open stations in College Park.
Alexandria officials are also debating whether that city should link into Capital Bikeshare, which allows users to rent and return bicycles to any station in the system for a daily or extended-usage fee.
“It’s made my life easier, and I don’t have to use the bus as much,” Peter Davidson, 25, said Friday as he picked up a bike at the Van Ness Metro station in Northwest. “It’s really convenient. My gym is downtown, but I go to school up here, so I just bike up here when I can.” | <urn:uuid:af146209-5a19-4c29-85d6-d8d8fe20da9a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/capital-bikeshare-coming-to-mall/2011/09/02/gIQA1lv66J_story.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963595 | 585 | 1.585938 | 2 |
home > paid book/ebook
Iron Coffins: A Personal Account Of The German U-boat Battles Of World War II
The former German U-boat commander Herbert Werner navigates readers through the waters of World War II, recounting four years of the most significant and savage battles. By war's end, 28,000 out of 39,000 German sailors had disappeared beneath the waves.
Superb first hand account of submarine service
- January 24, 2006
First off, it should be noted that Capt. Werner beat the odds. He survived to tell his tale. 80% of his fellow submariners would perish under the waves as in the later years of the war each mission was essentially a suicide mission. One of these "ramming" suicide missions was even ordered of his boat in the weeks after D-Day, and incredibly, some of his fellow sailors on other submarines would die following these orders.
Werner's odyssey began when, on his first mission, the U-230 got stuck on the ocean floor and the crew spent 16 hours jettisoning water and weight out the torpedo tubes, and then ran from one end to the other to rock the boat free. So started his career. The number of close calls he and his ship would encounter over the course of the war, and survive, is equivalent to winning a lottery. Werner and crew had lady luck on their side at times, but many other escapes were a direct result of his competence and the crews bravery. It is a fascinating tale. The new... read more
EXCELLENT 'INSIDE-THE-U-BOAT" WARTIME COVERAGE
By A Customer
- July 2, 1999
This is the very best book I have read actually describing the conditions inside a German u-boat during World War II Atlantic Ocean war patrols. It is well written with both action and information in mind. The action standpoint is superb and makes the reader wonder how Capt Werner and his crew ever survived the punishment they took in their little fragile "egg" as aircraft and ships constantly dropped bombs and depth charges on them. From the information standpoint, Werner gives us a very comprehensive and interesting description of what it is like inside the early u-boats. It is hard to imagine how the crew lived like they did in their constantly rocking boat: without bathing for months, eating moldy food, suffering from constant humidity, freezing or roasting as the season might be (no airconditioning or heaters), and not having proper sanitary conditions (using a bucket in rough seas, etc.) Very good detail on u-boat life both aboard ship and in port. From... read more
The Best WWII Book About the Other Side!
By AstroNerdBoy "AstroNerdBoy"
- March 22, 1999
The first time I read 'Iron Coffins', it was for a term paper in high school. At that point, all Germans in WWII were evil Nazi stooges with the mental capacity of a slug in salt. Once I started reading Mr. Werner's excellent book, I actually found myself sharing in the excitement as a U-Boat sank Allied ships. I also found myself feeling the dread as Allied escort ships dropped thier deadly depth charges. Iron Coffins is a fast paced book that is hard to put down. One is able to truely experience what the war was like through Mr. Werner's eyes. Once you've finished, your understand something...that just because you are at war with an evil nation doesn't make it's people all evil. Mr. Werner may not have been a celebrated U-Boat commander, but if it weren't for him, we would never truely understand the meaning of the term 'Iron Coffin.'
$0.01 - $19.99
THE CLASSIC ACCOUNT OF ONE OF THE MOST DRAMATIC BATTLES OF WORLD WAR II A Bridge Too Far is Cornelius Ryan's masterly chronicle of the Battle of Arnhem, which marshalled the ...
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A modern master of the historical novel, Jeff Shaara has painted brilliant depictions of the Civil War, the Revolutionary War, and World War I. Now he embarks upon his most ambitious epic, a trilogy ...
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True tales of heroism and the men who fought and died in the skies of World War II Europe.In World War II, there were many ways to die. But nothing offered more fatal choices than ...
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The dramatic story of an iconic love song, its three creators, and their lives under the Nazis."Lili Marlene," the unlikely anthem of World War II, cut across front lines and ...
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Technical and Military Imperatives: A Radar History of World War II is a coherent account of the history of radar in the second World War. Although many books have been written on the early days of ...
$4.04 - $12.95
Pulitzer-Prize-winner and bestselling author C. Vann Woodward recreates the gripping account of the battle for Leyte Gulf—the greatest naval battle of World War II and the largest engagement ...
$3.21 - $22.00
Drawing on previously unpublished eyewitness accounts, prizewinning historian Donald L. Miller has written what critics are calling one of the most powerful accounts of warfare ever published. Here ...
$24.26 - $38.93
On September 25, 1944, Hitler attempted to shore up his faltering forces by creating the Volkssturm or People's Army. His new draft called into service all remaining able-bodied men, including ...
With insightful analysis, factual contextual information, and illuminating historical documents, this book provides a detailed, but broad perspective on the most destructive event in history. The ...
$5.67 - $9.95
The Big Book of World War II is a comprehensive guide, bringing young readers through the archives of history to learn about this epic war and how the world was changed as a result. It joins ... | <urn:uuid:7a1edb69-32bf-4246-8d43-2e549b637fa3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://pdfcast.org/paid/9780306811609 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966661 | 1,264 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Working In These Times
Madison Protesters: Collective Bargaining About Workplace Democracy, Not Just Pay, Benefits
MADISON, WIS.—The crowds demanding that Republican Gov. Scott Walker “kill the bill” he proposed to eviscerate collective bargaining rights in the state have grown larger by the day here, with numerous estimates putting Saturday’s attendance around 60,000. But despite workers ratcheting up the pressure in the streets, and unions making clear they are willing to accept pay and benefit concessions, Walker has shown no intention of leaving collective bargaining rights intact.
The governor’s refusal to budge on public workers’ ability to have a collective voice on the job has made many wonder if the governor actually wants to solve the budget crisis, or simply wants to strip workers of their basic rights.
In public testimony in the capitol building and on Madison’s streets throughout this week's protests, public workers have insisted that collective bargaining is about much more than pay and benefits. They say it’s about democracy and their ability to do their jobs safely and better serve the public.
Perhaps the biggest group on the streets here is public school teachers, who have called in sick en masse throughout the state. Schools in Madison were canceled for three days straight during the week, and the capitol is packed with educators. (A vote on the bill has been delayed indefinitely until 14 Democratic state senators return to the capitol; they fled town Thursday.)
Mary Schliem drove to Madison from Platteville, Wis., on Saturday. She has been a teacher there for 34 years, and feels her ability to be an effective teacher is under attack in Walker’s bill.
When asked if she thought her daily time to prepare lesson plans for classes would be lost with the bill, Schliem responds, “of course.” Class sizes, too, she says, will increase. “If we have classes of 35 or 40 kids, that will negatively impact our ability to educate,” she claimed. She sees her ability to collectively bargain as a crucial to her ability to do her job well.
“We need somewhere to express what we’re thinking and feeling as a group. We need to be able to say, ‘Oh, 98 percent of our members think and feel this way? Maybe we need to be concerned.’”
Her co-worker, Mary Hardyman, a Platteville teacher for 32 years, chimed in. “We went into this because we love kids. We come early. We stay late. We take home gobs of work. We put in thousands of extra hours. And we don’t feel like we’re getting any support for that” from the governor. She stopped as her voice broke and her eyes began to well up.
The women picked up their signs and disappeared back into the massive march around the capitol.
Teachers have had a huge presence here, but teachers assistants (TAs) have also played a huge role in the protests for the last week. Notoriously overworked and underpaid, protesting graduate students from Milwaukee and Madison have operated out of a commandeered conference room on the third floor of the capitol.
On King Street in front of the capitol Saturday afternoon, Katie Morrissey stepped away from the mass march. She is a teachers assistant at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she is a graduate student in the English Department. The Walker bill would hurt all TAs, she said. “If we don’t have any resource to say we’re being overworked, that’s a big problem,” she said.
Morrissey, like other TAs, has a tuition remission in exchange for her work teaching classes. If she lost her ability to collectively bargain, that remission would be in danger. “I might have to leave school,” she says. “I don’t think I could continue being a TA. I think many TAs would not be able to continue.”
Katy-Anne Legun is also a TA, a grad student in sociology at UW-Madison and a member of the Teachers Assistant Association union. Sitting outside the TAA war room as sleep-deprived grad students streamed in and out, she stressed the importance of the union, and how Walker bill’s threatens its existence.
“We would have to spend so many of our resources every year securing membership—organizing new members,” she said. The bill would make maintaining union membership extremely difficult. “Our union would not survive if the bill passed. It will be economically impossible—we wouldn’t have the resources to advocate for our rights.”
In addition to negotiating wages and benefits, the TAA ensures faculty are treating TAs fairly, and generally works to address work-related concerns.
“It’s crucial to have something representing you, so you don’t just have your lone voice out in the wilderness. We can’t advocate for ourselves individually—we need our voices to be part of a union,” Legun stated.
Teachers have been some of the most villified public employees in recent months, but the streets of Madison are packed with public workers of all stripes, from social workers to janitors.
And respiratory therapists, which is Anne Stoddard-Wheelock’s occupation at the University of Wisconsin Hospital—“taking care of the sickest patients in the state,” as she puts it. Standing on a corner outside the capitol, she wears a bright green AFSCME t-shirt, and is a member of Local 1942. As a thunderous marching band trooped past, she shouted to explain what collective bargaining has meant for her and her co-workers.
“It’s meant that we can limit our hours and not be put into dangerous situations at work,” she explains. Through union negotiations, respiratory therapists have ensured that they have a mandatory eight hours off after a shift, so as not to overwork themselves and put their patients in danger.
“When you’re sick enough, I will be your heart and your lungs. But if I’m forced to take more patients than is necessary, I can make mistakes. And that would be shameful.”
The obvious question
So if collective bargaining is not just about money, but rather working conditions and democracy on the job, why are Gov. Walker and Wisconsin Republicans insisting that it be included in an ostensible effort to balance the state’s budget?
Multiple reports indicate that union leaders are willing to offer concessions, but not the ceding of collective bargaining rights. The Wisconsin State Journal reported that AFSCME Council 24 executive director Mary Bell was willing to take cuts to help plug the budget gaps, but her members need to be able speak together as a union.
“We want to say loud and clear — it is not about those concessions," Bell said. "For my members, it's about retaining a voice in their professions."
At a press conference today, Tom Innes, an EMT in McFarland, Wis., stressed that public employees are willing to work with the governor, but that sentiment has not been reciprocated. "We want our fellow taxpayers to know we are willing to make sacrifices," said Innes. "We have offered our hand, but they have slapped it away."
The obvious question, then, is: What are the governor’s true intentions?
If workers are willing to accept some painful cuts to pay and benefits to help balance the budget, but Walker is not willing to sit down to negotiate with them, what exactly does Walker want with? Is he attempting to end a budget crisis—or is his insistence on gutting collective bargaining rights simply about ending workers’ rights to be heard at their job?
Follow Micah Uetricht on Twitter for live updates from Madison. | <urn:uuid:e024b109-eade-4a33-a8ba-0b12c97d28e0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://inthesetimes.com/working/entry/6981/madison_protesters_collective_bargaining_about_workplace_democracy_not/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970985 | 1,660 | 1.71875 | 2 |
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