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In 2007, I took some heat for pointing out that Google Trends showed declining searches for “yellow pages” while theorizing that this indicated reducing consumer interest in print and online YP sites. About four years later, we can now look back and see whether this turned out to be a valid prediction, and also reflect on what value YP may still have for advertisers.
When I wrote that earlier article, I was aware that connecting a major shift in overall consumer behavior to a graphed trendline of searches in Google was a little loose in terms of causality.
There are many reasons why people search for a particular phrase, and many reasons why cumulative searches for the phrase can rise or fall. (Not to mention, there is uncertainty about what the actual volume of searches is in the graphs since Google obscures volume amounts, and there can be error in assuming that Google users reflect the same search patterns of users who may search elsewhere, such as in Bing.)
I had some basis for believing the Google Trends numbers back then, and for associating them with overall consumer behavior connected to “Yellow Pages” as well as for a number of other types of searches for businesses. I had worked for some years for Verizon’s online YP site, Superpages.com, overseeing analytics, among other things, and Superpages had occupied the top search result in Google for searches for “Yellow Pages” for quite a number of years.
The clickthrough rate for “yellow pages” searches was a large enough volume with enough consistency to see a correlation with the graphed line in Google Trends, and with some directory usage indicators. Google Trends also showed expectable seasonal spikes for various industries, and rises and declines in cumulative interest in topics (which is the basis for Google Zeitgeist which is also often cited as a pulse indicator for rises and drops in popularity).
So, when I saw the clearly-declining trend line for YP searches back then, it was concerning to me, and it seemed highly likely that the cause probably was that Google Maps (and other local search engines ) were having an impact on both print and online YP usage.
Users searching for “yellow pages” in Google were typically trying to find one of two things — they were either trying to find the Web address of their local yellow pages in order to conduct business searches online, or they were trying to find contact information for their YP company (either to order a phone book or to advertise in the yellow pages).
The drop in these searches appeared significant enough to reflect some major shift in consumer behavior — if those consumers weren’t trying to find a YP site to use, or a YP company from which to obtain a phone book, then they must be getting business info elsewhere.
What Did This Shift Tell Us About Local Searches?
So, did this demonstrate that yellow pages were being used less, and, did the yellow pages indeed become “toast” four years later?
It’s not possible to know exactly how much people use print yellow pages. There’s obviously no mechanism to independently measure all of the usage, so surveys are conducted along with various other ancillary measures for a sample set of people, and those figures are then projected out across the U.S. population to estimate overall usage.
Even so, it is clear that printed yellow pages book usage has been dropping:
Usage of Printed Yellow Pages Books Graphed Over Time
In the above graph, which was derived from yearly figures provided variously by the Local Search Association (previously named the Yellow Pages Association), one can see that print usage figures have generally been dropping since 2002.
(Note: The accounting methodology was was changed following 2007, so figures before and after are not necessarily quantitatively equivalent units, but I believe this graph is still a reasonable representation of the overall declining trend. Also, I didn’t have figures to include from 2011.)
When plotted out over time, it seems unequivocal that print YP usage has been dropping.
Yellow pages companies enjoyed a tremendous profitability over most of their one-hundred-year-plus history. The industry seemed so virtually indestructable that when I was first hired onto GTE Directories Corporation back in 1997, veteran employees commonly told me that YP company stock was a rock-solid “sure bet” and local businesses would “always need the yellow pages”. For the past generations, this was true.
Nationwide historical data reflects this profitability dramatically:
U.S. Directory Advertising Revenue – Yellow Pages Industry Revenue Plotted Over Time source: Douglas Galbi, Senior Economist, Wireline Competition Bureau of the F.C.C.
While the above graph only goes up to 2007, it can be seen that revenues began softening at around the year 2000. Other estimates I’ve seen of print YP revenue also indicate it flattened out and declined from 2007 to 2011.
In many markets, the decline in revenues can also be seen reflected in the size of local yellow pages books. Here’s a graphic comparison provided by Jeff Kron of a Denver yellow pages book:
Comparison of Denver Yellow Pages Books, 2006 vs. 2010 – Shrinking in Size Photo by Jeff Kron – Used with Permission.
The effect of declining revenues on the top YP companies over the last four years has been massive. Idearc, the company spun off when Verizon divested itself of its yellow pages division, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009, along with R.H. Donnelley and Ambassador Media Group the same year.
While there were other big factors that impacted each of these companies in addition to reduced print profits, I would argue that factors such as the recession simply accelerated their rates of decline which would have happened anyway due to consumers migrating away from their printed product.
Most recently, AT&T signaled in January that they were looking to offload their directory division, and they are now in talks to sell a stake in the YP unit to the Cerberus Capital Management LP private equity firm. Very tellingly, AT&T’s relative valuation of their YP is sharply lower than Verizon’s YP spinoff valuation back in 2006 (1.5 times EBITDA now versus 8 times EBITDA back then) — and, the lower valuation indicates that financial analysts foresee reduced profitability over time.
As Bernstein analyst Craig Moffett stated about the AT&T selling off of YP:
“The window has already closed for selling Yellow Pages businesses at a meaningful price.”
While Chapter 11 reorganizations are not the same as a complete extinction of these companies, one could have expected them to emerge as much more agile competitors after reducing debt obligations.
However, the decline of print income is still impacting them each year, and there were continued layoffs of employees from both SuperMedia (the post-Chapt 11 name of Verizon’s YP) and Dex One (the post-Chapt 11 name of R.H. Donnelley) after they emerged from Chapter 11. Dex One is planning to continue cost-cutting into 2012 as well.
The more complex piece to analyze of the YP industry involves their online divisions: while their print divisions are experiencing longterm shrinkage, their online arms have grown in usage and revenues in some cases.
The YP industry challenge all along has been that they needed to grow their digital products to replace their legacy print YP books — and profits on the Internet side are considerably lower than the print ads. Imagine that they basically needed to replace each lost print customer with about twenty online customers, and you get an idea of the magnitude of their problem.
Newspapers, another similar traditional media industry, have faced virtually the same challenge and that industry’s revenue shows a similar trend graph over time.
What’s Next For Online Yellow Pages?
So, it appears that each of the big YP companies is still experiencing financial stress. To flourish, they need to develop their digital sides to replace their legacy products, while simultaneously evolving to compete with Google and other technological challengers. Those challengers’ strength in interactive marketshare doesn’t inspire confidence in the longterm chances for yellow pages.
But, there is more going on than meets the eye. Some of these companies have very healthy (and even growing) Internet traffic, and some have successfully leveraged partnership deals which help distribute their business listings out to consumers. They may be able to survive their diminishing print arms and develop sufficient niches to compete as viable longterm companies. I’ve suggested for a long while that they could stand to have one or more mergers which would allow them to reduce expenses more through synergies while combining marketshare.
Looking back over what the big YP companies have gone through, I’d say they definitely were “toast” and the prediction that they faced serious trouble was entirely justified. The industry had a massive reversal which was unprecedented in its century-long history. While there are some positive signs starting to emerge, the industry-wide adjustment still hasn’t completely played out.
Now for the question that many local businesses continue to try to figure out which is tied into this…
In 2012, Is It Still Worthwhile To Advertise In The Yellow Pages?
The answer to this question isn’t purely black-and-white, although industry proponents and opponents frequently characterize it as a simplistic yes-or-no answer.
I’ll try to make this super-easy for you to figure out if you’re a small business owner trying to decide whether to advertise in a printed phone book or not. Here are the facts as I know them:
- There are still people who use printed phone books! Therefore, there is some promotional value in advertising in the books, in general. So, the question really is whether there’s sufficient value for the advertising to make you enough money versus the cost. The ROI is harder to predict in every case, but we can somewhat generalize what the promotional value will be, based upon your particular type of business, the market area you’re located in, and the specific YP book in question.
- People sometimes present the YP advertising to me as an either-or deal: would I be better off dropping my print ad budget and putting it all into online? In some cases, the answer is yes. But in many cases the answer to that probably isn’t clear-cut. I advise putting advertising budget towards as many promotional channels as is feasible, as long as the channel does better than merely pay for itself. If a referral channel is doing that for you, I’m not obsessed about whether it’s print, Internet, or a guy on a streetcorner holding up a sign. Also, using multiple promo channels is healthier for a business than focusing everything in one — multiple lead generators make you less dependent on any one option.
- Yellow Pages books in larger metropolitan areas may be less valuable to advertisers. While there are larger populations in bigger cities, it seems probable that a larger percentage of the population there uses the Internet to find businesses compared to smaller towns. Also, there are typically more businesses listed in big city phone books, so your company could be hidden in a crowd of competitors. Large metro areas typically have a handful of yellow pages books published by competing publishers, too, and you can’t predict which ones will be kept and used by your potential customers (some people throw away all old books in favor of whatever newest book appears on their porch, while others only keep one preferred brand). And, ads in the larger metro books are often priced much higher than in smaller markets. So, I believe that major metro area phonebooks are likely less valuable to advertisers in most cases. There are exceptions, however, so please read on.
- Conversely, usage of yellow pages books in many small towns continues to be healthy. The books there contain fewer overall competitors, there are fewer competing phone books published, and ad prices are often lower. But, the main deal is that smalltown consumers seem to continue using the books at a higher rate than in larger cities. So, if your business is located in a small town, in general you should consider still advertising in the yellow pages.
- Independent directory companies have been profitable, even as some of the larger, better-known YP companies have faltered. An “independent directory” is a non-national company, and is not the “main” book publisher that provides directories branded with the local phone company’s logo. The indie publishers have likely performed better because they had to be more agile, functioning with lower operating expense, and incurring less debt. The indies typically have lower ad prices, too, so it’s possible in some major metro areas that the ad cost is sufficiently low enough to make advertising in them more worthwhile than in the incumbent, “main” phone book. This is iffy, though, and you have to carefully assess the indie book’s distribution numbers compared to the incumbent. In smaller towns I’d be dubious as to the worth of advertising in an independent publisher yellow pages book at all.
- Specialty directories may be a highly valuable advertising option in any size market! Specialty directories are a variety of independent directory which are targeted to particular demographic groups, such as Spanish-speaking consumers, Christian or Jewish customers, Vegetarians and individuals seeking to shop from businesses dedicated to the ethical treatment of animals, and consumers wanting to support ecologically sustainable businesses. Special interest groups of consumers seem to have a higher level of dedication towards businesses supporting their communities, so those types of books appear to be much more viable than the traditional YP books. Here in Dallas where I live, the Desi Yellow Pages and the Korean Yellow Pages appear to be very robust directories with highly engaged consumer groups. So, if your business qualifies for inclusion in a specialty directory, you should seriously consider paying up to be in it.
- Some business categories continue to be sought out more in print than others. If your company provides technological or luxury products/services, it would be expectable for your potential customers to be more inclined to seek you out via Internet, tablets and mobile phones. Businesses catering to lower-income customers should reasonably expect more referrals from offline information sources. So, figure out your average customer demographic when deciding where to place your advertising dollars.
- Old habits die hard. Older consumers continue to use print directories at a much higher rate than younger consumers, so if your business caters to older generations you need to still consider advertising in print.
- Some travel/tourist destination markets may enjoy higher directory usage. Phone books are still commonly included in most hotel rooms, so if your business is located in a city like Las Vegas or Miami you should consider paying to have an ad in the book. This guideline is also closely affected by your business category, too.
- Restaurants, with their coupons and menu lists, can have healthy referrals via print YP. So, even in large metro areas, restaurants might still benefit well from advertising in print.
- Even as print usage shrinks, advertising in the books can still be a profitable enterprise for businesses which sell high-ticket products and services. For instance, an attorney who obtains a single, multimillion-dollar lawsuit from a $40,000 ad could consider it money well-spent. Likewise, a contractor or luxury auto dealer might receive sufficient business from a high-priced YP ad to rationalize advertising in the book a lot longer than other types of businesses.
- Carefully check your local business category in your local phone book — while my generalization is that large metro areas might be a bad ad buy for most, if all of your competitors have bailed out of a book you could scoop up all the remaining referrals left. Some data indicates that the advertisers sticking with print advertising are enjoying pretty good call rates for this reason.
- Larger ads are often a worse value proposition. Try to go with smaller/cheaper print ads which still give you sufficient exposure to communicate a few key facts about your business which would persuade a customer to choose you. Larger ads don’t always equate in consumers’ minds with better businesses, so go with “just enough” exposure if you decide to be in print. Attorney and restaurant ads are some obvious exceptions to this rule — those industries may perform better with larger ads.
- Be sure to measure results! Since this industry is changing so rapidly, it is really necessary to monitor and assess how good the ROI is if you are advertising in print yellow pages. When you design your ads, try to build in ways to account for each of the business referrals you receive from them. Use a tracking phone number (be careful to try to keep the tracking number off the Internet, though, or it could impair your online search ranking ability). Use a tracked version of your website URL (ex: http://example.com/track) and provide a special discount code which they have to repeat to you in order to receive a good deal. If you advertise in a book and you realize the referrals have declined too much for you to be profitable, then it’s time to pull your ads.
- Even if you’ve decided that the print ads in your book are no longer delivering, advertising in an online YP site could be worthwhile. And, it’s easier to assess the ROI of online advertising in most cases. So, assess if your YP company’s site has enough exposure (find out what partnerships they have, and all the places where your ad could appear if you advertise with them), and if it looks good consider advertising on it. Avoid packages which bundle Internet YP with print YP, since the bundled package may be designed to fluff up the perceived value of a declining print product. (Except, you should consider going with the bundle if you read my previous tips, decided that the print ad may be good in your case, and the bundled price gives you a sufficient discount on the combined print/Internet/mobile ad package.) Discontinue the ad if it isn’t performing, of course — with online ads it should be easier to test whether it’s working sufficiently for your business.
The print yellow pages was toast, but is it still worthwhile to advertise in them? It’s not a pure black-and-white world here in 2012 — there’s also yellow!
There continues to be usage of some of the books by some consumers in some areas, and if you carefully asses you can figure out if it’s still worth advertising in your local directory.
Opinions expressed in the article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. | <urn:uuid:8520e8af-9cb5-4fd1-b307-455768357fee> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://searchengineland.com/are-yellow-pages-toast-four-years-later-we-review-ad-value-116199?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+trblogposts+%28Hottest+blogosphere+items%29 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960291 | 3,895 | 1.625 | 2 |
This section of the site will provide some further general information
concerning Newfoundland shipbuilding, the history of how the early days
offshore fishing started up, to the more modern days of shipbuilding.
There are also some photos which were taken from Henry Vokey’s
collection which have an unknown origin.
Please also visit the
acknowledgement sections of this site for a listing of books and
websites to learn more about Newfoundland shipbuilding and other topics
related to the different aspects of vessel construction in the province. | <urn:uuid:9e0ab49d-04c6-4986-883c-01b5b444ba1c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newfoundlandshipbuilding.com/shipbuildingtoday/miscellaneous/miscellaneous_items.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940402 | 113 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Cabling & Bracing
Tree support systems are used to provide supplemental support to leaders and individual branches by limiting movement. When a tree has a structural defect or condition that poses a high risk of failure, which may result in injury or property damage, a supplemental support system can often reduce the risk. Be sure to familarize yourself with the ISA's Best Management Practices. If you are looking for products for staking and guying trees please visit our staking equipment section. | <urn:uuid:af228b52-4299-4ed1-8a69-0d41ab552c90> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.treestuff.com/store/start.asp?category_id=52 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946109 | 97 | 1.507813 | 2 |
by Ward Mullens, Published February 05, 2009
YPSILANTI — The next cyber sleuth could come from the Lenawee Intermediate School District (LISD).
Eastern Michigan University has signed an articulation agreement between the EMU School of Technology Studies, Information Assurance Program and Lenawee Intermediate School District to help prepare students in the field of information assurance and network security.
“Students enrolled in the CISCO Academy in the LISD will be able to complete the CISCO certificates and convert those to 15 college credits that apply directly to the Information Assurance/Network Security Degree at EMU,” said Gerald “Skip” Lawver, program coordinator of the information assurance degree at EMU. “This program has direct impact on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) learning and we at EMU are proud that Lenawee has taken a leadership role in preparing their graduates for positions of trust in the 21st century.”
“We anticipate that more of the 24 CISCO Academies in Michigan will take advantage of this opportunity and we are eager to support these students in furthering their career pathway into the cyber security community,” Lawver said. | <urn:uuid:9a1ec216-85a6-4066-9f7e-9f26c2d89e2e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.emich.edu/univcomm/releases/release.php?id=1245353885 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940882 | 250 | 1.796875 | 2 |
WASHINGTON – Senate sponsors of legislation to protect the nation’s most important cyber networks from malicious activity described their bipartisan bill Wednesday as a full partnership with industry, narrowly tailored, and designed to avoid duplication, overlap, or reinvention of the wheel.
The Senators – Joe Lieberman, ID-Conn., Susan Collins-R-Maine, Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. - also announced additional supportive comments from industry and security experts on the process by which the bill was developed as well as its contents. The regional electric utility Pepco Holdings, the information-security firm Vanguard Integrity Professionals, and the internet technology management firm CA Technologies wrote to the Senators complimenting them on their carefully constructed bill.
In a “Dear Colleague” letter to all Senators, the co-sponsors of the Cybersecurity Act of 2012, S. 2105, wrote that the bill proposes the least amount of regulation possible to ensure the safety of the American people. The bill, the Senators wrote, is “premised on the fundamental principle that companies should secure their own systems according to their own expertise and security needs, with government support as needed. Based on voluminous constructive input from Members on both sides of the aisle, and also from industry stakeholders and security experts, we have ensured that the approach to securing critical infrastructure is narrowly tailored to cover only our country’s most vital systems, to avoid duplicative requirements, and to prevent the government from mandating specific security measures.”
Pepco Holdings wrote that “we face daily international and unintentional cyber, physical, and human threats to our critical infrastructures. To address these threats, we invest an extensive amount of time, resources, and capital to secure our critical assets to provide the greatest level of assurance and reliability to our customers. The efforts you and your staff have made to include us in your deliberations on cyber security and the opportunity this has afforded us to work collaboratively with you to craft solutions to these challenges are deeply appreciated. We also appreciate the approach you’ve taken to acknowledge and include limited regulations on critical infrastructures currently covered under existing prescriptive cyber security standards and oversight by regulatory authorities.”
Vanguard, saying it “strongly supports” the legislation, wrote: “Title I provides the first steps to ensure that minimum levels of IT security are in place to protect appropriate parts of the critical infrastructure in the private sector. We believe in particular that Section 106(b) and Section 105(e) will result in the wider adoption of appropriate minimum information security
standards and implementation of minimum levels of security configuration controls, which may reduce the need for redundant audits and assessments against multiple different standards, and therefore will enable more attention be paid to implementing appropriate security policies and configuration controls.”
CA Technologies said in its letter: “Many provisions of S. 2105 reflect an understanding of the need for balance, flexibility, resilience and the speed of innovation in today’s cybersecurity environment. The bill’s focus on major critical infrastructure systems that can have significant consequences for our economic and national security; its emphasis on risk-based security measures; its recognition that active collaboration with the IT and other sectors through the use of existing information sharing and analysis organizations, such as the IT-ISAC, will enhance cybersecurity resilience and information sharing; and its provisions on research and development, FISMA reform, law enforcement and international cooperation are important markers. We appreciate the collaborative process that has informed the development of this critical legislation and are committed to continue working with you and other Senators as the bill moves through the legislative process.” | <urn:uuid:6fb2fde8-fe87-444b-9b05-f9f534997aba> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hsgac.senate.gov/media/majority-media/private-sector-protections_in-the-name-of-national-security- | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949452 | 751 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Seminoe Wildfire Growing
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Authorities have lifted a mandatory evacuation of the Miracle Mile campground along the North Platte River because of a wildfire burning north of Seminoe Reservoir in south-central Wyoming.
However, the popular fishing spot remains under voluntary evacuation status.
The Seminoe Fire has burned about 5 square miles of pine, sagebrush and grass in Carbon County since it was started by lightning last weekend. It is burning in rough terrain about a mile north of the Seminoe Dam.
No structures have burned, but there are a couple of dozen homes, cabins and a Bureau of Reclamation housing area threatened.
There are about 175 firefighters, aided by helicopters and air tankers, fighting the fire and more experienced crews are being sent in. The fire is 22 percent contained. | <urn:uuid:f46e0a10-ebc9-4c61-a07a-cd1982aaeffb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://k2radio.com/seminoe-wildfire-growing/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953788 | 174 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Constraints & the Contact Map
|Opened on:||Thursday, December 1, 2011 - 07:18|
|Last modified:||Thursday, December 1, 2011 - 17:19|
While doing puzzle 486 (Exploration puzzle 457 with constraints), I noticed there were several constraints that have been assigned to the puzzle. I only found out just how many, and where they were, when I pulled the starting model apart. These particular constraints are different to the ones used in the Intro levels, as they only appear when the constrained segments are apart from each other. If we are supposed to stick to these constraints to achieve higher scores, there should be a better way of showing where these constraints are. I also noticed that changing the "Show Constraints" option under the "View" menu doesn't do anything to these kinds of constraints.
I would like to suggest that the Contact Map is changed to display constraints, so that they are easier to track, especially when there are several constraints present. I have attached an image of one way of doing this. You will notice that I have changed the colour of the contacts in the map, so that the constraints can use red. The pink blocks on the key at the side have also been removed, as they don't serve any clear purpose. When doing an Exploration puzzle without constraints, the "Excellent!" and "Constraints" labels and squares in the key, disappear.
I would also like to suggest that the name of the Contact Map is changed to "Exploration Map", and the Exploration Map name changed to something else (or perhaps even remove the map, since it doesn't appear to do anything at the moment), as the names can confuse people. I accidentally discussed the wrong one with a new player about a week ago, when they asked about it, and didn't realise my mistake until quite some time later.
|My Contact Map.png||34.43 KB| | <urn:uuid:0feee563-ac94-4b6c-86ce-195ad8d2b751> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://fold.it/portal/node/991197 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960828 | 397 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Brandi Carbaugh is serious about saving money, and she utilizes coupons, in-store sales, the Internet and tricks she has learned to get the most value when she shops.
"I always look until I can find the best deals," Carbaugh said. "I began by researching how to get the best values and started doing this on my own. Now I help others get the most for their money as well."
Carbaugh said one big way she saves is by using a list for her must-have items, but she does her meal planning after she purchases her items.
"I plan my meals by what I buy that is a good purchase, rather than setting my meals and then shopping," she said. "This is backward from most people, but it helps save money by getting what is on sale and then basing meals around the good values."
Carbaugh scans newspapers, magazines and websites for coupons for the things she uses, and she also clips coupons she knows her friends and family can use. She said she buys 10 copies of The Inter-Mountain on Saturdays so she can have multiple coupons, saying when she gets a great bargain, she will purchase multiple items to stock up.
"Every store has its cycles they go through for sale items," Carbaugh said. "In January, there are sales on oatmeal, diet foods and cereals. Vitamins and cold medicines drop in price - and a few weeks before the Super Bowl, chips, soda and snack foods always go on sale. If you can combine it with coupons, you can save even more."
She also said retailers change their packaging and lots of products with the old packaging go on clearance at the beginning of the year. Carbaugh said to look for these items to save.
"It is always best to purchase items in season," Carbaugh said. "This assures you get the freshest items and the best prices."
Farmers markets and fresh items in season can be canned or frozen for later, and Carbaugh added this is good for the economy by supporting local farmers.
Carbaugh said she does not shop at warehouse stores because she does not feel she can get the best deals there.
"Warehouse stores have a membership fee, and if I have a coupon, I can purchase items in small quantities for very little when I combine sales and coupons," she said. "I can get more than the big stores offer at 60 percent or less the cost."
She said she also uses rewards, bonus cards and rebates. Carbaugh said she likes to combine these things to get dollars off future purchases.
"If you read the signs, some stores offer $4 or $2 or even $10 off your total purchase, or give you a coupon for that much money off your next purchase," she said. "And you can get online to see which manufactures are offering rebates for purchasing their products."
Carbaugh said she always goes shopping with a plan.
"J.C. Penney's offers $10 off a $25 purchase, so I can get great deals and then save more, getting $25 worth of merchandise for only $15," she said. "Old Navy offers $10 off of $50 when you sign up and give them your email."
Kroger offers money off its gas prices when customers use their rewards cards. Purchasing prescriptions there also adds to cents off the price of gasoline.
Carbaugh said people who use food stamps or EBT cards also can benefit by using coupons, rebates and sales.
"If you get $300 a month for food, you can still use coupons and rebates," Carbaugh said. "This can help someone on a compromised budget get even more food to feed their family with just a little work."
She said some stores even let customers use the overages on food for non-food items, but not every store participates.
Carbaugh said growing fruits and vegetables at home is another great way to save money - she grows tomatoes in containers - and another way is looking for overstock items.
"One time a store got in many more chickens than they ordered," Carbaugh said. "I purchased quite a few of them at 25 cents a pound, donated some and gave some to friends and family that could use them."
Listing items for sale on eBay is another way Carbaugh saves money.
"I sell things we are not using," Carbaugh said, adding that she also gets samples of items though Internet sites.
"I get items that I do not use," she said. "I give those to others who I know can use them, like dog and cat food."
Her last tip is to share - whether it be good advice, notices of sales, ways to save, refunds or rebate offerings, sharing coupons others can use or giving samples to others who can use them.
"Learning to save and saving should be shared," Carbaugh said. "We are all in this together." | <urn:uuid:cc4609a2-8ede-4a9d-bc9a-b957c1092ec5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theintermountain.com/page/content.detail/id/549763/Local-mother-shares-range-of-money-saving-tips.html?nav=5372 | 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 | 0.978044 | 1,017 | 1.507813 | 2 |
"...there seems to be some evidence, especially from one of the experiments."
Last year, I had the privilege of speaking with Lisa Randall, who works two critical sides of the science world. She's a leading theorist, suggesting what experiments might do and what they might find if they do what she suggests. She's also a strong proponent of the value of science here in America, where we sometimes seem to be turning away from the importance of the scientific method.
I was honored to have her offer to call me from Geneva, Switzerland, where she was one her way to work at CERN and help them prepare for the increased LHC time this year, so we can finally learn if the Higgs field and the Higgs Boson are what we think they are.
As a physicist, she emphasizes that she is not predisposed to one notion or another. For example with regards to the Higgs Boson, she'd be happy to find indisputable proof of its existence; but if the experiments proved otherwise she'd not be disappointed. In some ways, she'd find it more exciting. Her emphasis is on finding out what is real. She recently did an interview with the New York Times on the search for the Higgs Boson, and wrote an article for Newsweek.
Reality figures in the other aspect of her work as a scientist, that of promoting the import of the scientific method to advancing the common interests of humanity. As told in her book, 'Knocking on Heaven's Door,' the original plan was to build the supercollider that ended up in Geneva in the United States, but Congress killed the funding. That sort of thinking, and the fear of the advanced ideas in science, will harm our efforts in other realms; from the economy to the ecology. Her essay over CNN is an eloquent reminder that the United States, indeed the world, needs to embrace science if we are to meet the challenges that face us.
01-10-12 UPDATE:Podcast Update: Time to Read, Episode 26: Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith, 'Van Gogh: The Life'
Click image for audio link.
Here's the twenty-sixth episode of my new series of podcasts, which I'm calling Time to Read. The podcasts/radio broadcasts will be of books worth your valuable reading time. I'll try to keep the reports under four minutes, for a radio-friendly format. If you want to run them on your show or podcast, let me know.
My hope is that in under four minutes I can offer readers a concise review and an opportunity to hear the author read from or speak about the work. I'm hoping to offer a new one every week.
The twenty-sixth episode is a look at Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith and their new book, 'Van Gogh: The Life,'.
John Lescroart (less-KWAH — his number one FAQ) is every bit as enthusiastic and engaging as his latest novel, 'The Hunter.' Perhaps that's at least in part because, due to a missed link, I ended up rousting him from his writer's garret so he could pop in his car for the hour-and-a-half drive from his place in Davis down to the studios of KQED in SF, but I have say this man has enough energy to generate a lot more books — and that's great news for readers.
I try not to make assumptions when I talk to a writer about how a book is written. But when a book reads as easily as 'The Hunter,' it's really tough not to think that the author just dashed it off. Of course that was not the case, and in fact, this proved to be a particularly tough book for Lescroart, who ended up in unfortunate sympathy with his main character.
He and I talked about how he creates this book and some of this other series, the Dismas Hardy novels. But that interview is for next time around, when we have more time to talk. I'm really looking forward to dipping into Lescroart's back catalogue, because these books are extremely easy and fun to read. They're superbly well-written, with a deliberate light-heartedness that makes some the darker aspects entertaining even as they explore more difficult subject; in this book, abandonment and adoption.
Lescroart's latest Dismas Hardy novel, 'Damage' is in the number one rack at my local grocery store, which I think is extremely cool. I love paperback racks in grocery and drug stores; they bring back memories and sell us book in unexpected ways. I think grovery stores would do well to bring back some of the walls of books I remember at the Lucky store back in Covina. And when they do, they'd be smart to make sure Lescroart was well-represented.
05-04-13: Commentary : Reasons Not to Leave the House, Reality Check : The Truth Hurts Edition: 'Down the Up Escalator' by Barbara Garson, 'The Wolf and the Watchman' by Scott C. Johnson,'The Book of Woe' by Gary Greenberg, 'Confessions of a Sociopath' by M. E. Thomas | <urn:uuid:87e99958-7f81-46bc-8edd-68414c84488c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://agonycolumn.com/agony/news/2012/01-09-12-podcast.htm | 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 | 0.970157 | 1,076 | 1.835938 | 2 |
About the Great Lake Taupo region
Great Lake Taupo is the largest freshwater lake in Australasia
At the heart of the North Island lies the Great Lake Taupo region, undoubtedly one of the world’s most unique and picturesque areas. This popular tourist destination boasts the largest freshwater lake in Australasia and its mountains are most famous internationally for being featured as the ominous Mt Doom in the Lord of The Rings trilogy.
This active volcanic and geothermal region is a sporting and nature paradise, especially for boaties and people keen on trout fishing. Lots of activities are centred in and around the Lake and the many rivers and tributaries that feed into it. World class trout fishing, scenic cruises, kayaking, sailing and summer time swimming are all popular with locals and visitors alike.
It is an adventure lover’s playground as featured by the Lonely Planet, with every kind of adrenaline pumping activity you can imagine. Take your pick from jet boating, kayaking, white water rafting, sky-diving, motor-racing and bungy jumping.
For those looking for snow-based activities, ski season is roughly during the months of July to September but snow can come as early as June and if conditions are suitable, can last till late November. Do take advantage of these winter months to head on up to the mountain for a bout of fun in the snow with the entire family.
If relaxation and leisure is more your style, enjoy strolls and picnics along the lake, boutique shopping, gourmet cafes with gorgeous mountain and lake views, soaking in hot pools and pampering yourself with thermal water beauty treatments.
See you in the Great Lake Taupo region soon! | <urn:uuid:41dd68fa-7e2c-4f79-9d67-7b4cea473046> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.greatlaketaupo.com/new-zealand/AboutRegion/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946728 | 349 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Hillary Clinton has admitted herself into New York Presbyterian Hospital with a blood clot, so Philippe Reines, deputy assistant secretary of state, confirms. Doctors found the blood clot when the Secretary of State was undergoing a follow-up exam related to a concussion she sustained earlier this month.
"In the course of a follow-up exam today, Secretary Clinton's doctors discovered a blood clot had formed, stemming from the concussion she sustained several weeks ago," Reines says Sunday, December 30. "She is being treated with anti-coagulants and is at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital so that they can monitor the medication over the next 48 hours."
Reines further states that "doctors will continue to assess her condition, including other issues associated with her concussion" and "they will determine if any further action is required." The spokesperson, however, doesn't mention where the clot was discovered.
Mrs. Clinton was previously forced to cancel a trip to North Africa and the Middle East as she suffered a stomach virus. While recovering at home, she fainted due to dehydration which then caused the concussion. | <urn:uuid:ea164405-16fb-42ab-bb6e-8a001dbe321d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00056765.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976522 | 224 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Old Fort Niagara names volunteer of the yearby jmaloni
Old Fort Niagara named Arthur and Judith Hannah of Youngstown as the historic site's volunteers of the year at OFN's recent volunteer recognition breakfast. Art and Judy have contributed thousands of hours to the fort's educational programs, including costumed interpretation, foodways programs and planning and cultivation of the fort's historic gardens.
During 2012, volunteers donated some 25,000 hours of service to Old Fort Niagara, undertaking such tasks as costumed interpretation, site maintenance, exhibit preparation and assistance with special events.
Each year, OFN recognizes the contributions of volunteers at a special breakfast held the first Saturday of February. In addition to thanking volunteers for past service, the breakfast serves as a way to inform existing and prospective volunteers about upcoming events and initiatives. | <urn:uuid:ec04859c-3f52-40d4-b08e-8ac41aa90139> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wnypapers.com/news/article/current/2013/02/07/109635/old-fort-niagara-names-volunteer-of-the-year | 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 | 0.93408 | 162 | 1.648438 | 2 |
As reports come in about an escalation in fighting around Damascus and the deploying of army troops in the city's suburbs, the State Department just announced that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will go to the United Nations on Tuesday to join other nations in condemning the Assad regime's use of violence.
Farmed salmon, that ubiquitous pink fish decorated with ribbons of fat, can thank the forage fish of the southern Pacific ocean – like anchovy and jack mackerel – for their calorie-rich diet. Indeed, more than 5 pounds of jack mackerel typically can go towards raising one pound of farmed salmon.
This is TALK OF THE NATION. I'm Neal Conan in Washington. Paywall skeptic Clay Shirky long maintained that barriers to newspaper websites were counterproductive and self-defeating, that online readers accustomed to getting the news for free would find another way or another source of news.
A report by NPR and ProPublica finds that Freddie Mac bet billions of dollars against homeowners' ability to refinance their mortgages. Public documents show Freddie Mac sought to make gains through complex securities which would make money for Freddie Mac, but homeowners with high-interest rate loans would not be able to qualify for refinancing. This is not illegal, but it does raise questions about a conflict of interest within a federally-owned company that is supposed to make getting a mortgage easier.
Violence persists around Damascus as protesters continue to urge President Bashar al-Assad's to step down. The Arab League has suspended its monitoring mission and the United Nations Security Council is considering a resolution condemning al-Assad's regime.
In this photo provided by the German Government Press Office, Italy's Prime Minister Mario Monti, France's President Nicolas Sarkozy and Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel speak at a meeting at the European Council in Brussels ahead of the European Union leaders summit on Monday.
European Union leaders are meeting in Brussels today to discuss the monetary union's ongoing economic crisis. According to The New York Times, the countries will decide that austerity is not enough to curb the sovereign debt crisis.
An artist on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana beach puts the final touches on a sand sculpture of the assassin bug, which spreads Chagas disease. The sculpture was part of an event in 2009 commemorating the 100th anniversary of the discovery of the disease.
Tropical diseases that have long been overlooked are getting their due.
An ambitious new push to eradicate, eliminate or control 17 scourges over the next eight years was just unveiled in London. The initiative brings together some of the world's largest drugmakers, health-oriented foundations and nongovernmental organizations. Governments from the developed world and the countries most affected by the diseases are also on board.
Joseph Wasilewski, a wildlife biologist, captures a wild python on the side of the Tamiami Trail road that cuts through the Florida Everglades on Sept. 16, 2009. The number of invasive pythons in the Everglades has exploded since the 1990s.
Unlike this alligator, many animals native to the Everglades didn't evolve to take on a giant python. As a result, the snakes have become top predators in the environment, decimating populations of raccoons, opossums and other mammals.
Scientists are reporting that aliens are wiping out the animals in Florida's Everglades.
The aliens are Burmese pythons from Asia. They've been slithering around south Florida for decades. But scientists now say the constrictors are so bad, they're eating their way through the swamps. And the federal government has decided to take action to prevent their spread.
While the United States has mostly escaped winter, the opposite has been true in Eastern Europe. The AP reports that an intense freeze has killed at least 36 people throughout eastern Europe. In some places, temperatures dropped to negative 4 degrees Fahrenheit. | <urn:uuid:a6ebd782-8a95-4098-aa74-eb8cbfc32d47> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.knau.org/node?page=2326 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945445 | 794 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Small question, when and why data size can became a problem ?
And here come a small answer (simply little thoughts as i said).
Data size might be a problem for the following reasons:
- Storage, not enough space to store your date but tend to disappear nowadays
- Performance, when required to process all the data, and especially when required to deliver result in real time.
- Privacy, not that much of a technical issue, but you can quickly be out of law or being creating a valuable data set for attackers | <urn:uuid:a4da2ef5-4624-4f18-91c6-b2e0e7ba995c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://data.story.lu/2011/08/31/little-thoughts-when-and-why-data-size-can-became-a-problem | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940427 | 109 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Lots of people think about the environment when they hear a company talking about being socially responsible. The environment is very important and there’s much more we can all do to help protect our natural resources.
But the reason I joined New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility (NHBSR) is because I believe that socially responsible businesses should value their people, too. NHBSR works hard to educate and promote best practices for businesses who strive for exemplary treatment for their people and the planet. Members are leading the way and I get inspired when I hear of the many initiatives that exist within our state.
So I was excited to be an invited speaker at NHBSR’s 2012 Spring Conference. Mirjam IJtsma and I teamed up to present “Engaging Employees in Social Responsibility;” we facilitated an interactive session where participants collaborated and shared ideas that helped us all leave with a fresh outlook. You can download our presentation here.
The theme “Walking the Talk: The Profitability of Values” directly addressed the issues in environmental and social responsibility that business leaders are confronted with daily. Three tracks of sessions allowed attendees from large and small companies alike, as well as beginning to leader positions in sustainability practices, to find the perfect opportunity to learn and share best practices.
I found the keynote speaker, Andrew Winston of Winston Eco-Strategies and author of the Green Recovery and co-author of Green to Gold to be the highlight of the day. He was entertaining, but even more importantly, he offered new information and insights into how businesses should be creating new paradigms that help consumers use fewer resources.
Is your organization providing a socially responsible culture for your employees? Do you have some ideas that you’d like to share? Tell us here! We can all learn from examples of how you are creating a desirable workplace for your employees. | <urn:uuid:450e4f01-85e2-4f8d-a72f-48c349510392> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.peoplesenseconsulting.com/category/training/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964207 | 382 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Everyday thousands of people are diagnosed with pre-conditions. We hear about pre-hypertension, pre-diabetes, pre-cancer and many more. In this engaging talk, Reuters health editor, Ivan Oransky warns that we are suffering from preposterous pre-conditions diagnosed within a system that thrives on over-medicalizing treatments.
Most doctors are in a fee-for-service system. They are basically incentivized to do more tests, perform more procedures and prescribe medication. Pharmaceutical companies are also trying to expand the number of people that are eligible for a treatment because it helps their bottom lines.
Does the average person stand a chance of being diagnosed fairly within a system that thrives on the sick? | <urn:uuid:3bab8ce4-ab9c-41c6-ae9c-3a3652dcb95d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://sacsis.co.za/site/article/1358 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955681 | 149 | 1.84375 | 2 |
I went to the Garden of Love,
And saw what I never had seen:
A Chapel was built in the midst,
Where I used to play on the green.
In the ruins of St. Ebba’s Lunatic Asylum. Epsom, Surrey, England.
And the gates of this Chapel were shut,
And ‘Thou shalt not’ writ over the door;
So I turn’d to the Garden of Love,
That so many sweet flowers bore,
Photographed by Ellen von Unwerth for her book Revenge.
And I saw it was filled with graves,
And tomb-stones where flowers should be:
And Priests in black gowns were walking their rounds,
And binding with briars my joys and desires.
(William Blake, “The Garden of Love.”)
Binding with briars my joys and desires. | <urn:uuid:fa3f2a0a-8b21-468b-9d6f-567bbbe3bc3a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thethoughtexperiment.wordpress.com/tag/keys/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947231 | 191 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Dec 11 2012
Districts win up to $40 million
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) applauded seven King County school districts, which together were awarded a Race to the Top grant of up to $40 million from the U.S. Department of Education. The school districts are: Auburn, Federal Way, Highline, Kent, Renton, Seattle and Tukwila. Out of 372 Race to the Top proposals, only 16 winners, including this King County group, were selected by the Department of Education to receive a grant.
“This grant is a critical investment in King County schools, students and educators,” said Cantwell. “The future of our economy and global competiveness depends on the quality of our educational system. This investment recognizes the innovation of King County educational leaders in providing students with crucial programs like STEM education and early learning. These programs are vital in preparing Washington students to succeed in the global economy.” | <urn:uuid:c5b61d63-ffb4-4fe9-aaa7-f6eef29f0dff> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cantwell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=cb39965a-065e-43c5-8f61-eae6aee61527 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960812 | 208 | 1.546875 | 2 |
03-27-2012, 09:56 AM
I find the propellor architecture quite interesting and fun to use. It seems odd that it is not setting the embedded programming world alight. My professional friends all turned up their collective noses at the Propellor (and especially at Spin). Why is the Propellor in a quiet backwater and not in the main stream?
It's probably perceived it as a device for hobbyists, and having to be programmed in assembler to get results that are achievable in C on other chips won't help. Spin is very slow, and although there are a couple of C compilers, the architecture isn't really suited to the language. It's also too expensive for many mainstream applications and isn't very energy-efficient.
Taking one of your friends' applications and porting it to the Propeller to produce a cheaper and better product might convince them. Why don't you try it? | <urn:uuid:1f76c1ce-d024-4364-8b7d-717832ba0ab1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://forums.parallax.com/archive/index.php/t-138960.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974672 | 191 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Play therapy is a form of mental health counseling that makes systematic use of theoretical models to "establish an interpersonal process wherein trained play therapists use the therapeutic powers of play to help clients prevent or resolve psychosocial difficulties and achieve optimal growth and development" (Association for Play Therapy, 2011, www.A4PT.org).
WHO WE SERVE
We provide individual play therapy services for children between the ages of three and ten years old. Our services are open to the community; however, we give preference to those who may not be able to access play therapy services or have the most need. We also offer filial play therapy training for parents.
SERVICES AND FEES
Sessions are generally 50 minutes and are scheduled once per week. The cost for services is $60 a semester. The typical course for play therapy is 12-20 sessions. Services are provided by trained and supervised interns as well as licensed staff.
TO SCHEDULE AN INTAKE
Please email Dr. Demanchick at [email protected] or call him at 389-2545 to schedule an parent intake interview. Parents are required to meet with Dr. Demanchick to discuss current concerns prior to receiving play therapy services. | <urn:uuid:1622d0df-43b8-4734-a8bc-cef15695dfdb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.naz.edu/health-and-human-services/creative-arts-therapy/play-therapy/services-for-children?set_language=en | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943062 | 253 | 1.648438 | 2 |
On to the polls
A large turnout to endorse a new constitution augurs well for elections
BUSINESSMEN in Zimbabwe like to say that local roads may be terrible but, unlike in some neighbouring countries, at least they exist. This glass-half-full attitude may explain the surprising enthusiasm with which Zimbabweans turned out on March 16th to endorse a new constitution.
The revised rulebook has its flaws. It keeps the government on a tighter leash, but is still short on checks. The referendum itself came only weeks after a draft was agreed on, leaving little time for public debate. Yet more than 3.3m voters (out of an electoral roll of 6m, bloated by the names of many deceased) turned up and 93% voted yes. All the parties in Zimbabwe’s uneasy governing coalition had endorsed the document as well.
This paves the way for overdue elections, perhaps as soon as mid-July. The manner of the referendum, as much as its substance, gives reason for optimism. The voting went smoothly. Violence was rare; polling stations opened on time; results were announced within three days. Unfortunately, the indelible ink used to mark voters poisoned a few returning officers.
A presidential election is unlikely to be as calm. Even if monitors from neighbouring countries—others would not be welcome—were able to prevent blatant rigging, they could not stop the bullying of voters and opponents of President Robert Mugabe by thugs loyal to his party, Zanu-PF. The referendum was barely over when four members of the political team of Morgan Tsvangirai, the president’s main challenger, were arrested by police on dubious charges. Beatrice Mtetwa, a human-rights lawyer, was also detained.
Such intimidation of opponents is likely to increase as the election draws nearer, especially if Mr Mugabe’s supporters fear he might lose. Recent polls show him and Mr Tsvangirai running neck-and-neck, even though a large proportion of voters refuse to say whom they will back. It is likely that many don’t-knows are Tsvangirai supporters who fear admitting that to opinion pollsters.
The referendum showed a hunger for participation among Zimbabweans, if not explicitly for new leadership. Were the high turnout to be repeated on polling day, it would make it harder to rig the election.
Investors sense that things are looking up. Zimbabwe’s main stockmarket has risen more than 20% this year. The recent history of the country may be an invitation to expect the worst. But some in Zimbabwe are quietly preparing for the best. | <urn:uuid:472f0fbb-eff0-4b1a-bf3d-ca4b78ff93ab> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21574010-large-turnout-endorse-new-constitution-augurs-well-elections | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974203 | 538 | 1.65625 | 2 |
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St Mary and All Saints, Little Melton
the captions by hovering over the images, and click on them to
see them enlarged.
and All Saints, Little Melton
Almost everything about St Mary predates the Black Death; very unusual in East Anglia where we were enthusiastic rebuilders in the late 14th and 15th centuries. The Victorians redid the roofs, but otherwise the church retains its little aisles with their lancets and delectable Decorated windows. Externally, it is a thing of beauty, and once you have tracked down a keyholder (like many churches this close to Norwich, it is kept locked) you will find that the inside is similarly lovely.
Many predominantly Decorated buildings that have not been enhanced with the crispness of Perpendicular have an endearingly shabby feel to them, but that is not the case here. St Mary is clean and full of light, the creamy walls and mellow wood of the furniture creating a sense that is devotional and welcoming.
There is a St Christopher further west on the arcade, but only the lower half survives. More paintings can be seen in the north aisle, but probably the best is the Annunciation in the chancel, with Gabriel and Mary either side of the east window - thank goodness the Victorians did not replace it with a larger one! Gabriel's wings appear to be made of peacock feathers; Mary touches her heart as the dove descends.
|Later features contribute to the
charm; the green 19th century organ set below the tower,
disarmingly off-centre; the decalogue boards and a single
brass inscription to the Anguishe family, who we have met
elsewhere at Norwich St George Tombland.
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ruined churches I desktop backgrounds I round tower churches | <urn:uuid:33219038-7688-40a0-8cd5-f8083f5def5f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/littlemelton/littlemelton.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93609 | 457 | 1.742188 | 2 |
In the first three quarters of FY 2012, the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) approved a historic $1.5 billion in financing to support U.S. exports to sub-Saharan Africa, surpassing the previous record of $1.4 billion for the entire year in FY 2011.
The increase was driven by export growth in several sectors, including machinery, vehicles and parts, commodities and aircraft. Two of the top markets for U.S. exports in the region are South Africa and Nigeria, which are among Ex-Im Bank’s nine key country markets.
“Proportionately, Ex-Im Bank supports more U.S. exports to sub-Saharan Africa than it does to the world at large. Last year, we financed 6.7 percent of U.S. exports to this region. With this new record in sub-Saharan authorizations already achieved in FY 2011, we are on target to increase that percentage,” said Ex-Im Bank Chairman and President Fred P. Hochberg.
“Sub-Saharan Africa is a priority region because many countries have strong prospects for long-term economic growth and infrastructure development. We want to help more U.S. exporters increase their sales to this emerging region,” he added.
In 2012, Ex-Im Bank expanded its cover policies in four sub-Saharan African countries: Cameroon (opened for long-term in the public sector), Ethiopia (opened for short-term and medium-term in both the public and private sectors), Tanzania (opened for long-term in the public sector) and Angola (opened for long-term in the private sector). The cover policies changes were approved by the Bank’s board of directors, following upon country-risk upgrades determined through an interagency country-risk review process.
Ex-Im Bank Chairman Hochberg, Vice Chair Wanda Felton and Bank staff conducted a business-development mission in sub-Saharan Africa from August 6 – 10, visiting South Africa and Mozambique. The trip included participation in the U.S.-South Africa Strategic Dialogue with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in Pretoria on August 7.
On August 7, Chairman Hochberg signed a Declaration of Intent with the Industrial Development Corp. of South Africa Ltd. (IDC), indicating Ex-Im Bank’s interest in financing up to $2 billion of U.S. technologies, products and services to South Africa’s energy sector, with an emphasis on clean-energy technologies.
Source: African Press Organisation - Press release – 10 August 2012 | <urn:uuid:f4794089-5dae-4371-922a-63e1d2093dca> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://africanbrains.net/2012/08/10/ex-im-bank-approves-record-1-5-billion-in-financing-of-u-s-exports-to-sub-saharan-africa/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931297 | 539 | 1.5 | 2 |
(Economic) Freedom’s Just
Another Word for...Crisis-Prone
This article is from the September/October 2009 issue of Dollars & Sense: Real World Economics available at http://www.dollarsandsense.org/archives/2009/0909miller.html
This article is from the September/October 2009 issue of Dollars & Sense magazine.
at a 30% discount.
In a period of slowing economic growth in many parts of the world, popular pressure for governments to act to fix the situation can be enormous. In responding to such pressure, it is vital that leaders understand the real causes of negative economic developments and undertake actions that will fix them rather than exacerbate them. If intrusive government regulation has contributed to an economic problem, it is unlikely that still more government regulation will cure it. If excessive taxes have stifled investment and entrepreneurship, increasing tax rates is unlikely to spur economic growth. If the monetary supply has been too loose or credit too easily available, lowering interest rates is unlikely to be the magic fix the public demands.
—Executive Summary, 2009 Index of Economic Freedom
In “Capitalism in Crisis,” his May op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, U.S. Court of Appeals judge and archconservative legal scholar Richard Posner argued that “a capitalist economy, while immensely dynamic and productive, is not inherently stable.” Posner, the long-time cheerleader for deregulation, added, quite sensibly, “we may need more regulation of banking to reduce its inherent riskiness.”
That may seem like a no-brainer to you and me, right there in the middle of the road with yellow lines and dead armadillos, as Jim Hightower is fond of saying. But Journal readers were having none of it. They wrote in to set Judge Posner straight. “It is not free markets that fail, but government-controlled ones,” protested one reader.
And why wouldn’t they protest? The Journal has repeatedly told readers that “economic freedom” is “the real key to development.” And each January the Journal tries to elevate that claim to a scientific truth by publishing a summary of the “Index of Economic Freedom,” an annual report put out by the Heritage Foundation, Washington’s foremost right-wing think tank. But Heritage’s index turns out to be a barometer of corporate and entrepreneurial freedom from accountability rather than a guide to which countries are giving people more control over their economic lives and over the institutions that govern them.
This January was no different. “The 2009 Index provides strong evidence that the countries that maintain the freest economies do the best job promoting prosperity for all citizens,” proclaimed this year’s editorial, “Freedom is Still the Winning Formula.” But with economies across the globe in recession, the virtues of free markets are a harder sell this year. That is not lost on Journal editor Paul Gigot, who wrote the foreword to this year’s report. Gigot allows that “ostensibly free-market policymakers in the U.S. lost their monetary policy discipline, and we are now paying a terrible price.” Still, Gigot maintains that “the Index of Economic Freedom exists to chronicle how steep that price will be and to point the way back to policy wisdom.”
What the Heritage report fails to mention is this: while the global economy is in recession, many of the star performers in the Economic Freedom Index are tanking. Fully one-half of the ten hardest-hit economies in the world are among the 30 “free” and “mostly free” economies at the top of the Index’s ranking of 179 countries.
Sources: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook: Crisis and Recovery, April 2009, Tables A1, A2, A3; Terry Miller and Kim R. Holmes, eds., 2009 Index of Economic Freedom.
Here’s the damage, according to the IMF. Singapore, the Southeast Asian trading center and perennial #2 in the Index, will suffer a 10.0% drop in output this year. Number 4 Ireland, the so-called Celtic tiger, has seen its rapid export-led growth give way to an 8.0% drop in output. The foreign-direct- investment-favored Baltic states of Estonia (#13) and Lithuania (#30) will each endure a 10.0% loss of output this year. Finally, the economy of Iceland (#14), the loosely regulated European banking center, will contract 10.6% in 2009.
As a group, the Index’s 30 most “free” economies will contract 4.1% in 2009. All of the other groups in the Index (“moderately free,” “mostly unfree,” and “repressed” economies) will muddle through 2009 with a much smaller loss of output or with moderate growth. The 67 “mostly unfree” countries in the Index will post the fastest growth rate for the year, 2.3%.
So it seems that if the Index of Economic Freedom can be trusted, then Judge Posner was not so far off the mark when he described capitalism as dynamic but “not inherently stable.” That wouldn’t be so bad, one Journal reader pointed out in a letter: “Economic recessions are the cost we pay for our economic freedom and economic prosperity is the benefit. We’ve had many more years of the latter than the former.”
Not to Be Trusted
But the Index of Economic Freedom cannot and should not be trusted. How free or unfree an economy is according to the Index seems to have little do with how quickly it grows. For instance, economist Jeffery Sachs found “no correlation” between a country’s ranking in the Index and its per capita growth rates from 1995 to 2003. Also, this year’s report cites North America as the “freest” world region, but it logged the slowest average growth over the last five years, 2.7% per year. The Asia-Pacific region, rated “less free” than every other region except Sub-Saharan Africa, posted the fastest average growth over the last five years, 7.8% a year. That region includes India, China, and Vietnam, among the world’s fastest growing economies, which ranked 123, 132, and 145 respectively and were all classified as “mostly unfree.” And there are plenty of relatively slow growers among the countries high up in the Index, including Switzerland (#9).
The Heritage Foundation folks who edited the Index objected to Sachs’ criticisms; their claim, they say, is that growth is tied to changes in economic freedom, not the level of economic freedom. But even that claim doesn’t hold up. Economic journalist Doug Henwood found that a rising index ranking from 1997 to 2003 could explain no more than 10% of GDP growth.
But even more fundamental flaws with the Index render any claim about the relationship between prosperity and Heritage’s version of “economic freedom” questionable. Consider just two of the ten components used to rank countries: fiscal freedom and government size.
Fiscal freedom (what we might call the “hell-if-I’m-going-to-pay-for-government” index) relies on the top personal and corporate income tax brackets as two of its three measures of the tax burden. These are decidedly flawed measures. Besides ignoring the burden of other taxes, singling out these tax rates doesn’t get at effective income tax rates, that is, how much of a taxpayer’s total income goes to paying these taxes. For example, on paper U.S. corporate tax rates are higher than those in Europe. But nearly one-half of U.S. corporate profits go untaxed. The effective rate of taxation on U.S. corporate profits currently stands at 15%, far below the top official rate of 35%. And relative to GDP, U.S. corporate income taxes are no more than half those of other OECD countries.
Their third measure of fiscal freedom, government tax revenues relative to GDP, bears little relationship to economic growth. After an exhaustive review, economist Joel Selmrod, former member of the Reagan Treasury Department, concludes that the literature reveals “no consensus” about the relationship between the level of taxation and economic growth.
The Index’s treatment of government size, which relies exclusively on the level of government spending relative to GDP, is just as flawed. First, “richer countries do not tax and spend less” than poorer countries, reports economist Peter Lindhert. Beyond that, this measure does not take into account how the government uses its money. Social spending programs—public education, child care and parental support, and public health programs—can make people more productive and promote economic growth. That lesson is not lost on Hong Kong (#1) or Singapore (#2). Both provide universal access to health care, despite the small size of their governments.
The size-of-government index also misses the mark because it fails to account for industrial policy. This is a serious mistake, because it overestimates the degree to which some of the fastest growing economies of the last few decades, such as Taiwan and South Korea, relied on the market and underestimates the positive role that government played in directing economic development in those countries by guiding investment and protecting infant industries.
Beyond all that, the Index says nothing about political freedom. Consider once again the two city-states, Hong Kong and Singapore, which top their list of free countries. Both are only “partially free” according to Freedom House, which the editors have called “the Michelin Guide to democracy’s development.” Hong Kong is still without direct elections for its legislators or its chief executive, and proposed internal security laws threaten press and academic freedom as well as political dissent. In Singapore, freedom of the press and rights to demonstrate are limited, films, TV and the like are censored, and preventive detention is legal.
So it seems that the Index of Economic Freedom in practice tells us little about the cost of abandoning free market policies and offers little proof that government intervention into the economy would either retard economic growth or contract political freedom. In actuality, this rather objective-looking index is a slip-shod measure that would seem to have no other purpose than to sell the neoliberal policies that brought on the current crisis, and to stand in the way of policies that might correct the crisis. | <urn:uuid:fff187f4-6774-4526-a164-b4d60572f7bc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://dollarsandsense.org/archives/2009/0909miller.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94306 | 2,206 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Link to PDF
Office of Government Ethics93 x 39Letter to an Employee dated December 20, 1993
Your letter of October 25, 1993, responded to a request for comments on the Executive Branch Personnel Confidential Financial Disclosure Report form (SF 450), and you asked for our feedback. Your concerns are that the form unnecessarily invades privacy by requesting information which serves no purpose in avoiding conflicts of interest, such as data about bank accounts and excepted investment funds (EIFs).
On the issue of reporting bank accounts, we have good news. We recently removed the requirement on the SF 450 to disclose deposit accounts at banks, savings and loan associations, credit unions, and similar financial institutions, as well as money market mutual funds, U.S. Government obligations (Treasury bonds, bills, notes, and savings bonds) and U.S. Government securities. See final rule published at 58 Federal Register 63023-63024 (November 30, 1993). We have advised agencies of this change, and we will be revising the form accordingly.
The excepted investment fund concept was created by Congress as part of the public financial disclosure system for senior officials, and we included it in the confidential system because the public system served as the model. According to the Ethics in Government Act, an EIF reduces the detail required to be reported on financial disclosure forms, such as a fund's underlying holdings. Reduced disclosure is permitted because these funds are widely held, widely diversified or publicly traded, and not self-directed. Therefore, their portfolios can be ascertained from published investment guides or investment managers. Still, this does not relieve the potential for conflicts of interest which EIFs can present.
We agree with you that some EIFs, such as widely diversified mutual funds, will not typically raise conflict issues. However, an industry sector fund which is publicly traded but not widely diversified may present conflicts. Even though the individual share owner cannot control the fund's portfolio he or she will usually have knowledge of its holdings. That is enough under the criminal statute on conflicts (18 U.S.C. § 208) and the executive branch standards of conduct regulation to require that an employee avoid participating in certain official matters or pursue some other means of conflict avoidance. The same may be true for pension plans with private employers in which the filer or spouse is enrolled. Certain pension funds may qualify as EIFs because they are pooled and managed by an independent third party who maintains a widely diversified portfolio; however, participants in these plans will be provided with information about underlying investments. Therefore, such plans can raise potential conflicts under 18 U.S.C. § 208 and the standards of conduct, particularly since the number of pension participants may be small and shares in the pension plan are not publicly traded like mutual funds.
We share your concern that information disclosed on the SF 450 should be limited to matters which might be expected to present conflicts between private financial interests and official responsibilities. Any financial disclosure system must involve a careful weighing of the competing factors of privacy versus conflict prevention. It is important to note that all information provided under the confidential financial disclosure system is strictly protected by executive branch principles of confidentiality in the Ethics Reform Act of 1989, Executive Order 12674 and the Federal Privacy Act. See 5 C.F.R. §§ 2634.604(b) and 2634.901(d).
Thank you for your inquiry in this matter.
Stephen D. Potts Director | <urn:uuid:e1679492-e6a8-4ceb-bef2-eaf1faac0689> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.oge.gov/DisplayTemplates/ModelSub.aspx?id=1260 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957167 | 703 | 1.554688 | 2 |
The Shroud a 'Gift From God?' Cardinal Saldarini's Message to the Nice Symposium:
The following remarks by Cardinal Giovanni Saldarini , Archbishop of Turin, were read on his behalf at the commencement of Nice Symposium, and are reproduced from the translation which appeared in CIELT's Revue Internationale du Linceul de Turin, No. 5, 1997.
I take great pleasure in sending my sincere greetings at the start of the 3rd International Scientific Symposium of the CIELT, being held in Nice on the 12th and 13th May 1997. May I first address my greetings to his Excellency Monsignor François Saint-Macary, my brother in the episcopacy and pastor of the Church welcoming the Symposium, and with him to all the authorities and participants, with particular regards to the organisers, who, through you, chose to inform me of their worthy initiative.
I see from the programme sent to me that the original project, which was for a large part devoted to the problems [of the] image on the Shroud, has been extended to include a wide variety of subjects, in anticipation of the major themes due to be considered at the International Congress, which--God willing--will be held in Turin next year during the solemn exposition of the Holy Shroud. I look with great satisfaction on all the work that has been done, as must the researchers themselves, who are at this very moment reaping the fruits of their labours around such a mysterious object, and I hope that the progress made will lead us all gradually closer to God's shining Truth and infinite Wisdom.
Here ends my role as bishop, faced as I am with scientific specialists, for I have no specific competence as far as science is concerned. I hope the participants will accept a few words from me concerning the relationship I see between the scientific results and the pastoral programme followed by the Church, in accordance with the responsibility it feels for the Shroud, this gift from God.
The Church, being composed of men with hearts of flesh, is interested to know whether the Shroud dates back to the 1st century and if it really did wrap Jesus' dead body. A positive answer to these questions would mean that the Shroud could be referred to as a true relic, no longer would this term be used, as it sometimes is, with caution. However, by its very nature, the Church does not have at its disposal the tools necessary to look for an answer, and indeed the Church's role is not to find an answer, let alone define it. The Church hopes that science will arrive at a definitive solution to these problems. Many people in the Church, myself to begin with, hope that the answer to these questions will be positive. But nobody knows if the day will ever come, here on earth, when we will able to declare that all the uncertainty has been overcome.
The uncertainty surrounding the Shroud does not however lessen the value of this gift from God, nor is it detrimental to the duty with which the Church feels invested to consider the Shroud as an opportunity for an intense pastoral commitment. The Shroud's age does not determine its value, even if my intellectual curiosity and my heart, that of a disciple who loves his Lord, show a passionate interest for it. Let me reiterate a truth that has already been stated in some quarters: even if the Shroud is shown without doubt to have been used to wrap Christ's body, it would not be Jesus; and even if doubt did remain as to whether or not it was used as Christ's burial cloth, it would not suddenly stop being a moving and very faithful representation of His sufferings on the cross, such as they are recounted in the Gospels.
For the Church then, the Shroud is an echo and a testimony to the Gospel. The inimitably touching image of the Crucified Christ's sufferings make it particularly powerful. I must humbly recognize for the moment I do not know how the image was formed. But this does not make the image any less forceful in its ability to make me realize how great the Father's love was, that He should give His only Son to save the world.
These considerations seem to me to be a source of serenity and confidence for all men of good will who undertake to study an ancient article as mysterious as the Shroud. Countless people throughout the Church's history did not know of the Shroud's existence but this did not prevent them from receiving the graces necessary to follow Christ. So today, it is possible to follow Him regardless of the verdict on the Holy Shroud's age. Research therefore has no need to worry. Obviously, the studies must be conducted according to stringent guidelines, because research statutes demand it and because the object under study is so worthy of respect. The researcher must be aware that the Church takes an unbiased view of his work and results, being as they are attempts to get closer to the truth.
At the same time, scientists must bear in mind that their research may come to back up the Shroud's role as witness. By getting to know the Shroud better, more appropriate ways of interpreting it become possible and credibility can be enhanced. Science can also play a pastoral role and this explains why many researchers even become engrossed with the Shroud and undertake to spread its message. Similarly, many priests who use the Shroud as a preaching aid show an ardent interest in the scientific problems surrounding it.
I leave you with those thoughts, and wish you every success for the symposium.
Giovanni, Card. Saldarini,
Archbishop of Turin, Pontifical Custodian of the Shroud
Top of this page.... | <urn:uuid:e7349328-4179-45ca-8cf7-609cb1929657> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://shroud.com/bsts4602.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971479 | 1,158 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Though less than a week has passed since we caught a 2013 Honda Accord prototype out testing, the folks at Automotive.com have discovered this test mule not far from Honda’s headquarters in Southern California.
Unlike the previous tester, this Accord is wearing far less camouflage. A small door on the front fender suggests that this model is the plug-in hybrid variant, expected to use a 2.0-liter i-VTEC Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine with an electric CVT. The hybrid will feature three driving modes including an all-electric function, though it’s unclear how far the Accord PHEV will go before needing assistance from the 2.0-liter I-4. The new Accord will also be offered with the traditional four-banger and V-6 powerplants.
The latest spy shots also reveal more of the front fascia, which appears to be a toned-down version of the one featured on the Concept C sedan. The similarities, however, end there as the side profile reveals a much more subdued appearance. Again, nothing is final yet so we’ll have to wait a few months for the 2013 Accord’s official debut to see the car’s finalized sheetmetal. | <urn:uuid:083ae9bf-4251-4b8f-93d8-86b5ac655b4a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wot.motortrend.com/caught-2013-honda-accord-plug-in-hybrid-spied-214857.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932631 | 258 | 1.554688 | 2 |
When Usha Ramachandran found V. Satheeshan, an artist and teacher ready to help her give shape to her memories and artistic talent, there was no stopping the sincere student. Her hands sculpted images that lay buried in her and thus were born the 12 bronze sculptures (titled ‘Bronze Age') that are on show at the Vylloppily Samskriti Bhavan.
Each work is a moment frozen in time and bronze. “I grew up in Thalassery and in those days from early morning to 11 a.m., we could hear clothes being washed in various households. 'The Little Laundress', which won an Honourable mention of the Kerala Lalitakala Akademi, shows a young girl in a petticoat washing clothes. Similarly, ‘On a rainy day,' (depicting a man sheltering himself from the rain with a colocasia leaf) captures a familiar scene in the countryside,” says Usha.
‘Father and son' captures a son's delight and trust as he is thrown high in the air by his father and celebrates the bond between the two; it also expresses Usha's memories of her father's homecoming every year. “He was in the army and we used to long for him to come home on his annual leave,” recalls Usha.
However, Usha's exhibition is not made of nostalgia alone. A man striding ahead, jacket flapping in the air, followed by his faithful Dachshund is ‘Shadows' while ‘Move On' has a girl running with her eyes on her watch, her plaited hair flying behind her. She says it symbolises the always-in-a-rush youth of today.
A pole vaulting athlete's grace and power have been encapsulated in yet another work while a man and woman fishing evokes the charm of companionship. “I feel art works should not be titled; it should be self-explanatory but many people keep asking me to name some of my works and so that is why some have titles,” she says.
Expressing her gratitude to her husband, Ramachandran, and her teacher, Satheeshan, she says with a smile that while her husband finances her expensive hobby and encourages her, it is her teacher who gives her the confidence and the know-how to do it.
The busy homemaker and mother of two says although she had wanted to paint and sculpt, she could find the time to do it only now. “I am nearly sixty and I began learning sculpture only last year. There is no time to be lost and so I spend a great deal of time on my painting and sculptures now,” she says with a smile. | <urn:uuid:139b1bbf-777b-47a0-8dd9-167c78080845> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/moments-in-bronze/article258259.ece | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982791 | 580 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Loss of power prompted spike in safety services
While most local residents were left without power during the June 29 and subsequent storms, local first responders had to beef up forces to manage the extenuating circumstances.
Gahanna Police Chief Dennis Murphy said his department doubled manpower in neighborhoods that had no electricity.
"Everyone behaved," he said. "By day 4, there was an incessant humming of generators."
He said it was business as usual for the police department because officers train for such events.
"Our job is to protect property and lives," he said.
Gahanna emergency operations director James Williams said July 10 that the majority of Gahanna residents have their power restored. An estimated 90 percent had lost electricity at the height of the outage.
"The big issue now is cleaning up the debris and down limbs in everyone's yards," Williams said. "People have to do that on their own and abide by Rumpke's rules in bundling the limbs and debris."
Mifflin Assistant Fire Chief Fred Kauser said firefighters responded to three serious structure fires over the June 29 weekend. Two were in Gahanna proper, and one was in the unincorporated portion of the township.
"As you can imagine, battling fires and responding to medical emergencies takes its toll on emergency workers," he said. "We rotate them more frequently and permit a longer recovery period during this climate where possible. Due to the increase in demand for services, this was not always possible."
Kauser said the official cause of each fire hasn't been determined; however, the two in Gahanna appear to be storm-related.
Williams reported to Gahanna council on July 2 that a lightning strike on a Gahanna Heights residence the day before caused a fire that destroyed the second floor.
Williams said Port Columbus International Airport recorded winds at 81 mph June 29, and Gahanna saw damage that it hadn't seen since the remnants of Hurricane Ike in 2008.
"(Downed) power lines plus trees equal disaster," he said.
Kauser said firefighters worked around the clock after the storm struck.
"Gahanna firefighters were involved in many serious events across the region, including the Hamilton Road incident in which approximately 26 people were trapped under high-tension power lines for nearly five hours," he said.
City service director Dottie Franey reported to council July 9 that city crews had done a good job of clearing the streets of storm debris.
She and deputy service director Mike Andrako evaluated the city's streets July 9, Franey said, and they were in fair shape.
Mayor Becky Stinchcomb declared Gahanna in a state of emergency June 30 because of significant power outages, property damage, road obstruction and reduced services and capabilities.
Williams said the proclamation formally allowed the city to seek all available assistance from Franklin County, the state and the federal government. He said the city possibly could qualify for reimbursement of city funds expended during the recovery process. | <urn:uuid:c9640048-3047-43f7-8c26-b98b2177b9c7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/gahanna/news/2012/07/10/storm-aftermath-loss-of-power-prompted-spike-in-safety-services.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981643 | 613 | 1.632813 | 2 |
By now, most of your students should be participating successfully in your course. However, you may have some students who aren’t functioning, or may not even be responding to you.
Now is the time to give them some reminders of withdrawal policies. For Andrews University, here are the important dates for withdrawing from the class:
- Drop/Add: The 10th calendar day of the term (Fall/Spring) is the last day to drop or add a course. This is the last day registration can occur. Students may withdraw up to this day without an entry on their permanent academic record.
- Credit to Audit: The 9th calendar day prior to the last day of classes is the last day to change from credit to audit or withdraw from a course with a “W” on the permanent record.
Remember, you can look up these dates online. Here’s a reminder of how. You might want to make a note on your calendar for the Monday before the Credit to Audit date so that you can remind any students who look like they may not successfully complete the course.
For now, it’s a good idea to remind students in writing (email) of the deadline to withdraw without an entry on their transcript. If they haven’t been responding to your emails, you may wish to call in addition to emailing. Taking care of this now will make life easier for you when the course is ending. It can reduce petitions, begging, incomplete forms, etc.
Reflect. How do you handle missing students in a face-to-face class? Is it different online? What suggestions would you add to this list? | <urn:uuid:abdbf2c9-bda4-4bdb-98d4-dcf4635f158f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.janinelim.com/?p=5193 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94142 | 340 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Billington awarded fellowship to expand course
Posted November 11, 2004; 05:18 p.m.
The National Academy of Engineering has selected David Billington as its Walter Robb Engineering Education Senior Fellow for 2005.
The two-year fellowship will allow Billington, who is Princeton's Gordon Wu Professor of Civil Engineering, to "improve and expand instructional material that would allow faculty at other institutions to adapt his highly acclaimed introductory engineering course 'Engineering in the Modern World.'" The course explores how engineering and its products -- from automobiles to airports to computers -- have influenced society and how political and cultural forces have affected engineering. It satisfies University requirements in both history and science or technology and has been very successful in attracting non-science majors.
Under the Robb fellowship, Billington will organize workshops for selected colleagues at other universities who share his goal of making engineering accessible to all students. After an initial workshop in the summer of 2005, the participants are expected to apply Billington's materials and ideas in their own classrooms and report on their experiences during a follow-up session in 2006. Their findings will be assembled into a report that will be presented at the annual meeting of the National Academy of Engineering's Center for the Advancement of Scholarship on Engineering Education.
Billington also recently received the John McGovern Lecture Award in the field of science from the Cosmos Club Foundation in Washington, D.C. The foundation selects two McGovern Award recipients each year, rotating through the fields of arts and humanities, literature and science. Billington, the first engineer to receive the science award, accepted the honor at an Oct. 6 ceremony during which he delivered a lecture on "The Engineer as Artist."
Billington is the author of more than 160 journal publications and eight books, including "The Innovators: The Engineering Pioneers Who Made America Modern." A 1950 graduate of Princeton, he worked as a structural designer and consulting engineer with expertise in thin-shell concrete structures before joining the Princeton faculty in 1960.
Contact: Tom Bartus(609) 258-3601 | <urn:uuid:05557b8c-144f-4b83-814e-6b08cb4e4a3d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S07/38/41Q40/index.xml | 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 | 0.952734 | 416 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Dear members of Congress,
Like millions of Americans, I was overwhelmed and heartsick last [month] as I witnessed yet another school shooting.
As a retired teacher, I was appalled by the number of children killed, but heartened to witness the bravery of the victims in their final ordeal. Having seen teachers in action, I was not surprised that many shielded their students as best they could. One even held her beloved children in her arms in death. Many children showed courage, too, even braving gunfire to help each other.
One wishes more politicians had such guts when facing the concentrated fire of the gun lobby. Like all adults, I was once in elementary school myself. I remember my second-grade teacher crying when she told us that President [John F.] Kennedy had been assassinated. In sixth grade, my family was on vacation in Washington when President Kennedy’s brother Robert was shot. I stood in the capitol’s streets the day of the funeral and saw the grey casket of Sen. Kennedy pass before my eyes.
Last year, I served on a jury in a murder trial where a man armed with an AK-47 killed another man in cold blood. In the jury room, we held the weapon and fingered the evil-looking “banana clip.” It struck me as an incongruous name for something so deadly. It held numerous bullets, and was similar to the clip used in [last month’s] shooting.
A sensible person must ask: why do we allow such horror in our country? Must we be perpetual hostages to violence? How much senseless killing can we endure? Of what possible use to civilians is an assault rifle? When will we have the moral courage to ban these odious devices in all their semantic variations? It is time to hold our children in our arms and say: we are your protector! We owe the murdered children, and our living children, a society that lives in hope, not fear.
Ghandi said how we treat our weakest members defines our society. If this is true, we are failing. When we honor the “right” of adults to own a killing machine over the right of innocent children to live and mature, then we have indeed lost our bearings. When some citizens feel they need a gun to protect them from their own government, it speaks volumes about our connection, or lack thereof, to fellow citizens and to the commonweal. When we say we have to debate all “sides of the issue” so we can appease those who would bully us into moral blindness, we are already blind.
What does a murdered child know, or care, about “sides of an issue.” Shame on us.As citizens, there are things we can do. Like many Americans, I have contributed to the Brady Campaign to Stop Gun Violence. I called the offices of congressional members and reminded them that the sainted Second Amendment speaks of a “well-regulated militia.” I also suggested a new amendment to protect children.
I hope these things help, but in the wake of this unprecedented violence, it seems so little. One citizen can contribute, but you can do great things. As elected officials of the greatest legislative body in history, you can use your power to propose and enact laws that will better protect our schools and children. It requires courage. This is a time you must act not as politicians but as men and women. Do the right thing.
[Former President] Lyndon Johnson supported civil rights legislation in the 1960s and risked his presidency in the process. U.S. Sen. [Richard] Russell [Jr.] told him that he could win the fight over civil rights, but it would cost him the support of the South. Johnson risked it anyway. “What is the presidency for,” he once asked, “if not to lay it on the line?” Ronald Reagan, when faced with a difficult decision during an especially contentious period in his presidency, said “if not us, who? If not now, when?”
Your august body has witnessed many acts of political courage. Joseph Welch once riveted the nation by confronting Joseph McCarthy in a Senate hearing. The senator from Wisconsin was a menace who held congressmen, the public, and even the president in fear. Welch unmasked McCarthy when he asked him, “At long last sir, have you no decency? Until this moment I never really gauged your cruelty or your recklessness.” McCarthy was revealed as the bully he was. His power evaporated, and he was destroyed as a political force.
The gun lobby is like McCarthy — posing as a protector of American values and waving the flag, but beneath the mask it is a bullying brute that preaches not reason but force, and peddles not hope but fear. We all might ask ourselves the same question: Indeed, at last, do we have no decency? Are there no lengths we will not go to perpetuate our recklessness? We can live by fear and perish together. But if we dare to hope -- and we are a people of hope -- we still have a chance. We await your leadership.
William P. EuDaly
William P. EuDaly is a retired Gwinnett County high school teacher and a Sandy Springs resident. He can be reached at [email protected]. | <urn:uuid:02cc89a3-297a-4b5e-bf4b-08fa8ec2e4c0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.neighbornewspapers.com/view/full_story/21368895/article-Guest-column--Congress--President-should-take-a-stand-on-gun-control?instance=vinings | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971355 | 1,114 | 1.632813 | 2 |
It's certainly no secret that I'm a big fan of taking the stairs. And more and more, it seems that architects are becoming fans too. First, I heard about skip-stop elevators, which stop at every other floor with stairs filling in the gaps. Now, the latest issue of Metropolis magazine has a cool profile of designer Bruce Fowle, who focuses on
new ways to encourage stair-climbing through architecture.
Fowle believes that if you make stairways accessible and inviting — as opposed to gray, dark, and closed-off — people will be more apt to take them. For the new New York Times building, Fowle included centrally located fire stairs and bright-red open stairwells on the building's windowed corners.
For more on how Fowle makes buildings stair-friendly, read more
Though Fowle has employed a number of different tactics, all of his designs focus on getting people walking around and enjoying natural light. Not only can this keep employees healthier, but it also encourages them to interact more. From the Metropolis story:
Fowle has crafted sunlit staircases to be places where people will gravitate, both to circulate and to socialize. He envisions the stairs inside his buildings functioning the way the front stoop does in an urban neighborhood.
People will naturally choose stairs over elevators, the thinking goes, if you locate them conveniently and treat them as avenues for spontaneous encounters.
It sure beats trudging up a cement stairway lit by fluorescent lights! What do you think: Would sunnier, more accessible stairwells encourage you to take the stairs more? | <urn:uuid:0bbcc46b-b692-43aa-976f-dc58d37eea04> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fitsugar.com/Architecture-Encourages-People-Take-Stairs-1115353 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958079 | 340 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Music marketing attribution tracks what a fan does before making a purchase on your website, so you know the steps that your fan took that led them to making a purchase. By understanding music marketing attribution, you get a clear look at the role that each marketing channel plays in informing and influencing a fans journey to making a purchase.
Your fans will interact with your music in different ways over the course of a couple of days or weeks before making the decision to purchase your products. Your truest fans will most likely make impulse purchases, but others may spend time doing more research on your brand and seeking things that increase your music’s credibility. In today’s digital landscape, your current fans and potential fans are able to find your material through multiple channels including: organic search, paid advertising, blogs and other online media, direct visits, e-mail marketing, and social networks.
Music marketing attribution allows you to assign a value to each channel that played a role in influencing your fans to make a purchase. Here is an example of the path a potential fan may go through before making a purchase:
- Fan reads about you on a blog
- Goes to your website to consume some of your content that is available to them
- Fan returns later through a social network
- Fan then sees a banner ad of yours on a blog, and makes a purchase
Which channel should get the credit for the purchase? Obviously in this case, multiple channels played a role in the fan making a purchase. Music marketing attribution allows you to assign a percentage to each channel, based on how far away a channel was from an order instead of just basing your analytics on where the fan last came from. Once this is understood, you can better value conversions, and can better budget for which marketing channels are most effective in reaching your tribe.
Music marketing attribution helps you to answer the question of where you should put your money, whether it’s investing more in Music SEO, e-mail marketing, social networking, paid advertising, print media, or etc. In order to get a clear understanding of the effectiveness of each marketing channel, you want to be able to see how each plays a part in effecting your bottom line. This is what music marketing attribution does. Web analytics platforms like Google Analytics, allow you to see what channels truly affect sales by allowing you to see how fans interact with a website before making a purchase.
Music marketing attribution may not be necessary for every artist at the moment, but it should be considered especially as many artists are looking for new ways to sell and market their music. In order to do this in the most efficient way, marketing attribution is a must as your tribe grows.
Billy Bones is the Marketing Director and Founder of BBE Marketing, a digital entertainment marketing agency that provides SEO, Social Media Marketing, Mobile Marketing, and Web Design services to clients within the entertainment industry. I can be followed at @bonestx or @bbemarketing. | <urn:uuid:4ac06ece-2255-4749-9075-2fd2082469cd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.musicthinktank.com/mtt-open/music-marketing-attribution.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938549 | 601 | 1.546875 | 2 |
INDIANAPOLIS — Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney told veterans on Wednesday that he would make finding jobs for them a priority as he accused Democratic President Obama of weakening the nation’s defenses.
Evoking the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks — referring to ‘‘a plume of smoke on a clear blue morning’’ — Romney said protecting the country is the president’s highest duty. He told veterans meeting in Indiana that he has already started planning how to change veterans’ services to help them during a Romney administration.
‘‘I’m going to make reforming that agency a personal priority,’’ Romney said, ticking through a series of policy promises.
He said he would allow GI Bill beneficiaries to attend any public school at in-state tuition rates, encourage states to create a common system to recognize credentials veterans have earned through military training, and allow veterans to seek care from the active duty military’s Tricare health program if they can’t get timely services from the Veterans Administration.
Romney criticized the series of automatic defense cuts that will begin in January 2013 unless Congress acts to stop it. His vice presidential running mate, Paul Ryan, voted to approve the legislation that authorized those cuts alongside reductions in domestic spending.
The American Legion speech in Indiana gave Romney an opportunity to assail his Democratic opponent far from the stage in Tampa, where others are focused on introducing the GOP candidates to the American people. Speakers at the Republican National Convention have been highlighting Romney’s foreign policy credentials.
Obama, campaigning in Virginia, accused his opponent of offering words but no action.
‘‘He likes to talk tough but he doesn’t have a lot of details when it comes to these critical issues,’’ the president said.
Romney began his remarks by acknowledging the tropical storm churning over the Gulf Coast, flooding communities in Louisiana and threatening lives.
‘‘Our thoughts are of course with the people of the Gulf Coast states,” he said.
Behind the scenes, GOP officials said Romney and his team were considering a visit to the hurricane strike zone, but they said there were no current plans to change Romney’s convention schedule. | <urn:uuid:ba66f75c-7d51-43e3-9d36-12abba6a3508> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2012/08/29/mitt-romney-vows-help-veterans-find-jobs/1YecdR71ZG63sK35TqhkLK/story.html?camp=pm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965826 | 463 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Posted 1 year ago
This is the Vase Trio F 841 designed by Hans Theo Baumann for Gralglas in 1966/67, and I'm happy that I own it! The catalogue page in my pictures is from 1973. The three vases seem unused, all three of them have the original Gralglas sticker, and I even own the original package.
Hans Theo Baumann, born 1924 in Basel (and still alive as it seems), is one of the most influential industrial designers in Germany after the war. He studied in Dresden and Basel. In 1955 he opened his own design studio. As a freelance designer he worked very much for Gralglas (dozens of designs listed in the book "gralglas – Deutsches Design 1930-1981" by Helmut Ricke (Deutscher Kunstverlag 2011). He also worked for Vitra and porcelain factories like Rosenthal, Arzberg or Hutschenreuther. He was part of Egon Eiermann's team in the reconstuction of the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche in Berlin. He is known for simple, geometrical forms in the German tradition of functionalism. At his eightieth birthday in 2004 he gave a part of his legacy to the Neue Pinakothek in Munich. He teached design in India, Japan, and Berlin. | <urn:uuid:e942fae1-b3f8-48c7-9cee-535dc82e7d0e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/54292-vase-trio-by-hans-theo-baumann-for-gralg?in=collection-505 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946942 | 291 | 1.796875 | 2 |
In 1871 London, a ragged girl pickpocket steals a ring that enforces a truce between the British Crown and the Faery world, setting off a struggle between the realms.
Tiki supports her adopted “family” of orphans by using her uncanny ability to steal. When she stumbles into Buckingham Palace, she finds a ring and takes it. However, she learns that the ring is enchanted, and that dangerous faeries want it. Helping her (or is he?), the handsome Rieker also roams the streets of London as a thief, and he claims to know much about the faeries. Tiki tries to ransom the ring and fend off two menacing faeries, but when one kidnaps her little charge Clara, she faces a life-or-death situation. And, just how close is Tiki herself to the faery world? Hamilton debuts with a fantasy that has a heavy—and interesting—historical focus on the poor street children of Victorian London and contrasts their lives with the splendor of the wealthy. Even the realistic portions of the novel, however, rely heavily on some highly implausible events. Well, it’s a fantasy. Plausibility isn’t required, even if it takes some effort to suspend disbelief. The faeries convince readers of their magic and their danger, the humans of their individuality. The story keeps suspense high with one crisis after another, until it escalates into a final exciting showdown.An entertaining magical-historical adventure. (Historical fantasy. 12 & up) | <urn:uuid:d72f7abe-66c9-443f-babe-b06cee7ee663> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/kiki-hamilton/faerie-ring/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95256 | 317 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Athens new annex building meets county's future spatial needs
Turning a bank building into the Henderson County Courthouse Annex has made county government more efficient, met current facility needs and given room for growth for county offices in the future, County Judge Richard Sanders said.
Henderson County purchased the former Prosperity Bank building across the street from the courthouse in 2010.
The former bank building was gradually converted into the seat of several relocated county departments, freeing up space in the courthouse to better accommodate other county offices there and allowing the county to close the old tax office building.
The main thing the former bank building has done, Sanders said, is give Henderson County residents a better, safer building with available parking where they can go to conduct county business.
The audit office and county treasurer's office were moved from the courthouse upstairs in the new annex.
The tax office and county clerk's office, the two departments of county government that most people have dealings with, are side by side on the first floor of the new courthouse annex.
Coincidentally, the bank had seven work stations for tellers on the first floor and the county needed seven employee work stations where residents can pay their taxes and buy vehicle tags.
"It's more efficient to take care of business," Sanders said. He recalled seeing lines out the door of the old tax office, regardless of whether it was wet or cold, when people flocked in on Jan. 31, the last day to pay taxes without a penalty. There's room for lines and parking in back without having to cross a street to enter the building.
In setting up operations in the new annex and shuffling offices in the courthouse, Sanders said, "We were looking at trying to make county government as efficient as possible so taxpayers will get the most bang for their buck."
Sanders estimated the county is using 80 to 85 percent of the former bank building.
"We still have 15 to 20 percent of this building that we could utilize for growth in the county over a period of years," he said.
Although the bank left the building in "nice shape," Sanders said, the county painted and made repairs before moving in. The county also took advantage of the opportunity to buy an ice machine, shredding machine, desks and filing cabinets from the bank without having to pay the price of new items.
A major challenge was wiring the building for county computers and moving the computer server from the courthouse to the new annex.
Although the county did purchase an upgraded new phone system that runs off its computers, except for a few satellite offices that do not have the infrastructure for it yet.
Savings with the new phone system began immediately. "We were able to eliminate over 125 phone lines and still have plenty of service," Sanders said, also noting the county reduced the number of fax machines.
Initial savings was $200 to $300 a month, but once the equipment is paid off in 2014, the savings will run about $5,000 to $6,000 monthly and is expected to total about $632,000 throughout the life of the system, Sanders said.
County officials decided to make the bank building fit their needs without major remodeling.
"By and large, it has worked out very well," Sanders said.
A bench was built, however, in a room adjacent to the county judge's office that was turned into a courtroom and meeting room for county commissioners. Nearby is a conference room used for executive sessions, meetings and probate court.
But when a crowd is expected, a large room on the back side of the building can sit about 85 people is used for commissioners' meetings. It also can be used as a community room and since it has a kitchen close by, it can be used as a break room for county employees, Sanders said.
Work spaces in the bank "all came together really well" to meet the county's needs, Sanders said.
A bank drive-in facility is being used for specialized county storage, but will probably be torn down in the future to create more parking spaces when it's needed, the judge said. He estimated about 150 parking spaces already are available.
"It (the parking area) has really taken pressure off the downtown area. Anytime you come to the downtown area now, you can find a parking space not only around the courthouse but at businesses," Sanders said.
Moving the county clerk's office to the annex freed space on the first floor of the courthouse. That allowed the county to move the county attorney's office into space vacated by the county clerk on the first floor. The attorney's office had been scattered on three floors of the courthouse.
A small contingent of sheriff's deputies in the courthouse moved from the second floor into the basement and the district clerk's office was better organized, Sanders said. A filing system for the district clerk's office was set up on the second floor. Space for Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace Randy Daniel was allotted in the basement.
The emergency management coordinator, the agriculture extension office and the indigent health care coordinator moved from the old tax office to the third floor of the courthouse, while the tax office moved to the annex.
The county closed the old tax building that housed those offices on the northwest corner of the square. Maintenance on the building continued to rise throughout the years.
The county can heat and cool the new annex for about what it cost to heat and cool the old tax office even though the annex is probably three times the size of the tax building because the newer annex is more efficient, Sanders said.
"We are interested in selling the (old tax) building," Sanders said. | <urn:uuid:c1dacefe-095d-410a-b0ff-8cab14948ef5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tylerpaper.com/article/20130213/NEWS01/302139993/0/opinion0317 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977769 | 1,152 | 1.726563 | 2 |
The phenomena where a fact based post is given negative comments or down voted because:
1. It wasn't funny
2. It contradicts funny yet wrong posts
3. The post writer isn't as well known on the forum as other
4. Readers don't like the facts the post writer presented
These happens despite the fact the post writer's answer being verifiable as correct.
The Langston Effect is apparent on UD in the definitions of zipperhead and dubstep amongst others. See also almost anything on yahoo answers. | <urn:uuid:0839ea6a-a161-47bc-92a6-e2a33ac46d64> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Langston%20Effect&defid=6558737 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962144 | 108 | 1.695313 | 2 |
I have definitely noticed this in my own life; when I was living in the suburbs I was starting to put on weight. When I moved out and started taking the bus every day, I went back down to a more manageable level.
The research could have major implications for urban planning and public transit development, Lachapelle says.
"You don't necessarily have to rebuild communities or make major investments in infrastructure to promote public health," he says. "There are things we can do in the interim, such as encourage people to drive less, and adapt their lifestyles which will get people more physically active and generate fewer greenhouse gasses." | <urn:uuid:6479e16c-acaa-4f4a-a451-5e634dcd8162> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://carlessparenting.blogspot.com/2009_03_01_archive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983568 | 129 | 1.726563 | 2 |
Project: 2005 Orthophotography
Description: This data set contains imagery flown by MARKHURD for Rice County, Minnesota. The project was funded by Rice County, the City of Faribault and the City of Northfield for creation of GIS data, planning purposes and general information. It is comprised of scanned photographs that were acquired on fresh fine grain, high-speed Kodak black and white film. Approximately 516 square miles in Rice County and 12 square miles in Dakota County were flown on April 13, 2005 in leaf-off conditions at a scale of 1”= 833’. Six inch pixel photography was created and orthorectified. The tiling format of the imagery is based on sections and townships in Rice and Dakota Counties. A MrSID file was generated by compressing the section tiles that cover Rice County and part of Dakota County.
Geographic extent: Minnesota; Dakota County; Dakota County--Northfield City
Start Date: April 13, 2005
End Date: November 0, 2005 | <urn:uuid:395090ec-b094-4454-9ca3-58570057c9b4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mngeo.state.mn.us/SEII/SEIIprojectDisplay.html?Id=60 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954663 | 212 | 1.640625 | 2 |
For FZY chanichim returning to the UK at the end of Year Course, it is important for them to have the knowledge and skills to be able to feel a strong sense of pride in their Zionist and Jewish identity. Throughout the Year Course programme chanichim will be provided with an ongoing course explaining the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict as well as analysis and examination of current events in Israel and the Middle East.
FZY Year Course chanichim will also take part in training programmes and seminars that will provide the skills necessary to use the knowledge that they have gained on Year Course to be advocates of Israel. Whether at University, through the media and press, or in discussions with family, friends and colleagues, the skills based programme will allow FZY chanichim to have the tolls to feel a strong sense of pride in who they are and what they believe in.
FZY works with The David Project, BICOM, The Israel Project and a number of other organizations to build our Advocacy programme. In addition we also have internationally renowned speakers that have included, Gil Troy (Author, professor and newspaper columnist), Mark Regev (Prime Minister Spokesman), Rabbi Michael Melchior (Former Government Minister), Yariv Oppenheimer (Director of Peace Now) and many others.
The Israel Advocacy programme within the FZY Year Course programme is the most developed and wide ranging programme that is currently available on any Gap Year programme and we are constantly looking to increase its scope and quality.
Partnerships | Staff and Supervision | Medical Care
Family Visits | Security and Safety | Religous Observance
Programme Variation | From Start to Finish | Interview and Selection | <urn:uuid:82b8134c-f9b8-47d0-847e-0ad2dee1f5dd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.yearcourse.org.uk/israel-advocacy-hasbara.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94341 | 356 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Who says we can’t control our spending?
Virtually every state, including Maryland, saw a drop in the second quarter in their credit card delinquencies.
According to credit bureau TransUnion, the delinquency rate — bills past due by 90 or more days — fell to 0.6 percent from 0.74 percent in the first quarter. That’s the lowest level since 1994.
Maryland’s delinquency rate is near the national average at 0.61 percent. (TransUnion didn't say what our rate was in the first quarter.) Only North Dakota saw its delinquency rate rise in the second quarter, but at 0.4 percent it was still below the national rate.
The amount of debt we’re carrying on our cards also fell in the second quarter by $20 to $4,699. The state with the highest credit card balances is Alaska, with an average of $6,926. But Alaska also has the lowest delinquency rate at 0.39 percent. | <urn:uuid:a9a35b02-ee0f-44bb-9702-82acfe014415> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2011-08-16/business/bal-consuming-interests-marylanders-fall-20110816_1_credit-card-delinquencies-delinquency-rate-marylanders | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96617 | 210 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Today is the 6th of March which means that it’s Michelangelo Buonarroti’s birthday. Happy birthday, Mike!
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni was born on March 6, 1475. In his lifetime, he created many of the world’s most famous works of art, including the famous statue of David and the Sistine Chapel Ceiling. He also designed great works of architecture such as the Medici Chapel and the Laurentian Library.
I’m telling you, they just don’t make artists like they used to.
In honor of Michelangelo’s birthday, “Michelangelo: The Game” will be free for the next three days.
You can get the game here on iTunes!
It’s February 14th. Valentine’s Day, my birthday, and also the day that Michelangelo, my iOS / HTML5 puzzle game, was released on the iTunes App store! It’s available now for the low, low price of 99 cents.
See screenshots of the game here.
Check it out on iTunes here!
Anyone who’s been following my Twitter account (@nobunagaota) will have seen me posting a regular stream of obscure and hopelessly geeky tweets tagged #glass. For my latest project, I decided to use Twitter to log my thoughts during development. Those tweets are posts regarding my current project: a mobile puzzle game called Michelangelo written in HTML5. | <urn:uuid:8975bd73-8d31-49fd-82fe-75fc305d88dc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://gamedevwithoutacause.com/?cat=4 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944971 | 317 | 1.789063 | 2 |
John Sides has a nice post up demonstrating that, contrary to some earlier speculation, incumbents still won most (86%) of the House elections in which they competed. If this is his main point, I agree:
What is the bottom line? Don't read too much into a few isolated early primaries (see: Robert Bennett) or into polls where vast majorities of Americans disapprove of Congress or even indicate their willingness to vote for the challenger.I would throw in a little perspective, however. It's absolutely correct that in House elections, the bottom line is that incumbents win. Why they win, however, is another story. There are two major factors that determine House elections. One is, in fact, the evaluations votes have of the candidates, and for that incumbents do have an advantage, and from all accounts maintained that this year.
The most important factor, however, has nothing at all to do with candidates; it has to do with party. Party is the most important factor in House voting, and since most House districts have lopsided advantages for one party, most House elections are essentially determined long before specific candidates are chosen.
That's easiest to see in the two districts in which GOP incumbents lost this year, one in Louisiana and one in Hawaii. In both cases, Republican victories had been flukes (a crook on the ballot for the Dems in one, and a split Democratic party running two candidates in a special election in the other), and once the Dems got themselves a (single) acceptable candidate, that was the end of the story.
So, yes, ignore the polling that says that Congress is unpopular, or that people want incumbents to lose. But when John says "Incumbents still dominate congressional elections," I'm going to disagree with his wording. Parties dominate congressional elections. Incumbency is an advantage -- yes, even in 2010 -- but party is the biggest story.
UPDATE: See Andrew Gelman's post at the Monkey Cage, in which he estimates the current size of the incumbent advantages at about 6% in House general elections, and notes that it doesn't seem to have moved much this year. I fully agree with his final thought: "Once you're in, you generally get to run again and represent your party in the general election. This is the most important way in which incumbents "dominate": they don't need to compete for the nomination on a level playing field each time." | <urn:uuid:8d59ff08-e354-45bc-9fcf-554308c86f1e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://plainblogaboutpolitics.blogspot.com/2010/11/incumbents.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981726 | 498 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Karzai wants to be part of US-Taliban talks
06 October, 2012
WASHINGTON: The Karzai administration's demand to be part of talks between the United States and the Taliban has stalled the peace process, a top Afghan official said, asserting the drive had to be led by Afghan government.
Visiting Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Jawed Ludin told reporters in Washington on Thursday that an Afghan-led peace effort needed to be respected and adhered to by all parties concerned.
"We aren't opposed to (the deal). What we criticised was the fact that we felt that if you are really true to the motto of an Afghan-led peace process, we should be involved.
"We were told that this was because the Taliban are not ready to have the Afghan government on the other side of the table. Frankly, this is not enough," Ludin told a group of journalists.
As a result of Afghanistan's assertiveness, the US-Taliban negotiations, including on the release of five insurgent leaders from Guantanamo Bay and opening of a Taliban office in Qatar, had paused.
The Taliban, who did not agree to the condition set by the Karzai government, had cut off the talks and "since then there's been no contact, he added. "They're still there in Doha, but the office hasn't been set up."
Ludin said the Afghan government was still waiting for Qatari officials to come to Kabul for discussions on the opening of a Taliban office in Doha.
In response to a query, he said most of insider attacks in Afghanistan resulted from terrorist infiltration into the ranks of local security forces and had nothing to do with cultural differences between American and Afghan soldiers.
The minister explained in an effort to increase the strength of Afghan forces, some basic conditions like background checks of those being drafted were relaxed and the rebels took advantage of it to infiltrate ANSF.
But steps were being taken to rectify that error, he hastened to add. "Some people think this is a cultural thing. This is vastly overstated," he told a questioner.
A day earlier, State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said the Taliban were not interested in peace talks, but she did not assign any reason. "We have been saying for a number of weeks that we support an Afghan-led process, that we've created this Afghan-Pakistan-US group to facilitate Afghan-led reconciliation. But the Taliban have not been interested in coming to the table for some time…"
Ludin said the talks with Taliban HAD not reached a stage that the Afghan Government would like. He insisted Afghanistan would lead the process and every other country, including Pakistan, take the backseat. | <urn:uuid:b852916b-d45f-419d-b919-bd6493940107> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://paktribune.com/news/Karzai-wants-to-be-part-of-US-Taliban-talks-253931.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979963 | 553 | 1.5625 | 2 |
R200 discount for liking us on FB
New Delhi - Volunteers in India armed with drums and whistles are to lead a crackdown on going to the toilet in public under a new scheme in the western state of Rajasthan, a report said Monday.
“We are constructing public toilets... and people will be encouraged to use them,” Ramniwas Jat, head of the state's Jhunjhunu district council, told the Times of India.
“We want to raise awareness against the practice of urinating in public, which gave birth to the idea of beating drums and blowing whistles.”
The Times said that volunteers, who will be paid a small wage, would embarrass people caught urinating or defecating by standing behind them and letting loose a barrage of noise.
Guilty parties would also have their names read out on public address systems.
Defecating in the open is a serious social issue in India, touching on health, hygiene, women's rights and the clash between traditional and modern lifestyles.
Women often refuse to go to the toilet outdoors during daylight hours to preserve their modesty, so they must go before dawn or wait many hours before it is dark again.
Walking barefoot where villagers defecate every day also spreads diseases such as tapeworm, and many children play close to outdoor latrine areas.
Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh recently encouraged future brides to check their new family's home to ensure it had an indoor toilet before accepting any marriage proposal.
Earlier this year he said India should be ashamed that nearly 60 percent of all people in the world who defecate in the open were in India. - Sapa-AFP | <urn:uuid:219a9609-7ef6-472c-b9ea-54b5f16c04b2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.iol.co.za/news/back-page/indians-peeing-in-public-face-drumming-1.1417667 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967923 | 353 | 1.828125 | 2 |
Now that some of the worst effects of the financial crisis are fading, our attention has properly turned to the future. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 contains Congress’s blueprint for addressing gaps in the financial market regulatory and supervisory framework, the types of gaps that contributed to the tumultuous events of 2007 and 2008. Among other key provisions, the new law calls for greater oversight of the shadow banking system, stricter supervision of systemically important financial institutions, and a resolution authority to deal with too-big-to-fail financial firms.
Those provisions cover a lot of territory. In this issue of Forefront, we explain some of the ways that the details will get worked out. Congress has asked the Federal Reserve and other regulatory agencies to write hundreds of new rules as part of Dodd-Frank's implementation. The law requires many of these rules to be final as soon as this summer.
Of course, Dodd-Frank did not cover everything. As the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland’s James Thomson argues in this issue, the creation of a federally chartered "bad bank" to acquire and dispose of distressed assets is another idea whose merits should be considered. The Bank’s Emre Ergungor and Thomas Fitzpatrick make the case for states to evaluate some options that would make it harder for irresponsible investors to neglect their properties.
This issue also includes an update on the Bank’s model for detecting systemic risk in the financial system—a model we hope can be a useful tool for newly created entities such as the Financial Stability Oversight Council. Finally, we interview banking scholar Charles Calomiris, who comments on elements specific to Dodd-Frank as well as additional ideas he considers important to regulatory reform.
As always, we’d like your comments on these efforts, just as we encourage all points of view about the implementation of the new legislation.
In the past, I’ve likened the rule-making phase to the finishing of a house. With skillful craftsmanship, we can carry out this complicated and challenging responsibility in a way that makes our financial house solid and secure. An open, continuous dialogue that considers many perspectives is most likely to achieve the goal of financial stability.
I invite you to get involved. An enormous amount of information on the proposals is already available through dedicated websites from the Federal Reserve and other financial system regulators. It’s easy to comment. Go to the Federal Reserve Board’s Freedom of Information Office, or visit www.regulations.gov to read the proposed rules and then have your say.
Working together, we can build a stronger and more stable financial system. So speak up—we are listening. | <urn:uuid:4167dd07-d4bc-42cf-aa0d-71e5dd934dc0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.clevelandfed.org/forefront/2011/winter/ff_2011_winter_04.cfm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939893 | 549 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Have you ever felt like a nobody in the world? To be in the world but not of the world is surely a frustrating reality in the normative workplace environment. But in the Catholic Education world? I never thought it would be such lonely, difficult work to teach, preach, and witness an orthodox Catholic message as a theology teacher in the typical American Catholic High School. Where to begin? The dark stuff.
The problems begin as always in the home. When we went to the other children’s birthday parties and I chatted with the other parents, I noticed in the Catholic elementary schools my own children attended it seemed like more than half were living with the complexity of divorce. I have read that Catholics on the whole have statistical rates for most societal vices on par with non-Catholics. We aren’t leading (morally speaking) even though we have plenty of Catholic “leaders” in our communities and nation.
I also find the divorce phenomena in my high school classrooms, and try to share my own damage assessment from growing up in a divorced home and not being raised a Christian even though I was baptized as a child. The problem is for the kids today, like for me back then, you don’t realize how the divorce thing is harming you on the inside and affecting all kinds of relationships- starting with God the Father and working down to preparing for your own Marital Vocation. “Everyone’s Fine” is the theme for the “Love, American Style” post sexual revolution. Awareness that everyone isn’t just fine is the first step- and for many of the sons and daughters of divorce that awareness doesn’t come until much adulthood has already passed and cycles of dysfunctional relationships continue on until one finally is awakened. The fact is that parents who have divorced have a vested interest in perpetuating the false myth that “the kids are alright.” Few people like to admit fault and fewer still will entertain thoughts that they have harmed their own children.
I would list Divorce as the first cause of the diminished faith of the Catholic school students I have encountered in my decade and a half of teaching experience. The causes of Divorce of course go back to the unorthodox treatment of Catholic teachings on matters to do with sexuality. The litany of anti-Catholic influences and abuses is legion- pornography exposure from early ages, masturbation addictions, premarital sex, same-sex exploration and experimentation, ‘my body my choice’ hardened feminism. These are the diseases that plague marriages from before they even begin. If you add other spiritual sicknesses like general hedonistic life philosophies “Seize the Day!” “If it feels good, do it!”, along with consumerism/materialism, sports and entertainment obsessions and so forth, you really have to wonder how anyone is supposed to live as a typical American and find their way Home to Rome!
If Catholic schools were factories, the end product would be lukewarm Catholics. The Catholic school is already disadvantaged by all of the home and cultural realities that are doing the primary shaping of the young American Catholic mind and spirit. I still believe we could do a heck of a lot more to raise the odds that more of these young Catholics/Christians/Other would find the shortcut to the Way of Christ if only we had our act together as Catholic Education Centers. I could recount many nightmarish stories of how most of the Catholic school educators and administrators I have encountered have been men and women of little or no faith in Christ and Church. Even in the religion departments it is common to encounter ex-nuns who feel the Church is in sin because they can’t be priests, homosexual men who are more interested in defending the lifestyle than in teaching the straight Catholic faith, and a range of those who are in dissent on some or another important Catholic doctrine.
If there are problems of personnel inside the Religion departments, the other disciplines are almost completely immersed in doing exactly what they would be doing in a public school. I have often wondered what small percentage of Catholic high school teachers actually like the Catholic Church. It is obvious that in hiring these folks, the biggest unspoken question is not “Are you enthusiastic about your Catholic faith?” but “Can you tolerate pretending to be on board with the Catholic stuff you will encounter from time to time here?” For the most part, average Catholic school teachers are solid as dispensers of information and want to bond with their students, but there is no real faith present in their hearts, and certainly not in the worldview presented in their classrooms.
Faithless teachers would not be so rampant if those charged with responsibility for the school’s Catholic mission were sincerely focused on a “Faith First” approach and philosophy. I have been at schools where I have spoken directly to administrators about this and to my face I was told that “only one-third of the parents of Catholic school kids are there for the religious education, another one-third are there for sports, and the other one-third for the safety and academics.” So, the piecemeal system of making a show of the faith for P.R. purposes becomes the smart strategy for keeping things appearing Catholic-enough for the one-third of parents primarily interested in the faith dimension, but for the two-thirds who are not, there is a wink-wink given that the real show is the academic and sports achievements.
And, now after a brief flurry of pressure coming from the Bishops for re-establishing a “Catholic Identity” in our Catholic schools, the primary focus around the country is on getting technology into the classrooms at breakneck speed. There is even a strange development whereupon in Communist China, the buzz is that Catholic schools are the best schools in America, and for the children of the elite who do not do well on their placement tests, they are coming to American Catholic schools so they can go to American universities and bypass the more difficult to get into Chinese universities. The Chinese students come here never hearing the name Jesus Christ before. This could be an excellent opportunity for evangelization, but evangelizing was never spoken of as part of any serious plan. Just drop them into religion classes with everyone else, and they end up being exposed to a very lukewarm variety of Catholicity- makes them probably wonder what the big fuss is back home, the faith doesn’t seem to alter the lifestyle of typical American Catholic students.
I have tried to make noise about all that I have written above. I’ve sent my letters to Superintendents and invited Bishops to dinner, but all I have received has been either polite thanks, or direct negative consequences. But here are my recommendations anyway:
1. Catholic identity is #1- hire right. Seek and find enthusiastic wanna-be orthodox Catholics to fill in the ranks of at least 90% of the faculty and staff positions. Help the teachers out by getting serious about locating textbooks that include positive Catholic worldview even in non-religion subject areas. As it stands now, the textbooks outside of religion classes are the same one would see in public schools, with all the problems of the culture seeping in.
2. Praise and worship should be given primary place in school activities. The mainstream music that is played throughout Catholic school sporting events, dances, gym classes etc. is the same junk that is being played everywhere, songs full of obscenity, sexual immorality, violence and despair. Why can’t Catholic schools be bastions for Christian music promotion? One only has to attend a sporting event, a dance or a school play to assess the strength of an actual Catholic influence and identity.
3. Catholic schools should be centers for Eucharistic Adoration. They could offer Theology of the Body classes, Pro-life activism, Catholic Relief Services, Fair Trade marketing, nurturing future community and political leaders with our full Catholic social doctrine and sexual ethics. Wow!
4. I have seen that the male-female interactions of the current generation are just not very healthy. One of the sad results of the Sexual Revolution is the pressure on young girls to get involved in sexual relationships, and even regard themselves as sex objects to match the mainstream culture. With divorce comes along a lot of girls who are going without a daily dose of a father’s affectionate love. They turn to the boys who often are addicted to pornography and don’t comprehend chastity. To combat this we need return to more traditional schools of all-boys and all-girls, or at least have classes separated into boy and girl classrooms with teachers best suited as role-models teaching one gender or the other.
© 2013. Francis. All Rights Reserved. | <urn:uuid:aa7ded36-35d2-41ed-a3b3-79d3b5500f78> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://catholicstand.com/confessions-of-a-wanna-be-orthodox-catholic-high-school-teacher/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96891 | 1,798 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Common areas of our residence halls offer residents places to gather socially, grab a snack, study, watch TV, play video games, and bake cookies. These areas and their furnishings are for all residents to enjoy.
Each residence hall kitchen or kitchenette has a microwave, an electric range and oven, a refrigerator/freezer, as well as counter space and cabinets. While kitchens are not intended to prepare a resident's daily meals, residents have the option to bake and prepare food for special occasions. Certain appliances can only be used in kitchens.
Vending machines are available in every residence hall to satisfy that craving for a snack or cold beverage. All vending machines accept ID Express so residents won't need to keep a stash of coins for when that need for chocolate or something salty arises.
There is at least one study lounge and one TV lounge in each traditional residence hall. Some TV lounges include a kitchen or kitchenette. Lounge TVs have basic cable service and can also be used for gaming. Study lounges are equipped with Internet ports where students can plug in a laptop or notebook computer and log onto the campus network. Study lounges are also "wireless" access locations. Lounges are used for floor programs and can be reserved for special occasions (see your Residence Director). | <urn:uuid:b391ba3f-4f98-4f92-9d2d-0a50f3a421b4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ithaca.edu/reslife/guide/amenities/common_areas/ | 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 | 0.942247 | 264 | 1.59375 | 2 |
As of Jan. 15, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency will offer its customers a microloan designed to help farmers and ranchers with credit needs of $35,000 or less.
The loan features a streamlined application and a simplified qualification process built to fit the needs of new and smaller producers.
“This innovative offering will be more customer-friendly than our larger, more traditional loan programs,” said William R. Anderson, SFLM, Athens. Farms and ranches seeking a smaller loan for start-up or operational needs now have a great new tool to consider.
“For those selling at Farmers Markets or through community-supported agriculture operations, a microloan might serve their needs perfectly,” Anderson continued.
“And the reduced paperwork associated with the new microloan will help expedite the process for everyone.”
In 2012, the Farm Service Agency provided $82.4 million in farm loan assistance to agricultural producers of all sizes in Tennessee.
That year, operating loans accounted for the majority of the loans extended (597), while farm ownership loans were fewer (104).
“The interest rate of 1.25 percent on the new FSA Microloan is also a great benefit for farmers and ranchers who are just starting out, in need of capital and on a tight budget,” according to Anderson.
“Producers in every Tennessee county can contact their nearest FSA office for details and to determine if they qualify for a microloan.” The microloan term can be up to seven years.
In response to tighter financial markets, USDA has expanded the availability of farm credit, helping farmers refinance loans across the U.S. Since 2009, USDA has provided more than 128,000 loans to family farmers totaling more than $18 billion.
More than 50 percent of the loans went to beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.
For more information on FSA Mircoloans and other FSA programs, contact your local USDA service center. | <urn:uuid:97267c9f-6758-4597-9848-13f5e1c45f22> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://clevelandbanner.com/view/full_story/21564288/article-Microloans--expand-small--farm-options | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948416 | 422 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Many religious conservatives thought this might be the year of an evangelical comeback, when voters would throw President Obama out because of his support of same-sex marriage and abortion, and his health plan's birth control mandate. It didn't work out that way.
"I think this was an evangelical disaster," says Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky.
Mohler says white evangelicals moved in lockstep: Seventy-nine percent voted for Republican Mitt Romney, the same percentage as voted for President George W. Bush in 2004. He says they boldly telegraphed their concerns about Obama, and "our message was rejected by millions of Americans who went to the polls and voted according to a contrary worldview."
Mohler says there's a danger that evangelicals won't see this larger lesson — that they will say Obama won because of his unique story and personality.
"No, it was far more than that," he says. "Four states dealt with the issue of same-sex marriage and after 31 to 33 straight victories, we've been handed a rather comprehensive set of defeats on the issue of the integrity of marriage."
That, and the legalization of marijuana in some states, are examples of what Mohler calls "a seismic moral shift in the culture."
Others say 2012 revealed another shift.
"The understanding that the evangelical vote is a kingmaking vote, I think, is now dead," says Shaun Casey, a professor at Wesley Theological Seminary and a former Obama adviser. He says evangelicals pulled out all the stops to unseat the president.
"Billy Graham and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association bought full-page ads in newspapers; that made no difference," he says. "Ralph Reed spent tens of millions of dollars getting out the vote in battleground states; that didn't make the difference. And you add all of that up, and it was not enough because of the changing demographics of our country."
"The power of this group to shape elections," says Greg Smith, a senior researcher at the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, "is limited by its size."
"They do turn out," he says. "A quarter of the electorate described themselves as white evangelicals. It's just that that's not enough to overcome the strong Democratic support of other religious groups."
Smith says Obama won 95 percent of black Protestants, three-quarters of Hispanic Catholics, 7 out of 10 Jewish voters and 70 percent of religiously unaffiliated voters, which is the fastest-growing segment of "religion."
Early on, there were signs that the power of religious conservatives might be waning, says political scientist Mark Rozell at George Mason University. In the primaries, conservative religious leaders kept trying to crown various candidates: Rick Perry, Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum — just to avoid the Mormon, Romney, as the party nominee.
"But they ended up with Mitt Romney as the party nominee," he observes, "showcasing that their power wasn't all that great — in part because they didn't have a unifying message nor a figure who could unite them."
Rozell says in their political heyday — in the 1980s and '90s — evangelicals had the Moral Majority and the Christian Coalition to mobilize them. They had Pat Robertson and James Dobson to inform and inspire them.
"But today, there really is no single leader or group of leaders who are directing the religious conservative movement," he says. "And so it seems to many to be splintered or directionless."
Mohler at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary says evangelicals now need to approach politics in a fundamentally different way. They need to bend a little on issues of lesser importance — for example, supporting candidates who have different ideas about the role of government — but who agree with them on marriage and life issues. And most important, Mohler says, evangelicals need to reach beyond their suburban walls.
"If we do not become the movement of younger Americans and Hispanic Americans and any number of other Americans, then we will just become a retirement community," he says. "And that cannot, that cannot, serve the cause of Christ."
And, as this election shows, minorities are the growth area of both politics and religion. | <urn:uuid:f453ac06-7fad-48fd-8be5-6af427a8558a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://minnesota.publicradio.org/features/npr.php?id=164711265 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977982 | 869 | 1.632813 | 2 |
If scams against seniors have anything in common it's that they're always changing, according to police officials.
"A lot of the schemes are dynamic. They are constantly changing," said Hinsdale Deputy Police Chief Mark Wodka.
The newest scheme involves gift cards, he said. Two residents were told they were won multi-million dollar prizes, but they needed to purchase gift cards and supply serial numbers to collect their fortune. One person lost $4,500. The other called police, which is what Wodka wants people to do.
"There are many incidents we don't hear about because of embarrassment or because they think there is little law enforcement can do about it," Wodka said.
If victims don't follow through with an investigation, arrests never would happen, said Cherie Aschenbrenner, crime prevention specialist and elderly service officer with the Elgin Police Department.
"It's the most underreported crime there is because seniors don't want to tell," she said. "They don't want to follow through in court either."
La Grange Police Chief Michael Holub said a 2011 ruse involved a person posing as a utility worker appearing on people's doorsteps and telling them that they were supposed to receive a refund for overpaying their bill.
"It was a ruse to get inside their houses," said Holub. "What person doesn't think they've been overcharged for their utility bill?"
Aschenbrenner spends a lot of her time speaking with seniors describing common scams and giving warning signs. Many ruse schemes involve people posing as city or utility workers to try to get inside a home, she said. That was the idea behind a 2010 event with Elgin police and Central Kane County Triad featuring Kane County Sheriff Pat Perez and Elgin Police Chief Jeff Swoboda in a fashion show. They modeled uniforms for area police, code enforcement, utility workers and others who might come to a home.
"The bad guys know that seniors don't like to bother police," she said. "They are embarrassed. They don't want their kids to find out. And, seniors are very afraid of retaliation."
Most of all, seniors are trusting, Aschenbrenner said.
That might be why a trick known to law enforcement as the granny scam is so common. Thieves call a senior citizen and pose as a grandchild in distress, asking them to wire money.
Paul McCurtain, spokesman for St. Charles police said the department received two reports of the scam last year. In one case, an employee at Meijer stopped the senior from wiring money after recognizing the scam, he said.
In Wheaton, some residents were defrauded out of hundreds of dollars in 2011, according to a police report.
"Such scams are easily defeated if the prospective victim takes the time to do some research before acting on the claim," Wheaton Police Chief Mark Field. said via email.
Elgin resident Kate Silver, 65, agrees. She came to the rescue of a fellow senior after overhearing a conversation at her bank.
"She was sniffling and saying, 'my grandson has been in an accident and he's in jail and I have to wire him some money. I'm not supposed to tell his parents,'" Silver said. "The hair on the back of my neck rose up."
Silver had recently attended an Elgin police seminar on the topic.
"Every word she told this bank teller…was almost verbatim of (the police) description," she said.
At first the woman didn't believe Silver, but eventually called her daughter and learned her grandson was not in jail. The incident was reported to police, and no money was wired.
"The thing is, they got her that day. They'll get someone the next day and the day after that," Silver said. "The only way to stop them is to educate people." | <urn:uuid:1d680e26-0ff1-4e4a-875c-061aca59848f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-08-23/news/ct-tl-ruse-burglary-task-force-west-20120823_1_granny-scam-seniors-utility-workers | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.987966 | 806 | 1.8125 | 2 |
And the movement of Kirk, Spock and McCoy at the beginning of "Journey to Babel" suggests passage trough two circular corridor segments (parallel to one another, same pieces of the studio set) that must have a different radius unless we assume these two circular corridors to connect with one another and form a larger corridor with the basic shape of a "?" (which, IMHO, would look extremely odd and out of place in the saucer hull).
Out of place maybe,but not without precedent (well, in the same episode anyway). When Kirk has his fight with the Andorian, there is an odd cut near the end when Kirk delivers his final knockout knee-to-the-head:
See that? The corridor curves clockwise in relation to Kirk from one shot, but anticlockwise from the other shot! In other words, we end up with a corridor shaped (more or less) like this:
And this is in "Deck 5, near my (Kirk's) quarters!" Where on earth might this perculiar corridor segment fit?
As for Kirk, Spock & McCoy's trip through the hallways at the start of the episode, I always assumed that the second corridor sequence was some distance away from the first, probably inthe secondary hull as they made their way towards the Hangar Deck. Certainly they do pass a sign directing them back toward the "Transporter Section" which (as you've suggested elsewhere) is likely to be in the same hull as the Shuttlebay. | <urn:uuid:aac060db-7b64-4b60-8869-b56a51b27203> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.trekbbs.com/showpost.php?p=7399804&postcount=69 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9546 | 308 | 1.515625 | 2 |
|If you can meet my soul ...|
"Students, since today we got a new classmate, I think we should each introduce ourselves to her. My name is Mrs. Williams and I am happy to be your teacher this year. I am married and have a three-year-old son named Mike. My husband is studying to be a doctor. Let's start here on the front row, and each of you can tell Cindy about yourself."
The students stood up and spoke one by one. I noticed Cindy started breathing deeply. She shrank down in her chair until her neck rested on the cold metal of the chair back and her knees bumped the underside of her desk.
When it was her turn to speak, Cindy did not stand up. Every head in the room turned and looked curiously in her direction. Suddenly a boy named Joel broke out: "She has nothing to say! She must be tongue-tied." Cindy started sobbing into her shoulder.
I stood up and said: "Let's be nice to the newcomer. She's just a little bit shy. We'll know her very soon."
The class began. I tore out a page from my notebook and wrote a note to her: "Don't worry about that Joel, I will teach him a lesson today." She read the note and ignored me. I then wrote another sentence: "He will apologize to you tomorrow when he comes back." She still disregarded it.
I handed to her another note written: "Multiple choice. By today sunset, I will give Joel a bump. Please pick an answer from below: (A) his forehead (B) his eyebrow (C) his jaw (D) other place you want, please specify ________."
She finally looked up at me.
"Can I be your friend?" I said.
From that moment on | <urn:uuid:5194cd10-331f-4096-af30-ddbfa919ba4d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.opendiary.com/entryview.asp?authorcode=D635776&entry=10019&mode= | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984625 | 379 | 1.84375 | 2 |
In early 1989, a group of 15 people began meeting weekly in an Upper East Side apartment. Their purpose was to pray about planting a new church in the heart of Manhattan for professional New Yorkers. One of their concerns was that new believers were finding it difficult to locate a church they could attend, a church that was open to people who were seeking answers regarding their faith, and where they felt secure in bringing their friends who were skeptical about matters of faith. Because Dr. Timothy Keller had already been designated by the Mission to North America Committee of the Presbyterian Church in America to investigate the needs of New York City and the possibility of church planting here, he began meeting with this prayer group.
Although Dr. Keller's schedule was already full due to his teaching commitments at Westminster Theological Seminary, he continued commuting to New York regularly to meet with the prayer group to discuss the possibilities of church development with them. Before long, as Dr. Keller learned more about the spiritual needs of New York City, he began to feel a call here.
By the spring of 1989, this movement had taken on such urgency that an evening service was begun on April 9, 1989, at the Church of the Advent Hope, which was home to a Seventh-Day Adventist congregation. In June the Kellers moved to New York with their three young boys. By the end of the summer the congregation had grown to such an extent that the decision was made to add another service. A morning service featuring classical music and a more liturgical form of worship was added on September 24, 1989. By Christmas, attendance at the church numbered approximately 250; by its first anniversary Redeemer had added three staff members to work in administration, small groups and Christian education.
While no one had doubted God's direction in establishing a new church in Manhattan, neither had anyone expected an authentic revival. But so it seemed. New believers were being added weekly, skeptics were thronging to the services, every decision seemed blessed, and God provided for every need, sometimes before we even knew we had it.
By early spring of 1993, Redeemer had outgrown the Adventist Church, even though it was holding four services each Sunday in a building that seated nearly 400. With extraordinary timing, Hunter College Auditorium became available and we moved our services there in March of 1993.
From its first morning worship service, Redeemer has grown to an average Sunday attendance of around 4500 per week, although it would be more accurate to say that there are about double that number who attend on a regular basis. Sunday services are held in different locations around the city and many ministries have been developed to address human needs in the city. In 1992 Redeemer founded Hope for New York, an outward-facing mercy ministry focused on addressing the practical needs of the city's population.
Since 1993, Redeemer has not only continued to grow as a congregation, but has also begun working to plant churches in and around New York as well as supporting church-planting efforts in other global cities. In 1996 Redeemer decided to become a multi-site church rather than continue growing in one location into a "mega-church." This model was formed around the idea of setting up worship service sites for four distinct congregations around Central Park instead of one large congregation meeting at Hunter College.
In the autumn of 1997, Redeemer concluded its first Capital Campaign and used the funds to initiate the development of the multi-site model and to found the Redeemer Church Planting Center.
From 1993 to 2003, Redeemer planted daughter churches throughout the New York Metro area. The first two were in Greenwich Village (The Village Church) and Rye, New York (Trinity Presbyterian.) In partnership with others, New Song Fellowship in Harlem and North Shore Presbyterian in Oyster Bay, Long Island were established. Since its founding in 2000 the Redeemer Church Planting Center has provided resources, including financing, mentoring, leadership and ministers, for these and many other church plants. Other daughter/granddaughter/sister churches planted include: the Teaneck, Hoboken, and Montclair churches in New Jersey; and Grace Church in Palo Alto California. Church plants in cities outside the U.S. include Toronto, Budapest, Sao Paulo and London.
As of fall 2003, the development of Redeemer's multi-site model had taken shape with an East Side location for AM & PM congregations and two separate West Side sites for a morning and evening congregation. Even so, by the fall of 2004 Sunday attendance averaged approximately 4200 people at four services weekly. The need to purchase property (instead of bequeathing the instability of renting to the next generation) became unavoidable, so Redeemer conducted a Vision Campaign in the fall of 2005. The theme of the campaign was “Serving our neighbors, changing the world.” Funds were raised to start new community-formation ministries, enable more churches to be planted, and purchase property in Manhattan for the purpose of building Redeemer’s first Community & Worship Center.
At the end of 2006 Redeemer entered into contract to purchase a property at 150 West 83rd Street. In addition, several ministries have been started or grown as a direct result. The Center for Faith & Work has expanded—most significantly, by launching comprehensive professional development ministries for artists (The Arts Greenhouse), entrepreneurs (The Entrepreneurship Initiative) and an extensive mentorship program for young professionals (Gotham Fellows).
In March of 2007 Redeemer grew from 4 to 5 worship services (offering an additional West Side evening service.) And by the end of 2008, congregation wide involvement in weekly fellowship groups had increased dramatically, more than doubling in a three-year span to about 3,000 congregants who were involved in weekly Bible study and fellowship.
In 2011 Redeemer began the process of multiplying into three generative congregations around the city. These congregations each with it's own Lead Pastor, will be unique in some ways but Redeemer will remain one church body located east, west and south of Central Park. As three "sister" congregations united by our preaching, under Dr. Keller’s senior leadership each will develop plans for serving their neighborhoods more distinctively and on a deeper, more transforming level. The hope is that the three congregations will eventually multiply further into 6 to 9 neighborhood based congregations within 5 to 10 years. | <urn:uuid:8c5640c8-010d-41ee-8247-7232f8341dc2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://[email protected]/about_us/vision_and_values/history.html | 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 | 0.979198 | 1,315 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Athletics teach you how to move smoothly and from your center. The modern study of athletic movement (as one would find in football, basket ball, track and field etc) teaches any of the things I can think of that are learned in "internal". The language is different but the lessons are the same. It's hard to go into anymore detail without further understanding your knowledge of sports training.
I don't know of any athletic training that teaches coordination of ki through intent to move the body. Could you tell me where they're doing that? | <urn:uuid:ffc5b464-d5b5-440a-bb43-feb9cd6e7fbe> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.aikiweb.com/forums/showpost.php?p=274500&postcount=22 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971029 | 112 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Evansdale Citizens Propose Ways to Commemorate Slain Cousins
EVANSDALE, Iowa - The 13th of July will forever be remembered as the day two young girls vanished in town. A day that changed the lives of two families and a community.
The Evansdale Chamber of Commerce and many citizens asked the City Council during Tuesday’s council meeting to declare every July 13th “Elizabeth and Lyric Day.” They also asked for their support on other proposals to keep the memories of Elizabeth Collins and Lyric Cook-Morrissey alive.
The cousins were 8 and 10, respectively, when they were abducted while riding bikes in Evansdale.
A community-wide manhunt, which turned into a nationwide search, for the girls came up empty. Their bodies were found by hunters on Dec. 5 at Seven Bridges Wildlife Area near Readlyn.
Mayor Chad Deutsch said he will simply make a proclamation each year dedicating the 13th to the girls. It would be up to future mayors to do the same.
“I don’t think anyone is against doing something (like that),” Deutsch said.
A special day commemorating the girls’ lives, though, was only the beginning. Dona Frickson, president of the Evansdale Chamber of Commerce, and others in the audience suggested several other ways to honor the young cousins.
Ideas included changing the name of Meyers Lake --- a focal point of the initial search and the site of numerous prayer vigils --- to Cousins Lake, renaming the park at the lake after the girls or even naming the trail around the lake The Trail of Angels.
Other amenities suggested included a gazebo and rose garden, which would be a place to reflect on the girls’ lives.
As police track down the youngsters’ killer(s), council members said they will do whatever they can to make sure Elizabeth and Lyric will always be remembered.
But it will be up the city’s Parks and Recreation Board to give the go ahead for name changes or other additions at public parks.
No decisions were made, but city officials are confident things will be done in honor of Elizabeth and Lyric. An extensive fundraising campaign will commence soon for memorials, officials said.
“We’re 100 percent behind it,” said Steve Seible, parks board member.
What's On KCRG | <urn:uuid:e25800fd-bf9f-4bb4-8914-b8d2085d239d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kcrg.com/home/top-9/Evansdale-Citizens-Propose-Ways-to-Commemorate-Slain-Cousins-184060111.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96281 | 501 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Hope that Hop.E's legacy lives on
10/09/2012 , 1:29 PM by Joanne Shoebridge
Sad news for many people in the Tweed with the passing of one of the valley's most committed and passionate environmental campaigners. Paul Hop.E ('Hoppy') Hopkins passed away after a long illness last Wednesday. He was 72. Hop.E was an architect, town planner and lecturer who moved from Brisbane to the Tweed in 1973. He was instrumental in preventing the development of the summit of Mt Nullum as a lavish retirement village in the late 80s. Doug Moran had proposed to fly high-paying elderly residents by chopper to the summit retirement village, that would have overlooked Murwillumbah. The campaign led to the foundation of the Caldera Environment Centre, with Hop.E at it's helm until his death. The passion of his later years was a proposal to have UNESCO list the Border Ranges as a 'biosphere', a proposal that he believed would have economic, social and environmental benefits. Paul Hop.E Hopkins is survived by his partner, Cynthia Brooks, and children Nick, Tom and Thea. | <urn:uuid:773ea112-8580-460d-9814-3904fdadc100> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.abc.net.au/nsw/2012/09/hope-that-hopes-legacy-lives-on.html?site=northcoast&program=north_coast_mornings | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983637 | 235 | 1.578125 | 2 |
By Jared Bowen | Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Oct. 19, 2011
BOSTON — One of the world's most watched televised sports turned deadly this week when two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon died in a 15-car pile up at Las Vegas's Indy 300 on Oct. 16.
The race had barely started when the 33-year old launched into the air and to his death. Wheldon's death left the racing world stunned. It's been at least five years since a driver was killed in a race, yet with speeds close to 200 miles per hour, it's a wonder these types of deadly accidents don't occur more often.
Wheldon's Oct. 16 crash was sudden, horrific and ultimately catastrophic. IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard delivered the bad news.
"IndyCar is very sad to announce that Dan Wheldon has passed away from unsurvivable injury," Bernard said.
With the news that Dan Wheldon, the popular English race-car driver had died, drivers did a five-lap salute in his honor.
The fiery multi-car wreck abruptly ended IndyCar's season leaving fellow drivers visibly shaken and spectators mourning. His father in-law called him a great human being and went on to express how shocked his family is.
Sunday's accident was the most high profile race death since Dale Earnhardt's in the Daytona 500 ten years ago and is now prompting concerns about the sport's safety.
"I think it's going to raise that sort of, all who thought it was important to have safety," said former Indy 500 racecar driver Lyn St. James, "but it's even going to raise the bar for everybody to pay more attention about what we can do to continue to make our sport safer. It's always going to be a high-risk, dangerous sport. "
One with deadly consequences that has left a community stunned.
By Adam Reilly | Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Sept. 21, 2011
BOSTON — In theory at least, ticket scalping is illegal here in Massachusetts. But in reality it's widely accepted. From the guys who peddle Sox tickets outside Fenway, to outfits like Stub Hub and Ace Ticket that routinely sell thousands of seats at a hefty markup. Now a proposed law would give scalpers free rein; letting anyone who buys a ticket resell it at any price. Proponents say it's a simple issue of economic freedom, but the truth may be a bit more complicated.
Take a stroll down Brookline Avenue before any Red Sox game and you'll see how easy it is to flout state law. You're supposed to have a license to resell tickets — and you're not supposed to jack the price up more than $2 plus expenses. Yet Fenway's unlicensed scalpers operate right on the street. And if you buy from a licensed reseller like Stub Hub or Ace Ticket, you'll pay a heck of a lot more than two bucks extra. For some folks I talked to, the experience is a mixed bag. One woman paid $90 for a ticket with a $30 face value.
Now Brighton State Representative Mike Moran wants to scrap the state's feeble anti-scalping law altogether — letting anyone who buys a ticket resell it at any price. That could benefit ordinary fans looking to unload tickets at the last minute, but only if they can overcome the public's intense aversion to buying on the street.
However, the biggest beneficiaries would probably be Stub Hub and Ace Ticket. Moran's bill would let them raise prices even higher, and in sports crazed New England they'd have no shortage of buyers. I asked another woman if she would mind the markup up at a Stub Hub or Ace ticket, and she replied, "Not really, provided that you get a good seat and guaranteed ticket."
This isn't the first attempt to scrap the state's anti-scalping law. In 2008 a similar bill died as controversy engulfed then House Speaker Sal DiMasi. But now DiMasi is gone – and scalping's legalized heyday may finally be at hand.
By Jess Bidgood | Thursday, June 16, 2011
June 16, 2011
BOSTON — 79-year-old Jenny Zablocki decided at the last minute on Wednesday night to head to The Connection, a small South Boston sports bar, to watch the Bruins in their final Stanley Cup face-off against the Vancouver Canucks. The patrons of the bar know Zablocki well, since she’s there almost every week to watch one game or another. They say she's their good luck charm.
“They says, you have to come because they win, they win!” Zablocki said. “You know, so tonight we come down they says you’re here, because we’re gonna win!”
Her friends made the right predecition. When the game came to its decisive, victorious end, the whole city of Boston seemed to erupt with joy. Fans spilled into Downtown Boston’s streets, hugging, singing and chanting, “We won the cup!” And at The Connection, dozens of longtime Southie residents banded together for a moment 39 years in the making, launching a group rendition of “We are the Champions.”
“This place is packed, it’s packed more than it usually is. It’s awesome, awesome,” said John Devine, a 54-year-old postal worker.
He started watching the Bruins in the late 1960s, just before they won their last Cup in 1972. “It doesn’t get any better than this,” Devine said. “Now (the Bruins) can be in the same category, the upper echelon of the great Boston teams.”
“I’m just happy, wicked happy,” said UMASS maintenance worker Rick Shaw. “They’re like all of us, they’re hard workers you know, they deserve it.”
Brady Griffin sported a Bruins jersey and a scruffy red beard, mirroring the playoff beards of the players on the ice. He says been to The Connection a million times — his uncle tends bar there — but tonight was different. He's on the younger side, so he had never seen the Bruins take home a championship.
“I grew up playing hockey and that was the first team that I became attracted to. As I grew older, then I realized you know the pride in the hometown and the Bruins are kind of it for me, it’s the one,” Griffin said. “I’ve always said if the Bruins won I don’t know what I’d do with myself, and I really don’t know what I’d do with myself.”
Outside the bar, as cars honked past and people extolled the virtues of Boston’s “dirty water,” Zablocki just grinned.
“It’s wonderful that we won it because we deserve it. I mean, both teams were matched perfectly, but the best team wins,” Zablocki said. “And I’m so happy for them, because we haven’t won a cup for how many years? Oh, forever, it seems. And the hockey, since Bobby Orr!”
Zablocki says she’ll be back at The Connection for Red Sox games — and she hopes that team will pick up where the Bruins are leaving off.
By Phillip Martin | Wednesday, June 15, 2011
June 15, 2011
The Make Way For Ducklings statue in Boston Common were adorned with Bruins capes. (mrwalter/Flickr)
BOSTON — Just hours before the Boston Bruins square off against the Vancouver Canucks, Bruins Mania is in the air. It seemed to be on the minds of just about everyone in downtown Boston.
Diehard fan Bob Lyons is hanging from the window of his car at a red light — and he's beaming with confidence. But his initial comments cannot be used in a public forum. So I asked him for a radio friendly assessment of the rival Canucks.
"Vancouver. They play like my twin sisters. They absolutely do. The Bruins are going to win in regulation 3 to 1," Lyons predicts.
Johnny Kinsman, of Somerville, is not nearly as sure of victory — even though he's wearing a Bruins jersey.
"I’m very excited for the game, very nervous and cautiously optimistic," Kinsman said.
Kinsman is riding his bike around historic sites in downtown Boston, but they look a little different today. The Paul Revere statue is draped in a black and yellow Bruins jersey. Lately, there has been some controversy over Sarah Palin's interpretation of Revere’s famous ride, but Kinsman has his own version. He's convinced that Revere rode into the night to warn the Vancouver Canucks that the Bruins were coming. And he says he has the evidence to prove it.
"I wanted to take a picture of the Paul Revere with his jersey, George Washington in his jersey and hopefully the Ducklings still have theirs too," Kinsman said, referring to the black and yellow Bruins capes worn by the "Make Way For Ducklings" statues on Boston Common.
But not everyone was cheering the Bruins. One man who wouldn't give his name said he's a New York Rangers, Yankees and Giants fan.
"Of all the Boston teams that could win a championship the one that would bother me the least would be the Bruins. But I don’t think the Bruins got it tonight because they just haven’t shown anything in Vancouver. It’s a different game when it’s in Canada and the stadiums really loud," he said.
On the corner of Beacon and Charles, Justin Goodstein of Cambridge is relaxed and exudes confidence.
"We have the power. We have the full force taken from this last game to just go there and take it away."
He says he doesn't have a whit of sympathy for Vancouver. "I love Canada, but we just got to win this one. That’s it," Goodstein said.
By The Associated Press | Wednesday, June 15, 2011
June 15, 2011
BOSTON — The city of Boston is taking extra precautions as it prepares for possible Stanley Cup celebrations.
The Boston Bruins are in Vancouver on Wednesday to take on the Canucks in the seventh and deciding game of the NHL's championship series.
Even though the team is on the road, police are deploying hundreds of extra officers to patrol the streets around TD Garden and Fenway Park, neighborhoods with dozens of sports bars where fans tend to congregate.
The city is also banning on-street parking in those same areas.
The Bruins also decided against holding a fans viewing party in the TD Garden because of potential problems.
NFL, NBA and World Series championship celebrations in the city in the past seven years have resulted in three deaths and widespread vandalism.
By Jess Bidgood and Ben Taylor | Friday, April 22, 2011
April 22, 2011
BOSTON — This summer, a new fleet of sharable bikes is coming to Boston. On Thursday, Mayor Menino signed a $6 million contract with Alta Bike Share, declaring, "The car is no longer king in Boston."
The new bike-share program, officially named Hubway, will put over 600 bikes on 61 bike racks around the city. It's a bit like car-sharing service Zipcar, except members of the share can pick up a bike, take it where they need to go, and leave it in any rack they want. "People riding a bike from Dudley Square to Faneuil Hall, they can drop the bike off there, they can walk along the waterfront, to pick up another bike to return to their neighborhoods,” Menino said.
Menino's announcement touched off something of a celebration for dozens of cycling enthusiasts gathered on City Hall Plaza to watch (admittedly, their presence may have also been aided by free burritos). Ranging from young to old, this group of bike devotees might actually be the people least likely to use the share themselves, since many of the bikers already had their own bikes by their sides. But there was broad agreement in the crowd that the presence of a bike share can help Boston become a more two-wheeled city.
Samantha Wexler is the executive director of Bikes Not Bombs, a Jamaica Plain non-profit organization (recently rated the city's best non-profit by the Boston Phoenix) that uses bikes for community development. She said bike-share programs tend to encourage new or uncommitted bikers to look more closely at bikes as a viable transit option.
"People who maybe aren't used to biking in Boston will have an opportunity to try it,” Wexler said. "And the more people that we get on bikes, obviously, the more we begin to change what the city looks like."
Jed Jeng, a regular cyclist from Cambridge, came to the announcement because he's used a similar system already implemented in Montreal. He said a bike share won't just change the look of city transport — but what Bostonians can use it to see. "Hopfully, it'll allow people to take advantage of 'hidden gems' like (Somerville's) Union Square, which aren't really accessible on public transportation," Jeng said.
Nearby, 70-year-old Lois Levin talked about how difficult it's been for her to try and make her hometown of Newton more bike-friendly, mostly due to resistance from residents who complain that bike lanes narrow the roadways. She's wondering if the accessibility and utility of a bike-share in Boston won't change minds outside of the city.
And she pointed out that it might be people from outside of Boston who have the most to gain from the bike share, should they be unable to bring bikes into the city with them, but need to make short trips while there. “I would come into town on the T and use the bike share. I’m dying to use the bike share,” Levin said.
For 56-year-old Michael Blythe, news of a bike share couldn't have come at a better time. He lives in Savin Hill with no car, and used to bike around everywhere -— until his bike was ruined by the winter.
"I was going to have to buy one. So this is almost great timing for me,” Blythe said.
The program begins in July. Members can pay $85 to use the share for the year, or $5 per day. Rides under 30 minutes will be free. | <urn:uuid:3d29ed0a-c873-4dc1-90d3-6d3338192b21> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wgbh.org/Blogs/Home.cfm?topicID=178&Date=&startRow=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973193 | 3,084 | 1.507813 | 2 |
There’s a note of holiday cheer in the air as investors convince themselves that the United States is in better shape than once feared, that Europe may actually figure a way out of its mess and that China will glide to soft landing.
Still, it’s plain to me and my investment colleagues that 2012 is not going to be the year of the bull. There are too many risks, too many unanswered questions. The range of possible outcomes has rarely been larger.
The coming year promises to be just as convoluted as the one that’s about to end. A massive bout of debt “deleveraging” is ready to rip through the global economy as governments and consumers are forced to rein in their deficits. The effects will be felt by everyone.
How do you make money in this environment? Here are 10 investing themes we are following closely:
1. U.S. multi-family housing: Home ownership rates are declining while tight vacancy rates are providing good support for rents.
2. Asian consumers: Emerging markets are growing wealthier and investing in companies that serve their burgeoning middle classes will provide many wealth-building opportunities.
3. Dollar/discount stores: In North America consumers are becoming more frugal. Deep discount retailers are reaping the benefits.
4. Energy infrastructure: Pipelines and similar firms deliver strong free cash flow yields and benefit from high barriers to potential competition.
5. Gold mining stocks: They’re undervalued and are raising their dividends.
6. Water delivery services: The World Bank estimates that global agriculture will require up to 45 per cent more water over the next two decades.
7. Tobacco/beverages/movies: These sectors are where people spent their time and money in the 1930s. If times turn tougher, we could be ready for a repeat.
8. Utilities: Their yield and pricing power make for a potent combination.
9. Food products: You still have to eat.
10. Home improvement/gardening: Aging boomers are spending more time at home and dollars are going to flow to sectors that service this cocooning trend.
To be sure, good investing requires more than just picking the right themes. Choosing the appropriate asset mix is equally vital.
If you had put all your eggs in the S&P 500 basket a decade ago, your average annual return would have barely exceeded 1 per cent a year in U.S. dollars. But had you put 40 per cent of your portfolio into bonds back in 2001, your blended return would have been very close to 6 per cent a year.
So it is crucial to be diversified. There are also two long-term trends to keep in mind.
First, there is a growing shortage of a stable income-paying investments. Bond yields are pitifully low and dividend yields for the market as a whole are not that much more impressive. All of that speaks to the swelling appetite among investors for what I call SIRP – safety and income at a reasonable price. You want to own stocks that can deliver SIRP, not only for their inherent benefits, but also because their scarcity value is going to drive up their prices.
Second, as the rating agencies downgrade entity after entity, the global list of havens is dwindling. Again, investors are going to be willing to pay up for anything that can deliver safety in these volatile times.
Given these factors, we believe your dominant focus in 2012 should be on finding investments that can offer both capital preservation and safe income, whether that be in bonds, hedge-fund strategies or reliable dividend-paying stocks.
None of this is exactly new, of course. But building a diversified portfolio, concentrating on quality companies, and looking for ways to generate stable income at reasonable prices are themes that seem particularly appropriate for what could be a tumultuous 2012.
Yes. Virginia, there are ways to earn a return in a volatile, uncertain, deflationary environment. | <urn:uuid:60861bab-fa66-454b-b1de-c5175fa57b43> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://m.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/investment-ideas/david-rosenbergs-10-investing-themes-for-the-year-ahead/article4171620/?service=mobile | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958147 | 812 | 1.617188 | 2 |
HUNTSVILLE, AL -- Huntsville leaders are exploring zoning changes that could make parts of the Rocket City look and feel more like the Village of Providence.
Planning Commission members spent Tuesday morning learning about SmartCode, a development blueprint that emphasizes walkable neighborhoods where homes, schools, shopping and workplaces mix comfortably.
It also promotes a diversity of housing options - single-family, townhouses, apartments, lofts - and redeveloping neighborhoods to limit suburban sprawl.
Providence, with its blend of restaurants, retail, urban lofts and swanky homes all within strolling distance, was this area's first SmartCode development.
The concept has been adopted by a number of cities, including Montgomery, Pike Road in Montgomery County, San Antonio and Miami. Others, including Gurley in eastern Madison County, are taking a hard look at it.
Marie Bostick, Huntsville's acting planning director, said the city is considering smart zoning rules for downtown as well as undeveloped "greenfield" sites.
But it won't happen right away: Developers, home builders, real estate agents and the general public need to be on board first, Bostick said.
"We don't want to end up ... with half the community saying, 'We think this is awful,' " she said Tuesday.
At its core, SmartCode is about form: aesthetically pleasing building heights and shapes, interconnected (usually tree-lined) streets, relaxing green spaces that people can walk to from home or work.
By contrast, conventional zoning clumps similar uses together: housing here, shopping there, schools somewhere else. People need a car to get from place to place.
While 40 percent of Americans say they want walkable neighborhoods, city planners were told, only about 10 percent of homes are in pedestrian-friendly areas.
Commercial real estate agent Richard Crunkleton, who lives in the historic Twickenham area, urged the city to give SmartCode a try. He said it would be nearly impossible to recreate Twickenham under today's zoning ordinance.
"People like to go where things are pretty," Crunkleton said, "and quite frankly, SmartCode is a way to do that."
Developers tend to like it, he said, because the code tells them exactly what they can build on a given parcel. And people moving in know precisely what the neighboring properties will look like.
But Planning Commission member Janet Watson said the city needs to be careful about "heaping on" new rules that drive up the cost of housing.
"We need to be sure we don't regulate affordable products out of the market," she said. | <urn:uuid:eabccef3-c6a0-416a-ab06-3d19a7b00740> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.al.com/breaking/2010/04/could_smart_zoning_be_on_the_w.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961868 | 544 | 1.59375 | 2 |
All the years I have been here I have heard the argument that Latvia should produce more high value-added goods, seemingly supposed to mean something more high-tech and certainly less low-tech. So why does the country not do that? Because the argument contains some inherent fallacies. It is thus a largely meaningless discussion but it seems to go on, year after year….
From a macroeconomic perspective the argument is trivial. As value added is just another word for GDP it is the same as saying that the country should create more GDP i.e. be richer and I guess nobody is really against that. Latvia is currently, by GDP per capita, the most often used measure for income per person, in 24th position in the EU27, just ahead of Poland, Romania and Bulgaria. In an EU context Latvia is thus poor and of course we would like to see that change.
It is more interesting to analyze the more-high-value-added-goods idea from a microeconomic point of view. Allow me an example with a very simple production process, the digging of holes and a very simple "product", holes dug (!) Let a man dig holes with his hands and he will not dig that many. Give him a shovel and he will dig more but give him a Bobcat and he can dig very many! In microeconomics we would say that the better equipped labour is with physical capital (factories, equipment etc.) the more productive it is i.e. the more holes it can dig and thus the more GDP it can create. Argument: Latvia might be relatively poor because of a lack of physical capital. But one fallacy also appears. Even holes dug with the help of a Bobcat are not really high-tech, right? Paul Krugman once, famously, had an example of one of the most value-adding production processes per person employed in America: The making of potato chips… I guess it is one man pressing a button and then machines do the rest.
But our hole-digging man has more issues to address – some of his working time is spent not digging holes but doing accounting to report his earnings to the State Revenue Service. The more details he has to report, the fewer holes he can dig thus the less GDP he creates – red tape makes people less productive. Argument: The more bureaucratic the public sector is the lower is GDP.
But why is our man digging holes – which, as mentioned, I would associate with low-tech production – in the first place and not producing fancy software or whatever so-called high-tech product one might think of? Because he does not have the skills to do so, he lacks education. A more than 200 years old principle still applies but is so often misinterpreted: Countries produce what they are relatively good at – they produce according to their comparative advantage. If Latvia does not produce enough high-tech software, biotech goods etc it is because it is just not good at it – the relevant inputs, here mainly highly skilled labour just do not prevail. And one cannot "order" more production of such goods – that would be a sort of planned economy way of thinking – "ordering" more of such production – and this is the second fallacy to believe that this can "just" be done – would fail as the lack of proper skills would result in such goods either not being appropriately made or being made at way too high costs and thus being uncompetitive.
Yes, yes – there are many smart people in Latvia and there is also fancy production here and there and all that – but this simple analysis explains why the country is still poor in an EU sense: It is on average poorly equipped with skills, possibly poorly equipped with physical capital and most likely equipped with a burdensome public sector – and that’s why it deals with scrap metal and not wind turbines.
Increase the level of skills, make the country more attractive for investment and production and its comparative advantages will shift – but believing that one can dictate shifts in production is futile. | <urn:uuid:ee97d2d6-a4ec-42a0-83a6-b1f2f1751dd2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.diena.lv/the-latvia-should-produce-more-high-value-added-goods-fallacy-665081 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968257 | 815 | 1.773438 | 2 |
A video game that hasn't even been released is said to be the inspiration for a group of soldiers charged with murder and accused of plotting terrorist acts, including the assassination of the president.
Prosecutors in Long County, Ga., part of the larger community surrounding Fort Stewart, home of the Army's Third Infantry Division, said an Army private used a magazine article on Rainbow 6: Patriots to test recruits to an "anarchist militia." The video game, from Ubisoft, is scheduled for release in 2013.
The group called itself "FEAR," short for "Forever Enduring Always Ready," and several of its members face charges in connection with the murder of a member of the group and his 17-year-old girlfriend. Prosecutors say the leader, Isaac Aguigui, ordered the killing because the victim appeared to be distancing himself from the group and its aims, which was taken to be a threat to the group's secrecy.
The latest details come from the guilty plea of another soldier. Prosecutors say FEAR managed to acquire some $60,000 worth of weapons, greatly financed by the proceeds of a life insurance policy whose owner was the wife of the militia's leader, and who prosecutors said died under "mysterious circumstances."
They said that Aguigui read a magazine article (the publication was not named) about Rainbow 6: Patriots, whose story concerns a group of domestic terrorists, apparently motivated by economic inequality in the United States. One trailer for the game depicts the terrorists bursting in on a Wall Street executive, beating him in his office, strapping a bomb to him and then pushing him out the window of a skyscraper, detonating the bomb as he hits the pavement below. The trailer was shown at the Spike Video Game Awards on Dec. 10, six days after the murder of the former group member and his girlfriend.
"The game features a domestic terrorist organization compris[ing] U.S. soldiers who attack their own government, thus the soldiers are the true patriots," prosecutor Isabel Pauley told a judge on Tuesday.
Her office alleges that FEAR's aims included bombing a public fountain in nearby Savannah, Ga., bombing a dam in Washington State and poisoning crops there, and killing the president. In all, four soldiers face charges in connection with the killing and their involvement in the group.
Rainbow Six: Patriots is scheduled for release next year but in March, the game's creative director, lead designer, narrative director and animation director all were removed from the project. | <urn:uuid:0de5ea0c-02e7-41ab-a5e1-5940662cfcd3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://kotaku.com/5939753/alleged-domestic-terrorists-said-to-be-inspired-by-the-next-rainbow-six-game | 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 | 0.977466 | 510 | 1.53125 | 2 |
By Zha Minjie | 2013-1-14 | NEWSPAPER EDITION
TENS of thousands of residents in suburban Songjiang District are expected to have safe drinking water from their taps again today after chemical pollutants were discharged last Thursday into a creek from where water supplies are drawn.
But residents of nearby districts where tap water was turned on again earlier complained that the water still had a chemical smell.
The carcinogenic pollutants discharged into Jueshigang Creek were mostly benzene compounds, including styrene.
Tap water, which was cut off Friday, was to resume flowing to affected areas of Songjiang District around midnight last night.
Residents in Maogang Town, Songjiang, are advised to let their taps run for 20 to 30 minutes to flush out any polluted water once operations resume.
About 30,000 residents in the town had to line up for the water delivered by fire engines for the past two days as water in Maogang Water Plant was still undergoing treatment.
Bottled water also was delivered to other nearby areas, but even though tap water service had been restored, residents complained about its odor.
"I still smell gas from the running water," a resident who lives in Jinshan's Zhujing Town posted on the Internet yesterday. "How are we supposed to drink the water?" asked the person, who declined to give a name.
The Jinshan District government said water authorities had conducted 33 tests from Saturday to Sunday at a water treatment plant and the water is safe to drink. No unsafe levels of pollutants were detected during the tests, officials said.
As of late yesterday, water authorities said water from Jinshan and Fengxian water treatments plants, close to the affected creek, "did not completely remove the smell" of chemicals. However, they said it should be gone soon.
"City water authorities will continue to monitor the water quality each hour to ensure safety," an official said.
The discharge was caused by a leaky valve on a chemical transport boat during loading at a dock in Jinshan.
Altogether 23 locals were hospitalized, mainly due to inhaling benzene compounds, since the incident broke out on Thursday night. Five remained in the hospital yesterday, all in stable condition.
Four people, three on board the vessel and a director of the Jinwei Chemicals Co, have been detained, with another three suspects released on bail, officials said. Authorities found that the dock was not licensed for handling chemicals.
Affected residents in Jinshan will see their water bills cut in half for the month, district government announced yesterday evening. Songjiang District government said residents in Songjiang will also see similar discounts, but they didn't specify the amount. | <urn:uuid:7084ab09-3ae3-4f95-b63d-efa3946e448e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.shanghaidaily.com/nsp/Metro/2013/01/14/Taps%2Bstart%2Bto%2Bflow%2Bagain%2Bafter%2Bleak%2Bof%2Btoxins/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981435 | 557 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Pastoral region of France is 'beautiful', says novelist
People planning European cycling holidays will find that exploring the countryside of Provence is an experience of going 'back in time'.
That is according to novelist Nicholas Delbanco, who wrote in the New York Times about a journey he took to the French region with his wife.
He noted that the scenery Provence offers is 'beautiful', but also that one may find the real countryside the more one explores.
"Someone once observed that, every year, you have to move a kilometre inland in order to find old Provence … the farther north you travel … the farther back you go in time," he said.
"Here the landscape seems unaltered; a rock outcrop caught the southwest sun as it had done long years before; the olive trees were lifting, glinting, now as then."
People planning to take a cycling holiday to Provence may be interested in cycling through the region's stretching vineyards, including those belonging to the Appellation d'origine controlee of Chateauneuf du Pape. | <urn:uuid:b0cd17cb-a5ac-4778-a9d7-f86a9c0f3891> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.exploreworldwide.com.au/features/11251-visiting-provence-is-like-going-back-in-time?cc=AU&nr=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962109 | 230 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Background: Retrograde intramedullary nailing is an established procedure for tibiotalocalcaneal arthrodesis. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of angle-stable locking or compressed angle-stable locking on the initial stability of the nails and on the behavior of the constructs under cyclic loading conditions.
Methods: Tibiotalocalcaneal arthrodesis was performed in fifteen third-generation synthetic bones and twenty-four fresh-frozen cadaver legs with use of retrograde intramedullary nailing with three different locking modes: a Stryker nail with compressed angle-stable locking, a Stryker nail with angle-stable locking, and a statically locked Biomet nail. Analyses were performed of the initial stability of the specimens (range of motion) and the laxity of the constructs (neutral zone) in dorsiflexion/plantar flexion, varus/valgus, and external rotation/internal rotation. Cyclic testing up to 100,000 cycles was also performed. The range of motion and the neutral zone in dorsiflexion/plantar flexion at specific cycle increments were determined.
Results: In both bone models, the intramedullary nails with compressed angle-stable locking and those with angle-stable locking were significantly superior, in terms of a smaller range of motion and neutral zone, to the statically locked nails. The compressed angle-stable nails were superior to the angle-stable nails only in the synthetic bone model, in external/internal rotation. Cyclic testing showed the nails with angle-stable locking and those with compressed angle-stable locking to have greater stability in both models. In the synthetic bone model, compressed angle-stable locking was significantly better than angle-stable locking; in the cadaver bone model, there was no significant difference between these two locking modes. During cyclic testing, five statically locked nails in the cadaver bone model failed, whereas one nail with angle-stable locking and one with compressed angle-stable locking failed.
Conclusions: Regardless of the bone model, the nails with angle-stable or compressed angle-stable locking had better initial stability and better stability following cycling than did the nails with static locking.
Clinical Relevance: Angle-stable locking of retrograde nails used for tibiotalocalcaneal arthrodesis can enhance construct stability in the hindfoot and may reduce loosening, which may help to improve the clinical outcome. | <urn:uuid:54ef8963-9570-4f3e-97bf-fab9ebda1722> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://jbjs.org/article.aspx?articleID=28612&atab=7 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930121 | 512 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Last year, the 2007 Eurovision win of Marija Serifovic was not only a big morale booster for Serbia at the time, it also meant that the Eurovision was coming to Belgrade in 2008 -- an opportunity that was met with both hope and trepidation by all concerned. The enormous amount of time, money an preparation that was going to be necessary to show the world that "Belgrade could pull this off" with organization and style to showcase this capital city at it's European best, was not for the faint of heart. This was especially true, given that of all the many talents Serbs may be known to possess, "organization" is generally not "a national trait" -- yet "organization" was an essential skill for hosting 15,000 visitors to the city, coordinating the performances and voting on acts from 43 countries, with live performance broadcasting and voting from around the world in an arena of twenty-two thousand people.
Even after many months of planning, events in Belgrade in February of this year following the declaration of Kosovo independence almost derailed Eurovision 2008 in Belgrade.
The burning of the US embassy and looting by a small number of rioters in Belgrade on February 22nd, 2008, raised security concerns for the European Broadcasting Union, and for a short time, the sponsors were considering changing the venue to another country. But security guarantees by Serbia ultimately alleviated their fears and within a few days, Eurovision Belgrade was back on track again.
Ultimately, last week Eurovision 2008 came to Belgrade and the Eurovision 2008 Finals were held and broadcast this last Saturday night, telecast live around the world to several hundred million people. Eurovision Belgrade 2008 was a beautiful, well-organized, brilliant hit!
The news outlet Blic reported:
According to CNN, “Serbian authorities went out of their way to throw a well-organized party, seizing the chance to present the country to the world as a normal European nation after years of pariah status in the 1990s under late strongman Slobodan Milosevic.”Even the representatives of the ex-Yugoslav countries had lots of positive things to say about their Eurovision experience in Belgrade. Delegations from Bosnia and Herzegovina , Croatia, Macedonia , Montenegro and Slovenia participated in the contest and enjoyed the Belgrade nightlife.
According to BBC, Serbia and Belgrade have proven to be part of Europe and have shown a friendly face to numerous guests, something which hasn’t been seen in the media for a long time.
German broadcasting station “Deutsche Welle” highly praises Belgrade for hosting the greatest Eurovision so far, with 43 participating countries and for perfect organization at the “Belgrade Arena”, as well as in the city center, where thousands of people watched the live broadcast.
As an American --prior to reporting on Marija Serifovic's win last year -- I had never even heard of "Eurovision". But, Saturday, I viewed the entire 3 hr and 18 minute live broadcast of the Eurovision 2008 Finals online, and now I understand friends who been hooked on this annual high-camp phenomena for years. Where else can you see a pop singer on the same stage with a world class violinist and an Olympic Gold Medalist ice skater, all performing at the same time? (And, this Russian threesome, led by Dima Bilan, even turned out to be the 2008 Eurovision winners!)
A new arrangement of Marija Serifovic's 2007 winner, "Molitva", opened the show and wasn't to be missed. And a familiar face, Vlade Divac, even made an appearance, throwing a basketball into the audience to open the live, worldwide voting.
At the end, there was the tiniest bit of sadness that "lightning" didn't choose to strike twice in the same spot (or even in the same neighborhood) with another Balkan Eurovision win. Serbia's entry, "Oro" sung by Jelena Tomasevic was really beautiful and even Croatia's entry, which also made it to the finals, featured a nice song by some sweet old guys. But this was not to be, because this year it was Russia's turn. And in May, 2009 --for the first time in Eurovision history -- Moscow will be the Eurovision hosts.
Overall, hosts Zeljko Joksimovic and Jovana Jankovic, the organizers of Eurovision 2008, and the City of Belgrade, took their bows to verbal standing ovations. They had made their country -- and Serbs everywhere -- once again, very proud!
And many thanks are once again due to that a little "long-shot entry" from Kragujevac, named Marija Serifovic -- and her fans -- without whom this opportunity would not have been possible ! | <urn:uuid:81fa1db1-f560-46df-a949-c534c8086f5a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://serbblog.blogspot.com/2008/05/2008-eurovision-belgrade-was-big-hit.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966188 | 1,010 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Laos: Clinton Should Urge End to Abuses at Drug Center
|Publisher||Human Rights Watch|
|Publication Date||10 July 2012|
|Cite as||Human Rights Watch, Laos: Clinton Should Urge End to Abuses at Drug Center, 10 July 2012, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/4fffffaf2.html [accessed 25 May 2013]|
|Disclaimer||This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.|
United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton should call for the immediate release of detainees at the Somsanga drug detention center in her meeting with Lao Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong, Human Rights Watch said today. Clinton is scheduled to visit the Lao capital, Vientiane, on July 11, 2012.
The US government should stop all funding and other support to the center until the Lao government conducts a full and independent investigation into human rights abuses and puts protections into place to prevent future abuses against those held there, including children, Human Rights Watch said.
"The Lao government and the US State Department claim that Somsanga is a modern healthcare center," said Joe Amon, health and human rights director at Human Rights Watch. "But a decade of US funding hasn't changed the fact that it's a brutal and inhumane detention center where the Lao government puts 'undesirable' people."
An October 2011 Human Rights Watch report, "Somsanga's Secrets,"on conditions at Somsanga, found that it holds children and adults against their will in a facility with high walls, barbed wire, and guards, indicative of a detention center rather than a drug treatment center. People are held at the center without access to legal counsel, appearing before a judge, or being able to appeal their detention. Street children, the homeless, and the mentally ill are detained alongside people who use drugs. Former detainees reported that anyone trying to escape the center was brutally beaten, and a number described suicides among those held. One child who spent six months in Somsanga told Human Rights Watch: "Some people think that to die is better than staying there." The Somsanga center is a large complex of concrete buildings. Most visitors to the center are shown the "upper buildings," the Somsanga clinic and the dormitories nearby where patients can stay if their relatives are willing to pay. Further inside Somsanga center, downhill, is what former detainees refer to as the "lower buildings," two distinct compounds that sit behind high walls topped with barbed wire. Inside, hundreds and sometimes more than a thousand detainees languish in overcrowded cells.
Over the last decade, the US State Department has provided financial support to Somsanga center for renovation and expansion. In June 2012, the US pledged a new round of funding to support the Lao National Commission for Drug Control and Supervision to "upgrade the treatment of drug addicts at the Somsanga Treatment Center and at other centers."
Following the release of Human Rights Watch's report, the State Department told journalists that it was unaware of any human rights abuses in the center. However, Lao government media has reported the detention of homeless people and beggars in Somsanga for years. Leading up to 25th Southeast Asia games in Vientiane in December 2009, the government even established a national telephone hotline for the public to report beggars so they could be picked up and put in Somsanga, official Lao media reported.
The US State Department's annual human rights report in 2012 stated that regular visits to the center by foreign diplomats and international organization representatives based in Vientiane found "no evidence to support the [HRW] report." No thorough, independent investigation of abuses in the center has been conducted, Human Rights Watch said.
Human Rights Watch wrote to the State Department and the US Embassy in Vientiane prior to the release of the report, asking whether they had any reports of human rights violations, as well as whether the US had any formal system in place to report human rights abuses witnessed by project staff. To date, Human Rights Watch has not received a response to this correspondence.
"The US has paid for the buildings and fences at Somsanga," Amon said. "They are subsidizing the illegal detention under cruel conditions of street children, the homeless, and mentally ill people."
In March 2012, 12 United Nations agencies – including the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the World Health Organization, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), and the UN Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) – issued a joint statement calling for the closure of drug detention centers and the release of detained individuals "without delay."
"The UN has made it clear that drug detention centers like Somsanga jeopardize the health and human rights of detainees," Amon said. "If the US really cares about providing proper drug treatment, it should push the Lao government to close its drug detention centers and support voluntary, community-based drug treatment instead."
Human Rights Watch is not alone in raising concerns about abuses at Lao's drug detention centers. As early as 2003, UNICEF criticized Somsanga and other Lao centers for detaining children in conditions that contravened the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Lao is a party. In 2010, the Nossal Institute for Global Health also reported human rights abuses at Somsanga. Human Rights Watch also called on the US government to conduct a full and transparent review of its funding to Somsanga throughout this period.
Selected accounts from "Somsanga's Secrets"
"The village militia arrested me because I was out too late: me and my friends were just walking in the street in [name withheld] village. They arrested all of us. They said, 'What are you doing here? Looking for something to steal?' The village militia took me to the office of the village head, then to the district jail in [name withheld] district and then to Somsanga… There were over 30 people who were beggars like me in there. I was there for nine months."
–Mankon, a beggar
"The room captains beat them until they were unconscious. Some were kicked, some [beaten] with a stick of wood. The police were standing nearby and saw this. The police told the room captains to punish them because the police would be held responsible for any successful escapes."
–Sahm, detained in 2010, describing the punishment of detainees who had attempted escape
"As far as I know there is no independent monitoring of these [drug detention] centers either from the perspective of evidence of effectiveness, or from the perspective of compliance with human rights."
–Staff member of organization familiar with Somsanga, September 2011
"[In] the room I stayed in, a man committed suicide. He hanged himself in the doorway while others were sleeping. Everyone woke up and saw this. He was angry at his family and depressed because he came in at the same time as his younger brother, who left before him. I saw him. He used a cord from some shorts. He had black jeans and a red t-shirt on. He had his tongue out."
–Pacheek, a child when released mid-2010
"If people broke rules they were beaten or kicked. It happened to me. I was punished for fighting. The captains of the two rooms argued, so the two rooms were fighting. In my room there were 40 people and half went to fight. The ones in the room who didn't fight had to smack the face of those who had been fighting. The police said to the people hitting me, 'Punish him, and punish him!' The police were watching. It felt very painful. I was bleeding from my lip and my face was swollen."
–Paet, released early 2010 | <urn:uuid:ac4b4d5d-867a-4dac-81ca-4710e6291f5d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.refworld.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/rwmain?page=publisher&publisher=HRW&type=&coi=LAO&docid=4fffffaf2&skip=0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976093 | 1,658 | 1.757813 | 2 |
Donald Hugh Henley (born July 22, 1947 in Gilmer, Texas) is an American rock musician who is the drummer and one of the lead singers and songwriters of the band Eagles. He has since had a successful solo career and has played a founding role in several causes.
==Early years and Eagles=
Don Henley moved from Linden, Texas, to Los Angeles in 1970 to record an album with his early band, Shiloh. Shiloh was bankrolled by fellow Texan Kenny Rogers, then flush with cash from his band "The First Edition." Shortly thereafter, Henley met Glenn Frey through Amos Records in Los Angeles. They both became members of Linda Ronstadt's backup band, which two months later became its own act, the Eagles.
The first Eagles album was released in 1972 and contained the hit song "Take It Easy," as well as Henley's first hit songwriting attempt, "Witchy Woman", co-written with guitarist Bernie Leadon. As the seventies progressed, Henley's raspy vocals replaced Glenn Frey's twangy tenor as the focal point of the Eagles' "sound." | <urn:uuid:9d7c0703-ed1a-43bd-85a5-3bf91be6edb8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.chordie.com/song.php/songartist/Henley%2C%2BDon/index.html?filter=%20tabs | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.991664 | 236 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Witches: True Encounters With Wicca, Wizards, Covens, Cults, and Magic is a hefty book that at over 600 pages packs quite a bit of information in its pages. The book is largely true to its name covering a plethora of subjects in different chapters. In fact, Hans Holzer often deviates from a strict discussion of witches into realms such as Satan, ancient Greece, the Celts, poltergeist and the like. Oddly enough the bulk of the material chronicles events and persons from the 60's and the 70's. Apparently, while the tome is a recent publication, the book was written in the mid-70's and given a cursory update and then shipped for printing in 2002. The book, consequently, comes occasionally across as dated by thirty years. Regardless of that matter, Witches... easily features lots of interesting information.
Holzer's bias for paganism and Wicca becomes apparent early in the book. He is clearly sold on the notion and often allows the bias to seep into the narrative. Still, Witches... steers clear of commercial sensationalism and aggrandization and is a good entree into the topic. Nonetheless, one can still encounter many grammatical and factual mistakes, as well as over-simplifications. The coming to the fore of the 'devil' on page 25 is a good example. Naturally, and often, non-mainstream ideas simply make too much sense for most and are difficult for the average person to fathom. Holzer tries hard to re-introduce witchcraft and 'the old religion' as a sane choice that is crudely ostracized by Joe public. It is not surprising then that Holzer dissects Christianity in addition to alternative religions. It is surprising that the chapter on how to become a witch is giving short shift and comes up with very few details. Moreover, in order to make his topic more palatable, Holzer gives the accounts of different contemporary witches and gives great space to demystifying the craft. It is here that the author gives the occasional rare and valuable glimpse into the world of witchcraft and paganism. Nevertheless, when discussing the dark arts the author himself manages to display much prejudice and ignorance while trying to distinguish between witchcraft and Satanism. Even this book's notion of Satanism is Christian and dated. Given the book's main thrust that witches and pagans are not to be feared and are more 'good' than 'bad', the book's early mentions of Satanism are annoying at best. Having said that, and towards the end of the book, the subject matter is treated in a more conciliatory fashion. It is possible that those chapters were written several years later and signal an evolution in the author's thinking.
It is also worth mentioning that this book would have been a much better read had the author refrained from his constant self-referential self-promotion. Safe to say he has written many books, stayed at many expensive hotels and met many witches who happen to be both beautiful and blonde. Holzer would have done better had he left out the autobiographical and devoted the space instead to the topic at hand.
Vanity aside, Witches: True Encounters With Wicca, Wizards, Covens, Cults, and Magic is a comprehensive book that is better recommended to the initiate than the insider.
I remember Hans Holzer from the 70's, as THE "Ghost Hunter" and his association with Sybil Leek. He was into ESP and psychic experiences and he wrote many books which I explored at that time. I do remember his stories about ghosts and approached this book with an open mind.
I am surprised at this book. There is so much information in here that is just wrong and some of his sources are questionable.
While there are a few groups and names that are easily recognizable, he does not interview those but merely mentions them. Those individuals that he does interview are very new to the path. Some of the covens he interviews are not very well known and those that are have very dated interviews.
His information, like Wicca being an "ancient religion" is inaccurate (actually founded by Gerald Gardner in the 1930's/40's), he does not differentiate between Wicca and witchcraft. He calls Ms. MorningGlory Zell "Mountain Glory", and a picture of Yvonne Frost is labeled "Alice Frost". Typos abound showing very poor proofreading. There is no bibliography, no references to where he found his material. This is just his personal experiences, beliefs and pictures.
Photos are misleading. There are photos of him and Sybil Leek but they do not relate to the material being discussed other than to mention a remembrance or two. Many of the photos are out of focus.
A lot of the material is from the 1970's. He tells the stories as he remembers events and interviews from that time period. Very little, if anything, is updated to today's current pagan community. What we read is a vignette of what the craft was like in its early years but not what it has evolved into today.
Some of his memories of people like Tim Zell (Oberon Zell Ravenheart) and Dr. Leo Martello and the Frosts are interesting. His coverage of the "Witch Wars" of the 1970's is an interesting viewpoint from a different perspective. There is some truth to the events that occurred but there is some omitted information or he just didn't get the entire story.
He includes rituals from some groups he practiced with back then, and this becomes so much filler to beef up the book. It is interesting if you are looking for older reference materials. He also goes into "Satanism" and again, while it may be interesting to the curious, it has nothing to do with "witches" and should have been done in a book separate from this book.
All in all, the book lacks authenticity, is not factual or current and has interest only from the standpoint of the author himself. | <urn:uuid:9bb41b5b-d0a4-40fa-a4e0-686930c4505c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://spiritdimension.com/witchcraft_/080/hans-holzer-witches--true-encounters-with-wicca--wiz.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976598 | 1,238 | 1.671875 | 2 |
December 23, 2009 > Movie Review: Young Victoria: A story of love, power, and youth
Movie Review: Young Victoria: A story of love, power, and youth
By Shavon Walker
"Young Victoria" might seem like a movie for history and Victoriana buffs, but it is, at heart, a political story with romance thrown in. Jean-Marc Valee has done an amazing job directing this film, and manages to draw viewers in instead of alienating them. He has help from a well chosen source - Sarah Ferguson, also known as the Duchess of York and sister-in-law to the late Princess Diana. There are no immediately recognizable superstars in this film, although viewers may recognize Emily Blount (Victoria) from "Sunshine Cleaning" and Rupert Friend (Albert) from "Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice". The very fact that the cast is low key forces viewers to see them as characters and not as big names playing a role.
In the movie, events of the week before young Princess Victoria's coronation as queen and the tumultuous days that follow are illustrated. In the beginning, she is controlled mostly by her mother, the Duchess of Kent, and Sir John Conroy, the duchess' private secretary and the man in charge of supervising accounting and finances within the palace. Victoria refuses to be completely controlled by them, however, and turns to the counsel of Lord Melbourne, the Prime Minister. Eventually, she meets Prince Albert from Germany, who has been sent to win the young girl's heart in order to convince her to send English troops to Germany. Their empathy for each other's situations cause them to fall in love. Through the people's riots and court intrigues, Albert is the support that Victoria needs to survive it all.
The best way to describe Emily Blount's Victoria is via her line to Albert during a ball: "I'm stronger than I look." She is both vulnerable and tough, coolly standing up to the previous Prime Minister and bursting into tears when she realizes her political mistakes have alienated her from Parliament and the citizens. Rupert Friend's Albert neither seeks to control Victoria nor to ignore her; he is very low key, yet determined. Miranda Richardson's Duchess of Kent shows as much vulnerability as her daughter. Initially, she presents herself as a weak willed woman subject to the whims of Sir Conroy, but we eventually realize that everything she has done has been meant to protect her daughter and maximize her chances of succeeding on the throne. Unfortunately, it has come at the cost of her relationship with Victoria. This is most powerfully illustrated when the Duchess glimpses Victoria crying in her room, her governess comforting her. Instead of walking in, the Duchess quietly turns and walks away.
Costumes for this film are period appropriate and beautiful. Amusingly enough, Victoria's gowns are slightly less ornate than the Duchess' robes. Nevertheless, she is always tastefully dressed without being gaudy. And every location is carefully chosen to emphasize the scene, from the immense church where Victoria is crowned queen to the firelit bedroom where she and Albert celebrate their wedding night.At the end, highlights from their relationship and reign are cut into a montage. This provides the viewer with an additional understanding of their impact on the monarchy, and England itself. One of the viewers noted that one of Albert's major contributions to British and American culture - the Christmas tree - was not covered in the highlights. It would seem seasonally appropriate to include it; the movie, however, premiered in the United Kingdom in March of this year, so the omission of this fact is easily explained.
This movie may be appropriate for older teens, but not necessarily younger children due to two somewhat violent scenes. In addition, it has already been nominated for a Golden Globe. All of these elements make it a great date movie, or perfect for a group night out. If you love good historical movies, then this is defintely a must see.
Runtime: 100 minutes | <urn:uuid:2a54028b-2475-47c0-a077-7daa49055bbb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tricityvoice.com/articlefiledisplay.php?issue=2009-12-23&file=Young+Victoria+Movie.txt | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965123 | 820 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Section 1113 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2002 (Public Law 107-107, December 28, 2001) amended section 5343(d) of title 5, United States Code, to cover Department of Defense (DOD) employees. This memorandum provides Federal agencies with instructions to implement this change in law. The Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee, the national labor-management committee responsible for advising the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on the administration of the Federal Wage System, has reviewed and approved these instructions.
This change in law affects certain prevailing rate (wage) employees of DOD. This change does not affect prevailing rate employees of non-DOD agencies. The Monroney Amendment currently increases pay rates slightly at some grade levels in about one-fifth of the Federal Wage System (FWS) wage areas.
Section 5343(d) of title 5, United States Code, is commonly known as the Monroney Amendment. Under Public Law 107-107, the Monroney Amendment will cover DOD and non-DOD employees equally for the first time since 1985. The Monroney Amendment is a statutory provision that affects the pay of Federal blue-collar workers. The provision may cause rates of pay for FWS employees to increase when the Government has large numbers of employees in specialized industries, such as aircraft maintenance, but there are insufficient private sector employees involved locally in similar work. Under OPM regulations, in FWS wage areas with insufficient comparable private sector specialized workers, local wage surveys must use wage data from the nearest similar wage area that has sufficient specialized industry. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1986 required the use of local survey data only for DOD schedules. Since 1985, DOD and non-DOD employees in some wage areas have had separate wage schedules. This change in policy does not affect employees in non-DOD agencies because the Monroney Amendment continued to apply to them after 1985.
In FWS wage areas where the Monroney Amendment applies, DOD agencies will implement this change in policy on the normal effective date of the first wage schedule adjustment in each FWS wage area that occurs on or after December 28, 2001. Retroactive pay adjustments will apply to DOD employees in wage areas with normal effective dates between December 28, 2001, and the date their agency implements this change in policy. For example, the first wage area affected by this change is the Wilmington, Delaware, FWS wage area, where a new wage schedule became effective on January 13, 2002. DOD employees in the Wilmington wage area are entitled to retroactive adjustments in scheduled rates of pay for the period between January 13, 2002, and the date DOD implements this change in policy in the wage area.
In FWS wage areas where the Monroney Amendment applies, a new single schedule will supersede the existing two schedules on the normal effective date of the first wage schedule adjustment in each FWS wage area that takes place on or after December 28, 2001. DOD agencies will move their FWS employees from their previous wage schedule to the single new wage schedule for the wage area on a grade-for-grade and step-for-step basis. The wage schedule adjustment limitation provision of section 613 of the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act, 2002 (Public Law 107-67, November 12, 2001), does not affect the mechanical process of moving employees from the former DOD-only wage schedule to the single new wage schedule for the wage area.
DOD employees covered by the pay retention provisions of part 536 of title 5, Code of Federal Regulations, will receive pay adjustments under part 536 based on any applicable increases in pay rates on the single new wage schedule for their wage area. If an employee is on pay retention prior to the wage schedule adjustment in his or her wage area, and can be accommodated within the rate range of the new wage schedule, the employee will be placed at the highest step of his or her grade and pay retention will cease to apply.
Occasionally, prevailing rate wage schedules decrease when average private sector pay rates decrease in a wage area. If the rate of pay for a DOD employee's grade and step would be lower on the single new wage schedule, and the employee is otherwise eligible for pay retention under part 536, the employee will retain the rate of pay he or she held prior to the normal effective date of the new wage schedule. If an employee's retained rate in this circumstance would place the employee between two steps on the new wage schedule, the employee should be placed at the higher of the two steps and pay retention will cease to apply. | <urn:uuid:fef0992f-8665-4229-b799-5cf0dd85bf94> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.chcoc.gov/transmittals/TransmittalDetails.aspx?TransmittalID=148 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939578 | 932 | 1.789063 | 2 |
“That’s what I love about fire, how it would kill me as quick as anybody else. How it can’t know I’m its mother. It’s so beautiful and powerful and beyond feeling anything for anybody, that’s what I love about fire.” - Chuck Palahniuk, Invisible Monsters
One More Thing To Worry About of the Day: 29-year-old Kim Grice was undergoing routine cyst-removal surgery in Alabama when a flash-fire suddenly erupted on her face, causing her to sustain second-degree burns.
Worse still, the hospital has no idea what caused the fire.
“The doctors and the hospital are not telling us what happened,” said her uncle, Ted Grice. “hey said they had never seen anything like it before and they are terribly sorry that it happened.”
Grice was transported to the South Alabama Burn Unit in Mobile, Alabama, where she remains.
The North Okaloosa Medical Center, where the operation was being conducted, released a statement saying they were “conducting a thorough review to fully understand what happened in a deliberate effort to prevent such an event from occurring again.”
According to the Emergency Care Research Institute, some 550 surgical fires occur in the United States each year, 30 of which lead to serious injury. 1-2 result in fatalities. The oxygen-enriched environment of the operating room is most often to blame.
Oh god, Let The Right One In. | <urn:uuid:bf482d94-fbbf-47b0-8007-90470c11e99e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://nightchi1d.tumblr.com/tagged/flames | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972807 | 318 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Girl Scout creates Web site for lost pets, earns Gold Award
KATY, Texas (Oct. 2009) – Girl Scout Senior Janna Proehl worked with two local home owners associations to create a lost pet Web site to earn the Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can achieve. Less than five percent of girls who join Girl Scouts earn this recognition.
“I learned how to present information to large groups of people,” says Janna, a recent graduate of James E. Taylor High School. “I also learned about Web site design and improved my skills for interacting with adults.”
Earning the Gold Award is a significant honor that requires recipients to demonstrate outstanding leadership skills, career planning, community involvement and personal development. It takes more than 100 service hours and two to three years of intensive work to complete the award requirements, which include planning and completing a project that is a service to the community.
“I wanted to find a way to improve my community,” explains Janna as to why she chose the project. “People in my community love their pets. I thought they would benefit from a project that helps (find or identify) lost and found pets.”
As part of the project, Janna distributed over 130 questionnaires to pet owners in her community to help build her Web site, Homeward Bound. After collecting her data, Janna completed 12 15-minute presentations to two homeowner associations and several community groups, encouraging them to use her Web site.
“Janna learned to research information and how to put that into a form others will understand,” says Lynn Mumby, Janna’s mother.
At James E. Taylor High School, Janna participated in band, student council, National Honor Society and the UIL social studies team. She is currently attending the University of Denver studying history.
Girl Scouts of the USA is the world's preeminent organization for girls, with a membership of more than 3.7 million girls and adults. Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. Chartered by GSUSA to provide Girl Scouting locally, Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council is one of the largest Girl Scout councils in the country serving more than 72,000 girl members and 17,000 adults in 26 southeast Texas counties. For more information call 1-800-392-4340 or visit www.gssjc.org.
GSSJC Pluralism Statement
Embracing and promoting pluralism is an integral part of every activity and plan of Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council, not disconnected or separate projects. Only individuals willing to accept and be educated about the basic tenet that Girl Scouting is for all girls may serve in volunteer leadership or staff positions.
GSSJC | Communications Department
3110 Southwest Freeway Houston, TX 77098 | <urn:uuid:4a8960e7-1b2f-44d5-81ac-30f7a28b7a09> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gssjc.org/news/2009/10-ga-proehl.cfm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93921 | 602 | 1.703125 | 2 |
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North Charleston's first 787 ‘Made with pride in South Carolina'
Apr. 27, 2012Charleston Post and Courier
By Brendan Kearney
“Ladies and gentlemen, here it comes, your 787!”
Pulsating music poured out of loudspeaders, as the gigantic doors of the assembly plant began to open. The crowd counted down, from 10 to 1.
Boeing employees had been given foam rubber wands and were encouraged to act as if they were airport workers, guiding the plane into place.
The 787 turned 45 degrees, and parked behind the stage directly in front of the crowd. The jet, purchased by Air India, has not yet been flown or given a final paint job, but bears the Air India logo in red paint on the white aircraft. Also, the front of the fuselage sports a large painted Palmetto and crescent, as on the South Carolina flag. It says,“Made with pride in South Carolina.”
Gov. Nikki Haley walked the podium to “Dream On” by Aerosmith and called it a “great day in South Carolina.” It was noted during the governor's introduction that Haley's parents are from India - the destination of the newly built Dreamliner.
Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Jim Albaugh recalls pitching the idea of setting up an assembly line in South Carolina, to the company's board of directors.
“You have reinforced the we made a good decision two and a half years ago,” he said.
It is a historic day, he said.
“Today marks the first large commercial airplane to be built in the South,” he said.
Boeing plans to ramp up and make three 787 airplanes a month in North Charleston, but Albaugh urged the local workers to go beyond that.
“If we can build more, we can sell them,” Albaugh said around 2:15 p.m. “Please do that.”
Minutes earlier, Boeing South Carolina general manager Jack Jones rallied the crowd, chanting: “We build jets. We build jets.”
The procession making the start of the Dreamliner rollout began shortyl after 1 p.m., led by the marching band from Charleston's Burke High School playing “Celebrate” by Kool and the Gang. By 1:30, the crowd was in place and ready — a sea of Boeing blue and white shirts.
Boeing final assembly and delivery executive Marco Cavazzoni warmed up the crowd. This isn't just about rolling out an airplane, he said, it's about introducing the best team in commercial aviation since the Wright brothers; the Boeing employees in North Charleston.
Following a break for the “Star Spangled Banner,” belted out by a plant employee, Cavazzoni recounted the history of the Boeing campus.
Then ti was time for the speeches.
During his turn at the podium, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham made a poke at the National Labor Relations Board, which sued Boeing for union busting last year and sought to have the 787 line in North Charleston plant moved to Washington state. Graham said the NLRB couldn't make couldn't make it to today's event,
S.C. House Speaker Bobby Harrell says the Charleston area will be known for building the most advanced aircraft in the world, just as Silicon Valley is known for computers and New York is known for stock trading.
“You are sending a loud and clear message to the global business community,” he told Boeing workers.
Cavazzoni said the mood at the local plane-making campus is one of excitement and accomplishment.
“It's a big event for everybody,” he said.
The ceremony was over by 3 p.m.
Earlier in the day, Cavazzoni, Jones and other company executives led dozens of journalists on a whirlwind tour of the campus adjacent to Charleston International Airport. It was a combination primer and update on all the manufacturing and assembly that has gone on at the site since the final assembly plant opened in June.
The discussion ranged from the shimming problem in the aft-body factory that surfaced earlier this year to the plans for Boeing South Carolina to deliver four 787 Dreamliners to Air India by the end of this year.
The first stop was the aft-body building, where rear fuselage composite pieces 47 and 48 are constructed and cooked to form in a giant oven called an autoclave. The operation was humming along, with one team meeting around a flat screen displaying a graph while others moved around inside the big, round fuselage sections.
Matthew Borland, director of that unit since shortly after Boeing bought it from Vought Aircraft Industries, said his team of 650 is turning out a new plane's sections once every six days, with the composite fabrication group on a four-day schedule, typical of their gradual rate increase strategy. Building 88-19 supplies both the North Charleston final assembly line and its older sibling in Everett, Wash.
Of the shimming problem, Borland argued “it's a story of how far Boeing will go to make the integrity of the product.”
He explained how very narrow fly-away shims, or spacers, filled the top and bottom of gaps near the edge of the fuselage pieces but not the middle. When that was discovered, Boeing decided to reexamine all the affected planes. Boeing CEO Jim McNerney said this week that 14 or 15 planes have since been fixed, and Borland said he'll continue to keep his eye on the issue.
“It's a big watch item,” he said.
Just northwest of aft-body in the mid-body building, Willy Geary, that unit's director, walked the flock of notebook- and gadget-toting media between his three long assembly lines. He said his unit is also producing at a six days per plane rate, a major improvement from when it was a joint venture between Vought Aircraft and Alenia Aeronautica.
“This building was the number one problem on the program,” he said. Now, according to Geary, it's “a model of what can be done.”
Asked what it was like to lead a non-union workforce as opposed to the unionized teams at other Boeing sites, Geary said his South Carolina group “has more spirit” than any he's been a part of.
The mid-section of Dreamliner 80 was moving along one line and the mid-section for jet number 67 will fly to Washington state tonight in the belly of the 747 Dreamlifter freighter.
If all goes according to plan, the mid-body plant will make fuselage sections for the 787-9, the extended version of the Dreamliner, starting this time next year. But Geary seems focused on what he's got on his plate right now.
“My number one goal ... is rate achievement,” he said.
The bus tour then made a pit stop at the campus delivery center, which opened in December, before moving to the centerpiece of the campus, the 1.2 million square-foot final assembly building.
Besides the mostly completed plane facing northwest just at the end of the U-shaped assembly line, three Dreamliners in various stages of completion sat in a line facing International Boulevard. Elaborate scaffolding with assembly machines fit around the partially put together trio of jets. A haze hung in the air as workers and forklifts moved around the massive space.
Jones said called the plant a world-class operation that's “infused” with the best ideas from other assembly lines.
The final assembly plant went from “dirt” to rollout in 2.5 years, he said.
Jones also noted that while the 787 launch was delayed by three years, Boeing kept 59 global airline customers, underscoring their faith in lightweight passenger jet.
Up in the balcony overlooking the assembly line, he said that in his decades at the aerospace giant, this afternoon's rollout will rank “right at the top.”
“It's history,” he said.
Today's long-awaited debut isn't lost on other Boeing employees like Don Craig.
Craig, a 787 aft-body senior manager who hails from Oregon, sized up the milestone while grabbing a bite to eat in the company's cafeteria,
“This is big,” he said.
Boeing will deliver the jet that was unveiled today to Air India within six weeks, The next plane will roll off the line two to three months later. likely to less fanfare than today's carefully planned festivities.
And by this time next year, the mid-body plant in North Charleston will be making fuselage structures for a longer version of the Dreamliner called the 787-9.
David Slade, John McDermott and Schuyler Kropf of The Post and Courier contributed to this report. | <urn:uuid:87a830e7-d4bc-4c80-b449-94860b9d4b10> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.crda.org/news/local_news/north_charleston__39_s_first_787__made_with_pride_in_south_carolina__39_-1721 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95619 | 1,923 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Tue 29 Nov 2011
My old faithful Fluke 83 from the mid 1990′s had a display problem that is sometimes described as ghosting. It was much lighter in color than normal. Some segments were nearly faded completely away. I found this thread. All I did was take a polymer eraser, the white ones from many mfr’s, and cut it to a more pointed shape. Then carefully cleaned the places on the circuit board where the lcd makes contact. These contacts were made visibly brighter by the eraser. I then cleaned up the contacts for the push buttons as well. They were never a problem, but worth the cleaning since I was in there anyway. I cleaned the carbon tips of the buttons gently with the eraser as well. I never took the old original pink elastomer off of the lcd nor did I clean the lcd. Just gently cleaning with the polymer type eraser of the pcb contacts was all that was needed. The display has never looked so bright and crisp!! We will see how long this repair lasts!
There is a replacement kit on Ebay from a vendor named A-fluke. The kit these days is about $24USD. It supplies instructions and the newer gray elastomeric parts for the 80 series of Fluke meters. | <urn:uuid:3e38705d-423f-40f9-8131-acfa89fe7b23> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://rotordesign.com/blog/fluke-83-display-repaired-with-polymer-pencil-eraser/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.986183 | 265 | 1.585938 | 2 |
|Volumes:||13-15, 3 volumes|
|Manga Chapters:||115-129, 15 chapters|
|Anime Episodes:||70-77, 8 episodes|
|Year(s) Released:||1999 (Manga), 2001 (Anime)|
|← Previous Arc||Next Arc →|
|Whiskey Peak Arc||Drum Island Arc|
|← Previous Anime Arc|
|Diary of Coby-Meppo|
The Little Garden Arc is the ninth story arc in the manga and anime series, One Piece. It is the third arc in the Baroque Works Saga, chronicling the group's stop at a prehistoric island and their battles with four of the Baroque Works officers.
Little Garden is the second island the Straw Hat Pirates encounter in the Grand Line. It is a summer island, which is unpopulated except for dinosaurs and two giants named Dorry and Brogy. This arc was left out of the 4Kids dub for unknown reasons.
A Grand Duel Between Giants and a Mad ArtistEdit
With a newly acquired Princess Vivi on board, the Straw Hats soon find themselves on the island of Little Garden, which is a misnomer as the island is anything but little. It is stuck in a prehistoric time and teeming with huge dinosaurs and massive plant life. While Usopp and Nami feel uncomfortable leaving the ship, Vivi and Luffy decide to go explore the island.
They soon meet Dorry, a giant warrior from the village of Elbaf who befriends them. A little while later, Sanji and Zoro get into a fight about who could get the most meat first. They soon leave the ship in search of animals they can use to win the bet. Meanwhile, still back on the ship, Usopp and Nami are left alone when Sanji and Zoro decide to compete against each other to see who can bring back the most animal meat. They then learn why the island is called Little Garden. It is called Little Garden because of those who inhabit it. They are terrified when Brogy, another giant, shows up and decapitates a tyrannosaurus rex. He decides to bring them home with him, much to their alarm, under the impression he wants to eat them.
Elsewhere, Baroque Works agents Mr. 5, Miss Valentine, Mr. 3, and his partner Miss Goldenweek come together and reveal the 100,000,000 bounty on each of the giant's heads and it is suggested by Mr. 3 that they kill them, along with the Straw Hats. Back at Dorry's campsite, Dorry explains that he and Brogy are forever destined to continue their one hundred year long war, which was started over a reason Dorry had long forgotten (it is later revealed that it was a quarrel about their hunting competition which resulted in their exile from Elbaf), which inspires Usopp to fight for his dream of being a proud warrior of the sea. When Dorry and Brogy are just about to continue their bout, Dorry suffers internal injuries from explosion after drinking some of the Straw Hats' beer, which was tampered with by Mr. 5 and his Devil Fruit abilities. Dorry tries to attack Luffy, thinking he was responsible, but Luffy quickly beats him with his Gomu Gomu Rocket by targeting his stomach. Realizing that the god of Elbaf was not on his side, Dorry still decides to go and pins Luffy under a giant rock when Luffy tries to stop Dorry from going.
While this is going on, Mr. 3 and Miss Goldenweek capture Zoro first, and then Nami after she is separated from Usopp while running from a dinosaur. After Usopp meets with Luffy and Vivi, Vivi suspects that Baroque Works is likely behind Nami's disappearance, since out of the two of them Nami is on their hit list while Usopp is not, and are also responsible for the exploding beer that injured Dorry. Eventually, Dorry lost to Brogy due to his injuries, Brogy noticed earlier a deficiency in his performance but was too late in identifying the perpetrators when Mr. 3 appears and imprisons him with wax. Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine then succeed in capturing Vivi after failing to use Carue to lure her away from Luffy, which they realized they did not need to do since Luffy was imprisoned by the rock, and quickly defeat him, along with Usopp and Carue.
Mr. 3 then imprisons Zoro, Nami, and Vivi in his giant candle set which will slowly turn them along with Brogy into wax sculptures. Just before Zoro can cut off his legs to break free, Luffy, Usopp, and Carue arrive to save their friends. However, when Luffy damages Mr. 3's giant candelabra after his feet are trapped in the wax, it only accelerates the process, giving Luffy, Usopp, and Carue less time to save their friends. Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine then engage Usopp and Carue and all the two can do is run away since Usopp's Gunpowder Star is useless against Mr. 5, while Mr. 3 prevents Luffy's further attempts from destroying his candle set.
Luffy is then brought under Miss Goldenweek's hypnotic control. Despite all attempts to free Luffy from the hypnosis, Miss Goldenweek continues to use her Colors Trap ability to rehypnotize Luffy. Eventually Usopp, as he is dodging Mr. 5's Breath Blast Bomb, realizes the situation and uses his Flame Star to burn Luffy's shirt to free him completely, forcing Mr. 3 to form his mecha-like armor, the Candle Champion, to hold off Luffy. Once Usopp realizes that despite the density Mr. 3 makes his wax, it could still be melted away and though their friends' bodies have been completely covered, they still have a small amount of time left.
Though the Mr. 5 teams takes down Usopp before he could try to shoot the candle set with his Flame Star, Usopp gives Carue a rope with instructions to run around with it along the candle set. As he is taking the strain from Miss Valentine's weight, Usopp tells Luffy to set the rope (which he soaked with oil) on fire as it is the only way to melt the wax quickly enough to save their friends. Grabbing onto Mr. 3's hair, Luffy uses the fiery portion of it to light the rope. Once the candle set is destroyed, Nami and Vivi defeat Miss Valentine and Usopp tricks Mr. 5 into eating his Tobasco Star and is saved by Zoro before an angry Mr. 5 can kill him. Meanwhile, Luffy and Carue pursue the Mr. 3 team, and though Mr. 3 tries to trick Luffy by creating clone statues of himself, Luffy through sheer instinct knocks him out, while Carue defeats Miss Goldenweek.
After the BattleEdit
Meanwhile, Sanji enjoys tea in Mr. 3's candle house and receives a call from Mr. 0 (referred to by other parties as Crocodile) who mistook him for Mr. 3. He is ordered to go to Alabasta (later revealed to be a ploy to make assassinating him easier for Mr. 2) by way of the Eternal Pose which is being sent by the Unluckies, Mr. 13 and Miss Friday, who attack Sanji and are defeated upon making the delivery. Dorry turns out to be okay as he was only knocked out due to both his sword and Brogy's axe slowly rusting from the lack of care over the last century. Once Sanji returns, Dorry and Brogy bid farewell to the Straw Hats by destroying a giant goldfish who eats ships leaving the island, sacrificing the remains of their weapons in the process. With that the Straw Hats head for Alabasta using the Eternal Pose they got from the Unluckies.
Anime and Manga DifferencesEdit
Manga: Blatantly shows Dorry and Brogy beheading dinosaurs.
Anime: The scene of Brogy beheading the dinosaur is changed so that the audience is looking at its reflection in the water. The scene of Dorry beheading the dinosaur is implied but not shown directly.
Tiger and SanjiEdit
Anime: The Saber-Tooth Tiger was shown lurking on Sanji from behind, then the anime skipped to someone else.
Brogy Breaking FreeEdit
Manga: When Brogy broke free of Mr. 3's Candle Jacket and was knocked down again by Mr. 5, Mr. 3 restrains him by pinning his hands and feet to the ground with enormous swords made of wax.
Anime: Mr. 3 pins Brogy down with huge shackles made of wax.
Marines Intercepting Den Den Mushi TransmissionEdit
Manga: Smoker's group is able to use their black Den Den Mushi to intercept the conversation between Sanji and Crocodile, allowing Smoker to head to Alabasta knowing the Straw Hats are going there which occured shortly after the transmission ends.
Anime: The scene featuring Smoker and his group was moved to the beginning of the Drum Island Arc, just after the Straw Hat's first encounter with Wapol, though the caption did say "Several Days Earlier".
Nami's Bug BiteEdit
Manga: This is not included in this story arc and is not mentioned until the Drum Island arc when Dr. Kureha mentions the bug bite after she cures Nami from the illness caused by it.
Anime: After the battle, Nami could feel some pain from her bug bite which Zoro notices right before Sanji shows up.
- In the 4Kids dub, this arc was skipped entirely for many different reasons. Most of it due to unavoidable violence, such as Mr. 5's gun, Miss Valentine's Crescendo Stone, Zoro trying to cut off his legs from his binding wax prison, and both Dorry and Brogy decapitating dinosaurs. The second was the minor sexuality of Nami spending a small amount of time with no shirt on (wearing only a black bra).
This would lead to several plot holes later on in the story. The only part which was fixed was instead of Nami getting bitten by a deadly bug while her stomach was exposed, she instead just became sick due to the climate of the Grand Line (which was the initial diagnosis by Vivi in the original version). Skipping the return of Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine, did not affect the major plot.
Mr. 3's failure to defeat the crew however, would have Crocodile leave him for dead for pointless reasons. Miss Goldenweek, who although would never return in the anime, was mentioned when listing officer agents, even though due to the arc skip, no one would have known who she was. Usopp's friendship with Dorry and Brogy would later play a large role in the Enies Lobby Arc.
- Little Garden Arc introduces the second non human race of One Piece: the giants, and their country Elbaf. Usopp is really impressed by these warriors and wishes he could become such a brave one himself and has decided to visit Elbaf someday.
- Usopp's friendship with the giants would play a vital role during the battle at Enies Lobby in the Enies Lobby Arc when he meets Kashi and Oimo, and he helps convince to join their side due to the World Government lying to them about Dorry and Brogy's fate.
- It also introduces two more members of Baroque Works - Mr. 3 and Miss Goldenweek, the former whose Devil Fruit powers are the ability to make and manipulate wax.
- This is also an arc where Vivi learns more about the crew and shows more and more signs of friendship (ex: When she wonders about Luffy's behavior after he had been trapped by Dorry in Chapter 109, when Zoro and Nami stop worrying once Luffy appears in Chapter 123, when she hugs Sanji after he recovers the Eternal Pose in Chapter 128.)
- This story arc is also the first to mention Nami and Usopp being the weakest of the crew. They realize this after being the only ones left behind on the Going Merry.
- Since they remained at Little Garden during the Alabasta Arc, Miss Goldenweek, Mr. 5, and Miss Valentine would end up journeying to free a number of their fellow Officer Agents being held captive after their arrest in Alabasta during the manga mini-arc Miss Goldenweek's "Operation: Meet Baroque Works" except for the ones that would be seen again during the Impel Down Arc.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 One Piece Manga and Anime - Vol.13 Chapter 116 and Episode 71
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 One Piece Manga and Anime - Vol.14 Chapter 125 and Episode 72
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 One Piece Manga and Anime - Vol.14 Chapter 122 and Episode 74
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 One Piece Manga and Anime - Vol. 15 Chapter 177, Chapter 178 and Episode 79
- ↑ One Piece Anime Episode 77
|Little Garden Arc| | <urn:uuid:751f81c7-a0b3-4dbf-8dc5-13187627d344> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://onepiece.wikia.com/wiki/Little_Garden_arc | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96796 | 2,732 | 1.625 | 2 |
Aunt Jemima was acquired by Quaker Oats in the 1920's and is, of course, well known for the many black memorabilia/advertising premiums throughout the years.
There were two different plastic jars available, a soft plastic and a hard plastic jar shown elsewhere in this indes. This one is not in the best shape with quite a bit of paint wear. Aunt Jemima script is on the apron of this softer plastic jar. This lighter brown Aunt Jemima was the second jar available.
- Size: Approximately: 10"
- Material: Soft Plastic
- Values: $225 - $325 (in good condition)
The prices shown are suggested ranges only. Prices shown are a combination of book values, online auctions and cookie jar dealers. Many times bargains can be found at online auctions and at other times a bidding war can cause greatly inflated prices, those are not always a true value. Consideration must be taken into account as to when auction was held, images used, condition, category, and description. All of these things can greatly affect the price realized. | <urn:uuid:d137a494-23fb-414b-a5db-a726b4d7545b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://collectibles.about.com/od/cookiejarpriceguides/ig/Quaker-Oats-Cookie-Jars/Quaker-Oats-Aunt-Jemima-2.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941169 | 222 | 1.734375 | 2 |
ABSTRACT: First-line platinum-based doublets is established as the standard of care for advanced non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Nevertheless, in this field a plateau of effectiveness has been reached during the last years. One new area of exploration in NSCLC therapeutics lies in the use of tyrosine-kinase inhibitors (TKIs) or monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to target vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptors, and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). The results of randomized trials testing mAbs against VEGF (bevacizumab) and EGFR (cetuximab) are challenging the paradigm of the platinum doublets as the gold standard in advanced NSCLC. Despite the interesting results that have thus far been collected, the benefit of these new agents, both in terms of balancing between advantages and toxicity and the associated health economic burden, is modest. Here we discuss the use of bevacizumab(Drug information on bevacizumab) and cetuximab(Drug information on cetuximab), the mAbs for which the largest amount of data in the treatment of advanced NSCLC exists. However, despite our having a significant amount of data on these two mAbs, we still have much to learn: Which patients are appropriate for these treatments; for how long are the treatments beneficial, and what are the molecular and clinical predictors? We must continue to study these important problems in treating NSCLC.
The treatment of advanced non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), including squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and large cell carcinoma has reached a plateau of effectiveness with platinum-based doublets, which today are considered the standard of care.[1-3] However, the development of targeted therapies—in particular against the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptors and the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)—seems likely to improve overall outcomes of advanced NSCLC. In particular, tyrosine-kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) can both be used to block these molecular targets. Bevacizumab (directed against VEGF), and cetuximab (against EGFR) are the mAbs which have the largest amount of available data for study. However to date, only bevacizumab has been licensed (in combination with chemotherapy) for first-line treatment of advanced NSCLC. Many questions remain concerning the benefits of these new agents in terms of maintaining a balance between advantages and toxicity and the associated health economic burden. Notwithstanding, many unsolved questions still exist regarding patient selection, the length of benefit, and molecular and clinical predictors. In this review we will address some of these issues.
Bevacizumab is an anti-VEGF recombinant humanized mAb. Thus far, two randomized phase III trials have compared the combination of bevacizumab with chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone in the treatment of advanced non-squamous NSCLC.[4-6] In both trials, enrollment was limited to non-squamous histology patients because of the elevated risk of bleeding for squamous lung cancer shown in a previous phase II randomized study. Also those patients with brain metastases were excluded due to the potential risk of bleeding.
In the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG - E4599) study, 878 patients were randomized to either receive paclitaxel(Drug information on paclitaxel) and carboplatin(Drug information on carboplatin) plus bevacizumab (15 mg/kg), or the same chemotherapy regimen plus placebo. Patients receiving bevacizumab reported a statistically significant advantage in overall survival (OS of 12.3 versus 10.3 months; P = .003), progression-free survival (PFS of 6.2 versus 4.5 months; P < .001) and objective response rate (ORR of 35% versus 15%; P < .001). Rates of clinically significant bleeding were 4.4% and 0.7% (P < .001), respectively. There were 15 treatment-related deaths in the bevacizumab group, including five from pulmonary hemorrhage. In the AVAiL (AVAstin in Lung) trial, the chemotherapy regimen included cisplatin(Drug information on cisplatin) plus gemcitabine(Drug information on gemcitabine), recycled every three weeks.[5,6] In this trial, chemotherapy plus placebo was compared with chemotherapy plus two different doses of bevacizumab; 7.5 and 15 mg/kg. A total of 1,043 patients with non-squamous NSCLC were randomized to the three arms. Median PFS, the main endpoint of the trial, was significantly prolonged with the bevacizumab administration, the hazard ratios (HRs) were 0.75 (6.7 versus 6.1 months for placebo; P = .003) in the low-dose group and 0.82 (6.5 versus 6.1 months for placebo; P = .03) in the high-dose group compared with placebo. ORRs were 20.1%, 34.1%, and 30.4% for placebo, low-dose bevacizumab, and high-dose bevacizumab plus chemotherapy, with a response duration of 4.7, 6.1, and 6.1 months, respectively. Median OS was 13.1 months for chemotherapy alone, 13.6 months for bevacizumab at 7.5 mg/kg plus chemotherapy (HR versus placebo 0.93, 95% CI 0.78–1.11) and 13.4 months for bevacizumab at 15 mg/kg plus chemotherapy (HR versus placebo 1.03, 95% CI 0.86–1.23). Incidence of grade > 3 adverse events was similar across arms. Grade > 3 pulmonary hemorrhage rates were < 1.5% for all arms despite the fact that 9% of patients received therapeutic anticoagulation.
Both studies reached their primary endpoint (Table 1), however only the E4599 study showed a clinically relevant influence on PFS and OS. Based on these data, several questions were raised:
Should squamous histology and brain metastases really be excluded from bevacizumab therapy?
Due to safety concerns, bevacizumab use is restricted to a selected category of patients which may limit its indication to < 30% of all NSCLC patients.[4-7]. Thus, there is interest in determining if patients with brain metastases and with squamous histology can be, at least partially, re-candidated to this effective targeted therapy. The risks related to these two conditions, although not negligible, are not completely known. It is currently unclear whether histology alone or the central localization of the tumor are the risk factors for bleeding. A retrospective evaluation of the clinical and radiographic risk factors associated with severe pulmonary hemorrhage in first-line advanced NSCLC patients treated with carboplatin plus paclitaxel plus bevacizumab reported only the baseline tumor cavitations as a potential risk factor, and not the influence of squamous histology and tumor central localization. In a prospective phase II study, 44 patients with squamous cell histology were treated with two cycles of carboplatin plus paclitaxel regimen and then received carboplatin plus paclitaxel and bevacizumab for an additional four cycles. A total of 27 patients received at least one dose of bevacizumab with an acceptable observed rate of severe pulmonary hemorrhage (1 in 27 patients, or 3.7%). Furthermore, a phase II study in patients with squamous histology completed the accrual; results are pending.
With regard to brain metastases, several data strongly suggest the safety of bevacizumab in advanced NSCLC patients with treated metastases to the brain. Moreover, further safety data showed that the risk of bleeding in patients with untreated brain metastases is similar for patients who receive bevacizumab and for those who do not, across various tumor types. As a consequence, the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has removed the contraindication concerning the use of bevacizumab in untreated central nervous system (CNS) metastases. Finally, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has indicated bevacizumab, in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel, in advanced non-squamous NSCLC regardless of the presence of brain metastases. However, the last updated American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) guidelines continue to advise against the use of bevacizumab in patients with brain metastases.
To conclude, bevacizumab can be administered in the presence of brain metastases, however further prospective data is needed before we can truly assess its use in non-squamous histology. Next we will turn our attention to tumor cavitations, regardless of histology. | <urn:uuid:378d6f0d-4332-493d-8204-efd60cea4ded> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cancernetwork.com/lung-cancer/content/article/10165/1760664?_EXT_4_comsort=nf | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931284 | 1,923 | 1.53125 | 2 |
"We want reforms to take place," said Hanaa Adwar, an activist from the nonprofit watchdog group, al Amal. "We have witnessed the popular revolution carried by Tunisian and Egyptian people that led to the toppling of their regime."
Hundreds of Iraqis rallied on Monday in central Baghdad, protesting the rampant corruption and the lack of government services that have plagued the country for years.
Iraqis have been venting their anger at the lack of jobs and government services such as electricity in small—scale protests across the country. The protests are not nearly as large as those that toppled leaders in Tunisia and Egypt, but are nonetheless embarrassing for Prime Minister Nouri al—Maliki and highlight the many challenges facing his fragile government faces.
“We want reforms to take place,” said Hanaa Adwar, an activist from the nonprofit watchdog group, al Amal. “We have witnessed the popular revolution carried by Tunisian and Egyptian people that led to the toppling of their regime.”
She vowed that there would be more protests if the government did not bow to people’s demands.
Despite sitting on some of the world’s largest oil reserves, Iraqis endure electricity shortages that make summer almost unbearable and leave them shivering in winter. There are also water shortages, and garbage is often left on the streets. At the same time, Iraqis are infuriated by the high salaries earned by their elected officials, compared with ordinary Iraqis.
Take lessons from Egypt, Tunisia, say demonstrators
Many of the demonstrators carried banners that bore the image of a broken red heart, alluding to the fact that the protest took place on Valentine’s Day. They shouted slogans saying Iraq’s oil wealth should go to the people but goes to thieves instead.
“Government, you should take lessons from Egypt and Tunisia,” demonstrators shouted as they walked through downtown.
Across the Middle East, people emboldened by the protests in Tunisia and Egypt have staged demonstrations calling for change.
The gatherings in Iraq have been small in scale, although organizers are promising a much larger event on February 25.
One of the organizers, 31—year—old Bassam Abdul Razzaq, said word of the march had gone out through Facebook, the same way that Tunisian and Egyptian youth rallied support.
Protests rattle al—Maliki
The protests have rattled Mr. al—Maliki, who met on Sunday with government officials to discuss problems facing Iraqis. In a statement from his office, Mr. al—Maliki said the government is working to solve the electricity shortages as well as to address the food ration problem.
All Iraqis are entitled to a food ration, a legacy of the days when Iraq was under sanctions. But Iraqis complain that the rations, now given out by the government, are getting smaller, and they blame government corruption.
“Efforts are being exerted to solve these two problems, but we need time and the electricity problem will be completely solved within two years,” Mr. al—Maliki said. | <urn:uuid:addc3d1f-0742-4a13-84c6-61125fe8ebd1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/iraqis-protest-against-bad-services-corruption/article1455288.ece | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973977 | 631 | 1.554688 | 2 |
LAUCUS turned in gratitude but in awe, caught Ione once more in his arms, and fled along the street, that was yet intensely luminous. But suddenly a duller shade fell over the air. Instinctively he turned to the mountain, and beheld! one of the two gigantic crests, into which the summit had been divided, rocked and wavered to and fro; and then, with a sound, the mightiness of which no language can describe, it fell from its burning base, and rushed, an avalanche of fire, down the sides of the mountain! At the same instant gushed forth a volume of blackest smoke—rolling on, over air, sea, and earth.
Another—and another—and another shower of ashes, far more profuse than before, scattered fresh desolation along the streets. Darkness once more wrapped them as a veil; and Glaucus, his bold heart at last quelled and despairing, sank beneath the cover of an arch, and, clasping Ione to his heart—a bride on that couch of ruin—resigned himself to die.
Meanwhile Nydia, when separated by the throng from Glaucus and Ione, had in vain endeavored to regain them. In vain she raised that plaintive cry so peculiar to the blind; it was lost amidst a thousand shrieks of more selfish terror. Again and again she returned to the spot where they had been divided—to find her companions gone, to seize every fugitive—to inquire of Glaucus—to be dashed aside in the impatience of distraction. Who in that hour spared one thought to his neighbor? Perhaps in scenes of universal horror, nothing is more horrid than the unnatural selfishness they engender. At length it occurred to Nydia, that as it had been resolved to seek the sea-shore for escape, her most probable chance of rejoining her companions would be to persevere in that direction. Guiding her steps, then, by the staff which she always carried, she continued, with incredible dexterity, to avoid the masses of ruin that encumbered the path—to thread the streets—and unerringly (so blessed now was that accustomed darkness, so afflicting in ordinary life!) to take the nearest direction to the sea-side.
Poor girl!—her courage was beautiful to behold!—and Fate seemed to favor one so helpless! The boiling torrents touched her not, save by the general rain which accompanied them; the huge fragments of scoria shivered the pavement before and beside her, but spared that frail form: and when the lesser ashes fell over her, she shook them away with a slight tremor,' and dauntlessly resumed her course.
Weak, exposed, yet fearless, supported but by one wish, she was a very emblem of Psyche in her wanderings; of Hope, walking through the Valley of the Shadow; of the Soul itself—lone but undaunted, amidst the dangers and the snares of life!
Her path was, however, constantly impeded by the crowds that now groped amidst the gloom, now fled in the temporary glare of the lightnings across the scene; and, at length, a group of torch-bearers rushing full against her, she was thrown down with some violence.
'What!' said the voice of one of the party, 'is this the brave blind girl! By Bacchus, she must not be left here to die! Up, my Thessalian! So—so. Are you hurt? That's well! Come along with us! we are for the shore!'
'O Sallust! it is thy voice! The gods be thanked! Glaucus! Glaucus! Glaucus! have ye seen him?'
'Not I. He is doubtless out of the city by this time. The gods who saved him from the lion will save him from the burning mountain.'
As the kindly epicure thus encouraged Nydia, he drew her along with him towards the sea, heeding not her passionate entreaties that he would linger yet awhile to search for Glaucus; and still, in the accent of despair, she continued to shriek out that beloved name, which, amidst all the roar of the convulsed elements, kept alive a music at her heart.
The sudden illumination, the bursts of the floods of lava, and the earthquake, which we have already described, chanced when Sallust and his party had just gained the direct path leading from the city to the port; and here they were arrested by an immense crowd, more than half the population of the city. They spread along the field without the walls, thousands upon thousands, uncertain whither to fly. The sea had retired far from the shore; and they who had fled to it had been so terrified by the agitation and preternatural shrinking of the element, the gasping forms of the uncouth sea things which the waves had left upon the sand, and by the sound of the huge stones cast from the mountain into the deep, that they had returned again to the land, as presenting the less frightful aspect of the two. Thus the two streams of human beings, the one seaward, the other from the sea, had met together, feeling a sad comfort in numbers; arrested in despair and doubt.
'The world is to be destroyed by fire,' said an old man in long loose robes, a philosopher of the Stoic school: 'Stoic and Epicurean wisdom have alike agreed in this prediction: and the hour is come!'
'Yea; the hour is come!' cried a loud voice, solemn, but not fearful.
Those around turned in dismay. The voice came from above them. It was the voice of Olinthus, who, surrounded by his Christian friends, stood upon an abrupt eminence on which the old Greek colonists had raised a temple to Apollo, now timeworn and half in ruin.
As he spoke there came that sudden illumination which had heralded the death of Arbaces, and glowing over that mighty multitude, awed, crouching, breathless—never on earth had the faces of men seemed so haggard!—never had meeting of mortal beings been so stamped with the horror and sublimity of dread!—never till the last trumpet sounds, shall such meeting be seen again! And above those the form of Olinthus, with outstretched arm and prophet brow, girt with the living fires. And the crowd knew the face of him they had doomed to the fangs of the beast—then their victim—now their warner! and through the stillness again came his ominous voice:
'The hour is come!'
The Christians repeated the cry. It was caught up—it was echoed from side to side—woman and man, childhood and old age, repeated, not aloud, but in a smothered and dreary murmur:
At that moment, a wild yell burst through the air—and, thinking only of escape, whither it knew not, the terrible tiger of the desert leaped amongst the throng, and hurried through its parted streams. And so came the earthquake—and so darkness once more fell over the earth!
And now new fugitives arrived. Grasping the treasures no longer destined for their lord, the slaves of Arbaces joined the throng. One only of all their torches yet flickered on. It was borne by Sosia; and its light falling on the face of Nydia, he recognized the Thessalian.
'What avails thy liberty now, blind girl?' said the slave.
'Who art thou? canst thou tell me of Glaucus?'
'Ay; I saw him but a few minutes since.'
'Blessed be thy head! where?'
'Crouched beneath the arch of the forum—dead or dying!—gone to rejoin Arbaces, who is no more!'
Nydia uttered not a word, she slid from the side of Sallust; silently she glided through those behind her, and retraced her steps to the city. She gained the forum—the arch; she stooped down—she felt around—she called on the name of Glaucus.
A weak voice answered—'Who calls on me? Is it the voice of the Shades? Lo! I am prepared!'
'Arise! follow me! Take my hand! Glaucus, thou shalt be saved!'
In wonder and sudden hope, Glaucus arose—'Nydia still? Ah! thou, then, art safe!'
The tender joy of his voice pierced the heart of the poor Thessalian, and she blessed him for his thought of her.
Half leading, half carrying Ione, Glaucus followed his guide. With admirable discretion, she avoided the path which led to the crowd she had just quitted, and, by another route, sought the shore.
After many pauses and incredible perseverance, they gained the sea, and joined a group, who, bolder than the rest, resolved to hazard any peril rather than continue in such a scene. In darkness they put forth to sea; but, as they cleared the land and caught new aspects of the mountain, its channels of molten fire threw a partial redness over the waves.
Utterly exhausted and worn out, Ione slept on the breast of Glaucus, and Nydia lay at his feet. Meanwhile the showers of dust and ashes, still borne aloft, fell into the wave, and scattered their snows over the deck. Far and wide, borne by the winds, those showers descended upon the remotest climes, startling even the swarthy African; and whirled along the antique soil of Syria and of Egypt (Dion Cassius).
Last modified 4 January 2007 | <urn:uuid:86739c0e-bfe4-4571-bb45-16818d2495a3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/bulwer/pompeii/53.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970325 | 2,027 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Justice Bruce Cohen focused much of his attention on salmon farms at the brief press conference he gave on the release of the final report from the Inquiry he's led into disappearing sockeye over the past two years.
Cohen highlighted several key recommendations to protect wild salmon from open net pen aquaculture operations, including: 1. Removing the promotion of aquaculture from DFO's mandate, which he found conflicts with the department's responsibility to protect wild salmon; 2. Prioritizing the health of wild salmon over suitability for aquaculture when siting farms; 3.Conducting more research into diseases that may be impacting wild salmon; 4. Properly implementing the Precautionary Principle and removing farms in the Discovery Islands region (noted as particularly dangerous to migrating salmon runs) should more definitive evidence come to bear demonstrating they can safely coexist with wild fish. The full commission report can be downloaded here. | <urn:uuid:401338bb-0c10-4954-97b0-271bb3f0da85> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thecanadian.org/k2-video/item/1791-video-justice-cohen-gets-tough-on-fish-farms-inquiry-sockeye-report-released-damien-gillis | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940878 | 187 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Favorited by people
Cordis Corporation is cautioning health care professionals about the use of the company's biliary stent, the PRECISE® RX Nitinol Stent Transhepatic Biliary System. The PRECISE RX stents are intended to treat obstructions in the bile duct due to malignancies. FDA has not cleared these stents for use outside the biliary tract. In fact, the stent's current labeling contains a warning that the device's safety and effectiveness in the vascular system have not been established.
Nonetheless, some physicians have used these devices in the vascular system. When used this way, air can be introduced into the patient by the stent system, and this can cause serious problems, including coma, seizure and stroke. In fact, we've had several reports of malfunction, and also of patient injuries due to air embolism, when this system is used outside the biliary tract.
On May 4, Cordis sent a notification to their customers describing these severe adverse events and advising them to limit the use of this device to the FDA-cleared uses only. | <urn:uuid:d5e91ca5-6a46-4a93-9d01-e3fc9d137f73> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.yourepeat.com/watch/?v=LBrazEUCzy4&feature=youtube_gdata | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946294 | 231 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Indiana's December Jobless Rate Rose to 8.2 Percent
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ Indiana's unemployment rate grew slightly in December to 8.2 percent even though state officials say the state added 8,300 private sector jobs.
Figures released Friday by the state Department of Workforce Development show Indiana's jobless rate rose 0.2 percent from November's 8 percent rate.
State Workforce Development Commissioner Scott Sanders attributed the increase mainly to more than 7,000 unemployed Indiana residents returning to the labor force to look for work. His agency says about 267,000 Indiana residents were unemployed in December, up 15,000 from about 252,000 in November. That's based on a survey of 1,000 households.
December's U.S. unemployment rate was 7.8 percent, the same as in November. | <urn:uuid:b2330316-731d-412d-99dd-37e8dad59311> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wowo.com/ArticleDisplay/tabid/74/articleid/11697/Default.aspx?dnnprintmode=true&mid=859&SkinSrc=[G]Skins%2F_default%2FNo+Skin&ContainerSrc=[G]Containers%2F_default%2FNo+Container | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957389 | 171 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Shattering Mintoff’s myth
Had it not been written in English, I would have thought that I was reading L-Orizzont or KullĦadd. Yet, it was The Sunday Times that published the transcript of a telephone conversation between Dom Mintoff and Britain’s James Callaghan and a related article referring to declassified British notes. But, then, most Labour-oriented papers wouldn’t dare as much.
Emasculated New Labour does not want to displease the ‘moderate’ electorate.
The unofficial but widely accepted ‘history’ concocted by some historians and by many journalists and political commentators holds that Mintoff’s years in office were characterised by hardships, depravation, lack of progress and oppression. That ‘we’ (without specifying who are/were the ‘we’) were definitely worse-off back then is taken for granted.
This ‘history’ served to cement the Conservative hegemony over our islands in the past 25 years. So successful has this attempt been, that it came to be accepted as ‘our history’ by many Labourites and by many who, by local standards, may be described as apolitical.
(That other ‘histories’ may exist, that not everyone can be classified under the ‘we’ in question are possibilities that are implicitly denied. See my Search for Honest Answers, The Times, August 3, 2012).
Labour, particularly since the 1990s, has been unwilling to challenge this unofficial but widely accepted story. One interesting exception was a conference where Labour’s history was revisited. The papers delivered during the conference have recently been published. The publication concerning Mintoff by SKS is another exception.
The Sunday Times did what Labour was unable to do. Admittedly, the piece seems more concerned with former President Anton Buttigieg’s drinking habits and with the fact that he did not see eye to eye with Mintoff on a lot of things than with anything else.
A credit to both Buttigieg and Mintoff is that, despite their disagreement on a number of issues and the fact that none entertained a particular personal liking towards the other, they could establish a working relationship. This shatters another myth that concerns Mintoff, the belief that he was surrounded only by yes-men.
Yet, the piece also contains entries that contradict the unofficial but widely accepted picture.
Against those who claim that, under Mintoff, ‘the people’ (whatever this means) suffered material depravation if not hunger, the report states that the “Standards of living are rising…”
In contrast to those who claim that while Labour was intent on dividing more equitably the pie – it often “… forg(ot)… that wealth has to be created before it can be shared…” (Frendo 1991) – the notes report that “Malta’s economy is generally healthy and well-prepared for the British departure… The balance of payments is in surplus, inflation is only around five per cent and unemployment has been successfully contained… (Predicting that) There is… no reason why Malta should not stand on her own feet after 1979 without external financial or economic aid” (The Sunday Times, December 30).
Regarding the medical reforms of the 1970s, which have been much maligned in the unofficial but widely accepted history (many young people do not even know that we have free healthcare thanks to these reforms and mistakenly believe that this was introduced by some Nationalist Administration), the notes indicate that, though the industrial action by local medics had led to some decline in the standard of the service provided, there was no evidence to support the claim that the services provided were ‘inadequate’.
Moreover, the foreign doctors brought to Malta are described as ‘competent’. This also runs against what Conservatives claim to this day (one may watch Dear Dom again for a taste of this).
Mintoff’s conversation with Callaghan serves to dispel another myth: the belief that he was fundamentally anti-British and/or that he wanted to terminate the British military presence in Malta out of spite.
That he wanted this chapter to be closed in the best of terms is evident from the conversation.
Furthermore, the confidence and absence of any inferiority complex he exudes throughout the conversation (he was the Prime Minister of a micro state talking to the leader of a former empire), are features that I suspect his successors (red or blue) could/can only dream of exhibiting.
The intent of my article is not to dispel one myth and replace it by another; to have a picture of a ‘period of oppression and/or want’ replaced by one of some golden age that never existed.
My intent is, as I had affirmed back in August, to debunk the idea that one may refer “…to a ‘history’ (meaning one history) that needs to be definitively and unbiasedly written… (that there is some history which is the history of) …a ‘people’ rather than the histories of different classes and groups (each with its own interests and perspective/s)…” (The Times, August 3).
That different histories exist is a principle that most European academics (and not just academics) accept. In Malta we have yet to arrive. | <urn:uuid:5a389c1d-674f-473f-b499-3939be84e31a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130109/opinion/Shattering-Mintoff-s-myth.452513 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973801 | 1,122 | 1.773438 | 2 |
OverviewA gorgeously illustrated, original bedtime story that captures the prairies at dusk, this unique collection of English and French lullabies, some contemporary and others traditional, features sweet and beautiful songs that will make the little ones dream until dawn.
Author BiographyConnie Kaldor is "one of Canada’s most significant contemporary folk performers," according to Billboard Magazine. Her song "Wood River" is considered by many to be a quintessential Saskatchewanian song, and in 2007, she was appointed to the Order of Canada. She lives in Montreal, Quebec. Carmen Campagne is a teacher and singer-songwriter nicknamed "the Daycare Diva," who has sold more than a million records and videos in France and Quebec. She is a four-time winner of the Félix Award (Québécois equivalent to a Grammy Award). She lives in Bellegarde, Saskatchewan. Brian Deines has illustrated several popular children's books, including Dragonfly Kites by Tomson Highway, the finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award and the Ruth Schwartz Children's Book Award. He lives in Toronto, Ontario. | <urn:uuid:88dbde5c-fce2-4d85-bb92-537275939dc0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ipgbook.com/lullaby-berceuse--a-warm-prairie-night-products-9782923163222.php?page_id=32&pid=SEM | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958888 | 235 | 1.742188 | 2 |
When this craft column was started in 2010, one of the elements I wanted to reflect was the generosity of crafters who use their talent to help others. As a result, the 845 Craft Guide has profiled many crafters and their creations under "Crafting for a Cause."
Hurricane Sandy is the latest cause to hit close to home. Residents of the Hudson Valley have had to deal with electrical outages, downed trees and loss of life from the storm; some of our neighbors in Westchester and Rockland counties, New York City, Pennsylvania and New Jersey lost all their property.
In stressful times, crafters often turn to their hobby for comfort. This time your creation could help someone in need, making you a Sandy Samaritan. Sure, it's easy to look to the seamstresses, knitters, crocheters and quilters and place the burden in their hands, but all crafters can comfort others and, who knows, you may even learn a new skill.
Send the following for publication to the 845 Craft Guide:
• All information should include a phone number so that I may contact you.
• Tell us if you are making items that will directly help those affected by Sandy. For example: blankets, hats, etc.
• Classrooms, clubs, crafting circles: Are you selling your craft to raise money for Sandy victims? Send us the details two weeks before the date of the event.
• Send suggestions for easy projects or patterns so other clubs or crafters who are stuck for ideas can contribute.
• Are you in need of supplies or shipping options? Send us your request and perhaps readers can assist you.
• Send all pictures in JPEG format 100KB or larger and events with time, date, place and phone number for publication to [email protected] or mail to: Times Herald-Record, P.O. Box 2046, Middletown 10940 attn: Amy Berkowitz/newsroom.
The 845 Craft Guide will provide this space to publicize your projects and crafty Sandy fundraisers. Thanksgiving is fast approaching, so make this year's craft more than just tracing a hand and making a turkey card.
Examine the word Thanksgiving and really think about what these two joined words mean to you. For me, Thanksgiving stands as a reason to celebrate that my family and friends came through this relatively unscathed and a reminder to lend a hand to those who are still struggling.
The Associated Press
Donations start coming in for victims of Superstorm Sandy. This woman in Long Beach, N.Y., looks for warm hats since temperatures are dropping. The 845 Craft Guide is looking for local crafters and artists, who are using their talent to aid those affected by Sandy. Call Amy Berkowitz at 346-3155 or email her [email protected]. | <urn:uuid:c431db83-8a1c-43e7-996b-aa657e3c8b10> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20121108/COMM/211080301 | 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 | 0.943039 | 591 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Join Rebecca Maizel, author of the teen novel “Infinite Days,” who will conduct a four-week teen lit writing workshop at Warwick Public Library on Thursdays, Oct. 18 and Nov. 1, 15 and 29 at 7 p.m.
With the success of series like “Twilight” and “The Hunger Games,” teen lit is more popular than ever, and more novelists are interested in writing for teens. Learn from a best-selling author how to write powerful teen fiction, and discover how to find a publisher once your novel is complete. Whether you’ve started a teen novel or if you’re ready to begin, Maizel will help you develop your teen writing skills. Bring your writing and a pen and paper for a fun and instructive class.
Maizel is a graduate of Boston University, Rhode Island College and Vermont College of Fine Arts. She teaches literature at the Community College of Rhode Island. “Infinite Days” is the first novel in her “Vampire Queen” series.
Register online at warwicklibrary.org or call 739-5440, x4. For more information, call 739-5440, x221. The Library is located at 600 Sandy Lane.
This program is free and open to all. | <urn:uuid:2275f5eb-b2e4-41f0-9d28-c28d7f4ba2e7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://warwickonline.com/stories/Teen-lit-writing-workshop-to-be-held-at-library,75803 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93268 | 277 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Guest Author - Tammy Elizabeth Southin
You are all set for a night out or that important meeting when you notice the pimple as you take one last look in the mirror. Only now, you are not a teenager but a woman who thought skin breakouts were a thing of the past just like those old hairstyles. Yet many women experience adult acne before and during menopause and the accompanying embarrassment of why pimples and why now?
Adult acne is not much different from the teenage variety; both are caused by overactive sebaceous glands. These glands produce sebum, which is an oily substance that helps to keep skin supple. When there is too much sebum, the skinís pores become clogged. Clogged pores trap bacteria under the skinís surface, causing inflammation and ultimately blackheads and pimples.
Similar to the teen years, fluctuating hormone levels during perimenopause and menopause affect sebum production. The resulting breakouts are usually different from teenage acne in that older women will have fewer pimples in number but more difficult to treat.
Older skin is more prone to dryness compared to younger skin, making harsh acne treatments unsuitable for mature skin. Moreover, many adult acne pimples come with increased soreness as pimples tend to become trapped under the skin compared to the white-topped teenage eruptions.
Adult acne is not a sign of unclean skin, nor is it normally caused by foods or stress. Hormone levels that regulate sebum production become more erratic during menopause, making breakouts a reality for many women.
Help for adult acne is more widely available compared to the past when women had to raid their daughterís skin treatments. Now women can choose from a number of products designed to treat acne without damaging or drying out their skin. Coming up with a skin care regimen sounds like a lot of complicated work, but in just a few minutes a day, a little skin care goes a long way to helping treat and prevent breakouts.
Choose a gentle formula cleanser to use twice a day in the morning and evening. Cleansers come in a variety of formulas from foams to creams and for all skin types. Avoid harsh cleansers that will further irritate the skin. Treat skin gently Ė avoid harsh rubbing and tugging during cleansing. If wearing makeup, choose a cleanser designed to remove all traces of cosmetics to allow skin to breathe at night.
Remember the old bottles of astringents that dried out skin as well as pimples? Most women will want to avoid these products, as they are too harsh on adult skin. There are a variety of spot treatments that can be applied directly to a pimple to help promote healing and reduce appearance of redness. Avoid products containing alcohol.
Older skin needs moisture. Again, there are many creams and lotions for all skin types including combination and breakout-prone skin. Apply moisturizer to dry areas of the face, avoiding breakout areas when possible. Avoid the temptation to slather skin with heavy layers of moisturizer. Apply a thin layer and reapply as needed throughout the day to avoid further clogging of the pores.
Skin care during menopause requires more thought and care but will help to keep adult acne breakouts under control and keep your skin glowing and healthy. | <urn:uuid:59b0a184-77a2-427f-b726-9cd88aa69d14> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art19481.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947543 | 679 | 1.671875 | 2 |
The Most Expensive Places To Go To SchoolBobbi Dempsey, 08.03.10, 12:30 PM EDT
When it comes to sky-high college costs, these cities lead the pack.
These days it can seem nearly impossible to find an affordable college. Even state universities, long considered a favorite among budget-conscious families, have now become relatively expensive. But when it comes to sky-high college costs, certain cities lead the pack.
Keep in mind these are just the "sticker prices," meaning the actual cost of tuition plus room and board. Depending on how generous the school's financial aid awards are, students may end up paying considerably less. This is especially true in the case of Ivy Leagues and exclusive liberal arts colleges, where income-based aid systems often result in students paying only a small fraction of the bill. Here's where you will find the most expensive schools in the country.
New York City
Given the high cost of just about everything in the Big Apple, perhaps it's not surprising that you'll find some of the most expensive schools in this area. Topping CampusGrotto's list of most expensive colleges for 2009-2010 is Sarah Lawrence College, located in Bronxville, N.Y., a small town a few miles from New York City. A year at this school carries a price tag of a whopping $54,410.
Second on the list from CampusGrotto is New York University. Part of NYU's cost can be attributed to the high price of housing in New York City--the total annual cost to attend NYU includes $13,507 in room and board expenses.
The nation's capital is home to George Washington University, and we're willing to bet our founding fathers never dreamed an education would someday cost as much as it does today. In 2008 GWU was named the most expensive college in the world (based solely on tuition costs) by the Chronicle of Higher Education. The current cost, room and board included, is $51,730.
However, this school may not be quite as painful on the pocketbook as it may seem. According to the College Board, the average GWU financial aid package is $36,215. Also in the Washington, D.C., area is Georgetown University, which lands in the No. 7 slot on CampusGrotto's list with an annual cost of $51,122.
The second-largest city in Maine is home to Bates College, one of the oldest coed colleges in New England. Repeatedly ranked among the top liberal arts schools in the country by U.S. News & World Report (among other sources), Bates is known for its small class size, SAT-optional admissions policy and its ban on fraternities and sororities. The annual cost at Bates is $51,300. Considering the price tag, the average Bates grad leaves with a relatively small amount of debt--around $17,945, according to the College Board.
Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Located a few hours from New York City at the foot of the Adirondack Mountains, this town is home to Skidmore College, a small liberal arts college. The school has an annual price tag of $51,196, but claims to meet 100% of student financial need, according to the College Board.
Johns Hopkins University, perhaps best known for its medical programs and namesake hospital facilities, is based in Baltimore. However, there are several other campuses, including one in Washington. The annual cost is $51,190. | <urn:uuid:3c9b85a4-ea71-4cbb-8122-1cf9bdbe8317> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.forbes.com/2010/08/03/expensive-colleges-education-personal-finance-schools.html?boxes=Homepagechannels | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967517 | 726 | 1.585938 | 2 |
A study by the EPA has linked groundwater contamination in the Pavillion area to hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking” as it is best known. Last week a hearing was held by a Congressional Subcommittee on the matter; however, nobody from the tight knit community in Wyoming was invited to testify. Pavillion rancher John Fenton says ever since the report tentatively linked fracking to pollution, the science has been attacked.
Pavillion resident Louis Meeks says he and others are thankful the E-P-A tested water supplies, and he wants the agency to be allowed to continue its research and reporting. He describes the effects contaminated water has had on his family.
Jeff Locker also lives in Pavillion, and wants a chance to tell his story to Congress.
Public comments on the E-P-A's report are being accepted through March 12th. | <urn:uuid:8c523b59-de8f-402a-ad2f-4e3f2e28e398> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sheridanmedia.com/news/pavillion-residents-upset-over-federal-hearing-fracking25378 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985916 | 177 | 1.75 | 2 |
If ever there was a lesson in the utter uselessness of government data, it's the story circulating today that air traffic control system errors are way up.
It's based on a late-to-the-party story from the Associated Press:
In the 12 months ending on Sept. 30, 2010, there were 1,889 operation errors -- which usually means aircraft coming too close together, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. That was up from 947 such errors the year before and 1,008 the year before that. Before 2008 the FAA used a different counting method.
The FAA administrator says the higher number of known errors is due to better reporting and technology that can determine more precisely how close planes are in the air.
The bottom line: Maybe it's a safe system. Maybe it's not.
In either case, it's not a new story. The Washington Post reported in December that errors were up in 2010 by more than 50 percent, using more data than the AP story did. But Tim Noah of Slate looked into the numbers and found there was some dispute whether the increase was due to a change in reporting within the FAA that removed discipline penalties if air traffic controllers self-reported, as the FAA administrator insisted during testimony at the Capitol this week.
Eventually, Noah ran into the buzzsaw of the "government spokesman," whose missions seem to be to convince you that you didn't care enough about the numbers to go through the process of getting a straight answer anyway.
Brown also gave me the missing numbers for category A and B (i.e., the more-scary) air-controller errors for fiscal year 2009. They added up to 329. That means (I later calculated) that A and B errors dropped by about 26 percent between 2009 and 2010. But that good news is tempered by an increase of errors in the absolute scariest category, A. These rose from 37 to 44, i.e., by 19 percent.
I asked Brown why the FAA didn't answer the Post story by removing the duplicates from the regular database so we wouldn't have to guess what the apples-to-apples trend was for all categories of air-traffic-control errors from year to year. "I understand what you're saying," she replied, "but that's not how we keep the data." But, I protested, you have both databases. You surely have the means to identify every error that gets reported to the FAA--where it happened, what it was. They number fewer than 2,000 per year!
The FAA spokeswoman also said an indication of the safety of the skies is the fact there hasn't been a major air disaster in the country since a regional carrier crashed near Buffalo two years ago tomorrow.
We do know that there were more serious air traffic controller errors at Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport than the year before. One more.
Bob, I'm curious if the increase in numbers last year compared to the 2 prior years has anything to do with "economic recovery"?
While absolute numbers have some meaning they can be misleading if the number of opportunities for error increase significantly. Using an inappropriate sports analogy: If a hockey goalie allows 1 goal in a game that has only 10 shots on goal, but allows 2 goals in a game where there are 30 shots on goal, which is the better performance? In the first case he allows 1 of 10. In the second 1 of 15. His absolute "error" count doubles but his save percentage goes up from .900 to .933.
Do the reports say anything about the traffic level? | <urn:uuid:19102129-6982-4ef8-b625-14d73df09992> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/news_cut/archive/2011/02/mysteries_of_air_transportatio.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970227 | 730 | 1.828125 | 2 |
The New York Times
All the news that's Fit to Print
Owner: Meyer Lansky
Editor-in-chief: Robert Hughes
4 April 1920
This newspaper is going through some exciting changes. The idea it's to revolutionize the way news will reach people, especially the citizens of New York. The Multimillionaire New York businessman Meyer Lansky bought the company that owns and publishes The New York Times and immediately appointed Robert Hughes as his editor in chief. The new Editor is known as being an impartial and avant-garde journalist.
The newspaper suffered several organizational changes with the intent to create a credible and impartial newspaper composed by a team who believes that in democracy, information is the weapon of the people.
On behalf of the entire newspaper, the new direction of this newspaper thanks all the readers and hopes they enjoy the new face of this newspaper.
MAFIA BOSS ARRESTED
Giuseppe Morello, known as “The Clutch Hand”, was arrested yesterday by the NYPD under the charge of producing and dealing counterfeit products in New York. If the court is able to find him guilty, Morello can spend up to thirty years in prison.
There are already speculations on the streets of New York about who is going to take over. Some factions of his family apparently want to separate themselves from the family to form new gangs who will operate within the city, and eventually assume control of things, since the main heads of the family are now facing charges.
One of the names that will probably want to take the opportunity to gain more power within the Italian Mob is Salvatore D’aquila. He’s a mobster from the Mustache Pete era and he’s known in the streets as a very ambitious man. Word on the street is that if decides to step up he will have the support of a good part of the members of that organization.
It’s more than certain that with the absence of the current leadership of this crime family, New York will be a the place for a struggle for power in the next following weeks and the police is already worried about the possibility of a mob war between the factions in an attempt to take over the control of the city.
BABE RUTH SIGNS FOR THE NEW YORK YANKEES
George Herman Ruth, known as “Babe” Ruth has signed this week for the New York Yankees. The baseball star, which is already being labeled as one of the best players of all time, was bought from the Red Sox for a sum of 125.000$.
He signed a two years contract for 165.000$, making him the most well paid player of the league.
Rumor is that the New York Yankees are to keep spending money on buying some of Ruth’s old colleagues from the Red Sox in a strong attempt to build the strongest team playing in the league.
This is the biggest deal the league already had, and sports commentators are already saying that with Babe Ruth leading the Yankees, the team will become one of the best competing teams.
THE SELF-MADE MAN SCANDAL
Las Vegas police is investigating the death of John Milano, a local businessman who was assassinated during this week with two shots in the head. Apparently, according to police reports, it appears that the billionaire businessman Rocky Carroll is involved in this murder.
John Milano was the owner of a vacant land in Las Vegas, precisely where Rocky Carroll was interested in investing in a new casino.
The two facts seem to be related and the authority’s theory is that John Milano refused a business proposal from Rocky Carroll, who decided to use his influence and money with the Italian Mob to put pressure upon Milano. Apparently Milano continued to resist the threats and the episode ended with his death.
Rocky Carroll is one of the richest men in the country and he’s known as an entrepreneur who enjoys taking risky decisions and his investments range from buying and building companies who import and export to the links he has with the promiscuous world of gambling.
He has a boxing club in Detroit which funds and trains some of the best heavyweights in the country. To realize the amount of his investment in sports, just note that he recently decided to sponsor and invest in the current heavy weight champion Billy "The Tank".
We also know that he has a passion for horses. He spent a good part of his fortune investing and building one of the best stables in the country, hobby that earns him millions of dollars every year, since his horses compete in the best circuits of national and international level.
Last week this scandal fell upon the career of this businessman who is now being linked to several criminal groups operating in America. If the police is able to connect these two facts, Rocky Carroll risks spending a few years of his life in prison.
UNEMPLOYMENT REACHES THE 20% MARK
President Warren Harding has just been elected but he already has a few difficult challenges to overcome. The economy is going through a deep recession and the most affected social indicators are precisely the unemployment, that currently affects 20% of the population, and inflation that is growing at a rampant pace.
In the following years of the World War the government was unable to direct, in a short period of time, all the men and women who were involved in the war industry to another area of the economy. That fact led to the current rate of unemployment that plagues America.
The President recently said that in an attempt to reverse the scenario he will propose to the Senate to reduce the national debt, reduce taxes, to protect farming interests as well as cut back on immigration.
The Congress recently has given concrete steps towards this objective by approving the Emergency and the Fordney-McCumber Tariffs.
FREDDIE MORETTO – The prodigy of the Detroit Mob.
Until very recently, this gangster also known as "The Goat" was just a soldier for the family of Detroit. He is known for being a very business oriented man and to have an excellent ability to make money. Apparently that was enough to attract the attention from the local Don who in a small space of time made him a full member of the organization and then quickly made him rise through the ranks of the family to become the leader of the family’s caporegimes.
His gang is allegedly controlling a major part of all the alcohol traffic that occurs in the eastside of the country.
There are also rumors that his influence is already extended beyond the limits of the city of Detroit and that his demands are made count in other parts of the country.
We had the opportunity to speak with a law enforcement officer who declined to identify himself due to security reason who told us the local police are making efforts to capture this group of mobsters. However, he confirmed that they have not been able to gather sufficient evidence to officially charge “The Goat”.
Amidst the chaos of World War came the genesis of what seems to characterize the current generation of men and women.
These young adults who have felt, lived and participated in the war were ultimately transformed by it and have grown up to become more conscious citizens.
This was the starting point for the development of an artistic movement known as the Lost Generation.
They are writers who have been greatly influenced by the social consciousness of the post war years. And they now want to transform society, since they claim to be disappointed with the state of art.
The most prominent members are Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound, Sherwood Anderson, Waldo Peirce, John Dos Passos, T. S. Eliot, James Joyce, Alan Seeger and Erich Maria Remarque.
The opinion of the American cultural community is unanimous when saying that some of these writers have the talent to produce literature that will influence the arts for the next following years.
COCAINE: Epidemic crisis of the Century
Drug use has increased exponentially in recent years in the US, especially the use of cocaine. Authorities have been blaming organized crime as one of the impellers of this phenomenon, since they allegedly control the importation and distribution of this type of drugs in the majority of the American cities.
One of the heads behind this fact, following to police reports, its Dinty Colbeck, a Miami gangster.
Everything indicates that his organization benefits from the proximity of Latin American countries and the lack of policing control within the maritime borders to smuggle thousands of doses of this type of drug into the state of Florida.
The Miami police think he is the one responsible for the distribution of drugs in the eastside of the country, fact that makes him one of the most powerful gangsters in the country. According to the accounts of the authorities this business moves millions of dollars every year.
This social problem has already attracted the attention of the nation political community and even the president himself has already stiffened his discourse of war against organized crime and specially the drug traffic. | <urn:uuid:1e0897a3-93ca-44b5-ad51-fd91b62efb06> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mafia.org/gazette.php?issue=13 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977625 | 1,850 | 1.8125 | 2 |
Do you remember those beautiful wood laminate helmets from Dan Coyle?
I previously reported that Dan planned to obtain CPSC certification for his helmets, which allows him to legally sell these as bicycle helmets in the United States. He’s already run a small sample of helmets through the test process at a CPSC certified lab, but to obtain a real certification, he needs more helmets than he typically manufactures in a year.
To that end, he posted an Indiegogo project to purchase equipment so he can build the helmets. He’s already a quarter of the way to his $27,000 goal, with just over three weeks to go.
These helmets are comfortable and reasonably lightweight and ventilated — about the same as multisport styled hard shell helmets. I’m impressed with the engineering and design that Coyle has put into his helmets, and he’s put a lot of thought into the challenges of working with natural materials.
To learn more and support his project, visit Dan Coyle’s indiegogo page. | <urn:uuid:9f2b6c8f-8dcd-43e2-8ad5-cbb3ab52e508> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cyclelicio.us/2012/cpsc-for-wood-bicycle-helmet/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976437 | 217 | 1.828125 | 2 |
A Recap of CLASP’s Live Tweet of the First 2012 Presidential Debate
Oct 05, 2012
Like the rest of the country, CLASP was closely following the first Presidential debate the other night. We were happy to see so much discussion of job training and getting the economy back on track. And then there were quips and misinformation - and omission of important topics all together - that made us not so happy. Because there are still two debates and a vice presidential debate left, here's a re-cap of the @CLASP_DC Twitter feed with our reactions to what got mentioned in the first debate - and what we're still waiting to see the candidates address in the remaining #debates.
The ‘Pre-Game Show'
No surprise that #Debate trending. 20 mins now!
Getting ready for the #debate. Make sure to follow #TalkPoverty! #p2
The debate started off with the economy, and candidates came out strong:
#Debate off to a good start: skills development and job training already mentioned... #TalkPoverty #wkdev #workers
How will workers get these skills if #Pell Grants and #workforce are cut? #Debate #TalkPoverty
Smart investments in #education and training can rebuild the American #workforce and create jobs #Debate #wkdev | <urn:uuid:0d3b5bfe-f9cf-40e8-9f97-6273c1307dce> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus_print?type=poverty_and_opportunity&id=0074 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956401 | 281 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Egyptian security services in North Sinai are intensifying efforts to get a pair of kidnapped Americans and their tour guide released, state media reported Saturday.
The push comes after authorities received confirmation that the trio was still in the area where they were abducted. Their detention was intended to bargain the release of relatives in custody of Egyptian authorities, EgyNews reported.
Security sources "confirmed that continuous efforts are being made in order to determine the whereabouts of the Americans and the Egyptian tour guide on one hand, and to release them in coordination with tribal leaders and the families in the region," EgyNews said.
The tourists and their guide were kidnapped Friday in the Sinai region of Egypt, authorities said.
The family of one of the kidnapped Americans identified their loved one as Michel Louis, a pastor from Dorchester, Massachusetts.
Louis was traveling with a group of clergy and church members when their vehicle was stopped and he, another member and their tour guide were detained, the Louis family said in a statement.
Louis' son, Jean, told reporters his father is a diabetic. He thanked everyone involved in trying to secure his release and asked that people pray for his safe return, and the safe return of those with him.
"We're all in good spirits because we know that the God that we serve is in control of the matter," the son said.
He confirmed the identity of the other tourist, a woman, as Lisa Alphonse.
Bedouin kidnappers want authorities to release a relative who is in detention in Alexandria on drug charges, said Gen. Ahmed Bakr, head of security in the North Sinai.
Kidnappings and armed robberies have increased since a popular uprising ousted Egypt's long-ruling dictator, Hosni Mubarak, last year.
In February, two American tourists were kidnapped and immediately released in the Sinai region. The same thing happened in June, when two American tourists were released about a day after they were abducted.
In Friday's incident, Bedouins stopped a tour bus en route to Taba and kidnapped the two tourists -- a man and a woman -- and their guide, Bakr said.
Authorities are trying to negotiate with the kidnappers, he said.
In a message posted on Twitter on Friday, the U.S. Embassy in Cairo said it was "in close touch with Egyptian authorities, who are doing everything they can to bring about safe release of the American tourists." | <urn:uuid:9fcedbfb-f474-4157-abdd-b69de2fc5a5e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.clickorlando.com/news/Report-Egypt-tries-to-free-held-Americans/-/1637132/15516810/-/2n6rybz/-/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983845 | 491 | 1.5 | 2 |
the Herbert wants to know how many angels it can attract this year. No, they are not debating with Aquinas, but very practically looking for many people to help fund a new piece of Art this year
BE AN ANGEL THIS NEW YEAR [ and pinch the good ideas too..]
Help create a unique piece of art
The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum is looking for some angels this New Year to help fund a sound installation called Sounds of the West Terrace for the From Highfield Road to Wembley Way exhibition in 2012. The exhibition will showcase and celebrate the entire journey of the club to that momentous day when they won the FA Cup.
Unless they were there, no one can imagine the noise of the crowd or the atmosphere of the stands during the last ten games that Coventry City Football Club played at the legendary Highfield Road Football Ground. Sound artist Duncan Whitley is looking to produce a soundscape of these final matches for a limited edition CD and digital download from the highlights of each crowd as they watched their team.
Recorded in the West Terrace part of Highfield Road, Whitley’s sonic document creates a vivid sense of the space in which the recordings were made. Listeners can often detect sounds coming from all directions, including from above and behind.
The Herbert is asking for people to become an angel in 2012 by donating money, via the Angel Shares website, to help fund this unique piece of art and history. For each pound pledged to the project, an angel share is bought. Each Angel Share people buy could entitle them to a unique piece of memorabilia or event. These include a copy of the limited CD, tours of the From Highfield Road to Wembley Way exhibition, tickets to a Coventry City match and access to the VIP hospitality suite during a game.
To donate and be an angel, people should visit http://angelshares.com/projects/15/sounds-of-the-west-terrace
Exhibition Officer Dominic Bubb said “It’s really important that people donate to this project. The CD will depict a moment in history that no-one will ever get to experience again or recreate. What makes it special is that it’s a time that people can actually remember. It’s not from someone else’s life, it’s from their life, they were there, cheering on their boys and chanting for their team”.
Highfield Road stadium was home to Coventry City Football Club for some 106 years, from 1899 to 2005. It was located on Kings Street in the Hillfields area of Coventry, an area heavily bombed during World War II.
Although Highfield Road was not the prettiest stadium and was somewhat lacking in facilities by comparison with modern stadiums, it was well-loved by the Sky Blue faithful for its character. The short walk to the ground from the Pool Meadow bus station on match days will be recalled fondly by generations of supporters. Over the years, the East and West Stands gained a reputation as the singing areas of the ground and, it is from the perspective of the West Terrace that the recordings were captured.
Duncan Whitley works with sound recording, archive and large-scale sound installation. His projects often explore the medium of recorded sound as aural history; positing sound as a valid and powerful form of representation alongside film, photography and painting. | <urn:uuid:afc6889b-bcdc-4200-be50-2715c4f1c17d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://museumnetworkwarwickshire.wordpress.com/2012/01/11/the-herbert-indulges-in-angelology/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967961 | 697 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Bingham County approves bunny bus business
A Blackfoot man has an unusual business: raising bunnies on a bus. Jared Martin was granted a conditional-use permit by Bingham County to allow up to 1,500 rabbits on his property for farming.
Martin had rabbits for pets as a kid, as he got older, he learned he could turn his passion into a business.
"I figured might as well start farming with the rabbits instead of the food crop," said Martin on Monday.
Blink your eyes for a moment as you drive through Moreland, and you might miss the full-size school bus in Martin's front yard. It's the bunny bus, where he keeps about 50 rabbit pens, for now. Soon with his new permit, he'll have 1,500 rabbits on his property.
"I figured it's a good place to put kits (baby rabbits) for customers to come through. Right now, I'm using it for production. But come around Easter time there will be nothing but kits for customers. It'll be a nice clean environment," said Martin.
Customers will be able to enter the bus, walk through the aisle and pick out their bunnies.
Martin said his permit is just a stepping stone to grow his business.
"There's not enough market locally for meat or pets to be able to make a living, so I have to produce enough numbers where I can ship them off to the processor, and it's all meat rabbits for the most part," said Martin.
Right now Martin's rabbits are shipped to California for their meat. Martin said rabbit meat tastes similar to chicken and is easy on the stomach.
"I'd say it tastes pretty much like a white meat. Rabbit meat is actually a lot better for you it's got a lot more vitamins in it and a lot more minerals. The protein are much higher and the fat levels are non existent and most of the meat you buy in the store is about 40 percent water weight and rabbits are about 10 percent so you're getting a lot more meat out of it," said Martin.
Martin also sells rabbits as pets. He also sells feed and poultry. He can be reached at (208) 313-8493.
Copyright 2013 NPG of Idaho. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | <urn:uuid:4c50f573-13f8-4087-9b49-02351228e546> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.localnews8.com/news/Bingham-County-approves-bunny-bus-business/-/308662/18976932/-/view/print/-/hrgsylz/-/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982622 | 482 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Red! No, Blue! No, Light Blue!
Why do little kids care so much about favorite colors?
Illustration by Mark Alan Stamaty
When my older daughter was close to 4, in a ritual repeated by thousands of approximately 40-inch-high females across the country each day, she declared that her favorite color was pink. From that day forth, she only wanted to wear pink clothing and shoes. Her favorite book was Pinkalicious. She also wanted a pink bed and a pink room. So when it came time to create a proper bedroom for her and her younger sister—before that, they’d been sleeping in separate rooms, one of which had no windows and the other of which co-functioned as my husband’s office—it seemed obvious that I should have the walls painted pink.
The only question was finding the right shade. My first mistake was to show my daughter the two dozen color strips that I’d brought home from the hardware store. Of course, she picked out the shade that best resembled bubblegum. Counting on her short memory—and prepared to claim that the paint came out lighter on the wall than it looked in the picture—I instead bought 2 gallons of a pale shade from Benjamin Moore called Pink Bliss. I even ordered matching pink-and-white polka-dot curtains. I thought my daughters would be as pleased by the results as I was—and they were, at first. But they hadn’t been sleeping in the room for three months when the older one, about to enter kindergarten, announced that her favorite color was now bright blue—and that she didn’t like pink anymore.
Frustrated, I recounted this turn of events to a friend with a daughter older than mine. “I didn’t want to say anything at the time, because you seemed so excited about doing a pink bedroom,” she said, with a sympathetic-yet-knowing smile. “But you would have been better off going with pale yellow.” How was I to know? I hadn’t yet realized that the color preferences of young children were an ever-evolving argument.
As it happened, however, my younger daughter had just turned 3½—and simultaneously announced, as if on cue, that her favorite color was now pink. So at least I had her in my camp. And I still do—though, as she celebrates her fourth birthday next month, her tastes seem to be in flux, too. Just last week, she told me that she only liked dark pink, not light pink anymore. She’s also gotten interested in red and light blue — “because it’s Mommy’s favorite color,” she always says. (After seeing how important favorite colors were to my daughters, I intuited that I needed to choose one of my own—even though, in truth I don’t actually have a favorite color and, like most adults, hadn’t spent a lot of time thinking about this stuff.) Meanwhile, my older daughter’s appetite for all things azure has been redirected to green, purple, and black. The only constant seems to be a continued fascination with colors themselves.
What makes the topic of favorite colors so darn interesting to the preschool and early-grade-school set? Is it all merchandising and peer pressure, or are particular colors actually speaking to these kids?
In rejecting pink, my older daughter was clearly sending the message that she’d outgrown toddlerdom and its ubiquitous princess culture, tiaras and all. I was proud of her, but also annoyed—mostly with myself for paying so much to the housepainter for those two coats of Pink Bliss. “Somewhere around 3 years old, children become obsessed with differences in people,” explains Meri Wallace, a parenting expert and author. “I’m a boy; she’s a girl. She has blond hair; she has curly hair. They spend the rest of their childhoods trying to define themselves. Having a favorite color makes them unique. Just as having a special game or liking certain people does. It’s all about, I can choose.”
At the same time, the desire to fit in is intense. Or, as Wallace puts it, “The Who am I? is followed a short time later by Do I fit in with the rest of the kids?” Which is why, according to Wallace, more often than not, children get their favorite color idea from a friend. And if boys don’t spend quite as much time talking about favorite colors, perceiving it to be “girl talk”? Well, the same forces are at work when all the males in one class start wearing, say, stripes.
But are color preferences themselves really that arbitrary? Marilyn Read*, an associate professor of design and human environment at Oregon State University, agrees that children’s self-declared favorite hues are socially constructed. Yet she believes that their attraction to color in general goes far deeper than societal pressures and expectations. In fact, the presence of color may be necessary for their mental health. In a recent study in which Read measured the impact of color in preschool buildings, she found that in spaces with one red wall—versus those with uniformly white ones—children are more cooperative. At the same time, when spaces present a panoply of colors, as most preschools do, children become overstimulated, even anxious. “When children are very young, they use color and shape to identify things,” says Read. “Only after the age of 5 do they begin to describe things in terms of texture or line. Color is [therefore] salient.” A single bold color—whether in a classroom or in a child’s self-definition—seems to offer a sense of security. A new study Read is conducting around young children with sensory-processing issues, including autism, even seems to suggest that such kids are better able to focus in the presence of a single color fabric hanging, no matter what the color.*
Yet there’s reason to believe that human reactions to particular colors are biologically determined, as well. According to Read, the color red makes people’s blood pressure rise and can create anxiety. “If people want children to act in a calmer way, they should go with blue or another cooler color,” she advises. Even little girls’ love affair with the color pink—forever the object of much hand-wringing by parents uneasy with the message it sends—may be innate. “Pink is a color that makes us hungry. It’s also a color that boys like until they’re told not to like it,” says Read, who notes just one case in which gender differences in color preference might be nature not nurture: Some researchers suggest that boys tend to prefer yellow-based reds (think: tomatoes), while girls prefer blue-based reds (think: rubies). Both boys and girls tend to dislike orange. This, however, would come as news to my friend Nora’s son, a first-grader who keeps a running list of his top five colors. His current No. 1? Orange, followed by green, gold, silver, and red.
Then again, Read cautions against understanding children’s color preferences out of context. A child may like a certain color because a favorite doll or action figure has a dress or cape that shade. What’s more, Read says, children who are forever changing their color preferences might, above all, be exhibiting a personality characteristic: The more secure a child’s sense of self, the more likely she is to stick to one favorite color for a while.
And bright hues must be especially exciting to young kids when contrasted with the increasingly dull and color-less world in which the grown-ups toil. Indeed, when it comes to adult self-adornment, dark neutrals for both genders—especially in urban centers—now rule the day. (If you don’t believe me, stand on a train platform in winter and try to find someone who isn’t wearing a black, gray, or dark blue coat.) My editor’s daughters ask him daily to put on ties—for him, a symbol of besuited drudgery, but for them, colorful and playful accents more lively than anything else in his everyday wardrobe.
Similarly, on the one or two occasions a week that I put on a piece of clothing that isn’t colored black or made of denim—say, my favorite green-and-white blouse, or the hippie patchwork skirt that belonged to my mother in the ‘70s—my daughters exclaim with delight and surprise. Sometimes, they even tell me I look beautiful. Though I suspect that what they really mean is that I look more like, well, them.
*Corrections, April 18, 2012: This article misspelled the last name of professor Marilyn Read. In addition, the study Read is currently conducting spans the spectrum of children with sensory-processing issues, not just autistic children. (Return.)
Lucinda Rosenfeld is the author of four novels, including I'm So Happy for You and The Pretty One, which will be published in early 2013. | <urn:uuid:d55b0fa0-4c1d-4c11-af64-3ce4649139be> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.slate.com/articles/life/family/2012/04/small_children_and_favorite_colors_research_into_why_colors_are_so_important_to_kids_identity_.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971144 | 1,953 | 1.523438 | 2 |
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