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A unique text providing information on the background, selection and fundamental performance techniques for 17 accessory instruments including wood block, claves, antique cymbals. temple blocks, cabasa, castanets and more. It also provides skill development exercises that cover the essential techniques for each instrument and, includes a list of selected literature from the band and orchestra repertoire. Each musical exercise includes a description of the technique being taught as well as a clear, instructional diagram.
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Music44 is one of the biggest online stores to find all the best selections of sheet music, sheet music downloads, songbooks, music books and software for all instruments. They serve the music needs of individual musicians as well as church groups, schools and choirs all over the world. They have a best price guarantee which is called Beat-The-Best-Price-Now(TM) that lets customers purchase sheet music at the lowest prices found on the web.
This store has not received any reviews yet, you can be the first one to write one! | <urn:uuid:c2801d8d-5434-4808-b7a6-a35f56000744> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sheetmusicstock.com/sheetmusic/962208/art-of-percussion-accessory-playing | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94987 | 249 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Parker Brothers Choppers, responsible for one of several Tron Light Cycle replicas seen recently, is continuing to prove that electric bikes aren't all weedy-looking augmented pedal-powered affairs. This time, it tackled the Detonator concept created by Daniel Simon, a former VW designer who was also in charge of vehicle design for the Tron remake. Wired reports that the $100,000 bike charges in an hour and has an estimated range of around 80-100 miles on a full battery. According to the operations manager at Parker Brothers Choppers, it's "not the easiest bike to ride," though that could have something to do with Simon's original design, geared for non-human droids able to rotate their legs all the way around. Human riders, on the other hand, would likely face some chafing issues. | <urn:uuid:f65a07a7-9834-4dc2-9c88-30612b97dc3f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/01/the-detonator-brings-electric-biking-to-bots-looks-pretty-bomb/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980047 | 170 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Talk to Me Like I'm 4: Why Our Health Care System Failed Us and How We Can Fix It
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If you could meet a genie in a bottle, free it and receive three wishes about the American health care system as your reward, what would those wishes be?
For most experts, they would be high quality, low costs and universal access: The best medical care possible with the least amount of money to the largest number of people. That, indeed, would be lovely.
Alas, genies from bottles have so far refused to help us reach all those important goals at the same time. Instead, we are stuck with all-too-human plans for fixing the ailing U.S. health care delivery system.
Those plans can be summarized as mostly pro-market or mostly pro-government: Either encourage more competition in the health care markets or supervise and regulate those markets more stringently. It helps to think of such plans as falling somewhere along a straight line where one end-point denotes perfectly unregulated ("free") markets with an almost Wild West flavor, and the other end-point denotes a system of government-owned-and-controlled ("socialized") health care provision. Where should the U.S. system place itself on such a line?
The Obama administration has a chance to make its own recommendations on that placement, although recent rumors hint at nothing much happening during 2009. Obama's campaign Web site tells us, though, that his administration has both pro-market and pro-government plans for fixing the health care system.
Given the new fashion for bipartisanship in politics, and Obama's willingness to compromise with his political opponents, I fear that the conservatives will manage to nibble away at these plans until only the market-based, competition-driven bits remain. This would be a grave mistake, because increasing competition alone will not help us out of our present dilemma of escalating costs and growing numbers of people with no health care coverage.
The reason for that lies in the very nature of health care competition. It is a very different-looking animal from the competition that proponents of "free markets" have in mind when they extol the benefits of markets: variety, innovation, high quality and low prices.
Indeed, competition in health care markets may result in higher prices and unnecessary duplication of expensive facilities. It may also consist of refusing customers who have high health care needs.
On Tomatoes and Stomach Pains
To see where the "free marketeers" go wrong in their pro-competition arguments, let us imagine the kind of market that indeed functions very well: A small farmers market, meeting every Saturday near a large city, a place where growers bring their produce for consumers to buy. It is easy at such a market to compare prices and quality, the consumers know what they plan to buy for that night's dinner, and testing the products can be arranged if desired by simple taste tests.
To check prices, all a buyer needs to do is walk around. Prices of, say, tomatoes will quickly be equalized in such a market to the lowest level at which the growers still make enough money to attend the market and the quality of tomatoes will mostly be quite good.
Now compare a visit to buy tomatoes to a medical visit, one that is caused by some unidentified stomach pain. Few of us will shop providers before deciding to use the services of one -- services that begin with an identification of the symptoms and then continue with recommendations for further action. It is as if we asked a tomato grower to tell us if we really need to eat tomatoes and how many of them to buy, often from the same grower, while all the time not truly knowing if that grower's tomatoes are any good or what we need to buy. | <urn:uuid:b431320d-a609-4361-bad4-94e97c5a0f6b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.alternet.org/story/126138/talk_to_me_like_i'm_4%3A_why_our_health_care_system_failed_us_and_how_we_can_fix_it?qt-best_of_the_week=4 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964835 | 781 | 1.578125 | 2 |
In the last year, the iPad has continued its rise as the leading tablet device. We continue to see a rush of popular games and media well suited to the tablet—games like Angry Birds, tools like Skype, and applications like Facebook, Pandora, Netflix, and Google Earth. These applications entertain, display media, and allow us to communicate with each other. However, can the iPad also be used to create content?.
Content creation seems to require, at minimum, a keyboard and a mouse. But the iPad has neither. Furthermore, it has a smaller resolution screen than most laptops. The iPad has a powerful chip for a mobile device, but it is still underpowered compared to the average notebook.
Despite this, a number of iPad applications currently on the market have overcome these technical challenges to deliver experiences focused on content creation.
For painters and artists, SketchBook Pro is a richly featured drawing and painting tool.
The Apple iWork apps (Pages, Numbers, and Keynote) allow basic editing of word processing documents, spreadsheets, and slide presentations. iMovie is now present on the iPad (or, at least, on the iPad 2). The OmniGoup released OmniGraffle for the iPad.
The Demibooks team and I had previously taken on the challenge of creating world-class interactive books for the iPad. We wanted to take it a step further to give authors a way to create rich interactive experiences without having to program the applications themselves.
Essentially, we wanted authors, illustrators, and budding storytellers to focus as much as possible on the story and the interactions, not on technical details like code. Although the iPad presents an uncomplicated UI to the user, its integrated development environment, Xcode, is too complicated for users without a development background. However, we also knew that the fuller power of the iPad is unleashed when the application creator can access deeper-level languages such as Objective-C. Learning the intricacies of device programming is not a trivial undertaking, especially for an artist or author focused on his art or story.
We received extensive feedback that artists and authors felt trapped between their desire to create their story on the new tablet medium and their inability to carry out extensive development efforts.
To address this issue, we proposed a new challenge for ourselves: could we create an application that allows authors and artists to focus on their art and story in creating an interactive book, rather then worry about the deep programming of the device?
Feedback from authors and illustrators suggested the idea had promise, so we set out to build Demibooks Composer, the world’s first iPad-based interactive book building tool.
We wanted something that worked effectively for the user, so we collaborated closely with several authors as user champions. Our user champions described their workflows, helped us understand their space, described the art assets required, and gave us a vision for what sort of interactive books they wanted to produce.
Via user feedback and iteration, we identified and solved several key design challenges, specifically:
- How do we manage a multi-stage content workflow?
- How do we manage the complexity of creating rich interactive experiences?
Challenge: Content Workflow
Workflow is a fundamental aspect of any creative project. Although creativity by nature can be exciting and chaotic, there is always an element of workflow that allows ideas to be translated into assets, and assets assembled into a final product. In discussions with authors and content creators, the first key challenge was to understand their natural creation workflow and how an application could fit into it.
A review of several existing applications suggested that there is already a rich ecosystem of applications that authors and artists use to construct their stories. It seemed interactive books were going to be designed using many of the same creative processes and techniques used to create a physical book. In many cases, artists wanted to create their assets by hand on physical media (e.g., painting or sketching) and then scan these physical assets into the computer. In other cases, the art was created digitally as part of a digital painting or drawing process using robust tools such as Photoshop and Illustrator.
The text for visual interactive stories is handwritten, chalked, inked, drawn, or digitally painted with specialized script and unique fonts and then digitized for use in an interactive book. All the artists or content creators we observed had very intricate or prescribed workflows.
It was impossible to create a tool that could subsume the entire creative process. Popular tools such as Photoshop represent years of embedded IP and learned behaviors that are not easily replicated or extended.
Instead, we focused on the part of the process where static assets would be transformed into interactive experiences. Whereas a traditionally printed book is be typeset for printing or proofing, the static assets of an interactive book are enhanced with interaction, animation, and audio to make an interactive experience.
We initially explored creating a tool that would run from a desktop and then share content to the iPad for viewing and interaction. An interactive book designed for a touchscreen must obviously be tested on a touchscreen. Swipes, taps, gravity and other touchscreen tablet specific interactions are not easy to simulate on a desktop.
If we were to build a desktop app, we knew the link between the desktop tool and the iPad would have to be extremely smooth and fast, so changes on the desktop would be updated instantly for testing on the iPad. This “build-time” lag is a critical factor in the overall experience of creating an interactive story or any interactive application. The shorter the gap between the implementation and preview of an interactive effect, the faster an author can iterate on the design. If there is a large lag between design and preview, the whole process becomes laborious. Development tools are often promoted for their ability to compile in real-time.
There are a number of methods to link a desktop development environment to an iPad, but they are all surprisingly slow (from seconds to minutes to sync). Over the course of a long project, a slow translation between the design mode and preview mode would be frustrating, and there’s a risk that the link between the desktop and the iPad is unreliable or hard to set up.
This led us to the conclusion we were working on the wrong platform. The most obvious way to have a minimal time delay between a design mode and a testing mode was to create books on the iPad itself. By building the book and testing it directly on the iPad itself, we could let authors and illustrators use enjoyable and natural touch interaction to move content around on a page, but we also radically cut the conversion lag every time an author wanted to test their interactive book.
Authors could continue to create artistic content by hand or digitally using their preferred tools, and then the finished art assets could be transferred to the iPad for assembly into an interactive book. By creating interactivity directly on the iPad, the author or artist could instantly preview the interactive book, getting instant feedback.
Challenge: Managing Complexity
Our major challenge was to manage the several layers of complexity inherent to building interactive content on an iPad.
Interactive books, by definition, are intended to showcase audio, movement, animation, physics interactions and many other effects. The challenge was to find a method to manage these effects that provided a balance between freedom (with increased complexity) and constraint (potentially with less complexity).
Most of these interactions and effects are fundamentally event-driven. Event-driven interactions can be simply described by if-then statements. If-then statements can describe many of the interactions we have in everyday life. For example, “IF you break the toy, THEN you won’t be able to play with it anymore;” “IF I turn this knob, THEN the stove will turn on.’
In an interactive book, these same statements can describe any of the effects that occur. For example, “If a user touches an image, then the image rotates.” Although these statements provide a memorable formula for constructing interactive effects, it was less clear how the could be communicated via the authoring UI.
Although we explored a number of techniques to communicate the if-then framework via the UI, we focused on Flowcharts, Timelines, and Lists as three common visual paradigms.
Flowcharts are a popular method of visually orchestrating interactive events in programming. They seem easy to draw, and can control the flow of execution in a program. Flowcharts are full of if-then statements (and more).
Microsoft flowchart based visual programming language.
However, flowcharts used in visual programming grow quite large and users are likely to spend more time managing the arrangement of charting shapes than creating the effects. It is also challenging to display large flowcharts on the small screen of the iPad.
It is possible that users would also struggle to see the connection between the abstract flowchart shapes and the resulting behavior within the interactive book. In essence, we would be distracting the creator from the creation process.
Timelines are extremely popular in animation and game design applications.
Adobe flash animation editor
Initial user feedback suggested that many of the animators we spoke with were very familiar with a timeline-based conceptual model for organizing specific motion effects and animation. Many of the effects within an interactive book involve motion and animation so it initially seemed like a timeline would be a good fit as an overall conceptual model to organize behaviors.
We tried several experiments using a timeline to organize the effects and interactions on a single page with several user-triggered effects (like rotating and moving objects) and looping animations. These experiments revealed a number of findings:
- Timelines can grow very large, both vertically and horizontally, with each object/interaction showing up as a new line. On a desktop, this may be manageable. However, on an iPad it is a challenge to show a large timeline while still providing the workbench or editing space as context.
- There were many event-driven effects that do not occur according to a specific timeline. For example, suppose that a user touches a shape in the book and the shape rotates. Although the rotation occurs over a specific span of time, the effect itself is not triggered by a specific point in time. Instead, the effect triggers each time the user touches the shape. If a page is made up of many of these event-driven effects, the timeline starts to look like a long list of effects all starting at time = 0.
- It is difficult to manage elements of a timeline using fingers. Unlike a mouse cursor, they do not provide a precise selection point.
- From an implementation perspective, it is costly to develop a smooth timeline interface using drag-and-drop or natural interaction. A badly implemented timeline actually makes it harder for a user to construct effects.
With all these outcomes considered, we made a decision to abandon the timeline concept. We needed something that still was clear to use, but possible to implement with finite budget and implementation resources.
Lastly, we considered lists. A list is literally a set of items arranged vertically in rows. This option is the least visual, but the most space-efficient for use on an iPad. Lists can be sorted, filtered, nested and grouped. They can also be used to contain relevant pieces of if-then recipe for interaction. List based visual programming tools are surprisingly common. One very common example is the mail management tool within Microsoft Outlook.
Microsoft Outlook mail rules wizard
From an implementation perspective, lists are also included by default in the iOS-programming framework, which makes it most cost effective to produce.
To implement lists, we took the if-then framework and placed it inside a list-based UI where an author can make selections to populate each aspect in the formula:
- IF (Object + Event) THEN (Object + Effect)
- IF (Image1 + Touch) THEN (Image1 + Rotate)
IF the Object (The image)
…Triggers an Event (User Touches Screen)
THEN the Object (The image)
…carries out the effect (Rotation)
That is all it takes. An author makes four quick selections from four lists, populating an if-then formula to generate an interactive effect.
List-based navigation is a common pattern throughout mobile design and does not require extensive learning. The lists are space efficient on screen, allowing a canvas to still be present to give crucial context.
Thus, the list based UI has so far provided the best balance between freedom and complexity within a finite implementation budget. Over time we will be exploring how to extend or supersede this initial design approach to implementing interactive effects within interactive books.
By placing the whole editing environment onto the iPad, we minimized the transition between laying out an interactive book and testing it. This does not supplant an author’s unique content creation workflow, but provides a central point to transfer all content and do the work of building the interactive book.
And by using efficient list based selections to add interactive effects, we balanced a finite implementation budget, available screen real estate, complexity, and clarity. | <urn:uuid:ac4f1f7f-9cab-4dc8-8e15-0389724eac9a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://uxmag.com/articles/authoring-content-directly-on-the-ipad | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946436 | 2,688 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Photo gallery: more former Woolies around the UK (part 3 – North East)
First up is the former store in Newcastle’s Clayton Street. The 1930s building has always been something of an architectural oddity in its location, with most of the rest of the street consisting of Richard Grainger buildings from about 1837.
The property, which is currently being advertised as ‘to let’, is pretty large – over 16,000 sq ft on the ground floor, with the same again on the first floor. In recent years the Woolworths store occupied only the ground floor, but I’d be curious to know whether Woolies ever had the first floor open to the public too. Perhaps there’s a reader out there who knows the answer?
To be honest, it’s difficult to see a store of this size, in this location, being re-let any time soon. This end of Clayton Street is very much a secondary pitch in Newcastle city centre (with some rather unprepossessing neighbours), and is therefore unlikely to suit the limited number of large retailers, such as Peacocks, that are not currently represented in the centre of Newcastle.
Possibly a more likely scenario is to see the building redeveloped as part of the planned demolition and rebuilding of the Newgate Shopping Centre, slated for 2011-12, into which the old Woolies had a (latterly unused) side entrance.
The Clayton Street shop was one of three Woolworths stores that existed within the Newcastle city boundaries until the chain’s collapse last year. One of those other stores was the Newcastle Shopping Park branch, in Byker – a slightly unusual case in that it displays no visible sign of ever being a Woolies, in contrast to most still-empty Woolworths that retain their familiar red signage.
This lack of evidence for where Woolworths actually was has already caused some confusion on the web, with Ballysundriven on Flickr (who has built up an astonishing collection of 349 old Woolies pics that puts mine to shame), and, in turn, Retail Week, mistakenly identifying the new B&M Home Store as being in the old Woolies premises. In fact, as the (very old) mall map confirms, B&M is in the unit that used to be Au Naturale, prior to its 2008 administration; meanwhile, the vast 95,000 sq ft former Woolworths unit next door remains resolutely empty.
Just to prove it really was a Woolworths, take a look at this picture of it, at the time of closure, on the Newcastle upon Tyne Daily Photo blog, or some shots here after it had just opened. Amusingly, while Woolworths’ own signage may have been taken down, its presence hasn’t been erased from Newcastle Shopping Park entirely:
Only opened in 2004, the Byker store undoubtedly has a much shorter history than most of those Woolies branches that closed down a year ago; to be honest, though, the store was a bit of a white elephant from the beginning.
When Woolworths originally signed up to anchor the Newcastle Shopping Park scheme, its store was expected to be a Big W – the large, out-of-town format that Woolworths adopted in the late 1990s. However, the Big W format had already been abandoned by the time the Byker store was ready to open, so it was merely branded as Woolworths – albeit a very large one. Evidently it proved too large, given that Woolworths later brought in Peacocks to share some of the space.
Newcastle’s third and final Woolworths was the one in Gosforth High Street, which has seemingly been let to The Co-operative Food. When I revisited Gosforth last weekend, there looked to be hoardings up around the front of the store, with refurbishment work presumably underway.
Finally, another North East Woolworths that has had more happen to it since my photograph is the branch in Consett, County Durham.
Empty at the time of my visit, I understand that the store is now going to become a branch of the weekly payment store, BrightHouse.[broken link removed]
For now – until I go travelling again - that’s all the photos I’ve got of recently-closed Woolworths. However, I’ve a couple of photographic variations left over for forthcoming blog posts, including one old North East Woolworths that shut down in 2004, and another that I think is an old Woolworths that closed down many years ago… See if you can work out which locations I’m referring to! | <urn:uuid:9030c0fa-76ae-4def-8aea-e844af38c8d4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.soultsretailview.co.uk/2009/11/25/photo-gallery-more-former-woolies-around-the-uk-part-3-north-east/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975319 | 968 | 1.65625 | 2 |
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To Ana FS:Yes the Serbian government sure is trying to hold itself to international law after conveniently having ignored international laws against ethnic cleansing and genocide during all of the 90s. Milosevic sure was a man who stuck to international law when the ordered the ethnic cleansing of Kosovo Albanians. I'm sure Tadic today is also a man who embraces international laws which by the way demand that Belgrade hand over the war criminal Ratko Mladic who has been living peacefully in Serbia for fifteen years. I guess some international laws mean more to the Serbian government then others.
Happy 1st Birthday to Kosova!
Just to make it clear to everyone Kosova can not be compared to Northern Ireland or any other region in the world, it is hard to believe the number of reporters and people that compare Kosova to other regions. Then again it shows the lack of knowledge these people poses.
Even if Kosova was Serbian land (which it never was) populated by strangers, the way Serbia handling the problem via committing genocide on its population (Albanians) requires punishment, just like Germany was punished at the end of World War 2 but you don’t hear the Germans complain today.
What a lot of people do not know is that the Albanians are one of the oldest people in Europe and they have been inhabitants of those lands for thousands of years, the Serbs are newcomers when you look at the regions history.
Now about crime in Kosova, look at South Italy (an EU member) it is run by the Mafia in every way. The only reason crime is above normal levels in Kosova is due to the lack of opportunities that exist at the moment for the people there, but this will change in a few years. By the time Kosova becomes an EU member (in 5-10 years) it will have much lower crime rates then most countries in Western Europe do.
The effects of Independence had some negative impacts on USA and every country that ever gained independence as history tells us but nothing that cannot be solved.
So once again congratulations to Kosova on its first successful year as an independent state.
"the extreme nationalist threat has evaporated"
This statement, while perhaps true at this moment, skirts the facility with which such extremism could reemerge. As can be seen by reading the comments posted here (for example the disagreeing posts by Joschka and Metohija, below) nationalism remains a hot button issue in the Balkans.
I agree that the Albanians are unfairly maligned, and held in low esteem in international circles, but I expect that as Albania moves towards European integration, and increased prosperity (and develops its infrastructure!) its international image will improve.
As a side note, my experience is in line with TURTLE3's post. The people in the less touristy parts of the Balkans (Albania, Macedonia, Serbia) were significantly more hospitable, open, friendly, and warm than in the more common destinations. I suppose that this is a common occurrence: familiarity breeds contempt.
Interesting that the reader should called himself "Defender of Truth" when he seems to have absolutely no idea what that means. But it would be a waste of time to discuss with someone such clearly biased, narrow-minded views.
Regarding the Economist article and the topic at hand - the fact that Serbs have remained has more to do with how the Serbian government has managed the situation than with any significant efforts by the Albanian government to integrate them into the new "state". We should also not celebrate this fact without proof that these minority groups are living in satisfactory conditions of peace, and security, and what kind of quality fo life they can have when children have to receive military escort to school.
Finally - agree 100% with Viktor SPb's comment on Kosovo's image. In fact Serbia's government has been very clear to focus mainly on arguments regarding international law and comparisons with other regions rather than naming and shaming Kosovo. If you want a good example go no further than Foreign Minister Jeremic's last year address to the UN.
As for Kosovo being a victim of its geographic position - this harly explains why it remains a haven for trafficking not just of drugs but also more disturbingly of women and children. Surely it is not the North African's who are sitting in villages of Kosovo feeding this trafficking chain! Let's start attributing responsibility where it is due!
Regarding the so called "criminality in Kosovo", are we really to believe that Milosevic was only trying to reduce Kosovar criminality by cold-bloodedly murdering and ethnically cleansing thousands of innocent Kosovar Albanian Civilians in the 90s? Was his vicious ethnic cleansing campaign an attempt at bringing law and order to Kosovo? Is ethnic cleansing and the mass murders of innocent civilians the foundation of Serbian justice and law enforcement? Based on these arguments on could make the case that if NATO had allowed Milosevic (and the Serbian government) to murder and expel all the Kosovo Albanians from Kosovo, to burn down all their villages and mosques, the region would today be free of criminality and law and order would be enforced. I for one am glad that we did not see this experiment of ending criminality play out to its bloody end. Serbia should be the last country to accuse other countries of having problems with criminality based on its own problems with criminality and corruption. In fact Serbia is one of the only countries on earth that is home to two war criminals that have been wanted by the international justice tribunal for fifteen years. Kosovo will be able to deal with its law problems on its own with the help of the EU and US and it certainly does not need Belgrade to constantly remind it of its law enforcement problems. Belgrade should be focused on arresting Mladic and fulfilling its international obligations before dishing out advice to Kosovo or any of the other neighboring countries. They first have to arrest the war criminal Mladic and they maybe they can have any moral weight in their talk of law and justice. Someone that has a known murderer living in his own house for fifteen years should not be calling the police on his neighbor to report parking violations.
I have worked Balkans issues in an official capacity since 1991 and have spent a considerable time in Bosnia, Serbia, Kosovo and stints in other Balkan countries. I am not Serb, Albanian or anything Balkan....I am a mixed mutt of Northern European ethnic stock.
I have lived in the homes of Balkan Slavs (Serb, Bosnian Catholic, Bosnian Muslim)in Bosnia and spent a lot of time with Kosovo Serbs and Albanians.
I gather,process and report information. All kinds of it. Objectivity and accuracy are important to me and anyone who knows the Balkans, knows that can be a difficult thing to ascertain.
The Economist article is both fair and accurate and I am pleased to see most of the comments below sticking to facts and fair assessments unclouded by the type of idiotic ethnically based hyperbole that has so plagued discussions in the past.
Albanians, Bosniaks (those labeled as Muslims or Turci by nationalists Serbs), and at various times, other ethnicities or religious affiliations have been demonized and often (not always) unfairly described with the most absurd, subjective and low-life manner on Earth. Unfortunately, most of that has originated in Belgrade, but also elsewhere, but this fact should not be considered the only indication of the attitude of ALL Serbs....many of whom tried to counter the barbarity of the Milosevic years and the unhealthy, backwards behavior of Kostunica. Those Serbs who went against the Fasco-Chetnik insanity --or who withheld their support for it--are often overlooked heroes of the conflict, courageous people deserving the respect of us all. Serbs also suffered from Serb nationalism.
Just as the vices of SOME Albanians or others have been grossly exaggerated, misrepresented and manipulated by bold-faed lying (primarily started in Belgrade and repeated by some of my ignorant fellow Europeans and Americans), so too must we, all of us now, begin to diffentiate among Serbs, to be fair. Between those Serbs who are proud of the most shameful recent national history to afflict Europe since the Nazis, sometimes called "chetniks" AND those Serbs who practice the morals and values of humanism or real Christianity, or Western European civilization.
To forget the sacrifice and decency of those (latter group) Serbs would be an unforgivable oversight.
It is also important to remember that credible and capable analysts at the UN and KFOR and International Crisis Group accurately predicted a relatively positive Kosovo independence transition and identified the positives in Kosovo, along with the negatives. Informed authorities were far more concerned about the ability of Serb Terrorists to successfully brutalize others and sabotage the process to the point that Albanians RE-acted. There was far less concern about some mass Albanian ethnic cleansing action starting on its own, without Serb Terrorists intentionally setting it off.
But the effectiveness of the Belgrade-based propaganda machine was evident in the willingness of Serbs and some of our less cerebral European/American partners to believe that Serbs were still being run out of Kosovo, physically threatened by Albanians, etc; the reality since 2005 is that Kosovo Serbs were more likely to suffer violence at the hands of other Serbs than from Albanians. Just a simple fact. Check it for yourself....but beware of propaganda traps, and very, very propaganda savvy rags such as Serb Orthodox Websites and some Serb Nationalist Publications, trying to hide their true nature with names that suggest they are Kosovo-based or credible Kosovo-news sources. They generally are not.
Kosovo has a lot of problems, primarily related to Economic Sustainability and, yes, like in Serbia, and elsewhere (like Italy, for God's sake) criminal groups.
But before we add "ethnic anymosity", "Muslim Extremism" or other supposed ailments to the Kosovo list of woes, we ought to take a closer look and judge Kosovars by their behavior....not our own misperceptions and fantasies --some based on lies, lies and half-truths.
We, too, want to be judged on our behavior. Kosovars, in spite of the historical legacy and current obstacles faced, are making a good go of it.
Keep on doing the RIGHT thing Kosovo....don't listen too much to your Northern Neighbors, or we Euro-American sceptics.
Just do the right thing.
Congratulations on your first anniversary.
Berlin, Germany / New Hampshire, USA
So Kosovo has a bad image abroad because Serbia's government has led a highly effective diplomatic campaign against it. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear
As an update, for independence day in Kosovo: one Serb was shot (by a stray bullet from a neighboring Albanian village), three Serbs were beaten up with batons by their Albanian neighbors (one of whom has been apprehended since), and an Albanian flag was hoisted on an Orthodox church in the village of Brod. (for details: http://www.b92.net/eng/news/crimes-article.php?yyyy=2009&mm=02&dd=18&nav...). On the same day, Hillary Clinton has issued an invitation to Kosovo leaders, praising them for taking "quick steps forwards toward building democratic institutions and carrying out the basic principles of the Ahtisaari plan, including the protection of minority rights and cultural and religious heritage within its constitution.” The State Department “highly appreciates the Kosovo people and government’s efforts in promoting stability in the region and cooperation among the various entities and religions to work on building a secure and progressive future.” O tempora, o mores!
the Americans and the British are the patrons for Kosovo's "independence". but what did they say and do about Northern Ireland? "autonomy or self-rule" only but not independence? why?
Whatever Kosovo's legal status may have been prior to the end of Yugoslavia, I find it hard to believe that the nations of the world would be so uncertain on recognizing it that they would not if Russia were not opposed. It is true that quite a few of the nations that refused are currently experiencing their own separatist movements, and so they wished to avoid giving those movements additional fuel, but that fails to explain the many nations that are not threatened by breakup who refuse to recognize it. Currently there are 54 definite nations that recognize Kosovo, in addition to the Republic of China (Taiwan). Even more tellingly, many of the nations that have stated their nonrecognition Kosovo and do not have separatist movements are ones that have ties or concerns with Russia. Please note that in neither of these two groups am I listing the nations that are withholding decisions until the UN Security Council can make a decision on the matter (which looks to be one they will never be able to make a decision on).
Kosovo is an EU subsidised gangster hide out. The old CIA funded KLA crew directing all the action. Take away the money and they will turn on themselves and their neighbours. EU taxpayers paying for the sanctuary of those that prey on them. And do you think rent-a-hillary will close the KBR built base? Do you think this pipeline corridor is any more sustainable than the Khyber Pass? Well at least the drug traders have made the connection between Kosovo and Afghanistan even if The Economist, as BP's torchbearer, can't.
Guys, last September I travelled across the Balkans (as a tourist) and also visited Kosovo. I really don't care about your local animosities, I'll leave them for you to discuss, I just want to say about my impressions. In a word, they were very positive impression: the vast majority of Kosovars we met are hospitable, willing to help, willing to talk (English spoken even in many small local shops, by the way, I'm from Poland), cities are being renovated, roads are buiing built, locals are open and interested in others. To be honest, I really do not get this anti-Albanian phobia - we were a couple sourrounded by Albanians, using local transport, eating at local restaurants, shopping in local shops and walking often late in the evening and never have we had any unpleasant situation. We found this place much more pleasant and friendly than many other places in the Balkans, where a tourist is seen as a walking wallet. I wish Kosovo all the best, against all odds!
to "Karl B" and "zernik" :People, please get your facts straight. Albanians make up 0.67% of the population of Italy not 10%, and 6% of caught drug trafickers. That's alot, although North Africans' per capita figure is much higher.
mostly to Metohija:
People, Wikipedia is nice to find out about stuff we do not know, but please lets not post information found there as evidence of something. That is probably the worst (exageration) place where you could find some statistic to make a point.
it's ironic that editor assumed that the people of Serb holding the view of reunion of a whole country is extreme nationalists.maybe they will be regarded as patriots when they insist on their attitude to the north ireland. so please be fair.
Kosovo appears to be turning into Europes Gaza or at least Europes West Bank in that it has been and will continue to be for the open ended future a protectorate 'state' only to the extent that the EU will exert unlimited autocratic albeit benign control over it. Which in fact seems reasonable but it is darkly funny.
Serbian "propaganda": http://www.freedomhouse.org/uploads/fiw09/MOF09_CEE-FSU_FINAL.pdf
"The greatest success of Kosovo has been to avert a Serb exodus"...: an amazing statement avoiding to comment on the Serb exodus during and immediately after the NATO intervention. How can a serious economic weekly like The Economist also avoid commenting on the 2.3 Billion Euro internal aid poured into Kosovo throughout the 10-years UNMIK governance over there, without any tangible positive results: not even the airport road could be completed decently to date!
@ joschka: Ah, you and your objective reporting. Excuse my non-objective bluntness, but your post reeks of anti-Serbian comments. And as one of those decent, non-tainted Serbs you extoll, I think I ought to point that out to you. Also, your post is not a little patronizing -- your seal of approval is not needed on this forum of ideas, however "idiotic" they may appear to you. I disagree with you that the Serbs are safe and happy in Kosovo, and wonder where you get your reports from. From reading BBC, New York Times, and B-92, ostensibly independent news sources, it is obvious that most Serbs in Kosovo live in enclaves protected by international troops, and are shuttled under armor between them. Their churches are fenced in, also patrolled by foreign troops. Occasionally, their electricity is cut off for days at a time, under pretext of not having paid their bills. Supplies from Serbia proper are randomly intercepted and confiscated, for failure to be reported to the "authorities". And the list of freedoms goes on...You are probably correct in saying that thousands of Serbs are not leaving Kosovo every day - because they already did. Of the estimated 100,000 plus who left, how many, can you tell me and the rest of this forum, returned - and why not???
To give Kosovo -- and not Serbia -- credit for averting Serbian exodus, and support it with the example of the north of Kosovo is preposterous. It is even stated in the article that this part of Kosovo is all but administered from Belgrade; for example, many of their salaries are paid from Serbia (double the national norm, by the way).The Kosovar Stability Initiative, a think-tank based in Pristina, is hardly an unbiased source for the statistics of Albanian crimes. The police records in some EU countries, or even Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albanian_Mafia) might be a worthwhile cross-check. However, the website of Kosovar Stability Initiative is worth visiting, if only for the perplexed report on the terms under which Serbia has endorsed EULEX presence - specifically the 6-point plan brokered by the UN. Not mentioning this important document that dilutes Prishtina's control on some key issues in the north, or the pending case against Kosovo independence that Serbia has brought to the International Court of Justice, amounts to an incomplete report on Kosovo's first year as a state. Noting the fallout of the 6-point plan a bit late, Kosovo politicians are now avoiding even technical discussions with Belgrade -- until Serbia formally recognizes Kosovo.
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Eight months after he touted the job-generating power of renewable energy, Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar returned to Nevada's newest solar power plant with a different message.
The William S. Hart Union High School District in Santa Clarita Valley, CA is building a photovoltaic (PV) solar system designed to produce between $18 and $20 million in energy savings over 20 years.
BMW has taken another step in what is shaping up to be a multifaceted electric vehicle initiative that focuses on spurring infrastructure and lifestyle changes among consumers, as much as touting the vehicles themselves.
The federal government has given generously to the clean energy industry over the last few years, funneling billions of dollars in grants, loans and tax breaks to renewable power sources like wind and solar, biofuels and electric vehicles. "Clean tech" has been good in return.
Planet Orange is now a power house. Phoenix and Arizona Public Service officials, NBA Phoenix Suns executives and point guard Steve Nash on Monday switched on 966 solar panels on the roof of US Airways Center parking garage. They've named it the APS Suns Powered Solar Structure.
The Army is preparing to collect proposals for a contract vehicle worth up to $7 billion over as many as 30 years meant to help it manage energy resources at Army bases around the country.
Investors looking to get fabulously rich may want to place a few bets on solar cell and rechargeable battery technology.
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Lyndon B. Johnson 1964 Signed Very Scarce For Sale
THE PROFESSIONAL: LYNDON B. JOHNSON, by William S. White. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company Boston, The Riverside Press Cambridge, 1964. Hardcover with dust jacket, 273 pages. FIRST EDITION, FOURTH PRINTING. SIGNED by Johnson on half title page. Johnson signed this particular title during his re-election offer in 1964, and issued them to delegates. Very scarce signed.
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Condition: All flaws noted. Book is Very Good+. Very tight spine. A few small bumps to front edge. Light scratch to back cover. Dust jacket is Good+. Minor water stains to portions of front and rear creases. Small paper loss to right-hand corner of front cover. Not price-clipped. Beautifully protected in Mylar. A wonderful copy!!!!!
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AMERICA IN TRANSITION, MAY 2008
by Jessica Murray
It’s time to talk about Mars.
The red planet has been exceptionally active lately. It was opposing Pluto when the latter crossed into Capricorn (1) in late January, ratcheting up the drama to a fever pitch by stationing five days later. And all this time it was hitting its own position in the chart of the USA (2). Thus did the part played by Mars in the historic Pluto ingress set the tone for the next 15 years, pinpointing America’s starring role. We may wish to leave the God of War well enough alone, but he clearly has no intention of leaving us alone.
Mars Photo by NASA
But Mars’ unquestioned identification with anger and war invites a closer look, and never more so than now.
In this column we have been going through the planets, one by one, to see what they can teach us about what’s going on in the world. The daunting crises that beset humanity at the moment seem to be multiplying like rabbits in the springtime. In order to keep our heads on straight, we need a way of seeing that can do more than simply equating Mars with violence and war and leaving it at that. We need a deeper astrology, no less than we need visionary leaders and a more intelligent mass media.
Of the three, let us start with the one we have direct control over: our understanding of astrological symbols.
Ground level and sky level
For astrology to lead to wisdom, we must allow its transpersonal viewpoint to guide us, all the while staying awake to the geopolitical dramas that inform this epoch.
There is a mistaken notion among some spiritual seekers that worldly affairs hold no interest to the sufficiently enlightened. But this view ignores the astrological importance of time—and place—as key components of our life purpose. Astrology contends that where we find ourselves (in a certain family, in a certain country) is no accident, anymore than when we incarnated. From the point of view of psychic health, we ignore the current state of the world at our peril.
While it is human to find ourselves wishing we could deny—as a coping mechanism—either our spiritual yearnings or our society’s dysfunctions, these two perspectives represent parallel levels of reality. Each requires acknowledgement. It is axiomatic in astrology that the soul knew what it was doing when it chose this particular era. The world beyond our picket fence, in all its complexity and foreignness and painful paroxysms, is part and parcel of our personal life play.
For Americans of conscience, the horrors we hear about on the news—or, worse, the ones the mainstream news does not mention—often feel downright unbearable to look at. The fact that so many of these horrors are paid for with our hard-earned taxes, to boot, strikes many a sensitive citizen as too excruciatingly ironic to think about. But we know in our hearts that denial rebounds back upon us in the end. (3)
As pathologies go, denial seems like a fairly innocuous offence. But in America denial has become epidemic, all the while achieving the imprimatur of normalcy; like a chronic disease that blots out all memory of health. It is not a good sign when a populace is unable to come up with responsible leaders, accepting instead a cabal driven by over-the-top greed and moral cretinism. As many commentators have urged, it bodes ill for the republic that so many American citizens remain ignorant of the fact that their country’s vast resources have, with increasing boldness lately, been spent not for the benefit of the public but for the benefit of a handful of mega-corporations and an exclusive club of oil-rich dictator-kings who rule in deserts far away. It causes a sickness in the soul for Americans to look the other way while companies like Halliburton, Lockheed, Blackwater and Bechtel—Bob Dylan’s masters of war—get fat and rich off the unspeakable suffering of millions of ordinary human beings. (4)
The cure for this soul-sickness begins with the refusal to deny. But astrologers who eschew denial must juggle a couple of seemingly very different perspectives. At the same time that we acknowledge all these unsavory worldly realities, we fix our focus upon their larger significance. Being politically aware does not contraindicate seeing life as a vast set of abstract symbols legible in the sky. Astrology can decode the meaning of our culture’s deadliest foibles, allowing us to get someplace more useful than merely railing against them or wringing our hands in despair.
It is not a contradiction, but a paradox: to be free of our national sicknesses we must take responsibility for the fact that here we are—right here, right now—living amidst a specific set of toxic worldly circumstances… at the same time that we must distance ourselves from them. We distance ourselves not to disengage, but to better understand. To disengage is not an option for the truth-seeker. Those of us alive today were born into an epoch that will harshly punish sleepwalking.
Mars: “malefic” or misused?
Of all the planets astrology uses, Mars is closest to the biological level of existence. It governs the urge to survive, a motivation humans share equally with plants and non-human animals. In its primal, healthy expression, Mars is the feisty “fight” in all vital beings: the seedling’s will to pierce through a crack in the sidewalk in order to reach the sunlight; the athlete’s adrenaline that keeps her going against daunting odds. It is when the Martial impulse is distorted by the ego-mind of human beings that things start to get complicated.
A seedling covered up by a pebble may resort to twisting itself around to survive the blockage; a tied-up dog may chew its leash in two. A human individual or group entity whose will is thwarted may either respond or react, depending on its level of consciousness; giving rise to the potential for the many faces of shadow Mars that have given the planet such a bad name over the centuries. (5) When frustrated, human willpower can strike out in anger, or—more pathological still, according to some psychologists—can turn anger back upon the self (depression).
Assertion is Mars in its natural form; aggression is what happens when blockage of some kind has led it awry. The further Mars strays from the innocent urge to express vitality, the more problematic things get. There is nothing “malefic” about the drive to stand out from the crowd through action. But when this drive is estranged from its natural state by human sophistry it becomes destructive.
The essence of Mars is the archetypal warrior, a noble figure that is mostly visible these days only in the imagery of ancient history (e.g. the samurai) or in the animal kingdom (e.g. the dignity of the tiger, whose new status as an endangered species is an apt symbol for the Mars-Pluto [extinction] warning above us in the sky). One notch lower on the consciousness scale and the warrior turns into a mere soldier, a distinction we will consider more fully in next month’s column. When the group mind is stuck equating Mars with soldiering, the result is shadow Mars at its most hideous (Darfur, Haditha, Tibet, the Congo).
Thanks to the Mars-Pluto opposition, Americans are learning, ever so reluctantly, an esoteric truth about misusing Mars this way: that the soldier’s ultimate victim is himself. With the transit overhead, newspaper stories started appearing about G.I. suicides (three to seven times the rate of the general population). (6) The most dystopic form of this trajectory of Mars—away from biology into man-made artifice—must surely be the current use by the Pentagon of robot fighters, or as the generals demurely call them, “unmanned vehicles”. (7)
Mars shows up as war when humanity knows no better. To use Martial energy for deliberate violence is to use the archetype blind: out of touch with its place in the Whole. Granted, this interpretation of the planet’s symbolism is less dramatic than the conventional reading of Mars as a definitive war god—an image which gets a lot of mileage in astrology for the same reason that allegories get used in literature: they are emotionally vivid and immediate, like pictures in a comic strip. But cosmic forces are not cartoons. To see Mars in such simplistic terms is as silly as reducing the concept of “God” to a bearded old white man in the clouds.
Humanistic astrology views the planets as numinous forces, every one of them value-neutral. They are, after all, just symbols —symbols that function as mirrors. Mirrors take on a different look depending upon who is using them, and when.
Here is where that old saw, we create our own reality, comes in. On an individual level, whether one uses Mars in bold, creative action or in anger and solipsism depends on the face looking in the mirror. On the sociopolitical level, how Mars is expressed by a given group reveals the consciousness of that group.
When Americans look into the mirror of Mars, what face looks back at us? And if we don’t like what we see, what can be done to change it?
To be continued next month.
1 Retrogradation will move Pluto back and forth over this threshold for the rest of 2008. The Mars-Pluto opposition was an unusually long one for the same reason: Mars’ own retrogradation kept the heat on that transit for five full months, with exactitudes occurring Sept. 21, January 2 and March 6-7.
2 I refer here to the group entity that rose into being on July 4, 1776; which receives transits and progressions just as a person’s chart does. Though historical controversy surrounds the exact birth moment of the USA, I use the widely-favored Sibly chart (see my book, Soul-Sick Nation: An Astrologer’s View of America, Jessica Murray, MotherSky Press 2008).
3 By astrological logic, this is so because denial, like sins of omission, is a form of distorted Saturn, the planet of karma. The remedy here, as for all such distortions, is perhaps not intuitively obvious: it is self-compassion. We start climbing out of denial by accessing self-forgiveness. This is easy to do when we remember that what motivates Saturn’s defense mechanisms is the simple desire to be safe. We deny out of a misguided need to protect ourselves. In this sense Saturn functions similarly to the Moon.
4 The current presidential campaign is bringing these long-running themes to the surface. While the followers of John (“Bomb-Bomb Iran”) McCain were under no such illusions, many peace-loving Americans who had hoped that the Democratic Party would redeem the barbarity of their country’s foreign policy over the past seven years were sickened in late April to hear Hillary Clinton promise to “totally obliterate” Iran (which has no nukes), were it to threaten Israel (which is armed to the teeth with them). Sen. Clinton’s statement epitomizes the win-at-any-cost mentality of distorted Mars, which in her natal chart is susceptible to being unmoored by the power of Pluto. Barack Obama’s warmongering is more muted. But his choice of reactionary consigliere Zbigniew Brzezinski, one of the architects of the war in Afghanistan, and his militant projections for Pakistan and Palestine et al, cannot help but remind even his most progressive supporters of the unavoidable reality that no candidate can prevail in the current political system without paying blood money to America’s Mars.
5 In 1521, Cardinal Wolsey urged Henry VIII to desist from war in order to prevent “the effusion of …blood, the consuming of treasure, subversion of realms, depopulation and desolation of countries and other infinite inconveniences.”
6 The figure is an estimate, for the notoriously closed-mouthed Veterans’ Administration refuses to make such statistics public. Similarly verboten is any mention of the number of non-fatal casualties (maimings), which are widely believed to be overwhelming. Leaked reports indicate that in the supposed jewel of the V.A. system, Walter Reed Hospital, the wounded are overflowing onto cots in the corridors.
7 The US Congress has set a goal of having robot vehicles constitute one-third of its ground force by 2015. Four thousand of these artificial warriors, such as the MQ-1 Predator, are “serving” in Iraq right now; capable of striking from the air, under the sea and on land. When one of these robot fighters self-navigated above a car full of Al Qaeda suspects in 2002, the decision to vaporize the victims with Hellfire missiles was made by pilots 7,000 miles away.
Jessica Murray trained as a fine artist before graduating in 1973 from Brown University, where she studied psychology and linguistics. After a stint in political theatre in the heady early '70s, Jessica moved to San Francisco and began studying metaphysics, where she has had a full-time private practice in astrology for more than 30 years.
Her book, Soul-Sick Nation: An Astrologer's View of America, is available through her website, mothersky.com. In addition to her column in Daykeeper Journal and the monthly Skywatch on her website, MotherSky.com, Jessica's essays appear in The Mountain Astrologer, P.S. Magazine, Considerations and other publications. Jessica can be reached at [email protected].
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The social networking site Facebook's Initial Public Offering (IPO) on the NASDAQ stock exchange, has been referred to as one of the most hyped technology stock market offerings.
"If you know that a stock is overpriced and everybody knew this ... you know you are taking a risk there. You don't have any right to a stock that goes up rather than down."
- Felix Salmon, Reuters business blogger
The popular site boasting 800 million active users, sought to capitalise on its popularity but since the launch of its IPO, its stocks have tumbled by around 15 per cent.
Mark Zuckerberg - the founder of Facebook - along with the investment banks that organised the launch, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs have pocketed billions of dollars.
Those investment banks all cut earnings estimates for the social network in the days leading up to the NASDAQ launch. But they only disclosed these changes to certain favoured clients.
So the average main street investor had no idea that the company they were about to buy into was not expected to live up to over-hyped expectations.
"There is a chance here that this was just pure insider trading, the insiders made a lot of money and those who didn't have the information lost out."
- Russell Mokhiber, editor of Corporate Crime Reporter
The company's IPO created some big winners and big losers, with ordinary investors having lost at least $630m collectively. Morgan Stanley and other underwriters have made about $100m in profits so far, plus $175 million in fees, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Some of these profits will likely be offset because of problems associated with the IPO. However, owners of Facebook stock who sold shares during the IPO, netted profits of some $16bn.
Several lawsuits have been filed by Facebook shareholders against Facebook, its founder, and Morgan Stanley and other banks.
A Facebook spokesperson told one media outlet, "We believe the lawsuit is without merit and [we] will defend ourselves vigorously."
So what does the Facebook IPO tell us about investing on Wall Street? Was it a case of fair risk or casino capitalism? Are the odds stacked against main street investors?
Inside Story Americas, with presenter Anand Naidoo, discusses with guests: Felix Salmon, Reuters news agency's business blogger; Russell Mokhiber, editor of Corporate Crime Reporter, a legal newsletter; and by James Angel, associate professor of finance at Georgetown University.
"Facebook's mission is to make the world more open and connected. And we think that people's lives are going to be better and the whole world will function better when there is more information and understanding out there "
Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, in the roadshow movie leading up to the initial public offering
FACEBOOK IPO FACTS
- Initial public offering or IPO, is a company's first public stock sale
- Social networking site Facebook went public on Friday, May 18
- Intense hype surrounded Facebook's IPO
- Facebook stocks were priced at $38 a share
- Facebook shares soared to a price of $45 per share on IPO day
- Facebook stock has lost about 15% of its initial value
- 57% of shares sold on first day, came from Facebook insiders
- The sale of Facebook's shares netted $16bn in profits for owners
- Banks made about $275m on Facebook IPO
- Facebook says it has more than 800 million active users
- Facebook was worth about $104bn at public offering
- Facebook IPO has eroded confidence in Wall Street | <urn:uuid:2d3a33e9-0c9c-4119-9cdd-fd053e83e94f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestoryamericas/2012/05/201252685813212846.html?utm_content=automate&utm_campaign=Trial6&utm_source=NewSocialFlow&utm_term=plustweets&utm_medium=MasterAccount | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955512 | 726 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Normal, Ill. (PRWEB) August 02, 2012
Three new electric vehicle (EV) charging stations are now available for public use in the parking deck at Advocate BroMenn Medical Center, 1304 Franklin Avenue, Normal.
The EV charging stations were installed on the second floor of the deck for easy access by the public and protection from the elements.
In keeping with Advocate Health Care's various "green" initiatives, BroMenn is participating in a local community-wide effort to promote electric vehicle technology by providing a charging infrastructure. Dwight Hill, BroMenn’s director of facilities management and chair of the “Green Team” at the hospital, says, “I am very pleased to be one of the first Advocate hospitals to have installed EV charging stations. Their installation is a progressive move which emphasizes BroMenn’s desire to be environmentally conscious.”
The charging stations are available free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The charging time of each vehicle is dependent upon the vehicle’s on-board charging circuit, the vehicle’s battery size, and the amount of existing charge on the vehicle’s battery. Typically a full charge will be completed within four hours, but the public is welcome to stop in and “top off” their battery if needed, Hill says. BroMenn employees with electric vehicles who work second or third shift may also use the charging stations during their shift.
BroMenn received three out of the ten EV charging stations provided to the community by the Town of Normal, through the town’s participation in the U.S. Department of Energy grant program. Applications were reviewed based on several factors, including the likely number of EV charging customers to be served at the location, plans for additional EV accommodations, and geographic location. Normal is the home to a Mitsubishi Motors manufacturing plant, and the Town government uses several of Mitsubishi's i-MiEV electric vehicles in its fleet.
Hill says time will tell how often the charging stations will be used. “Upward climbing gasoline prices and environmental conditions will continue to push technology for better or less expensive energy alternatives,” he says. “The electric vehicle is new to the market and has to develop a reputation as a reliable, cost effective alternative. If successful, I think we will see the charging stations used more frequently as ownership of electric or hybrid vehicles increases.” | <urn:uuid:43bdf3b4-3dda-4245-a8cb-e237bd87c9c2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/8/prweb9755384.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961728 | 501 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Hobbies help round us out as people and fill in the cracks to define us—they help make us who we are. Perhaps you have a hobby like pottery, sewing, baking, scrap booking, or candle making, but have never really invested enough time to sell your work. If you’re like me, you may also never spend quite enough time on any of your hobbies to finish them. Don’t worry, this doesn’t make you a bad hobbyist, just one with great, untapped potential.
We all know someone who is a proverbial poster-child of hobbying. He or she is absolutely enthralled with their hobby, and no one’s surprised to see that person’s talent. If this person is you, you’ve no doubt started to notice your house beginning to fill with the results of your talent, even if you’re still unable to recognize yourself as a wildly talented individual. Well, it’s time to stop wondering where to put your next masterpiece and get that hobby to provide for itself, if not more.
Why should hobbies just drain the pocketbook? With a shift in our culture towards handmade things, there’s a huge value markup on people who possess talents outside of a traditional 9-5 job and a care enough to invest the time required to produce items of quality. Eventually, as with most hobbies, you will begin to be overrun by a beautiful array of your work until selling has become the only option!
If you have a hobby that’s marketable, why not get started and turn it into some passive income? Instead of letting your favorite activities have a hay-day with your hard-earned money, turn them into profit. I have confidence that you’ll figure out what to do with all that extra cash.
Start a Hobby
If you have a hobby, skip this, or read it for the fun of it, but having a hobby is pretty important if you’re plan is to sell things you make. This passive income thing is pretty cool, don’t miss out. It goes like this: you + something you love doing = income. Best math I’ve ever done (says the math-phobic hobbyist that is me).
If you don’t have a hobby, find one. There’s crocheting for those with patience for tedium, car remodeling for those with larger hobby budgets and a propensity for speed, perhaps woodworking is more your speed—just don’t get anything caught in the spinning lathe. If you have something you kind of like to do, and maybe people have even told you you’re good at it, go ahead and stun yourself; go on the internet and shop for whatever it is you make. Then do some math. How many items are you turning out regularly? How much faster do you think you could work and still enjoy it? Now, what could you be making in a month? A year?
If that’s not enough to convince you, do some more math. Get an estimate of what you’re spending each month, or would be spending…add it all together. Don’t leave any little bits out. Imagine if you made money instead of spent it. There, as you imagine that, the feeling you’re having is what it would feel like if you went for this passive income thing.
Believe in Yourself
Assuming you already have a hobby, or have recently decided to acquire one, the hardest thing you’re going to have to do is muster the courage to get started. This is a business in which the inventory occurs naturally, just as you do what you love. You’re already going to be buying supplies, the expenses are like black magic for your bank account, so wave your wand and banish the bank gremlins. You have the skill to do this.
If you’re not sure, invite someone over to give you some honest feedback. Make sure it’s someone who loves you, but can be honest. Maybe even have that person bring someone you don’t know, ask them to bring the most painfully-blunt person they know and then ask their opinions. If they hate your stuff, then nothing changed. You can go on spending money on a habit you enjoy. Chances are, if you enjoy your hobby, you’re probably good at it. So, when the terribly blunt person tells you they like your stuff, you have to believe them. You have talent. If the bluntest person to walk the Earth just told you your work is charming and lovely, you already have a customer base.
And just like that, you’re in business.
Social media is exploding the business world. Make a Facebook page for your brand new business and start charging people. Get on eBay, create a PayPal account for security, and hire a talented photographer (or a friend who knows a bit about cameras) to take pictures of your work and start selling. If you have questions, find other people marketing hobby-like items and ask them for pointers. Today, all you need is a laptop and an email address, and you are in business. Welcome to passive income my adventurous friend!
Do you have a hobby you enjoy doing that can double as an income maker? Are you already a hobbyist? Share your online shop’s URL! We want to see what you make–hobby-wise and income-wise. | <urn:uuid:c5b0611a-2f93-4976-a1ce-e6b840fa5cdd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://creatingapassiveincome.com/2013/01/become-a-hobbyist-its-a-passive-income-dream-come-true/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960432 | 1,145 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Those present at the ceremony, which took place in the Oval Office, included Gary Bass of OMB Watch, Tom Blanton of the National Security Archive, Danielle Brian of the Project on Government Oversight, Lucy Dalgish of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, and Patrice McDermott of OpenTheGovernment.org.
Gary Bass commented:
Our understanding going into the meeting was that it would have a pool photographer and a print reporter, and it turned out to be a private meeting. He adds, He was so on point, so on target in the conversation with us, it is baffling why he would not want that message to be more broadly heard by reporters and the public interest community and the public generally.
The Blaze observes:
But yet no member of the press was allowed in. And despite Press Secretary Jay Carneys assertions earlier this month that the president "has demonstrated a commitment to transparency and openness," some arent buying it.
Carney declared just hours before the White House postponed the meeting:
This President has demonstrated a commitment to transparency and openness that is greater than any administration has shown in the past, and hes been committed to that since he ran for President and hes taken a significant number of measures to demonstrate that.
While it may be true that Obama has made transparency a talking point both during his campaign and throughout his administration, assertions that he has made good on his word are misguided. In fact, a federal court actually fined the Obama administration for lack of transparency back in January 2010, when the Justice Department failed to provide information in the case of U.S. v. Sturdevant. The fine came as no surprise, as the Justice Department had already acquired a reputation for dodging requests for information related to its dismissal of the voter intimidation case against the New Black Panther Party.
One government transparency watchdog, the Sunlight Foundation, noted the lack of transparency in the Obama administration just days ago. The groups director, Ellen Miller, called 2010 tremendously disappointing and remarked that little has happened in 2011 to change her view.
The Hill reported:
Miller said the presidents open government directive had made the open government community hopeful after years of secrecy from the Bush administration, particularly because the government promised things like data audits of federal agencies and the publishing of high-value government data sets for public use that have yet to come to fruition.
Just two days ago, FavStocks.com reported that the Obama administration has employed political operatives to screen Freedom of Information (FOIA) requests:
[U]ncensored emails newly obtained by the AP show that employees within the Homeland Security Department were warning that senior Obama administration appointees were delaying the release of government files. Department employees emails described the appointees behavior as "meddling" and even "crazy." One email from the deputy to the departments chief privacy officer said of the political appointees, "They dont like to abide by the law or be reminded that they are breaking it." That employee has since been replaced, a move that has raised questions of "retaliation."
In September 2009, three human rights groups targeted the Obama administration for its refusal to confirm or deny the existence of documents regarding the treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay, asserting that the Obama administrations persistent secrecy becomes more inexcusable by the day.
The administration also provoked complaints of secrecy during the infamous backroom deals that led to the passage of ObamaCare. In March 2010, Centrist Net reported, President Obama had flip flopped today, embracing the kind of backroom deals he campaigned against in 2008.
An award touting this administration as transparent does nothing more than underscore its total lack of transparency.
And even if the Obama administration were to have stayed true to its promises of openness, many question whether that calls for an award. Steve Aftergood, director of the Project on Government Secrecy at the Federation of American Scientists, does not seem to think so. He remarked on the lack of necessity for the award, "I dont feel moved today to say 'thank you, Mr. President.'"
Calling the award aspirational, he added:
And in that sense, one could say it resembles the award [of] the Nobel Peace Prize. Its not because Obama brought peace to anyone but because people hoped he would be a force for good in the world, and maybe thats the way to understand this award.
Photo: Senate bill sponsors Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill discussing the CoburnObama Transparency Act, 2006 | <urn:uuid:e5809564-448d-47d8-8687-a9397c666500> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/politics/item/5700-obama-receives-transparency-award-at-secret-meeting | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968403 | 916 | 1.515625 | 2 |
TOKYO (AP) -- Just when Tokyo was getting a boost in its bid to host the 2020 Olympics, a scandal surfaced within the Japanese sporting culture and threatened to undermine the nation's hosting hopes.
Tokyo bid officials were thrilled last month when a poll showed that public support for the bid had risen to 73 percent, given that low public support had derailed the 2016 bid.
But on the same day the new figures came out, the Japan Judo Federation revealed that the head coach of the women's Olympic team, Ryuji Sonoda, had used violence against athletes at a training camp before the London Olympics.
For Tokyo 2020 organizers, the timing couldn't have been worse -- an IOC evaluation committee will visit Tokyo in March. One of the main themes of Tokyo's bid is "athletes first."
The Judo federation revealed 15 female judoka sent a letter to the Japanese Olympic Committee at the end of last year complaining they had been subjected to harassment and physical violence by Sonoda at a pre-Olympic training camp. The federation, which knew about the problem since September when some of the women first raised the issue, even renewed Sonoda's contract.
Sonoda tried to justify his behavior by saying he was under tremendous pressure to produce gold-medal winners in London, and later resigned. He said he didn't think slapping was considered violence and that he was trained in the same way.
Sports minister Hakubun Shimomura has described the situation as the most serious crisis in Japan's sports history.
"The sports community must make concerted efforts to go back to the fundamental principle that violence should be eradicated from sports instruction," Shimomura said.
Days after Sonoda stepped down, two-time Olympic judo champion Masato Uchishiba was sentenced to five years in prison for raping a female member of a university judo club in 2011.
Naoki Ogi, a former teacher and popular social critic, attributes the corporal punishment to poor coaching techniques.
"Corporal punishment is an easy solution for instructors who lack leadership and skills, who know they won't be challenged," Ogi wrote on his blog. "It's a dirty trick."
Ogi suggests the JOC and the judo federation coordinated their responses to the scandal.
"They must be colluding," Ogi said, adding that the JOC should have launched its own investigation a long time ago. "There is no doubt this ongoing scandal will affect (Tokyo's) Olympic bid. It's a pity."
The complaints by the 15 women were initially ignored by the judo federation, which has no women on its 26-member executive board, so they decided to take it to the JOC.
"We were deeply hurt both mentally and physically because of violence and harassment taken upon us by former coach Sonoda, in the name of guidance. It went far beyond what it should have," the women said in a joint statement released through their lawyers. "Our dignity as humans was disgraced, which caused some of us to cry, and others to wear out. We participated in matches and training as we were constantly intimidated by the presence of the coach while we were forced to see our teammates suffer."
Sonoda was in London for the Olympics, where Japan won only one gold medal in women's judo. Many in Japan have pointed out that his actions go against the Olympic charter which bans violence.
Judo, literally translated as "gentle way," was invented in Japan and was the first Japanese martial art to gain widespread international recognition, and the first to become an official Olympic sport at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
At the time of Sonoda's resignation, the issue had already been in the spotlight following the suicide in December of a Japanese high school student who endured repeated beatings from his basketball coach.
The student told his mother the day before he died that he had been struck 30 to 40 times by his coach. The 47-year-old coach, whose name has not been disclosed, admitted slapping the teen when he made a mistake and said it was intended to "fire him up."
Corporal punishment at school is prohibited under Japan's Fundamental Law of Education. According to the Education Ministry, about 400 corporal punishment cases are reported at public schools every year. In 2001, about one third of the cases resulted in injuries, mostly cuts and bruises to the head or the face. About a quarter of the school corporal punishment cases involve sports teams.
In 2009, a former sumo trainer was sentenced to six years in prison for his role in the fatal beating of a young wrestler during training. Former trainer Junichi Yamamoto ordered three wrestlers, in the name of instruction, to beat 17-year-old wrestler Tokitaizan, hitting him with beer bottles, a baseball bat and hosing him with cold water.
Tokitaizan, whose real name was Takashi Saito, collapsed after practice and died in June 2007. An autopsy showed bruises and injuries that prosecutors said showed his ordeal was not training.
Tokyo governor Naoki Inose has said he doesn't think the scandal will hurt Tokyo's bid and the JOC issued a statement saying it would conduct an investigation into the use of physical violence in judo and all sports. | <urn:uuid:10d33006-b01e-430b-ad43-26be5d5cbbd9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://times-gazette.com/ap%20sports/2013/02/08/judo-abuse-scandal-hits-tokyo-olympic-bid | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.987457 | 1,077 | 1.757813 | 2 |
Connecticut Ratepayers Federally-Mandated Congestion Charges
Up to 100% of project cost
Note: Contact the program administrator before making investment decisions; this program requires pre-approval.
Connecticut electricity customers that install energy efficiency equipment and reduce their energy use during peak hours may be eligible for a rebate based on the amount of kilowatt-hours (kWh) saved during peak hours. Any customer in Connecticut, whether building a new facility or retrofitting an existing facility, is eligible to apply. The key consideration for qualifying is that the customer's proposed energy efficiency retrofits or new building plans must result in energy savings during the winter peak (5 p.m. and 7 p.m. in December and January) and summer peak (1 p.m. and 5 p.m. in June, July and August).
Examples of energy-efficient technologies that could qualify include lighting and lighting controls, HVAC systems, refrigeration, motors and variable frequency drives (VFDs) and energy efficient improvements to overall manufacturing processes or data centers. Examples of "ideal" customers include retail facilities, two-shift manufacturing/industrial facilities, parking garages, hospitals, and other facilities with long hours of operation. Businesses, non-profits, and government facilities interested in applying should review the program web site above for more information.
The Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control (now the Public Utility Regulatory Authority) designated Ameresco, an independent energy company, to manage this program, which is intended to save five megawatts (MW) of electricity. The program is funded by a federally-mandated congestion charge. | <urn:uuid:d47243f4-b680-4ac9-89c6-55a356dd5db6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://energy.gov/savings/commercial-and-industrial-rebate-program | 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 | 0.943772 | 335 | 1.84375 | 2 |
In order to avoid any misunderstandings and facilitate flawless work conditions, we have established some principle rules that guide our cooperation with writers. Please, read carefully some basic rules below. Yet, do not forget to get acquainted with detailed principles of work outlined in the Writer’s guide available in the system once you login as approved writer.
STANDARD PAPER REQUIREMENTS
- 12 point Times New Roman font;
- min 300 words per page;
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- left alignment of the text(no justification);
- one-inch margins on all sides (2.54 cm);
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- Paper should strictly follow citation style (MLA, APA, Harvard, Chicago) determined by the Customer;
- Order number is used for file name (i.e. 1000232.doc)
- The paper should address all of the points specified in the order description. You should always follow the customer's instructions.
- Due date should always be honored. We can ask a client to extend the deadline, but sometimes it is impossible. Learn to plan your writing time in order to meet the deadlines.
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All completed orders should be uploaded into the system. If for some reason you cannot upload your paper, you will need to send it to [email protected]
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The payment for the paper will be indicated in the order description. In some cases, the payment for the paper may be raised. You will receive your salary for completed orders once per month. Salary will be released on first Tuesday after 18th of the following
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Refunds are rarely made. If the writer sends inappropriate work, which does not correspond to customer's instructions precisely, the refund might be issued to the unsatisfied customer. We are also forced to provide refund when the writer makes a lot of grammar mistakes. Please note that if we have to do a refund, the customer cancels his order and the writer is not paid for this particular paper.
Yet, the customer might choose to ask you for a revision if you failed to follow initial guidelines or made a lot of mistakes. You will be asked to correct the mistakes in the paper, address the topic, or rewrite the paper if plagiarism is found. You will still get
paid for the paper, but all the revisions are to be handled free of charge. The writer has 24 hours to complete revision request. In some cases, the deadline can be changed, then a new due date is appointed to the writer in the e-mail with the request for revision.
If we have to make a refund because of plagiarism, we will penalize you for the whole price or you would have to reimburse loses by providing free writing.
If for some reason you are not able to meet the deadline, you must inform us about it at least 2 hours before the deadline expires and name the exact time when the paper will be completed. Please, show your competence and professionalism and learn to manage your writing time wisely.
Writer can only ask for a single change of the due date of the paper, which can be extended only for a limited period of time:
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In case writer needs to extend the deadline, he/she needs to send the request no later than 6 hours before the deadline by writing to [email protected].
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The amount you will be paid for each submitted paper is based on the following parameters:
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There are other factors that can affect the price per page. This occurs when variable components, usually defined by the Customers, come into play (for example, math paper of one page may differ in price from literature paper of one page).
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We are always pleased when our writers are both conscientious and hard-working. To help encourage this, we have a Bonus Policy, which rewards writers for their consistent efforts.
Your writer’s level orders limit are preliminary determined by the test you pass when registering at 4writers.net.. But the level and orders limit might later be changed both ways depending on your performance. The quality of sent papers determines the level, which is the most suitable for the writer. In our assessment process, we take into consideration the feedback we receive from the Customers as well as internal evaluation done by our editors. Customer’s remarks and evaluation may and will
affect the number of orders that writer can take. So, it is imperative that performance standards are kept high to maintain a favorable track record.
If a writer cannot take an order, it means this order is in prohibited list to particular writer.
Bonus Payments:As an additional incentive for our writers, we are pleased to have implemented an attractive bonus payment system for high output.
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Fines and penalties are deductions made by the Company from the payments that are due to the Writer. The fines and penalties apply in the following cases:
We will penalize you for the whole price of the paper or you would have to reimburse loses by providing free writing if your paper is proved to be plagiarized by the plagiarism detection engine.
Third occurrence of plagiarism will result in the immediate suspension of Writer's account with the possibility of being permanently removed from the panel of writers.
Text considered to be plagiarized if it has more than 8% of copy-pasted (plagiarized) content. We check papers for plagiarism with the help of www.plagiarismsearch.com service.
Late Delivery of Paper:
If the writer does send his/her paper late (less than 10% of delivery time) but does not inform us about this (does not ask for extension) he/she will be fined 20% of the order price. Also, if the writer does send his/her paper late (more than 10% of delivery time) but does not inform us about his lateness (does not ask for extension) he/she will be fined 30% for the paper price. The same rule applies for extended due date as well.
Note that a customer might demand a refund if we ask him to extend a deadline. In this case, the order will be refunded but there is no fine for the writer.
Moreover, if we do receive the chargeback because a writer did not fulfill his/her obligation to send a paper on time, the fine in the sum of full price will be applied.
The 20% penalty will be applied to a writer if his/her percentage of late papers is more than 30% from total number of orders.
The 15% penalty will be applied to a writer if his/her percentage of revisions is more than 30% from total number of orders.
Wrong Style: Whenever the paper is submitted in wrong citation style (formatting and layout / referencing / specific academic format requirements and so on), the Writer will be fined 10% of the fee for that paper.
Withdrawing Your Offer after Initial Acceptance
Make sure to check details, instruction and availability of materials needed for completing the order before taking it.
Whenever the Writer retracts from an assignment to write the paper after initial stage has passed, the Writer shall be liable for such retraction. Retract from an assignment may result in a fine which is calculated depending on circumstances. The percentage of fine may vary from 10% to 100% of fee due for the current order.
Should you have any queries regarding your work at 4writers.net, do not hesitate to contact us anytime by writing an e-mail to [email protected] or visiting our live chat on the website. | <urn:uuid:4ce855a6-c7fe-44bd-af0e-fd708175922f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.4writers.net/index.php?mode=policies | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935741 | 1,989 | 1.507813 | 2 |
NAVAL STATION MAYPORT, FL -- The ongoing battle for a nuclear carrier took another swing in the First Coast's favor today.
Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) says the Senate Appropriations Committee has approved over $46 million for dredging at Mayport.
That project, which includes facility upgrades at the base, has been a major hurdle Mayport has faced in the efforts to get a nuclear aircraft carrier moved from Norfolk, Virginia, to Mayport.
Sen. Nelson, along with Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL) and Rep. Ander Crenshaw (R-FL), has been strenuously arguing for the move.
Five carriers are homeported in Norfolk, and that's the entire East Coast carrier fleet.
The argument made by Florida's delegation compares the situation to Pearl Harbor. With all carriers in one location, one act of terrorism could be catastrophic for the nation's armed forces.
The delegation from Virginia disagrees. Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) has been leading Virginia's argument that moving a carrier is an unnecessary waste of money. He says the Pearl Harbor comparison is invalid, because the world is so different now compared to 1941.
The argument has gone back and forth for months, and the Navy has recommended the move, but President Obama has said he will reevaluate the decision.
"This is a big step towards getting Mayport ready for a nuclear carrier, a move that will help protect our Atlantic naval operations," says Sen. Nelson.
Since the USS John F. Kennedy was decommissioned two years ago, Mayport has been without a carrier, and the Kennedy was the last of the conventionally-powered carriers in the fleet.
Nuclear carriers are larger, need deeper water, and carry with them extra security procedures and requirements that Mayport does not currently meet.
The upgrade passed a House Committee last month, and now that it has passed the Senate Committee, the full Senate and House must vote on their versions of the bill, which is expected to begin next week.
Count on First Coast News for complete coverage of the Mayport carrier decision.
First Coast News | <urn:uuid:63881903-ea75-4ab8-83b5-2ab56ead59dc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=141175 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962056 | 435 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Google first introduced the public to its self-driving car 2010 and now the company has released a new video where the vehicle is actually being used.
The clip features a gentleman by the name of Steve Mahan who is past the limit of being legally blind and is literally not fit to get behind the wheel of an automobile.
During the video, Steve allows the self-driving car to take him to Taco Bell for a meal and then to the dry cleaner to pick up some clothes.
"Where this would change my life is to give me the independence and the flexibility to go to the places I both want to go and need to go when I need to do those things," said Mahan in the video.
Google stated that the drive took place on a carefully programmed route and showed off the car's self driving abilities by using a person who legally wasn't able to see the road.
"There is much left to design and test, but we have now safely completed more than 200,000 miles of computer-led driving, gathering great experiences and an overwhelming number of enthusiastic supporters," said Google in a post.
Google plans to release a lot of advanced technology in the coming years, including its Project Glass headset, which it also launched a video for a few weeks back.
Google is currently working on this set of computerized glasses and developers are now able to purchase. Microsoft is also working on something similar. This type of technology could be something that could replace smartphones in the near future.
Google Glass will have a tiny screen on the left lens that users will have to look up to see. Apple has been granted a similar patent to create a product such as this one. | <urn:uuid:557380a8-3546-48e7-9184-00c4b3112d34> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.christianpost.com/news/google-releases-new-video-for-self-driving-car-86659/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979419 | 341 | 1.796875 | 2 |
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) today announced that federal disaster aid has been made available for the State of Oklahoma to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area struck by a severe winter storm during the period of January 26-28, 2009.
Acting FEMA Administrator Nancy Ward said the assistance was authorized under a major disaster declaration issued for the state by President Obama. The President's action makes federal funding available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe winter storm in the counties of Adair, Cherokee, Delaware, and Hughes.
Federal funding is available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures for all counties and tribal nations statewide.
Douglas G. Mayne has been named as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area. Mayne said that additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.
FEMA leads and supports the nation in a risk-based, comprehensive emergency management system of preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation, to reduce the loss of life and property and protect the nation from all hazards including natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters. | <urn:uuid:815a5275-b26f-4caa-8818-0584ac935738> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fema.gov/news-release/2009/02/17/president-declares-major-disaster-oklahoma | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955208 | 288 | 1.648438 | 2 |
If you listen to only secular media, the Health and Human Services (HHS) Mandate sounds like solely a contraception issue for the Catholic Church.
But there’s so much more to it, and Catholic media outlets have done a great job in covering the problems with this mandate. As someone involved in Catholic radio specifically, I’ve heard many programs with knowledgeable guests interviewed to explain the various aspects of the HHS Mandate.
Catholic Connection with Teresa Tomeo offers the headlines of the day and discussions from a Catholic perspective. Teresa and the rest of the crew at Ave Maria Radio do an excellent job keeping Catholics aware of the gravity of the situation.
Johnnette Benkovic and Fr. Edmund Sylvia on EWTN Radio’s Women of Grace also discuss the impact this mandate would have on religious freedom. They explain how the issue is not so much about contraception as it is about the government trying to force Catholics to violate their conscience.
And on Calling All Catholics, produced by the Station of the Cross Catholic Radio Network, Fr. Leon Biernat from Our Lady of Pompeii Catholic Church in Lancaster, New York, discussed on a couple of occasions the HHS Mandate and how we can get involved in standing up against it. He also brought to light how the mandate not only includes coverage for contraceptives but also sterilization and abortifacients, which are not discussed as much in the secular media.
If there are people in your life whose daily fill of news comes only through secular outlets, there are countless resources you can share to help them understand the HHS Mandate more comprehensively and learn how it would affect our country’s religious freedom in the coming months and years.
The controversy rages on, year after year, as to whether businesses and individuals should wish others a Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays. The American Family Association is a large proponent of “Merry Christmas,” as they have an entire campaign based on this greeting – complete with buttons and stickers to order. Their Naughty or Nice Christmas List 2011 is helpful, categorizing stores by their use of the word “Christmas” in advertising.
As the “greeter” is wishing wellness of some sort to the “greetee,” it isn’t sensible to take offense at the religious holiday referred to in the greeting. If a Jew wished me a Happy Hanukkah, I would appreciate it. If a Muslim wished me a wonderful Ramadan, that’s great too. It’s beautiful to see others express their religion.
In years past I’ve heard both Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from cashiers. This year, I haven’t heard either.
Even though I haven’t had the greeting drama in person yet this Christmas/holiday season, I’ve noticed radio Happy Holidays greetings. And on television the Hallmark Channel has a Countdown to Christmas: Holiday Movies and Specials All Season Long. ABC Family has a 25 Days of Christmas.
So where there seems to be a problem with Christmas on radio and in stores, the same does not seem to hold true for television stations.
The majority of those buying gifts at this time of year are in fact celebrating Christmas, so it makes sense that it should be prominent in marketing and on the street. But remember that even if you hear “holiday” used, it is still derived from “holy day.”
I was introduced to the Ave Maria Radio-produced program The Doctor Is In when I started working in Catholic radio near Kansas City, Missouri. Listening throughout the day to our station, I became familiar with many of the programs, and The Doctor Is In with Dr. Ray Guarendi especially stuck out to me.
While many of the radio hosts took the straightforward teaching approach, Dr. Ray mixed comedy in with his words of wisdom. Dr. Ray is a clinical psychologist, father of 10 adopted children, author, speaker, softball player, etc. The Doctor Is In is a call-in program for listeners with questions about faith, morals, families, and more. Coleen Kelly Mast takes the Monday and Friday shifts, and Dr. Ray gets Tuesday through Thursday.
It was an smooth transition from working at the Catholic Radio Network near Kansas City to the Station of the Cross in Buffalo, New York. Much of the programming was the same, including The Doctor Is In. The only difference was the time zone time change – on at 1 pm instead of noon.
Dr. Ray’s combination of humor and helpful advice makes the hour go by all too quickly. If you don’t have an affiliate in your area, no worries. You can listen live online or through free apps for your Android and Apple mobile devices. The programs are also available on podcast.
If a non-religious person scans the dial and comes across Dr. Ray’s voice, he just might keep the channel on for a bit. At least to figure out what is up with this guy! | <urn:uuid:1b2dee06-d32f-49b9-8c21-fa4ab1a99cac> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://catholicdaily.net/mediamusings/category/radio/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957492 | 1,037 | 1.828125 | 2 |
Going a step further
Arborist Jim Oseychuk has taken his interest in trees and wood a step further, turning a sawmilling hobby into a successful business.
British Columbia arborist Jim Oseychuk of Golden, BC started a profitable 250,000 board feet a year small sawing business a few years back and quickly found himself in demand. Among his projects has been the production of all the lumber for an award-winning ski lodge at Alberta's Lake Louise.
More recently, Oseychuk has switched from contract sawing to marketing ready sawn lumber, which he says has effectively doubled his profit margin. The key to the conversion of his hobby into a solid business enterprise-which also gave him the fulfilment of building his own home-is his portable band sawmill. It is also due to the creative and artistic way in which Oseychuk uses the mill to produce unique, high quality products from what others might describe as distorted trees. These trees, which are often considered unusable in conventional operations, are turned into products that highlight the unusual nature of the wood.
Oseychuk saws with an aesthetic eye. He might select a tree because it curves like a snake fence through the forest, planning to yield two matching curved cants. He may mill one of his curving cants before deciding how he might incorporate it into a project, indeed before even having a particular project in mind. Oseychuk bought his first portable mill, a Wood-Mizer model LT40HD, in 1993 and operated it for five years before upgrading it to a Wood-Mizer LT40HD Super.
He has operated this unit for a bit more than two years from his workshop and farm at South Bench, near Golden. Oseychuk's previous work as an arborist had involved removing unsafe trees from the grounds of nearby houses. But when taking the logs to an old circular sawmill nearby for conversion to lumber, he experienced frustration at the lack of flexibility in shapes and sizes of wood available. Indeed, well before that, fresh from the University of Victoria, he conceived of and established the Mad Trapper Pub at Golden.
At that point, he was struck by the difficulty in getting the right sort of wood to make tables and chairs. However, it did serve to increase an interest in wood which he inherited from his father, a one-time logging contractor in the Columbia Valley, and from his maternal grandfather, a cabinet maker from Holland. "My dad, who retired in 1977, had a creative flair. He was an incredible chain saw carpenter which reflected on the nature of his profession."
Oseychuk proudly maintains his grandfather's fine tools and turning equipment, having travelled to the Netherlands to retrieve them. So when he heard about a local man, Doug Robinson, who was doing portable sawmilling, not only was his need for good, flexible sawing met but he was also able to see a way to turn his workshop into something financially rewarding and fulfilling. Robinson brought over his Wood-Mizer model LT30 to saw the trees which Oseychuk had felled on his five-acre farm and others collected from his work as an arborist.
He also bought bent logs from a local sawmill, which-seeing no use for these logs-assumed he was quite mad. Impressed by the ease with which Robinson loaded logs and sawed accurate, good quality lumber quickly, he immediately bought his own unit. While embarking on building his house, Oseychuk also started towing the 3,500-lb mill behind his Chevrolet truck to woodlot owners in a 20-mile radius around Golden. They would stack their logs and he would quickly set up the mill, load the logs with its hydraulic loader and cut them into pre-determined shapes and sizes.
The logs were mostly Douglas fir, Engelmann spruce, lodgepole pine and western red cedar which his customers used for building barns, developing camp grounds, fencing, shops and garages. Customers were farmers, local woodlot owners and people in the valley who wanted to build various structures. Sometimes there was a degree of added value to this work, for example when he sawed for people who wanted interior trim or stair material that wasn't available from the traditional sawmill.
Then he won a contract at Lake Louise to saw 500,000 board feet of alpine pine and spruce which was used to build and fit a 35,000-square-foot ski lodge. It took him two years to complete the project. Oseychuk sawed the logs into normal planks for floors and roofs and squared logs on two sides for beams. He also cut logs for purlins, the bars and bar tables, trim and fencing. Oseychuk says it is one of the most versatile uses of a portable sawmill he has experienced.
When it was finished and he returned home, he realized that he was now ready to move on from going out to saw other people's timber. In 1998, he started marketing timber and set up his mill on a permanent site. First, he upgraded his mill to the Wood-Mizer "Super" unit, which cuts 25 per cent faster than his LT40HD. Capable of sawing logs at 54 feet a minute, depending on wood species and quality, it was just what Oseychuk wanted. By now he was sawing the equivalent of 250,000 board feet per year, so the extra speed enhanced business growth.
The unit was even faster than this when sawing woods like oversized logs. It seemed as if the new machine was designed for his operation and he deliberately moved into the high end of the business, no longer restricted to just cutting boards. Oseychuk purchases high quality, oversize logs from the local plywood mill that cannot process logs larger than 28 inches in diameter. The Wood-Mizer cuts logs up to 36 inches in diameter.
His success lies in cornering a market for mantels, bar-tops, stair material, custom-cut wood, double siding (lap siding) and vertical grain (quarter sawn) lumber used by cabinet makers and finish carpenters. He has since complemented the saw with a re-saw which he describes as "fantastic". "I can turn one board into two pieces of double siding, which greatly increases the value of the board. In effect I can saw a piece of cedar worth $10 and it rises in value to $15 just by being cut in half," grins Oseychuk.
Oseychuk buys the wood now from the local mill after entering into a log purchase agreement and also gets some from his continuing arborist work. The mill has been very helpful and co-operative, putting aside unique or valuable logs when they come across them. Oseychuk has made a mental note to keep an eye on product development in portable sawmills and is considering another upgrade.
According to Oseychuk, the narrow kerf technology of his mill means that the 0.045 x 1 1/4-inch inch wide blades can yield up to 30 per cent more wood than conventional saws, depending on type and quality. They produce 60 per cent less sawdust and require lower horsepower engines, using less fuel. "If I want an inch of wood, there's almost no waste so long as I look after the blades," he adds. The current mill operates seven hours a day, four to five days a week and uses the equivalent of up to 10 gallons of gasoline a day to process between one to 3.5 thousand board feet per day, depending on what is being cut.
It uses from 50 to 70 1 1/4-inch blades a year. Oseychuk spends 15 minutes sharpening the blades after 1.25 to 1.5 hours of sawing and puts blade life at about 25 hours cutting. Business-wise, Oseychuk believes anything is possible in the future and continually experiments, using his mill in unorthodox ways to achieve unique and aesthetically pleasing effects. These are reflected in the many details and features of his family home-and they have earned him the loyalty of a growing group of customers far beyond the Columbia valley.
This page and all contents
©1996-2007 Logging and Sawmilling
Journal (L&S J) and TimberWest Journal.
last modified on Tuesday, September 28, 2004 | <urn:uuid:1676656f-b941-4bf4-ad73-67b56aaf7aa1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://forestnet.com/archives/Oct_01/small_sawmilling.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980596 | 1,715 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Have you ever tried Pop Rocks and Coke?
No, it won't make your stomach explode. That's just an old wives' tale — I hope. That combo isn't fatal, but I hear it can feel like a mule kick to the gut.
I know the feeling. I checked into the Marin General Hospital emergency room in 2010 with what I thought was food poisoning. My wife had to help me from the car to the lobby because I could barely walk.
The doctors at first weren't sure what the problem was, but they knew it wasn't a simple case of bad sushi. Turns out, a large carcinoid tumor was strangling my appendix and lower intestine.
There were probably signals before then, but I didn't know enough to recognize them.
The lesson? Listen close to your gut because all those twinges, strange gurgling sounds and pressure might be an urgent message.
Marin General's Center For Integrative Health & Wellness can help you interpret that message with the free class "What's Your Gut Telling You?" The session meets Thursday, March 29, from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Marin Cancer Institute. Call 1-888-996-9644 to register.
Sure that half-pound burger with bleu cheese sounds great. Add some beer-battered onion rings and a chocolate shake and your taste buds will be singing. That's fine every once in a while, but eat it too often and your stomach will be groaning.
An unhealthy diet can do more than just add inches to your waist. It can kill you.
Marin Gastroenterology physician Tim Sowerby, M.D. and nutrition counselor Sharon Meyer will lead Thursday's presentation and help us find digestive health through a better diet.
Food that tastes good and is good for you has been a regular theme in the Center's lecture series. Meyer revealed last week the amazing healing power of spices.
One Bite At A Time by Rebecca Katz is an incredible cookbook loaded with cancer-fighting dishes. There's a recipe for almond chocolate chip cookies that I'm saving for my next snack attack.
Using advice from nutritionists at the Marin Cancer Institute and the local abundance of organic foods, I've tried to change my diet over the past year. I've found some great recipes for beef fajitas, chicken potpie and pizza — all tasty and all healthy.
So don't worry, eating healthy doesn't necessarily mean a plateful of lentils, tofu, or beans. It is possible to enjoy what's on your plate and enjoy a healthy life.
For more information on cancer and carcinoid cancer, consider these sites: | <urn:uuid:f0a8c70f-fcfa-4500-9fdd-61abd586dfdf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://larkspurcortemadera.patch.com/groups/opinion/p/are-pop-rocks-and-coke-fatal | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95277 | 550 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Children and Youth Services
CatholicCare’s Children and Youth Services deliver services to children, young people and their families, especially to those who experience disadvantage due to disability, poverty, abuse or neglect, homelessness, social isolation, personal conflict or distress.
The focus of all of our services is to develop, implement and evaluate programs, which enhance family functioning, prevent family breakdown and at all times promote and advocate for the best interests of children and young people.
All of the Children and Youth Services programs reflect the Agency’s Mission, Aims and Objectives by working in the following ways:
- In all decisions relating to a child or young person, CatholicCare will give primary consideration to the best interests of the child or young person.
- Every effort will be made to determine and comply with the child or young person’s wishes in regard to decisions that affect their lives.
- CatholicCare is committed to the view that the child’s family is the best environment for the promotion of a child’s development and every effort must be made to try and keep families together.
- Where children are not able to remain in the care of their family, they are entitled to the best possible alternative care appropriate to their needs and developmental stage.
- CatholicCare acknowledges that work with children, young people and families under stress is an important responsibility. Caring for and supporting our staff, foster carers and volunteers is considered essential to ensure the continuation of quality service provision. | <urn:uuid:33c9598b-9e77-4f84-a312-bbae48dca3a7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.parentline.org.au/Page.aspx?element=27&category=3 | 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 | 0.950174 | 304 | 1.820313 | 2 |
WZTV FOX 17 - Top Stories
NASHVILLE -- It is a major step in the fight to allow wine in grocery stores.
For the first time in six years the legislation has passed a committee, but it still has a long way to go.
Just like a fine wine, the issue has been shelved on Capitol Hill for years.
Now, with a single vote, a bill that could allow wine to be sold in grocery and convenience stores is finally advancing.
"This is a monumental step that this has never happened before. It has never moved out of committee, so we'll see where it goes," says Jarron Springer with the Tennessee Grocers & Convenience Store Association.
The bill cleared the Senate State and Local Government Committee by just one vote. The final tally was 5-4.
"I was counting on my fingers," admits Sen. Bill Ketron, (R) Murfreesboro.
Senate sponsor Bill Ketron says he didn't know if it would pass until the last minute. The deciding vote was cast by Sen. Reginald Tate, (D) Memphis.
The legislation allows cities and counties which already have package stores, and liquor by the drink to hold referendums allowing wine in groceries.
"So many people have moved into our state and really want wine in grocery stores, so this is about what the people want, and that's why we need to be listening," says Sen. Ketron.
The vast majority of liquor stores owners oppose the change.
"We'll live to fight another day," says liquor store owner Chip Christianson.
They argue that major grocery chains will put mom and pop liquor stores out of business.
While the Senate committee may have passed the bill, the close vote indicates the final decision could be tight.
"Hope and expect that the full legislature will understand that, and not allow this bill to proceed," says Christianson.
But at least for now, after six years, wine in groceries is moving forward.
"I'm just glad we got this first step out of the way and behind us. I think it gives momentum to the bill," says Sen. Ketron.
There are Republicans and Democrats on both sides of this issue, which only adds to the uncertainty.
A House subcommittee could cast its first vote on the plan next week, and once again, it's expected to be close.
For news updates follow John Dunn on twitter @WZTVJohnDunn
Tuesday, February 26 2013, 10:26 PM CST
Prince Edward presents Edinburgh's awards in Tenn.
May 23, 2013 22:00 GMT
By ERIK SCHELZIG Associated Press
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Queen Elizabeth's youngest son, Prince Edward, is visiting Tennessee to promote one of the British royal family's charities, the Duke of Edinburgh's awards.
The prince presided over an awards ceremony at the governor's mansion in Nashville on Thursday for the first batch of young Tennesseans to participate in the leadership and character program.
About 80 youths received the award by participating in community service, skills development, physical fitness and adventurous journeys through the Boy Scouts, Boys and Girls Clubs, LEAD Academy, Montgomery Bell Academy or the Miss Tennessee Scholarship Organization.
Following the event, Gov. Bill Haslam and first lady Crissy Haslam invited the awardees and their families to tea inside the governor's residence. Later on Thursday, the prince was scheduled to headline a black-tie gala at Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville.
Bernanke signals Fed to maintain stimulus efforts
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Chairman Ben Bernanke is telling Congress that the U.S. job market remains weak and that it is too soon for the Federal Reserve to end its extraordinary stimulus programs.
BC-US--Dow Record-Three Personal Stories, 1st Ld-Writethru,1173
Dow Record: Three tales of ups, downs and changes
AP Photo FX102, FX103
Eds: With BC-US--Dow Record. Adds photos.
By SCOTT MAYEROWITZ
AP Business Writer
NEW YORK (AP) -- When the Dow first crossed 14,000, investors were overjoyed. ...
IN THE NEWS: TEEN ONLINE FAREWELL SONG ATTRACTS MILLIONS OF VIEWS
LAKELAND, Minn. (AP) -- High school student Zach Sobiech (SOH'-bee-eck) says he wanted to be remembered as "a kid who went down fighting and didn't really lose."
SWINGERS CLUB LAWSUIT-VEGAS
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- David Cooper wants to bring a little more sin -- to Sin City. | <urn:uuid:67046455-0ad6-442e-a4f2-786ae4e9a504> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fox17.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/wztv_wine-grocery-stores-moves-forward-senate-john-dunn-16706.shtml?wap=0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9394 | 983 | 1.5 | 2 |
MADRID — The disgruntled Spanish were invited this week to make good use of the bags of trash left on the streets by striking collectors by dumping them at the doors of banks they blame for the country’s economic plight.
Spurred by a Twitter-driven campaign, anti-austerity protestors blocked the entrances to bank branches in Madrid or left uncollected garbage in front of ATMs.
— Toni Segovia (@toni_segovia) November 18, 2012
One prominent protest organizer cautioned followers to ensure none of the capital’s many homeless people were sleeping in the doorways at the time.
The garbage protest was the latest sign of civil discontent that has swept a country that is one of the worst hit by the European debt crisis.
It may come as some surprise, therefore, to the record one-in-four Spaniards who are unemployed and to the jobless youth who are leaving to find work abroad, that Spain is about to join a select “rich club” within the 27-nation European Union.
Under proposals to go before European leaders in Brussels on Thursday, Spain could become a net contributor for the first time to an E.U. budget of €1 trillion, after a quarter of a century as a net beneficiary.
Ahead of what are expected to be hard-fought negotiations in Brussels — with no guarantee of a successful conclusion — Mariano Rajoy, the Spanish prime minister, said at the weekend that a revised draft European budget was unacceptable.
The European Commission, the Union’s executive branch, wanted an increased budget of around €1 trillion, or $1.3 trillion, over the next seven years.
But members of the “rich club”, including Britain, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands, are demanding cuts that would match austerity measures being pursued by national governments.
Herman Van Rompuy, president of the European Council, which comprises E.U. government leaders, has come up with a compromise that would reduce the commission’s budget bid.
His proposal would slash funding that Spain, among others, receives in agricultural subsidies and development aid for its poorer regions and tip it into the net contributor column.
Spanish media reported Spain could lose a third of its development funding under the Van Rompuy plan and 17 percent of its agricultural subsidies — an overall loss of €20 billion or more than $25 billion.
The cuts are seen as another potential blow to a Spanish economy that has seen its economy shrink for 15 straight months and suffered record joblessness.
Spain is not alone in opposing a tighter budget.Thirteen other countries believe the proposed cuts are excessive. They include France, which is the biggest beneficiary of agricultural subsidies (Spain is number two).
Others, including Britain, want even deeper cuts and have threatened to block a deal that does not meet their demands.
Italy has meanwhile threatened to veto an agreement that did not put an end to rebates currently granted to some of the “rich club” countries.
So far, there have been no threats of a Spanish veto.
The Spanish daily La Razón said the government wanted to be constructive at the budget summit but was in no hurry to seal a deal this week, preferring a “good compromise that would limit the cuts to agriculture and regional aid.” | <urn:uuid:fb438b04-f81e-40c5-87a8-09345b32935e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/21/spain-protests-possible-loss-of-benefits-in-proposed-eu-budget/?hpw | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968724 | 686 | 1.679688 | 2 |
To achieve the ideal Futura Yoke position, it is best to have a friend assist you. First, fill the pack up with sleeping bags and/or pillows to achieve the full shape of the pack. Try to keep the weight below 20 pounds.
Step 1:Find the piece of web on the back of the yoke. Pull up to reveal the yoke framesheet.
Step 2:Remove the yoke framesheet and push it down the back of the yoke, between the yoke and the packbag. You should hear the crunch of Velcro separating. With the yoke framesheet in place, the yoke should now move up and down freely.
Step 3:With the Velcro still separated, push the yoke down as far as it will go into the sleeve.
Step 4:Loosen all of the straps on the pack, then have your friend lift the pack and hold it against your back. Orient the lumbar pad into the small of your back with the waistbelt over your hips, buckle the waistbelt and pull the belt tight to secure the pack where you prefer to carry the load.
Step 5:Now have your friend slide the yoke up until the outside notch (where the shoulder pad meets the yoke) is at the same height as the top of your shoulder blade. Once the yoke is in place, have your friend remove the framesheet, making sure the yoke does not move from where it is set, and replace it in the top of the yoke.
Step 6:Now that the yoke length adjustment has been made, tighten the shoulder straps so the yoke is snug against your back and chest.
Step 7:Reach up to the top of your shoulders where the Load Lifter Straps attach to the top of the pack and pull them snug. This will bring the pack mainframe against the yoke and your back, stabilizing the load.
Step 8:If needed, adjust the chest strap so it is on the crest of your shoulder. | <urn:uuid:0fd5bf88-50c7-4bf7-b487-c6713f1fcd18> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mysteryranch.com/learn/how-to-fit-your-pack | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930027 | 419 | 1.5 | 2 |
Zemin's group and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began persecuting Falun
Gong on July 20, 1999, the deaths of 2,876 Falun Gong practitioners have been
verified through civil channels, yet this is only the tip of the iceberg of deaths
resulting from persecution. Recently, it has been exposed that agents from the
CCP have harvested organs from living Falun Gong practitioners at labor camps,
prisons, concentration camps and hospitals, and then cremated the bodies to destroy
the evidence. Due to the information blockade and the CCP's cover-up, we
have so far been unable to verify or confirm the number or names of practitioners
who had their organs harvested.
During nearly seven years of persecution,
staff members at detention centers, labor camps, prisons, 610
Office locations, hospitals and other locations of persecution have carried
out mental and physical torture against Falun Gong practitioners. It happened
under the Jiang Zemin group's policy of "beating to death is counted as suicide"
and a series of other genocidal policies.
The persecutors administered torture
to force the practitioners to give up their belief and also to fulfill "reform
quotas" [for specific numbers of Falun Gong practitioners who renounced their
belief]. They have used more than forty types of torture including electric shock,
burning, brutal force-feeding, rape and gang rape of female practitioners, injection
and forced intake of nerve-damaging drugs, which resulted in the death and permanent
disability of many Falun Gong practitioners. Moreover, these locations where Falun
Gong practitioners are illegally held are also places where agents of the CCP
harvest organs from living practitioners. These locations serve as live organ
banks. Guards working at these places often threaten Falun Gong practitioners
by saying things such as, "If you don't 'reform,' you'll be
sent to labor camps in the northwest and will never return." Some guards openly
instructed inmates who beat the practitioners, "Don't hit the lower back.
The kidneys are useful!" We can tell despite the information blockade that many
Falun Gong practitioners have disappeared after arrest and detention.
23 cases that were verified in April are distributed across ten provinces and
cities. Five practitioners each were in Heilongjiang Province and Liaoning Province,
four practitioners were in Jilin Province, two practitioners each were in Hebei
Province and Chongqing City, and one practitioner each from Gansu Province, Hubei
Province, Anhui Province, Beijing and Jiangsu Province. Some of these practitioners
were tortured to death in police custody. Some were tortured to the brink of death
and then released, after which they were continuously harassed and persecuted
by local CCP officials who ransacked their homes and followed them in the streets.
They passed away under tremendous pressure.
Thirty-two year-old Mr.
Wang Jianguo tortured to death at the No. 1 Detention Center in Jilin City
Mr. Wang Jianguo, 32, was a practitioner in Jilin Province. He and his wife
Zhao Qiumei of Jilin City were arrested by a group of policemen headed by Tan
Xinqiang from the Nanjing Police Station in Chuanying District on March 2, 2006.
Zhao Qiumei was illegally sentenced to one year of forced labor. Wang Jianguo
was tortured at the Nanjing Police station and then held at a detention center.
On April 10 he was tortured to death at the No. 1 Detention Center of Jilin City.
Death after 40 days: a good person is persecuted. Who knows the grief of the
white-haired parents who bid goodbye to their black-haired son.
used to practice kung fu and was very healthy. He and his wife owned a small food
shop. On March 2, 2006, officers from the Nanjing Police Station in the Chuanying
District ransacked Wang Jianguo's home. They arrested Wang Jianguo and Zhao
Qiumei and took property worth more than 30,000 yuan
and 3,200 yuan in cash. The police were very rude when the family questioned them
about the missing property and money. After arresting Wang Jianguo, the police
tortured him until severe injuries were left on his face and arms. On March 31,
officers from the Nanjing Police Station sent Zhao Qiumei to the No. 1 Detention
Center in Jilin City.
On the morning of April 11, Wang Jianguo's family
received a phone call from the No. 1 Detention Center in Jilin City saying, "Yesterday,
Wang Jianguo was sent to the No. 2 Hospital for emergency treatment. He could
not be revived and died from respiratory failure..." It has been learned that
Wang Jianguo was savagely force-fed at the detention center.
the physical exam record: T: 0, P: 0/minute R: 0/minute
BP: 0/0mmHg, consciousness:
0, Pupils: Left 4mm right 8 -10mm, Rescue situation: The patient was dead on arrival.
Permission was given by the detention chief not to do a CAT scan on the patient's
At the autopsy center the family discovered bumps on the back of Wang
Jianguo's head, scars on the left forearm, wounds on the right side of the
face covered by a thick scab, and the torso was dark purple. The family confronted
Cong Maohua, deputy head of the detention center, "When did you notify the family?
Why didn't you people notify the family immediately when his life was in
danger?" Cong Maohua said, "We couldn't find the family." The family asked,
"Then how did you find the family when you arrested him? You sent him to the hospital
after he had already stopped breathing, and for what?"
family was devastated. They set up a memorial shrine inside their courtyard. Their
relatives and friends, neighbors and fellow villagers went to give their condolences.
Many of the villagers shed tears for this young man's wrongful death.
from Jilin City and from the "610 Office" threatened Wang Jianguo's family
and ordered them to take down the shrine and cremate the body. The family firmly
refused and said, "If you don't give us justice, we'll sue you right
up the ladder, from local to central courts, and we won't give up until we
find justice." Some police officers were also angry and said, "Next time don't
come to us for this type of thing. We thought they [the detention center and the
"610 Office"] really wanted to solve the problem! You guys should sue them."
Ms. Su Juzhen in Liaoning Province Suffered a Mental Collapse and Passed Away
Due to Drug Poisoning and Torture at a Forced Labor Camp
Su Juzhen before she passed away
Ms. Su Juzhen was 49 years old and lived
in Gucheng, Qiansuo Town, Suizhong County, Huludao City, Liaoning Province. She
suffered from severe heart disease, stomach problems, roundworms in the gallbladder,
and frequent swelling of both calves. She started practicing Dafa in 1996, and
soon all of her illnesses disappeared.
Su Juzhen conducted herself according
to Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance at all times and was a well-known good
person. She never hesitated to help others. She made a living by operating a beauty
parlor and gave free services to poor customers who were unable to pay, and frequently
gave them money. She was awarded the distinction of "Outstanding Self-employed
Businessperson" several times.
Additionally, Ms. Su often provided financial
assistance to poor students. In appreciation of her selfless deeds, the principal
of Qiansuo No. 3 High School once personally delivered a silk banner to her. Su
Juzhen often visited elderly people in nursing homes, bringing them daily necessities
and food. She also donated money to repair the Xihe Bridge. Her family was recognized
as one of the "Ten Outstanding Families in Huludao City." Ms. Su credited her
practice of Falun Gong for her being able to accomplish so many good deeds. Once,
a TV station interviewed her. She told the reporter, "I did these things because
I practice Falun Gong."
In 1999, when Su Juzhen was arrested by local police
for persisting in her belief in Falun Gong, about forty local families went to
the government and begged the officials to release her. They asked the officials,
"She fixed the road and does only good things for people! Why don't you release
such a great person?"
Su Juzhen did good things wherever she went, even
when she was being persecuted by the CCP. During September and October 1999, when
Su Juzhen was incarcerated at the Suizhong Detention Center, the detention center
authorities demanded 200 yuan from an old man from Gejiaxiang, Suizhong County,
who was also held at the detention center. The old man's family did not have
the money, so Su Juzhen gave him 200 yuan. Later, the old man's son went
to the Suizhong Detention Center with some fruit to visit Su Juzhen, but the detention
center authorities would not let him meet with her. During her illegal detention,
Su Juzhen often gave financial assistance to the inmates.
Su Juzhen appealed
on behalf of Falun Gong many times and was savagely persecuted by the CCP. They
transferred Su Juzhen from one labor camp to another including the Masanjia Forced
Labor Camp, the Zhangshi Forced Labor Camp, Longshan Forced Labor Camp, and Shenxin
Forced Labor Camp, among other places. Later, Su Juzhen's family didn't
know her whereabouts. They went to many places and finally found out that she
was being held at the Shenxin Forced Labor Camp.
During the illegal detention,
Su Juzhen suffered all kinds of torture and humiliation and was injected with
nerve-damaging drugs, which resulted in a nervous breakdown. In February 2002,
authorities from the Shenxin Forced Labor Camp told Su Juzhen's family to
pick her up after extorting 1,500 yuan from the family. Several people carried
Su Juzhen out of the labor camp. She could not move her limbs, her eyes were blank,
and she had no facial expression. She could not eat until the 22nd
day after she went home. Her family later found wounds near her vagina and needle
marks on her body.
After Su Juzhen went home, officers from the Suizhong
Police Station, the Qiansuo Town government and the Qiansuo Police Station constantly
harassed her and frequently ransacked her home. They arrested her 19-year-old
daughter, who took care of Su Juzhen and provided the only source of income for
the family, and sent her to a brainwashing center.
After several years of
persecution, Su Juzhen's physical and mental health steadily declined. She
passed away at 8:30 a.m. on April 8, 2006 at the age of 49.
In the morning
of April 9, when her body was cremated at the Qiansuo Crematory in Suizhong County,
it was found that her skull, shinbones and ribs were black and could not be cremated.
According to an expert, this is a sign of drug poisoning. Many witnesses have
confirmed that Su Juzhen was forcibly injected with nerve-damaging drugs at the
Masanjia Forced Labor Camp. These blackened bones confirm this fact. The workers
at the crematory, her family and friends, and family members of other deceased
saw the bones and compared them to the ash from other bodies. It was clear that
these bones were not normal.
Her husband grew weak and experienced a stroke
because of his wife suffering from persecution. His younger daughter dropped out
of school because of it. Her older daughter, who was attending university, was
forced to quit school in order to take care of her father and younger sister when
Su Juzhen was held in a labor camp. Su Juzhen's father lost his sight in
both eyes from excessive grief. Her mother, in her 80s, suffered a near mental
collapse due to the series of heavy blows.
Some Cases of Death from
Persecution that were Confirmed in April
Du Juan, a Falun Gong practitioner in Chongqing City
Practitioner Ms. Du
Juan was a medical doctor at the Shaping Oil Field Employee Hospital in the Yubei
District, Chongqing City. Du Juan persisted in practicing Falun Gong and clarifying
the truth. She was twice arrested and sent to the Maojiashan Women's Forced
Labor Camp in Chongqing City, where she was savagely tortured for four years and
six months. Her spleen, lungs and liver ulcerated. She ran a consistent high fever
and had difficulty breathing. On March 24, 2005 she was released on medical parole.
After she went home, the local CCP officials and police constantly harassed, followed
and otherwise persecuted her. She went into exile to avoid further persecution,
and passed away on April 14, 2006 at the age of 29.
Practitioner Ms. Wu
Junying was 54 years old. On January 17, 2006, six officers from the Daxing District
National Security Bureau in Beijing went to Dawangzhuang Village in Wudian Town
and arrested Ms. Wu Junying, a peasant. They held her in the Beijing City Dispatch
Division. Later, they illegally sentenced her to two-and-a-half years of forced
labor. On March 29, Wu Junying was sent to the Xinan Forced Labor Camp in Beijing.
At around 7:00 p.m. on March 31, her family was told that Wu Junying had passed
away. Her family looked at the body and saw that her hands were purple with needle
marks. Right now, the family is talking to labor camp officials. The head of the
labor camp and related police officers are avoiding the family.
Ms. Cong Guixian from Songyuan City, Jilin Province was illegally sentenced to
a ten-year prison term and was detained at Heizuizi Women's Prison in Changchun.
They inserted pins under her fingernails, used bamboo pins to nail down her fingers,
and tortured her for 48 hours in an effort to extract information about other
practitioners' whereabouts. They also tied her up and pulled her in four
directions at the same time. This caused her hands and feet to swell and bleed
profusely. When Cong Guixian lost consciousness they used fire to burn her feet.
When the police were persecuting her they also threatened her, "We will take you
to your son's school and show your miserable state to your son." She developed
very severe illness symptoms during detention and had to be released on medical
parole in 2005. Cong passed away at 3:10 p.m. on March 28, 2006.
Mr. Li Jinzhao was 63 years old and lived in Yangzhuang, Zhangying Village, Tanpeng
Township, Linquan County, Anhui Province. All of his various illnesses disappeared
after he started practicing Falun Gong in 1995. After Jiang Zemin's group
started persecuting Falun Gong in 1999, police officer Qiu San and police chief
Sun Kongzhi arrested him many times and held him in custody centers, labor camps
and brainwashing centers, where he was tortured physically and mentally. In July
2005, Li Jinzhao was again arrested and held at the Linquan County Detention Center.
He was tortured many times, followed by brainwashing sessions, where he was tortured
until his whole body swelled up and he was on the brink of death. He passed away
on October 3, 2005, several days after he went home from medical parole.
Mr. Guo Jitang, 54 years old, lived in Zhengyuan Village, Fenghuang Town, Xinzhou
District of Wuhan City in Hubei Province. He started practicing Falun Gong in
1998. While he was clarifying the truth to the local residents in April 2005,
people deceived by the CCP's propaganda reported him, and Mr. Guo was therefore
severely beaten by the police. In great agony, Guo Jitang died from his injuries
on the night of April 25, 2005. According to Mr. Guo's family, his body was
badly beaten and was covered with bruises and blood. His clothes were torn apart.
Ms. Sun Suzhen, 55, lived in the Yingzhou District, Tieling City, Liaoning Province.
She was sentenced to five years of imprisonment in 2003 and sent to the Liaoning
Provincial Women's Prison. Guard Qian Lei shocked her with electric batons
and forced her to squat and to do heavy slave labor. Inmates Wang Min and Zhang
Suhua also beat and cursed at her. Sun Suzhen passed away on March 25, 2005, under
long-term physical and mental torture. Sun Suzhen's husband Han Kai chose
to live in exile to avoid further persecution, and his current whereabouts are
Ms. Deng Wenjie, 56, lived in Siping City, Jilin Province. She
started practicing Falun Gong in 1997. She previously suffered from gynecological
problems and severe stomach problems, but she completely recovered one month after
she started practicing Falun Gong. In 2001 police arrested her when she was clarifying
the truth and held her at a labor camp. Deng Wenjie held a hunger strike to protest
the persecution, and the guards brutally force-fed her. They broke a major artery
with the feeding tube, and she died quickly afterwards. | <urn:uuid:48593391-fb78-4ed0-9950-506e66857ebc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.falunau.org/newsArticle.jsp?itemID=1789&cat=newsChina | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975917 | 3,860 | 1.757813 | 2 |
Most Active Stories
Tue July 3, 2012
After Apology, Pakistan Agrees To Reopen Military Supply Line, Says Clinton
Originally published on Tue July 3, 2012 4:03 pm
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton apologized for the "for the losses suffered by the Pakistani military" during a NATO airstrike that killed 24 Pakistani troops.
When announcing the apology, the AP reports, Clinton also said that Pakistan was reopening a crucial military supply line into Afghanistan. Pakistan had closed its border to the coalition forces since the attack in November.
The road to this resolution has been fraught with conflict. In a lot of ways, it came to a head at the NATO summit in Chicago in May. President Obama and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari were not able to hammer out a deal to reopen the supply line.
In June, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta made uncharacteristically candid comments about the relationship between the countries.
As we reported, Panetta said that American officials were "reaching the limits of our patience" with Pakistan "because that nation continues to allow terrorists to use its territory 'as a safety net in order to conduct ... attacks on our forces.'"
Days after those comments, the U.S. pulled its team of negotiators from Pakistan.
Reuters reports that Clinton said her Pakistani counterpart told her Pakistan will reopen the border and "continue not to charge a transit fee for land-supply routes."
Update at 3:42 p.m. ET. Sorry For The Mistakes:
During a press conference, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland was pressed for details on what is being portrayed by most media as an apology.
"The statement speaks for itself," Nuland said. "The words are all there and I'm not going to improve on it here."
Nuland, however, added: "There were mistakes on both sides that led to the tragic loss of life and we are both sorry for those."
Nuland also clarified that Pakistan agreed not to impose "additional fees."
Update at 12:57 p.m. ET. 'Sorry For The Losses':
In the statement released by the State Department, Clinton says she spoke to Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar by telephone today.
"I once again reiterated our deepest regrets for the tragic incident in Salala last November," Clinton said. "I offered our sincere condolences to the families of the Pakistani soldiers who lost their lives. Foreign Minister Khar and I acknowledged the mistakes that resulted in the loss of Pakistani military lives. We are sorry for the losses suffered by the Pakistani military."
She said Pakistan's decision to reopen the ground supply lines into Afghanistan show "Pakistan's support for a secure, peaceful, and prosperous Afghanistan and our shared objectives in the region."
Update at 12:49 p.m. ET. Closure Hurts Relationship:
The Pakistani paper Dawn has this statement from Pakistan's prime minister:
"'The continued closure of supply lines not only impinge(s) on our relationship with the US, but also on our relations with the 49 other member states of Nato/Isaf,' Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf told senior government and military officials, according a statement issued by his office."
Update at 12:44 p.m. ET. A Bit Of Background:
Just how difficult has this issue been for the two countries? Basically, in different government reports, they have disagreed on just what happened in that November airstrike.
In December, the United States conceded "poor coordination," but said NATO forces had "acted in self-defense and with appropriate force after being fired upon..."
In January, Pakistan officially rejected that explanation saying parts of the U.S. report were "factually not correct."
The Pakistani report called the airstrikes "disproportionate" and "excessive."
The attacks also put the Pakistani government in a tight spot, because its citizens were outraged by the airstrikes. | <urn:uuid:90d991bc-eebf-4bfd-a086-bce6469815b7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ksut.org/post/after-apology-pakistan-agrees-reopen-military-supply-line-says-clinton | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974346 | 809 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Mopar or no car. Leno's car is a classic with a neat story and history, but is only one of hundreds. Their competitors had some good vehicles, but Chrysler's feats are at the top.
Chrysler had its Hemi V8 before Chevy even had a V8. Some claim the GTO was the first musclecar, but that position was held by the 1954/55 Chrysler 300, so named because it was the first car to produce an honest 300 horsepower. The Corvette and Thunderbird of the day were sports cars. During the succeeding years, the Hemi dominated street, strip, and Nascar. In the competitive musclecar era, the Chrysler engineers rolled out innovations such as the street Hemi, torsion bar suspension, and the 30 inch ram manifold on the wedge. | <urn:uuid:b96b7986-8758-4ff8-9717-1a0ff63feb1c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://dpcd4ever.newsvine.com/_news/2012/05/04/11542466-jay-lenos-1975-plymouth-duster-has-a-story-as-powerful-as-its-1000-hp-engine-motoramic-yahoo-autos | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980532 | 166 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Local school’s expansion plans put on hold
Trustee says Willowdale is struggling with over-enrolment
Mari Rutka is the TDSB trustee for Willowdale
The provincial government’s recent freeze on all new major capital projects at the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) has put the planned expansion of Avondale Public School on ice. The Ministry of Education is citing the board’s capital deficit and cost overruns as the impetus for the freeze. But the local trustee, Mari Rutka, said her ward continues to be treated unfairly.
“We’re the threat for the rest of the board to behave itself,” Rutka said. “There is no other area in the city that has over-enrolment to the degree that Willowdale does.”
McKee Public School is at the root of the problem. New residents from the surrounding condos have filled it to capacity, even after the TDSB added to the existing building and put a portable on the property. The explosion in the student population has forced the board to bus kids out of their immediate neighbourhoods.
The planned expansion would allow Avondale to absorb overflow from three nearby schools, and for the board to redraw Willowdale’s boundaries to better assign students to schools according to their neighbourhoods. While the project was in the planning stages when the province issued the freeze, it had not yet gone to the board for approval.
“We’re the threat for the rest of the board to behave itself.”
According to the Ministry of Education’s letter to the TDSB, its freeze will be lifted when the TDSB produces an “acceptable” capital deficit recovery plan and ensures it has checks in place to stop costs from spiralling out of control.
“It’s important that education spending stays in the classroom,” Minister of Education Laurel Broten said. “Every dollar overspent on capital is a dollar we can’t use to support children in our schools, so we want to work closely and quickly with the TDSB to help them through these challenges.” It’s unclear as to how long this will take, and with the Avondale expansion originally slated to be completed by 2014, the trustee doesn’t know what will happen. | <urn:uuid:9a8ccb8f-1802-448c-8192-470ea5543d9c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.postcity.com/Post-City-Magazines/November-2012/Local-schools-expansion-plans-put-on-hold/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956852 | 491 | 1.515625 | 2 |
How To Lose Inner Thigh Fat
For example, you can’t fit into skinny jeans or slim fitting pants if you have excess fat on your inner thighs’
And when summer comes around every year you find yourself in a pair of loose shorts on the beach because your inner thighs jiggle and look disgusting in a pair of bathers. It also looks very unflattering to wear a short skirt if you clearly need to lose inner thigh fat. While most women try to lose inner thigh fat throughout their adult years, very few actually know how to take it off and keep it off.
The Science of Fat Loss and How To Lose Inner Thigh Fat
When figuring out how to get rid of inner thigh fat, you have to think about how fat is burned away from the body in general. Many people think they can lose inner thigh fat with simple toning or strengthening inner thigh workouts, but that isn’t enough in most cases. While inner thigh exercises can increase muscle strength, those exercises will not guarantee fat loss from that area of the body. You need to think about fat loss in general to learn how to lose inner thigh fat.
Stored fat is lost when the body is required to process it for energy. When you take food into your body, that food is broken down and utilized for energy. This energy is used to keep your heart beating, the blood racing through your veins, and all of your organs functioning. It is also used to fuel your daily activity and your exercise sessions. Even when you are sitting still, you are burning calories for energy to keep your body functioning.
When you consume more calories than your body can use in the short term for energy, the excess is stored as fat. In order to lose inner thigh fat and fat in other areas of the body, you need to demand more energy from your body without taking in more calories. The body then burns stored fat to make up for the energy it needs. Basically you need to burn more calories than you consume.
How To Lose Inner Thigh Fat
If you want to lose inner thigh fat, you must increase your body’s demand for energy without consuming more calories. Performing inner thigh workouts will help you place a higher demand for calories on your body, especially if you are not already exercising regularly. Exercises for inner thighs will burn calories while strengthening your thigh muscles, but you should do some form of cardiovascular exercise as well.
Cardiovascular exercise will burn up a lot of calories, requiring your body to pull more from your stored body fat. Not all of this fat will come directly from your thighs, but this is a good thing. You will burn fat from your body overall, giving a trim, lean appearance that is very attractive. There is no way to determine what area of the body will lose the most fat first, but you will lose inner thigh fat at some point.
The Best Solution For How To Lose Inner Thigh Fat
The best way to lose inner thigh fat is to combine exercise for inner thigh with cardio exercises and overall strength training. This sounds like a lot of work, but you can accomplish a lot in a short span of time when you learn to combine cardio and strength training moves. If you can work multiple areas of the body at once, you can tone and strengthen the entire body in a half hour or less.
You can also tone and strengthen the inner thighs through many cardio workouts. For example, runners and ballerinas often have very slim yet well toned legs, including inner thighs. This is because those forms of exercise really work the inner thighs, along with other muscles in the lower body.
If you perform simple exercises for inner thighs such as lunges, combine them with bursts of cardiovascular exercise. It can be as simple as working out on a stair stepper machine (which works the thighs) and then stopping occasionally to do lunges or other inner thigh exercises. Throw in a full body strength training workout a couple of times a week, and you have a solid plan to lose inner thigh fat.
The Final Component For How To Lose Inner Thigh Fat
If you are interested in learning how to get rid of inner thigh fat, you have to combine those inner thigh workouts with proper nutrition. Control your calories so you are not taking in more energy than your body needs, and stay away from foods with high saturated and trans fat content. You can allow yourself a treat every now and then, but you should stay focused on your goal of learning how to lose inner thigh fat.
How To Lose Inner Thigh Fat Naturally?
Thin Thighs Program reveals the secret exercises and techniques no one will ever tell you. The program is a simple and specific easy to follow day by day exercise outlining exactly what exercises to do on which days how many times each day.
It has everything you need to know on How To Lose Inner Thigh Fat.
No related posts. | <urn:uuid:f0a92d85-2ad3-4d0e-b471-c617c3536498> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.howtoloseinnerthighfat.com/how-to-lose-inner-thigh-fat-simple-solutions-that-work/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953378 | 1,003 | 1.710938 | 2 |
One of the best effects of the Citizens United decision is that it helps counter the incumbent advantages that the previous system was designed to protect.
One of the advantages of having more money and a better organization is that Romney's campaign was able to launch a concerted effort targeting early and absentee voters.
Even some House Democrats want to get rid of Obamacare's unchecked and unreviewable Independent Payment Advisory Board.
James Taranto points to this WP story about politics in India and how corruption grew after Indira Gandhi passed bans on business donations to political campaigns in order to hinder her opponents. The result has been increased patronage and favor-swapping so that 35% of its political candidates face criminal charges. It's a salutary lesson for those who wish they could somehow get all money out of politics.
Matthew Continetti explains how shameless Obama's campaign rhetoric has been.
Christians in the Arab world are being murdered and expelled from their homes. The only place where they're treated with respect and security is in Israel.
Robert Tracinski explains how the global warming bubble is popping.
ShePAC uses the President's own words against him as they highlight what some liberals, especially Bill Maher say about conservative women. Live by whining about feminist slurs, die by having your side's own slurs against women preserved to haunt you. | <urn:uuid:e96e29fe-50b7-49a5-b53b-c908f0f96676> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://betsyspage.blogspot.com/2012/03/cruising-web_09.html?showComment=1331491069310 | 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 | 0.967988 | 267 | 1.5625 | 2 |
§ Mr. Wilberforce presented a Petition from the Society in Scotland for propagating Christian knowledge; setting forth,
§ "That the society was incorporated in the year 1709, by a charter from her majesty queen Anne, for the farther promoting of Christian knowledge and increase of piety and virtue within Scotland, especially in the Highlands, Islands, and remote conners thereof, and for propagating the same in Popish and infidel parts of the world; and that since that time, in consequence of the donations and bequests of pious and benevolent persons, the funds of the society have increased to a considerable amount, and have been faithfully applied to the purposes of the charter, agreeably to the will of the donors; and that the labours of the society, by means of their teachers, catechists, and missionaries, have, it is well known, been attended with great success in the education of youth, in furthering the interests of religion and virtue, and in diffusing, both in Scotland and America, the blessings of civilization and industry, subordination to lawful authority, and attachment to the constitution and government of the British empire; and that it appears to the petitioners, that the exertions of the society can no where be employed more agreeably to the object of the royal charter, or with greater prospect of success, than in those territories and provinces in India which now form a part of his Majesty's dominions; and that, while the natives of those countries have long been and still continue in a state of deplorable ignorance, and addicted to various idolatrous and superstitious usages of the most degrading and horrible description, many of our own countrymen, members of the church of Scotland, employed in the different civil and military departments in India, are 655 precluded from enjoying the ordinances of Christianity agreeably to the forms of the Church to which they are attached; and that, while the situation of India, destitute of the means of religious instruction, has long presented the most urgent claims to the humanity of Britons and of Christians, the restrictions to which the intercourse with those countries has hitherto been subjected, have prevented attempts for affording them the relief which the exigencies of their situation so imperiously required; and praying the House to take into consideration the facts which have been stated in this Petition, and to provide, in any Bill that may be passed for renewing the East India Company's charter, that it shall be lawful for the petitioners to impart the benefits of Christianity to the natives of India, and to afford the advantages of religious worship and instruction to our countrymen members of the church of Scotland, who may reside in that part of the British empire, subject always to such salutary regulations as parliament in its wisdom shall judge it necessary to establish."
§ Ordered to lie on the table.
§ Petitions against the Claims of the Roman Catholics were presented from the inhabitants of the county of Sligo, the archdeacon and clergy of Bedford, and from the bailiffs, burgesses and other inhabitants of Carnarvon. A Petition in favour of the Claims of the Roman Catholics was presented from the mayor, recorder and inhabitants of Wallingford. | <urn:uuid:991c371d-5391-4bbc-9785-c0ad344989d6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1813/feb/19/petition-respecting-the-east-india | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96658 | 648 | 1.828125 | 2 |
Twin Valley artist prefers to skip the 'cheese' and draw from her head
Just give Katie Sautter a pencil and a piece of paper and she can make a sketch look like a high-def photograph.
"I love painting people, just because you can express emotion so much better," said Katie, a junior at Twin Valley.
"I don't like doing the typical 'cheese' picture," she said. "I much prefer doing something emotional."
Katie won first place in fine art and second place in pencil at the Berks County Intermediate Unit's high school art exhibit, held in April at the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts. Katie's winning self-portrait was based on a photo taken by a teacher. The same painting has won two other art competitions, she said.
The majority of Katie's paintings aren't photo inspired, however.
"Most of my drawings come from my head," she said.
Katie's mother and father are both involved in the arts. Her mother is an avid artist, and her father has won awards for photography. Katie keeps one of her mother's old sketchbooks for inspiration.
As a junior, Katie remains very busy, but stays committed to her art.
"I do it whenever I'm not busy," she said. "It's hard to find time like that, but I have to make time."
She can be found sprawled on the carpet in her room, drawing for hours.
But as much as Katie loves to draw, it is not her desired field.
"Most people are surprised that I'm not going into it, but I'm into the sciences as much as art," she said.
Although she wants to pursue a career in science, she plans to keep art as her hobby.
(Image by: Reading Eagle: Lauren A. Little) | <urn:uuid:64fcb9f9-76b6-4bd3-89b0-e25f1dbbf5ae> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://readingeagle.com/mobile/article.aspx?id=387618 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.990319 | 381 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Peoria Public Radio Staff
Wed March 13, 2013
Can't Read Smoke Signals? Try A Pope Alert Via Text
Originally published on Wed March 13, 2013 4:36 pm
RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:
Good morning. I'm Renee Montagne. Even if the cardinals now locked away in the Sistine Chapel are losing sleep over who will become the next pope, that does not mean that you have to, thanks to Popealarm.com. The service is provided by the Fellowship of Catholic University Students. It lets eager Vatican watchers sign up for a text or an email alert that will go out as soon as the pope is chosen.
Their slogan? When the smoke goes up, you'll know what's going down. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. | <urn:uuid:f15ae42a-9ca4-4168-adbd-bc9b8d47f6e5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://peoriapublicradio.org/node/2373/backlinks | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937634 | 172 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Experiences for Undergraduates
Rutgers Math Department REU
DIMACS, CCICADA and the Rutgers University Mathematics Department invite applications for a NSF/DHS Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program. DIMACS was founded as one of 24 Science and Technology Centers funded by the NSF. It is located at Rutgers University, and is a joint project of Rutgers, Princeton, AT&T Laboratories, Bell Laboratories, Telcordia Technologies, the Cancer Institute of New Jersey, and the NEC Research Institute. DIMACS has over 325 permanent members in mathematics, computer science, and operations research, and hosts many distinguished visitors each year.
For details of the Math Department REU see their homepage at http://math.rutgers.edu/~reu/.
There is one application for all of these programs so an applicant can apply simultaneously for all the programs in which he/she is interested.
The program begins with eight weeks of intensive work during the summer of 2011; students are strongly encouraged to continue their projects during the academic year 2011-2012. We expect DIMACS will select twelve undergraduates to participate, CCICADA will select five undergraduates to participate, and the Math Department will select approximately five to ten students (depending on availability of funds) for their program. Participants will have a DIMACS, CCICADA, or Math Department faculty member as a supervisor. Housing will be provided as well as a stipend of between approximately $3600 and $4,400 depending on choice of housing options and which program funds the project. In addition, the DIMACS and the CCICADA programs will cover travel up to $650 for travel, with additional funds available on a case by case basis. (Note: the travel funds are offered by DIMACS and CCICADA. The Math department may not offer travel support in their program). This program requires eight weeks of intense effort and on-site participation. Students should not commit to other activities (e.g., courses) during the REU program.
DIMACS is also offering an exchange program between DIMACS and our sister site DIMATIA at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. Click here for more information.
Applicants should be undergraduates with a major in Computer Science, Mathematics, or a closely related field. They should be current juniors (graduating in 2012), although sophomores with exceptionally strong backgrounds will be considered. In exceptional circumstance, seniors will be allowed into the program if they will not have graduated by the time the program begins. Preference will be given to students who will continue their research projects during the academic year, under the direction of either their supervisor or a faculty member from their home institution. Due to funding agency rules, only U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents are eligible to receive stipends and support for housing and travel costs under the DIMACS, DIMACS/DIMATIA, and Mathematics programs; however, foreign students enrolled at a U.S. university are eligible under the CCICADA program. Women, minorities, and students with disabilities are encouraged to apply.
Please have your transcript and letters of recommendation emailed to reu at dimacs.rutgers.edu or mailed to the following address. For a plaintext copy of this announcement, list of mentors and projects, and an application, send an email message to [email protected] or write to: | <urn:uuid:f4e3b1dc-4840-4855-9048-a4dd1ff69041> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://reu.dimacs.rutgers.edu/2011/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945522 | 724 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Child and Family Services (A.S.)
The A.S. degree in Child and family Services is designed for students who plan to work with children and families in a broad range of careers. The curriculum was designed with a commitment to strengthening families and fostering the healthy development of children. The program’s overarching goal is to improve family and community life by preparing students for work with children, adults, and families in a variety of public and private human service agencies and organizations. The curriculum provides a solid base in early childhood and social science course work and field experiences, including a 230-hour practicum offered in a range of settings such as the Department of Social Services, Head Start, Early Intervention, etc. The program includes a strong foundation in the liberal arts and career/college transfer preparation. Graduates will be prepared for entry level positions in child and family services as well as transfer into four-year college programs. The curriculum allows for seamless transfer into the Early Childhood Department’s B.S. program in Child Care and Development.
- Apply Now
- Request Information
- Program Details
- Student Learning Outcomes
- Effie Bennett-Powe Child Development Center
- Infant-Toddler Studies Center | <urn:uuid:b05df234-aa27-41ac-b8e2-bad946145a13> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://cobleskill.edu/academics/schools/liberal-arts-and-sciences/early-childhood/child-and-family-services-as.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947637 | 249 | 1.742188 | 2 |
We’re delighted to introduce you to the chefs, cookbook authors and food writers who have contributed recipes to our site. Be sure to browse through the profiles of these and our many other contributors to learn more about them and what they’re cooking!
D’Artagnan veal comes from a network of small farms in upstate New York and Canada, where the calves are raised in open barns with lots of space to roam and socialize with up to 40 other calves. They are never placed in a pen or cage, nor are they administered any antibiotics by any method, for any purpose, including growth stimulation or disease prevention. The male Holstein calves are raised to 425 pounds, or 18 to 20 weeks old, and are only fed high-quality milk and pure well water.
Osso buco is a traditional Italian term for the cross-cut veal shank, and it means “bone with a hole.” The cut usually comes from the top of the thigh, which has a high proportion of meat to bone. When braised, this tough cut is made tender and offers delicate meat and the bonus of a scoop of delicious marrow.
These veal osso buco are 2-inch cut and average 12 pieces per bag, so there’s plenty to go around. Braise them in the traditional Italian fashion, with white wine and vegetables, or in the more modern fashion, with tomatoes. Either way, you will find it satisfying to eat this tender meat off the bone. Just don’t forget to scrape out all the nutritious marrow.
"Chef Stu Stein offers his version of an Italian classic--osso buco--made with venison rather than veal. He likes to serve it over a luscious celery root purée with reduced braising liquid, a few glazed pearl onions and macerated dried cherries." | <urn:uuid:e57b4ec4-bc5a-4e1e-8f0c-de8ba48bd48a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dartagnan.com/t50/51340/731868/Veal/Veal-Osso-Buco.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957208 | 391 | 1.546875 | 2 |
San Antonio Symphony Fiesta concert on Classical Spotlight. But did you know the symphony has a Fiesta Medal? The new Symphony Fiesta Medal has an image of their Music Director Sebastian Lang-Lessing conducting (seen left with the picture that inspired the medal.)
Check out this link for a history of Fiesta, and according to the VisitSA.com: "Fiesta medals and pins are an integral part of the celebration. Maybe because San Antonio is a military town? Numerous organizations create medals to sell or give away each year, with the goal being to collect as many as you can. King Antonio XLIX is credited with starting the tradition in 1971, when he put 200 royal coins on ribbons and distributed them at Fiesta events. If you have an opportunity to shake hands with Fiesta royalty, you may be lucky enough to have a medal slide into your palm." | <urn:uuid:1f77be7a-d62b-4af6-9192-ec7209d63b2b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://kpac883.blogspot.com/2012/04/this-week-well-talk-with-troy-peters.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950539 | 172 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Inexperienced and overconfident boaties are risking their lives launching and retrieving their vessels on Kaipara’s treacherous West Coast beaches, worried officials say.
All Northland Regional Council offices will close from 2pm Wednesday, 24 December until the morning of Monday, 5 January for the Christmas-New Year holiday break.
New air quality rules mean burning backyard waste will be effectively banned in urban Whangarei from December.
Water quality tests to determine how safe Northland’s most popular beaches and rivers are for swimming are under way again.
Nine Northland schools are to be recognised for a range of environmental initiatives - including community planting days and organic gardens - at the region’s third annual Enviroschools Awards next month.
Northland Regional Councillors have agreed in principle to fund a $500,000 share of a proposed Kerikeri-based multi-use sports facility.
Spills of animal waste which badly polluted an Aranga stream have collectively cost the owners of a Kaipara dairy farm – and a contractor who worked with them - more than $67,000 in fines and court costs.
Thirty-eight students from 20 Northland schools gathered for a special Youth Summit at Whangarei’s Onerahi foreshore recently to discuss coastal environmental issues – and what they could do to make a difference.
Northland SuperGold Card holders will be able to ride Whangarei’s CityLink urban bus service for free during off-peak hours from Saturday, 1 November.
More than 40 applicants are seeking Northland Regional Council Recreation Fund backing for wide range of projects from martial arts mats to a new gymnasium.
Dredging to remove thousands of tonnes of built-up silt from about 4.5 kilometres of Whangarei’s Hātea River channel - including part of the Town Basin marina channel - is due to begin within days.
A $1 million-plus concerted campaign designed to halt the spread of invasive Manchurian wild rice - and then steadily reduce its impact in Northland – gets under way in earnest this month.
Northland’s 30-plus Enviroschools are being urged to get their applications in this month for the 2008 Enviroschools Awards.
A range of rainfall and river data – including flood warning levels - is now available on the Northland Regional Council’s website.
Northland Regional Council (NRC) maritime staff have begun removing illegal moorings as part of an ongoing programme to update mooring identity tags.
Thirty-nine students from 20 Northland schools will gather for a special Youth Summit at Whāngārei’s Onerahi foreshore this month to discuss coastal environmental issues – and what they can do to make a difference.
Northlanders dropped off about 40 tonnes of obsolete computer equipment and unwanted mobile phones for recycling as part of national ‘eDay’ at the weekend.
Two firms are to compete for the right to design and build a proposed $16 million multi-purpose regional events centre at Whangarei’s Okara Park.
Applications for resource consents will continue to be processed by the Northland Regional Council in Northland – not Hamilton.
A range of changes to the way the Northland Regional Council Community Trust (NRCCT) is run will include a broader focus designed to strategically grow Northland’s economy.
The summer boating season is fast approaching and the Northland Regional Council is keen to talk to boaties about some important issues involving the management of Northland’s coastal waters.
A desire to reduce delays caused by heavy traffic flows along Whangarei’s Maunu Rd is behind the latest ‘tweak’ to the CityLink bus service.
More than 10,000 sea squirts have been removed from a Bream Bay marina in a groundbreaking pest control partnership between local authority staff, the marina operator and student volunteers.
More than 150 projects ranging from protecting sand dunes to pest control have been awarded a share of this year’s $500,000-plus Northland Regional Council Environment Award.
Northlanders keen to dispose of their obsolete computer equipment or unwanted mobile phones safely are being urged to take advantage of an upcoming national recycling day.
A 17-year-old Okaihau College student’s study on mangroves in the Hokianga Harbour has earned him this year’s Northland Regional Council ‘Excellence Award’ at the Top Energy Far North Science and Technology Fair.
People interested in learning more about the importance of sand dunes - and ways to help protect them - are being urged to attend a free workshop at Baylys Beach next month.
Northland Regional Councillors are to embark on a three-day fact-finding tour to gather first-hand, up-to-date information about a raft of issues facing Northland.
An application to build a new 30-metre long private jetty in the Kerikeri Inlet has been turned down by a local authority committee concerned it would add to ‘adverse cumulative effects’ on the coastal environment.
Community, recreational and sporting groups and Northland’s three District Councils are being invited to apply for a share of a special local authority recreation fund.
A local authority panel is recommending the Minister of Conservation allow staged development of a network of up to 200 underwater turbines – capable of generating enough power for up to 250,000 homes – in the Northern Kaipara Harbour.
Rat poison can be dropped from the air next year to kill rodents on offshore islands in the eastern Bay of Islands (Ipipiri), a Northland Regional Council Hearings Committee has decided.
Officials have recovered an estimated 3150 litres of diesel, lubricants and other oils from a wooden-hulled fishing boat which ran aground in the surf at Waipapakauri, on Ninety Mile Beach this week.
Officials are facing an “extremely difficult” task trying to recover thousands of litres of diesel on board a wooden-hulled fishing boat aground in the surf at Waipapakauri, on Ninety Mile Beach.
Officials are maintaining an anxious vigil over a fuel-laden, wooden-hulled fishing boat which ran aground overnight and is today being battered by the surf at Waipapakauri, on Ninety Mile Beach.
Northland Regional Council chair Mark Farnsworth and Whangarei Mayor Stan Semenoff say Northland’s standing in rugby has no bearing on the need for Whangarei’s planned multi-events centre at Okara Park.
Northland appears to have had a lucky escape as heavy rain - and resulting flooding – failed to materialise as predicted overnight.
Widespread flooding looks almost certain in Northland overnight with latest forecasts confirming 80-100mm of heavy rain is due to start falling on the sodden region from about 3pm today.
A new storm expected to hit Northland tomorrow is poised to deliver worse flooding than that experienced at the weekend, experts are warning.
Torrential rain has now eased in Northland but officials are warning people to keep a wary eye on the region’s rivers, many of which are expected to continue to rise over the next 24 hours.
The rain and winds lashing Northland are making their presence felt with surface flooding and power cuts in parts of the region and rain-swollen rivers tipped to top their banks this afternoon.
Northlanders are in for a wet, windy and wild weekend with forecasters predicting heavy downpours, severe gales and big seas.
Wet ground conditions in the Lake Omapere area have forced organisers to postpone a community planting day planned for Sunday 3 August.
Five firms – including Northland’s Kerr Construction – have been shortlisted to put their design-build ideas forward for a proposed $16 million multi-purpose regional events centre at Whangarei’s Okara Park.
The Northland Regional Council has made the first of what are likely to be several passenger-driven ‘tweaks’ to the new CityLink bus service.
Time is running out for applications for a $500,000 Northland Regional Council fund designed to help people protect and enhance the region’s precious natural environment.
Dredging to remove thousands of tonnes of built-up silt from about 4.5 kilometres of Whangarei’s Hātea River channel could be underway within several months if a resource consent application currently being processed is successful.
Passengers with 10-trip concession tickets for Whangarei’s current public bus service are being reminded time is running out to use them up before new a bus company begins operating on Tuesday 1 July.
Extra spending to reduce the risks from 23 flood-prone rivers and to better manage regional development are among new initiatives in the Northland Regional Council’s freshly-adopted Annual Plan.
Community vegetable gardens, propagating areas, native worm breeding and recycling systems are among 15 school projects that will receive $15,000 funding from this year’s Northland Regional Council Environmental Curriculum Awards.
Improvements to forestry access roads have received a boost with the Northland Regional Council and the New Zealand Forestry Owners Association managing to secure another three years of funding for the work.
A change in Deputy Chaiman and reassignment of Committee membership are two of the main changes to its governance structure announced by the Northland Regional Council today.
The Northland Regional and Whangarei District Councils are calling for expressions of interest for a $16 million multi-purpose events centre at Okara Park.
Lake Omapere Project Management Group organisers are poised to begin their annual planting programme of thousands of native trees and flaxes at Lake Omapere.
Anyone wanting to stay overnight on a boat may have to make sure it’s fitted with a portable toilet, holding tanks or a sewage treatment system under possible changes designed to better protect Northland’s marine environment.
Passengers with 10-trip concession tickets for Whangarei’s current public bus service are being asked to ensure they use them up before a new bus company starts operating on 01 July.
The cost of travelling on Whangarei’s public bus service will rise from July 1 with skyrocketing fuel costs linked to the first increase in ticket prices in six years.
An independent consultants’ report has identified a $16.53 million events centre option as closely matching both Northland Regional Council funding conditions and the amount of money actually available for the project.
A ‘relatively abundant’ infestation of the unwanted marine sea squirt ‘Styela clava’ has been discovered during a routine sweep of the new Marsden Cove Marina by a dive team contracted to Biosecurity New Zealand.
The Northland Regional Council’s website www.nrc.govt.nz has beaten more than 80 other local authority websites to be judged the best of its kind in New Zealand.
The first steps have been taken towards possible development of a multimillion dollar publicly-owned broadband network tailor-made for the Northland region.
Northlanders have a week left to have their say on a variety of Northland Regional Council projects proposed for the next year - including $900,000 of new spending designed to reduce flood risks.
An Opua boatyard has been granted replacement resource consents allowing a variety of discharges over the next 10 years.
Applications open soon for a $500,000 Northland Regional Council fund designed to help people protect and enhance the region’s precious natural environment.
Northland schools are being urged act quickly to try to secure part of a $15,000 special Northland Regional Council award which aims to boost environmental education.
An independent review has recommended significant changes to the way the $12 million Northland Regional Council Community Trust (NRCCT) is run.
Parts of Northland – including Whangarei Harbour and the eastern Bay of Islands - will effectively be off-limits to marine farming in line with the community’s wishes, the Northland Regional Council confirmed today.
Far North Holdings has been granted resource consent to deposit up to 45,000 cubic metres of marine dredgings and clean fill on to a several-hectare Opua site over the next decade.
Northlanders have a month from Saturday (12 April) to comment on a variety of planned projects – including $900,000 of new spending designed to reduce flood risks – as detailed in the Northland Regional Council’s Draft Annual Plan 2008/09.
Passenger transport company NZ Bus has been awarded a $7.5 million local authority contract to run Whāngārei’s public bus service for the next five years.
People can extract their own gravel from dry river or stream beds, provided they meet environmental standards and can gain access to the site through a public area or with the permission of the adjoining land owner.
There’s good news – and bad news – but few surprises in the latest comprehensive report on the state of Northland’s environment.
Independent Commissioners have granted retrospective resource consent for a 200-metre long, two-metre high earth embankment designed to allow for stock and vehicle movements during Kaipara flooding.
Biosecurity experts hope a highly invasive and environmentally destructive pest grass that until recently infested more than 100 hectares of Northland harbours and rivers will be all but wiped out within six years.
Northland Regional Councillors today approved a $20.6 million draft 2008/09 budget, which includes a proposal for about $900,000 of new spending designed to reduce flood risks around the region.
About $1.2 million of works will be carried out to reduce flood risk in the Awanui, Kaeo and Kaihu River catchments over the next 16 months.
More than 60 Northlanders are expected to this week play a role in the largest Civil Defence emergency management exercise New Zealand has ever seen – based on a mock eruption in Auckland.
About 20 people from several agencies are to gather in Northland this week for an exercise involving a fictional ‘oil spill’ off the Paihia wharf.
Relieved authorities have successfully removed 1500 litres of diesel fuel from the large fishing boat grounded on a Far North reef.
Relieved authorities say an inspection today has revealed most of the diesel fuel carried by fishing boat grounded on a Far North reef remains on the vessel and is in no immediate danger of escaping into the sea.
An Auckland-based salvage team is expected to take advantage of greatly improved weather conditions to this morning board and assess a fishing boat which grounded on a Far North reef yesterday.
Diesel is continuing to leak from a fishing boat grounded on a Far North reef, with bad weather hampering authorities’ efforts to deal with the resulting two-kilometre long slick.
An Opua-based oil spill recovery team is en route to investigate a diesel spill off the Mangonui Harbour entrance caused when a roughly 20-metre long commercial fishing vessel grounded in bad weather early today.
A new era in local government in Northland may have been signalled with Northland Regional Council and Whangarei District Council announcing a proposal to look at a one-stop-shop local government centre for Whangarei.
Northlanders – especially those north of Whangarei – are being warned to keep a wary eye on river and stream levels with about 150mm of rain expected to fall over the next day or so.
The Northland Regional Council has formally agreed to proceed with the formation of a 50/50 joint venture to share the costs of designating land for a proposed Marsden Pt rail corridor.
‘Barbecue bunny bangers’ are the latest in a line of pest food-themed treats the Northland Regional Council is to give away at the upcoming Dargaville field days.
Biosecurity experts are urging Northland landowners to once again turn their attention to controlling a familiar – and highly invasive – plant foe.
Used oil, anti-freeze and paint are among a host of environmentally harmful substances being illegally tipped or spilled down Northland’s stormwater drains and finding their way into the sea.
Time is running out for members of the public to have their say on plans for a joint venture to secure land for a proposed Marsden Pt rail corridor.
A Towai sharemilker has been fined $23,000 after a trial in which a Whangarei jury found him guilty of polluting a stream with animal effluent from an overflowing treatment pond. | <urn:uuid:ed128ab0-635a-4ed5-9885-650a522b134e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://nrc.govt.nz/News-Archive/?year=2008 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938016 | 3,481 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Posted on Tue, Mar. 27, 2012
last updated: March 28, 2012 02:29:16 PM
HAVANA — On the second day of Pope Benedict XVI's journey across Cuba, Havana's Cathedral of the Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception, whose baroque structure was built by Jesuit priests more than 300 years ago, belonged to the archbishop of Miami.
Standing before a crowd made up primarily of Cuban American pilgrims but that included a smattering of local Cubans, Archbishop Thomas Wenski celebrated a special Mass in fluent Spanish in an ornate building whose asymmetrical façade is considered unique in the world.
Speaking from the altar, Wenski recalled the words of John Paul II during the first papal visit to Cuba in 1998 and called on Cubans to be the protagonists of their own future.
Then he recalled Benedict's words as he began his first visit to Latin America: "As the pope observed on his flight to Mexico, Marxism is a spent ideology."
We pray that the Cuban people are inspired by the word of God, Wenski added. And that these people build a future of peace.
At the end, the audience broke into a standing ovation that lasted at least two minutes. Some in the crowd wiped away tears.
It was an emotional climax to an emotional day for the pilgrims, whose numbers grew to approximately 800 on Tuesday as three more planes arrived from Miami, carrying more pilgrims to join the 300 who'd arrived Monday in Santiago, the pope's first stop.
For many, it was their first trip to Cuba or, at least, their first trip home since Fidel Castro took power in 1959.
Wenski, who is leading the pilgrimage, said before the Mass that the experience has been a healing one for most of the Cuban Americans on the trip. He said he could see the difference in their tears and the stories of reconciliation that theyve told him.
Its been a whirlwind trip for the group, most of whom have had little time to sleep.
The pilgrims arrived Monday morning on two planes and immediately traveled to the mining town of El Cobre to visit the shrine of Our Lady of Charity, Cuba's patron saint, whose 400th anniversary is being marked this year. Some broke into tears seeing the holy sculpture.
The pilgrims then traveled into Santiago along streets lined with cheering crowds who waved at their buses as they waited for the arrival of the pope, who was close behind. After Monday evening's Mass, the pilgrims got on another plane to Havana, checking into their hotel rooms at 2 a.m.
Teri Travis, from St. Augustine, Fla., said the pilgrims are tired but driven by faith and a rare opportunity to join the pilgrimage.
Im a quarter Cuban, said Travis, 47. My family packed up and moved in 1959. Ive heard stories all my life. I jumped at the opportunity to come.
For those, like Andres Hernandez, its been more challenging. The 70-year-old sales specialist from Lakeland, Fla., hasnt been to Cuba since he left in 1960 to study engineering in the United States.
Walking along the same cobblestone streets he used to walk with his family to the cathedral for Mass, Hernandez said hes glad he returned to see his homeland and to support the church and the Cuban people. But he says he doesnt think hell be back.
Cuba has changed so much since when I was here, he said in Spanish.
All of his family has moved to the United States or Spain, he said. He has no loved ones to visit. To return, he said he would have to come as a tourist and that would mean giving money to the government, which he says he cant support.
They took everything my family owned, he said.
Wenski wore his archbishop's miter for the Mass in the historic cathedral. The marble and limestone cathedral on the cobblestone square was built in 1704. One of its side altars is said to have once contained the remains of Christopher Columbus.
Before the Mass, Wenski said the pilgrimage was not about politics, but prayer and reconciliation. He acknowledged the work of the church to continue to create space for differences of opinion so that people can disagree about things, but at the same time those disagreements do not result in the divisions that have been characterized Cuba in the past several decades.
Traviss mother, Mary Travis, said she's thrilled about her plans to attend Pope Benedict's planned Mass on Wednesday in Havana's vast Revolution Square. But she also is conflicted about the trip in a society where she feels people are still unable to speak freely.
She said shed love the opportunity to sit with members of the Cuban community to hear their thoughts about the government. But she says on this trip she doesn't have the time to build the relationships needed for that kind of trust.
Both she and her daughter said they longed for a more open future for Cuba.
I cant wait for the wall to come tumbling down, Teri Travis said. MORE FROM MCCLATCHY
Follow McClatchy on Twitter. | <urn:uuid:8e629cce-9744-4abc-a8ef-8bf2005da004> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/03/27/v-print/143335/for-a-day-havanas-cathedral-belonged.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982035 | 1,053 | 1.710938 | 2 |
(CNN) -- The Democratic Republic of Congo is scheduled to release election results Thursday after a two-day delay that has intensified tensions between the government and opposition leaders.
On Tuesday, Congo's election commission announced that it was postponing announcing the results by 48 hours.
"People stayed up until after midnight early Thursday waiting for the results," said Herman Nzeza, the Congo representative of FreeFair DRC, a nonpartisan group that raises awareness of the election. "They normally announce them at night, so the streets were empty. People were waiting for them to be announced on state television."
Nzeza, who is based in the capital of Kinshasa, said there is no set time frame for the announcement, but citizens expect it before midnight local time.
Opposition leaders have accused the election commission of conducting a botched poll after preliminary results showed incumbent President Joseph Kabila in the lead.
Etienne Tshisekedi, the main challenger, has warned that the opposition will not accept the election outcome amid claims of ballot stuffing and manipulated voter lists.
Kabila, 40, took over after his father's assassination in 2001 and was later elected in Congo's first democratic election five years later.
Frontrunner Tshisekedi, 78, has gained popularity in the sprawling capital of Kinshasa for speaking out against the nation's autocracies and has been a fixture in the nation's politics for three decades.
The election commission said Tuesday that Kabila was leading with 49% while Tshisekedi had 34% with nearly 90% of the vote counted, according to Nzeza.
"Expectations are high. Tensions are very high," he said. "The opposition wants to win. It's now or never. Tshisekedi is already considering himself president. We don't know how all sides will react, if their candidates don't win."
Analysts fear the election outcome could plunge the nation into chaos again years after a 1998-2003 conflict that left 5 million dead as a result of fighting, diseases and starvation.
Clashes have erupted after the vote, with at least 18 people killed in a week of election-related violence, Human Rights Watch said Friday.
Stability in Congo -- which borders nine mostly vulnerable countries -- is vital to Africa's Great Lakes region. The years of war affected at least six neighboring nations, some of which are still battling rebel movements spawned during the conflict.
Despite Congo's vast resources including cobalt, gold, copper and tantalum, the fledgling democracy is mired in poverty and conflict especially in its eastern region, a hot spot for the so-called "conflict minerals" that activists say are used to fund rebel movements in the area. | <urn:uuid:8430f0dd-60c8-4729-8877-59873ec5fa5e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/08/world/africa/congo-election/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973023 | 563 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Earlier this summer, LittleFootprint Lighting announced the availability of a high-performance task light for home or office called the HeronLED Personal Task Light. The light is designed and made in the USA with recycled plastic from e-waste and uses a replaceable LED bulb as the light source.
Boy do I feel great for grabbing a handful of 60-watt replacement LEDs for $40 a pop! Lighting Science Group and India-based Dixon Technologies today announced plans to launch the world’s first sub-$15 60-watt equivalent LED bulb. The bulb will be available in India by the end of this year and around the world sometime in 2012.
Today Cree unveiled a concept LED light bulb with seriously impressive numbers. Third party testing confirmed the delivery of 1,331 lumens at 8.7 watts with a CRI of 91 and a warm color of 2800 K. With these numbers, the concept light bulb exceeds the 21st Century Lamp requirements in the L Prize competition, according to Cree.
LED lighting is better every day and the best designers in the world have come up with some beautiful and stylish lamps for use at home or in the office. Here’s a list of several designs ranging in price from about $130 to $740. Depending on what you need in a table or desk light, perhaps one of these will suit you just right.
Watch this video. It’s a mash-up of Fox News bashing the light bulb provision in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (“EISA”). Most of the commentators seem to have an aversion to CFLs for one reason or another (i.e., bulb appearance, bulb cost, light quality, light color, mercury, cleanup), but I’m not hearing these same people talk much about the new EISA-compliant incandescent bulbs that are currently available. | <urn:uuid:327ab1d8-f4c2-483c-ac71-450185feaa1a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jetsongreen.com/tag/led/page/7 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93381 | 385 | 1.796875 | 2 |
A Boeing 787 operated by All Nippon Airways was forced to make an emergency landing Wednesday in Japan, leading two major operators to ground their Dreamliner fleets.
The incident is the latest in a string of problems that have raised questions about Boeing's marquee aircraft and put pressure on company shares.
The 787 was traveling from Ube to Tokyo when crewmembers noticed two cockpit alarms. One alert suggested irregular battery activity, while the other indicated smoke was in the forward electrical compartment. The aircraft then made an emergency landing at Takamatsu airport after a burning smell was detected in the plane's cabin.
Following the incident, All Nippon and Japan Airlines immediately grounded their Dreamliner fleets. Both airlines said later the aircraft would remain grounded through Thursday.
Images shot from the tarmac showed the aircraft was surrounded by emergency vehicles and the plane's evacuation slides had been deployed. A spokesman for All Nippon said a few minor injuries had been reported, and one passenger complaining of back pain had been taken to a hospital.
Last week, U.S. and Boeing officials announced a probe of the design, manufacture and assembly of the 787 Dreamliner in the wake of a series of problems that have dogged the jet in recent days. The National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday it was "gathering information" about the emergency landing.
United Airlines, the only U.S. carrier to have the jet in service so far, said Wednesday that it continues to fly its six Dreamliners.
"We inspected all of our 787 aircraft and they are flying as scheduled," said the airline's statement. "We are continuing to support Boeing and the FAA throughout their review."
The plane is widely seen as key to Boeing's future, using lightweight composite materials rather than aluminum to significantly improve its fuel efficiency.
A representative from Boeing said the company was aware of Wednesday's incident. | <urn:uuid:11e3d061-12df-4ca0-ac02-5109763a13f2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wbaltv.com/news/money/More-trouble-for-Boeing-as-Dreamliner-forced-to-make-emergency-landing/-/9379180/18145420/-/144cqra/-/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977491 | 382 | 1.578125 | 2 |
California: Orange County Cuts Health Services
June 18, 2003
In Orange County, Calif., health officials plan to close eight part-time clinics, make severe cuts in mental health services, and reduce staff for STD testing. Although forced to balance the budget with $130 million less than last year, the Board of Supervisors increased the Orange County Health Care Agency's budget by 5 percent for the fiscal year beginning July 1. Department officials, however, said higher costs mean they would need $23 million more to keep services at current levels. A final vote on the budget is scheduled for June 24.
This article was provided by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is a part of the publication CDC HIV/Hepatitis/STD/TB Prevention News Update. Visit the CDC's website to find out more about their activities, publications and services. | <urn:uuid:83a9d0d9-1b11-4079-95cf-5c363a68ab2b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thebody.com/content/art28535.html?nxtprv | 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 | 0.957556 | 177 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Nelson Love and Fame Edgar Vincent
- Price: £25.00
- Add to Basket
- Publication date:
- 04 Mar 2003
- 656 pages: 238 x 165 x 57mm
- 20 b&w & 20 colour illus
The story of Horatio Nelson's life - his naval glory, public fame, charismatic leadership, scandalous romance, and untimely death as he led the British to victory at the Battle of Trafalgar. This biography of Nelson (1758-1805) presents an account of his climb to fame as well as the details of his personal and emotional life. A man of contradictions, Nelson emerges in this biography as a ruthless and aggressive leader, the epitome of a fighting commander; an ambitious attention-seeker capable of self-pity, self-delusion and childish behaviour; yet to be admired for his transcendent courage, kindness and leadership skills, which inspired love and affection in those he led. Edgar Vincent builds on research and examines the extensive primary sources, seeking to enlarge our understanding of Nelson the man. He offers interpretations of Nelson's victories to illustrate his grasp of today's concept of mission-command two centuries ahead of his time; his disobedience of his Commander-in-Chief's orders; and his part in the bloody and chaotic Napoleonic counter-revolution. Vincent also analyses the motives and attitudes of key figures who surrounded him, among them Earl Spencer, Earl St Vincent, Sir William Hamilton and Thomas Troubridge. Interwoven with the events of Nelson's career is his emotional journey, his early infatuations, his courtship and marriage with Frances Nisbet, and his all-consuming affair with his mistress Lady Hamilton, one of the most celebrated beauties of the 18th century and the mother of his child.
Edgar Vincent entered the Royal Navy after graduating from Oxford and served briefly in the aircraft carrier H.M.S. Theseus. For many years he worked for ICI, was formerly Chairman of the Management Advisory Council of INSEAD Fontainebleau, and later a head-hunter and management consultant. A lifetime student of Nelson, Vincent is a member of the Society for Nautical Research, the Navy Records Society, the 1805 Club and the Nelson Society.
"Nelson: Love and Fame has the potential to prove a great success, to be very popular indeed, and to establish itself as the fullest and best life of Nelson for a generation." Rory Muir, author of Tactics and the Experience of Battle in the Age of Napoleon | <urn:uuid:e3a4da74-f2c3-4b7f-ad50-2313b9d8823c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://yalebooks.co.uk/display.asp?K=9780300097979&kyt=ref_no&sort=sort_date/d&dtspan=25000:0&sqf=/1:social_sciences%20warfare_and_defence&m=7&dc=29 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956809 | 521 | 1.765625 | 2 |
I took three points away from yesterday’s hearing in the House of Representatives.
- We need layers of protection against financial excess. Think about the financial system as a nuclear power plant, in which you need independent, redundant back-up systems - so if one “super-regulator” fails we don’t incur another 20-40 percentage points in government debt through direct and indirect bailouts. A consumer financial products protection agency should definitely be part of the package. Update: The Washington Post reports that such an agency is now in the works; this is a big win for Elizabeth Warren, Brad Miller and others (add appropriate names below).
- Congress will work on this. The intensity of feeling with regard to the need to re-regulate is striking, and there is much that resonates across the political spectrum.
- In the end, much of banking is likely to become boring again. Special interests are convinced that they can fend off the regulatory challenge, but I find this increasingly unlikely. Enough people have seen through what they did, how they did it, and what they keep on doing. No doubt the outcomes will be messy and less than optimal, but at this point “less than optimal” is much preferable to “systemic meltdown”.
There is still much to argue about and, no doubt, there will be setbacks. We’ll get a better or a worse system, depending on how the debate goes. And if the external scrutiny slips away, so will point #3 above. But this was still by far the most encouraging hearing I’ve so far attended.
The main points from my written testimony to the subcommittee are below.
1) The U.S. economic system has evolved relatively efficient ways of handling the insolvency of nonfinancial firms and small or medium-sized financial institutions. It does not yet have a similarly effective way to deal with the insolvency of large financial institutions. The dire implications of this gap in our system have become much clearer since fall 2008 and there is no immediate prospect that the underlying problems will be addressed by the regulatory reform proposals currently on the table. In fact, our underlying banking system problems are likely to become much worse.
2) The executives who run large banks are aware that the insolvency of any single big bank, in isolation, could potentially be handled by the government through the same type of FDIC-led receivership process used for regular banks. However, these executives also know that if more than one such bank were to fail (i.e., default on its obligations), this could cause massive economic and social disruption across the U.S. and global economy. The prospect of such disruption, they reason, would induce the government to provide various forms of bailout. They also invest considerable time and energy into impressing this point onto government officials, in a wide range of interactions.
3) As an example of the ensuing bailouts, in its latest iteration the current administration has (a) run stress tests in which the stress scenario was not severe, (b) determined that banks are solvent, but some should raise small amounts of capital, (c) at the same time continued to provide large amounts of government subsidy through FDIC-guarantees on bank debt, large credit lines from the Federal Reserve, and cheap capital from the Troubled Assets Relief Program.
4) The government strategy today is forbearance, as in the early 1980s, in which you wait for the economy to recover by itself and hope that this brings the banks back to financial health. This is risky because: it may not work (depending on the defaults seen in “toxic” assets); it may lead the banks to engage in undesirable short-term behavior (with either too much or too little credit, depending on how exactly their incentives are distorted); and it rewards banks for previous irresponsible actions (and therefore encourages more of the same in the future).
5) As a consequence of both this general failure to deal with big bank insolvency and the specific problems induced by current government policy, big bank executives have an incentive to reduce the probability that their bank fails for idiosyncratic reasons but they are much less concerned about their bank failing in a manner that is synchronized with other banks. These bank executives have a strong incentive to copy the actions and policies of other big banks.
6) By not changing incentives for powerful bank insiders, we are lining ourselves up for another big “moral hazard trade” – think of this as a bailout by the Federal Reserve of everyone, but especially banks. Current and future bank executives will take risk again – but next time it will be risk with the public’s money. A housing bubble led to the current difficulties but the meta-bubble is a rise in financial services as a share of the economy, which has been underway since the 1980s. In the latest manifestation of the ensuing shift in economic and political power towards the financial sector, an unsustainable “Fed bubble” is potentially underway. This may lead to outcomes that are considerably worse than what we have seen so far.
7) Everyone agrees that insolvent banks are a bad thing. Since September 2008, we have learned about the additional difficulties that follow when no one knows if banks are insolvent are not. There are many manifestations of this problem, including: illiquid markets for toxic assets; accounting tricks, like the FASB rule change and the preferred-for-common stock conversion; and stress tests that turn out to be not very stressful, with outcomes that are apparently negotiable and mostly about public relations.
8) There is a striking contrast between how we deal with small/medium-sized banks (using an FDIC intervention) and large banks – only the latter can obtain never ending bailouts. The solution would be some kind of regulator able to take over any financial institution, but also better ways of measuring asset value, capitalization, etc. In line with that general approach, Thomas Hoenig has a strong proposal for our current situation, which is to use negotiated conservatorship, as was done with Continental Illinois. However, even his approach needs to be supplemented with quickly breaking up and selling off troubled banks; this is a daunting administrative task, but better than the alternatives.
9) The critical weakness in our system is that bank executives get to keep their jobs and their money. All key insiders should be fired when their banks become insolvent (as part of the government intervention and support process), irrespective of the reason for that insolvency. They should also be subject to large fines, equal to or in excess of the value of their total compensation while leading the bank that failed. As things currently stand, powerful insiders have learnt that they can gamble heavily and never lose personally or professionally.
10) Our national debt will increase substantially as a result of direct bank bailouts and, more importantly, the discretionary fiscal stimulus needed to keep the economy from declining – as well as the standard deficit due to cyclical slowdown (a feature of the “automatic fiscal stabilizers”). This will constrain our future actions as a nation. For example, it may limit our options in terms of health care reform, with severe adverse social, economic, and budgetary implications.
11) The costs to consumers from our broad and deep banking crisis come in many forms. For example, in a period of financial confusion, it is easier to raise fees on consumers – they will have a harder time switching to other credit companies and many of them need the credit in order to survive. Supporting consumption is a key part of our economic recovery, but we are letting credit card issuers hit consumers hard; this is evidence of prior uncompetitive behavior (i.e., limiting entry, in order to raise prices later).
The remainder of my testimony summarized the argument from “The Quiet Coup“, as published in The Atlantic.
By Simon Johnson | <urn:uuid:4c25653f-3bd1-4365-afd0-31b2a79f7856> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://baselinescenario.com/2009/05/20/consumer-protection-when-all-else-fails-written-testimony/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965957 | 1,620 | 1.640625 | 2 |
These two tools have allowed me to interact with HTTP, but not in the most optimal way. Poster's UI is clunky and isn't scriptable (without diving into Firefox extension internals), and Curl requires a lot of Unixy glue to process the results into something more usable than visual inspection.
I wanted something that would not only make requests, but would let me interact with the result of these requests.
When working with Evan to debug a problem one day, I mentioned my problem, and said "I really should build something that fixes this." Evan suggested that such a thing would be really useful to him, too, and that he'd be interested in working on it.
I'd planned on building my version of the tool in PHP. Evan isa€¦ not a PHP guy. He's a [whisper]Ruby[/whisper] guy.
If you've seen me speak at a conference, lately, you've probably seen this graphic:
So, Webshell was born. If you want to see exactly what it does, you should take a look at the readme, which outlines almost all of its functionality.
If you use curl, or any sort of other ad-hoc queries to inspect, consume, debug or otherwise touch HTTP, I hope you'll take a look at Webshell. It saves me several hours every week, and most of our Gimme Bar administration is done with it. Also, it's on GitHub so please fork and patch. I'd love to see pull requests. | <urn:uuid:378142e6-eac6-48b1-accc-daaacaddaa87> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.phpriot.com/news/webshell | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970028 | 315 | 1.570313 | 2 |
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KRWG.ORG-The Region's Home Page
It's All Politics
Wed November 7, 2012
After Election, Congress Turns To 'Fiscal Cliff,' Other Money Issues
Originally published on Wed November 7, 2012 8:40 pm
For months, Americans have been watching the presidential political drama play out nightly on the news. Now, with President Obama's victory, that story is ending.
But for the economy, an action thriller is just beginning.
Congress has just weeks to jump to the rescue of an economy moving closer and closer to the so-called fiscal cliff. That phrase refers to a $600 billion cluster of automatic spending cuts and tax hikes — all coming together at year's end.
Private economists, along with the Congressional Budget Office, warn that unless the lame-duck Congress takes action within weeks, the coming budget changes could push the economy over a metaphorical cliff and down into another recession.
After Tuesday's election results became clear, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said in a statement that lawmakers "have big challenges facing us in the months ahead." He added that "Democrats and Republicans must come together, and show that we are up to the challenge. This is no time for excuses. This is no time for putting things off until later."
The consequences of inaction would be so grave that most economists believe lawmakers will find the hero in themselves and come together now that the election is over.
"Our mantra is: 'They really can't be that stupid,' " Chris Varvares, president of Macroeconomic Advisers LLC, said on a conference call organized by the National Association for Business Economics.
But Tuesday's election, with all of its harsh words and bitter feelings, may make it difficult for Congress to return for a few weeks of chummy compromise. The lame-duck session will have many members who are on the way out, having lost their re-election bids. Their bruising campaigns may have left them feeling ungenerous toward the opposing party.
Still, they must try to get something done. The soon-to-expire Congress is set to convene Nov. 13. Very likely, comprehensive solutions to fiscal-cliff problems will have to wait for the new Congress in January. But because so many deadlines will be hit before then, the lawmakers will need to pass measures to cope with a number of other crises, and then stall for time on the edge of the cliff.
For example, Superstorm Sandy may force lawmakers to take quick action to shore up the Federal Emergency Management Agency, also known as FEMA. The agency could get overwhelmed by the cost of helping people whose homes have been destroyed by flooding. And then there's the cost of rebuilding public transit systems.
A large, bipartisan group of congressmen signed a letter this week, asking House leaders to prepare to spend more money for cleaning up after the storm. They wrote that "as the full brunt of Hurricane Sandy is quantified, Congress must stand ready to provide the aid and assistance to the people and communities most devastated by this storm."
And then there's the debt ceiling. Last week, the Treasury Department warned that the country probably will hit its $16.4 trillion borrowing limit by the end of the year. If the U.S. were to hit the ceiling and risk default on its debts, it could trigger a second downgrade of the U.S. government's credit rating and another rattling of global financial markets.
Aside from FEMA and the debt ceiling, Congress must find ways to delay the fiscal-cliff cluster of changes. Take just this one: the alternative minimum tax — the AMT, an obscure tax rule — is about to sharply increase taxes for about 27 million households, according to the Congressional Research Service.
Any couple with children and an annual income of more than $75,000 could be facing a federal tax bill that is thousands of dollars higher this year. Yes. Their taxes would shoot up for the 2012 tax year. Once the filing season begins in January, retroactive fixes to the AMT become much more difficult to implement, so Congress must act before New Year's Eve.
When first created in 1969, the AMT was intended to ensure that wealthy people could not use deductions to escape paying all taxes. But the tax was not adjusted for inflation, and Congress has had to regularly apply a "patch" to ensure that the AMT didn't apply to average families. But because of political gridlock, Congress didn't pass a patch this year — and now the deadline is looming.
So, you've got FEMA, the debt ceiling and the AMT patch all demanding immediate action, even before turning to all of the other fiscal-cliff elements.
-- the expiration of the George W. Bush-era tax cuts;
-- the end of extended emergency unemployment benefits;
-- the expiration of the Social Security payroll tax reduction; and
-- the start of automatic "sequestration" — spending cuts that hit hard at the Pentagon budget.
Addressing all of the fiscal-cliff issues will be daunting. But at least for now, some business groups are trying to sound a hopeful note.
"There is much work ahead of us," Jay Timmons, president of the National Association of Manufacturers, said after Obama had won re-election. "After all, it is time for our nation to heal and for Americans to come together." | <urn:uuid:f013d916-88b7-4633-bc81-d5d4ed9cbc7d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.krwg-tv.org/post/after-election-congress-turns-fiscal-cliff-other-money-issues | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958652 | 1,111 | 1.648438 | 2 |
I have written about Busan several times because I think South Korea's development and support of filmmaking, film education and film financing through its pre-sales market is a model other countries would be wise to follow. I would personally love to create an cross-cultural educational component to their activities which would make them trailblazers yet again. During one Cannes Festival, I spoke to their education director about that, so perhaps, with a little more time, I will be able to speak to a decision maker to actualize this idea.
“Korean film night,” presentedby the Korean film council (KOFIC) with support from Korean Cultural Center of Los Angeles (KCCLA), highlighted standout Korean films and filmmakers at Al Dente Trattoria e Bar january 21 in park city.
Filmmakers Park Chan-Wook (Stoker); O Muel (Jiseul); Kim Song E. Kim (Bite of the Tail); actor Daniel Dae Kim with host Soo Jin Hwangwere also there to meet people.
Soo Jin Hwang, Head of KOFIC USA office hosted the event. Numerous film executives also attended the party, including Arclight Films; Film Movement; Funimation; Hulu; Participant Pictures and SnagFilm as well as reps from AFI; SXSW; Los Angeles International Film Festival; Walker Art Center; Dallas Film Society; Cleveland Film Festival; the Film Society at Lincoln Center, and Sundance itself.
KOFIC was established in 1973. It is a special organization, entrusted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea, aiming to support and promote Korean films. KOFIC is composed of nine commissioners, including one full-time chairman and eight committee members, appointed by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in order to discuss and decide main policies related to Korean films. Check out KOFIC here.
The Korean Cultural Center of Los Angeles is the axis of Korean heritage in Los Angeles and welcomes the general public to experience the rich traditions and history of Korea through specialized programs, sponsored events , and multiple learning resources. Operated by the Korean government’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, KCCLA is dedicated to providing insights into the rich cultural heritage of Korea. Learn more about KCCLA here.
RT @MuSiCh4Film: Am part of a guided tour of the #Cannes2013 festival with #SydneyLevine of @indiewire's @sydneysbuzz. http://t.co/UcYCD0pNBgPosted 3 days ago
Am part of a guided tour of the #Cannes2013 festival with #SydneyLevine of @indiewire's @sydneysbuzz. http://t.co/UcYCD0pNBgPosted 5 days ago
Sydney@sydneysbuzz says... http://t.co/JinVkrsGpKPosted 5 days ago | <urn:uuid:855baa68-3e83-48cf-bd3b-cd1b4eb728aa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.indiewire.com/sydneylevine/korean-party-sundance-2013 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937724 | 621 | 1.625 | 2 |
It’s back to the drawing board for the city’s proposed tree bylaw following an update to city council, Monday night.
Paul Willms, the city’s sustainability planner, said more time is needed to consider recommendations made at meetings with individuals, community groups and city advisory committees this fall.
“We got a lot of feedback,” he said. “For the most part it was a positive conversation with the community.”
While some were adamant they don’t want a new tree bylaw, Willms said his challenge is to draft a bylaw that “balances private property rights versus public benefits”.
“The big thing here is to keep it simple so people will comply,” he explained.
Much of the new bylaw is targeted at new development and proposes regulations prior to the start of work, during construction and immediately after development. The focus is to save as many medium and large trees as possible. Willms said the proposed bylaw would apply to everyone with the exception of the city, golf courses, nurseries and the Grand River Conservation Authority, that are all considered to be in the business of stewardship.
Under the proposed bylaw, a permit would be required for removing four or more trees (measuring 20 to 76 centimetres) within a year. A permit would also be required for removing any tree equal to or greater than 76 cm in diameter. The bylaw also suggests that no permit would be required for removing trees under 20 cm in diameter or if the number of trees to be removed on a lot is less than four and each tree measures 20-76 cm in diameter. A permit also wouldn’t be required if emergency work was needed, as determined by the city or hydro utility, or if a tree is dead, diseased, dying, or at risk, as confirmed by an arborist’s report submitted, before it’s removed.
The bylaw is based on measures already in place in Oakville and Mississauga.
From the feedback received, Willms said people feel a number of revisions need to be made. He is now considering requests to promote the planting of certain species and fine tune the arborist reporting system, as well as develop an appeals process.
When asked about what the tree cutting permit costs would be, Willms said rates still have to be established, but would only reflect the amount of work done to review the application.
The next draft of the new tree bylaw is slated to come back to council in early 2013. Willms has asked that once council gets the final draft, that it not act on it for a month, to give residents time to review it and make comments before a decision is made. | <urn:uuid:867665af-3d3d-40e4-bf4e-e60f24f02151> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cambridgetimes.ca/news/local/article/1549167--big-daddy | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963381 | 569 | 1.773438 | 2 |
Though Israel experiences occasional snowfall during winter months, November weather is mostly mild with scattered rain showers. Israel is a tempting November vacation destination, especially if you want to escape chilly winter weather elsewhere. However, you need to prepare for more than just weather conditions when traveling to Israel. Advanced flight booking, hotel rental and itinerary planning are important for November trips to Israel.
Items you will need
- Rain coat
- Collapsible umbrella
- Short-sleeved shirts
- Long-sleeved shirts
- Long pants
- Head covering
Book your flight and hotel in advance for better prices and availability. November is one of the peak tourism months for Israel. In November, 2010, Israel was visited by about 310,000 tourists.
Plan your itinerary in advance if you want to book a guided tour. Many tourist attractions like the Tel Aviv Beach, the Church of Annunciation, and the Jesus Trail are open to the public without reservations, but guided tours of these sites are booked months in advance.
Pack a raincoat and collapsible umbrella. October to April is considered the rainy season in Israel.
Bring a mix of long- and short-sleeved shirts, and pants and shorts. November weather in Israel varies, and you'll need clothing for warm or cold conditions. Long-sleeved shirts and pants are also required to enter many Jewish, Christian and Islamic holy sites.
Pack a head covering if you plan to enter a mosque and are female. Israel is home to many religious sites with interesting architecture and rich history, and you are required to respect the individual customs of these sites when entering.
- "Fodor's Israel"; Ruth Craig, et al.; 2006
- "Israel National News"; November: Israel Breaks Yet Another Tourism Record; Hillel Fendel; December 2010
- "Frommer's Israel"; Robert Ullian; 2010
- Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images | <urn:uuid:9de3b722-189a-4908-848f-26be410b9b32> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://traveltips.usatoday.com/travel-israel-november-36049.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932279 | 399 | 1.8125 | 2 |
Lieutenant Governor of Alaska
|Alaska Lieutenant Governor|
|Office website:||Official Link|
|Term limits:||2 terms|
|Length of term:||4 years|
|Authority:||Alaska Constitution, Article III, Section 7|
|Assumed office:||December 6, 2010|
|Next election:||November 4, 2014|
|Last election:||November 2, 2010|
|Other Alaska Executive Offices|
|Governor•Lieutenant Governor•Attorney General•Comptroller•Education Commissioner•Revenue Commissioner•Agriculture Director•Insurance Director•Natural Resources Commissioner•Labor Commissioner•Regulatory Commission|
- See also: Current Lieutenant Governors
Before becoming lieutenant governor, Treadwell served on the United States Arctic Research Commission, having been appointed by President George W. Bush in 2001. He also worked as Chairman and CEO of Venture Ad Astra, an Anchorage technology firm specializing in geospatial imaging. Treadwell has also worked as a political reporter for the Anchorage Times and, after entering the energy industry, director of spill response during the Exxon Valdez oil spill crisis. He was also Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation under Governor Wally Hickell.
Treadwell earned his bachelor's degree from Yale University and his MBA from Harvard Business School. He and his late wife, Carol, have three children.
There shall be a lieutenant governor. He shall have the same qualifications as the governor and serve for the same term...
| 2013 • 2012 • 2011 • 2010 |
Lists of candidates
|Current Lt. Governors|
|Lt. Governor Elections|
|2013 • 2012 • 2011 • 2010|
Per Article III, Section 7 of the Alaska Constitution, the lieutenant governor must meet the same qualifications as the governor. This means he or she may not hold any Federal office or any state office in Alaska concurrently with his lieutenant gubernatorial term. Per Article III, Section 2, the lieutenant governor must be at least 30 years old, a qualified voter in Alaska, and have been both an American citizen and a resident of Alaska for a minimum of seven years on election day.
There shall be a lieutenant governor. He shall have the same qualifications as the governor and serve for the same term. He shall perform such duties as may be prescribed by law and as may be delegated to him by the governor.
The governor shall be at least thirty years of age and a qualified voter of the State. He shall have been a resident of Alaska at least seven years immediately preceding his filing for office, and he shall have been a citizen of the United States for at least seven years.
The governor shall not hold any other office or position of profit under the United States, the State, or its political subdivisions.
Alaska elects lieutenant lieutenant governors in the midterm elections, that is, even years that are not Presidential election years. For Alaska, 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018 are all gubernatorial election years. Legally, the lieutenant gubernatorial inauguration is always set for noon on the first Monday in December following the election. Thus, December 6, 2010 and December 1, 2014 are inaugural days.
Lieutenant governors of Alaska may only hold two successive terms and must be out of office for another full term before being able to run again.
Details of vacancy appointments are addressed under Article III, Sections 13.
The Constitution frobids electing a lieutenant governor separately from a governor. Aside from that point, it is left to statute to lay out the line of succession.
The Lieutenant Governor has jurisdiction over state election laws, ensuring uniform implementation throughout the state. This includes local and regional elections in the unorganized borough. The Lieutenant Governor also qualifies statewide and state district candidates and ballot initiatives, and publishes the official state voter-information pamphlet. She also is responsible for registration record of 400,000 Alaskans.
Other duties include:
- Oversight of the Division of Elections
- Oversight, review and filing of Administrative Regulations
- Commissioning and Oversight of Alaska's Notaries Public
- Oversight of the use of the State of Alaska Seal
- Publishing and distribution of the Alaska Constitution
The initiative process
Any member of the public may propose a ballot issue in Alaska. There are certain steps that must be followed in order to get the issue on the ballot, and these steps are regulated by the Lieutenant Governor. The process that a citizen must follow is examined in detail here: Alaska Initiative Law.
All proposals of ballot measures are submitted to the Lieutenant Governor. This includes the proposed text of the ballot issue, the names and identification information of the 3 prime sponsors, the names and identification information of an additional 100 sponsors, and the proposed bill. The Lieutenant Governor then forwards the proposal to the Legislative Services Division. The Department of Law submits an opinion on the contest of the ballot and the Lieutenant Governor will certify the bill and submit an advised course of action for the bill.
If the ballot is accepted, the Division of Elections will print 500 petition booklets and distribute these booklets to the sponsors of the ballot. This is when additional circulators may be approved by the Lieutenant Governor for the ballot drive. The sponsors must file with the Lieutenant Governor within one year of receiving approval of the state and when filed the Lieutenant Governor must review the petition within 60 days.
The citizen initiative is an important part of Alaska’s political system. It allows Alaskans to write and approve certain laws directly, without going through the legislative process.
However, it is important to understand the constitutional and statutory limits placed on initiatives:
The Alaska Constitution cannot be altered or amended by initiative. Article XIII states the Constitution may be amended only by the Legislature or through a constitutional convention.
Only certain types of laws can be passed by initiative. According to the Constitution, Article XI, Section 7, Initiatives cannot:
- Dedicate revenues;
- Make or repeal appropriations;
- Create courts;
- Define the jurisdiction of courts or prescribe their rules;
- Enact local or special legislation.
The Lieutenant Governor forwards all initiative applications to the Division of Elections and to the Department of Law for a reviews of their form and subject. An application in proper form is one that meets all of the technical requirements of the law, which include:
The names, mailing addresses, numerical identifiers, and signatures of three prime sponsors with a statement that they are the initiative committee representing all sponsors of the initiative.
- The printed name, signature, address, and a numerical identifier of not fewer than 100 sponsors. A voter's numerical identifier is one of the following: date of birth, last four digits of social security number, driver's license number, Alaska identification card number, or voter identification card number. Prime and other sponsors must be qualified Alaska voters.
The text of the proposed law.
If the application is in proper form and the subject is also legal, the Department of Law will recommend that I certify the application. The legal analysis of the proposed law may be fairly simple or it can be lengthy and complex, depending on the subject. It is important to note that the Department of Law drafts opinions for the Lieutenant Governor, who must make the final determination on the status of initiative petition applications.
Given the amount of time initiative sponsors must put into the effort of getting an initiative on the ballot, a thorough review process provides sponsors with some assurance that their efforts, if challenged in court, would meet the basic requirements for initiatives.
- See also: Comparison of lieutenant gubernatorial salaries and Compensation of state executive officers
The lieutenant governor's pay is set by law and may not be increased or diminished effective during the current term.
The position did not exist prior to statehood of Alaska, though the territorial-era Secretary of Alaska was somewhat analogous. Prior to August 25, 1970, the position was referred to as Secretary of State, but was functionally identical.
Lt. Governor Mead Treadwell
PO Box 110015
Juneau, AK 99811
Phone: (907) 465-3520 | <urn:uuid:fa6b4850-78a9-4c78-a670-12b35429404f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Alaska_Lieutenant_Governor | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938865 | 1,645 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Ethics Case Studies
A Media-Savvy Killer
WHAT: It started three decades ago. It has always been part of the papers lore, Rick Thames, former editor of The Wichita Eagle told Editor & Publishers Joe Strupp. Since his first murder in 1974, the BTK killer his own acronym, for bind, torture, kill has sent the Eagle four letters and one poem.
The Eagles Website was subpoenaed in 2004 when investigators thought BTK might be posting items on a discussion board. And in the spring of 2005, the killer sent the paper a letter after 16 years of silence, apparently sparked by a story about the 30th anniversary of the first killing.
BTK killed eight people. The first was Jan. 15, 1974, the last 12 years later, in 1986. The killers first communication with the newspaper was 10 months after the first killing. A reader found a letter inside a book at a local library and called the newspaper. The last letter arrived in March 2004 and included photos from the 1986 crime scene, as well as a copy of that victims drivers license. The killer also has sent letters and made phone calls to a local television station, but his main media connection has been the Eagle.
The newspaper has involved itself in the in other ways. In 1974, when it was still the Eagle-Beacon, it offered a $5,000 award for information leading to an arrest. And a 1978 poem from BTK was mistakenly included in romantic messages the paper runs on Valentines Day.
Eagle Reporter Hurst Laviana, who followed the case for more than 20 years, was one of three reporters who were asked to give DNA samples last summer, in a desperate attempt to find the mysterious killer. It seemed like a logical thing for them to do, Laviana told E&P, adding that police told him theyd received five tips from people urging that he be tested. Apparently he was cleared; he never heard back from investigators.
In April 2005, the Sedgwick County District Attorney subpoenaed the identities of six people who had posted items to a BTK bulletin board on the Eagles Web site. The Eagle cooperated without a fight but was criticized by the DA for running a story about the subpoenas.
All of this puts the newspaper in an awkward position. The killer seems almost to be using it as an agent of communication. It is both a provider of evidence and chronicler of the news. Some employees worried that BTK might target them as attention increases.
Two questions: How should a newspaper, or other media outlet, handle communications from someone who says hes guilty of multiple sensational crimes? And how much should it cooperate with law enforcement authorities?
WHO: Put yourself in the shoes of the editor of the Eagle, or of a television station that might have received similar communications.
Consider the stakeholders: The Wichita community, terrorized for years by a mysterious killer, certainly has a stake in finding out who this person is and incarcerating him or her to prevent future potential harm. This is a case where the publics stake is higher than it might be in other cases.
The killer is a prime stakeholder, an odd duck who seems to enjoy tantalizing the media and the public with taunts about his or her identity. Law enforcement authorities are stakeholders, in that theyve been spinning their wheels for years.
WHY: Does cooperating with the killer by publicizing his taunts create more opportunities that hell be caught? Or does it simply play into the killers twisted desire for attention? What would happen if you were to stop forwarding every communication from this clearly imbalanced individual? What is the greatest good for the greatest number?
HOW: Decide how best to establish the outcome youve identified as best. Explain it to yourself, and write it down to help you articulate it. You might also want to explain your decision, and the decision-making process, to your readers and/or viewers. Prepare for the inevitable questions youll get from them.
(Epilogue: Dennis Rader, who admitted to being the BTK Killer, was arrested Feb. 25, 2005, by Wichita Police. On June 28, 2005, he pleaded guilty to 10 counts of murder.) | <urn:uuid:d7b4c7a1-d822-441b-b84c-7bee3f900a17> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://spj.org/ecs4.asp?mobile=no | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974429 | 860 | 1.804688 | 2 |
The Inclusive Economy
The Innovation Marketplace: An ALC Debrief
By Lauren Stebbins on 10/06/2010 @ 03:44 PM
As a featured event of this year’s Assets Learning Conference, the Innovation Marketplace showcased 50 Innovators, Sponsors and Exhibitors that had booths set up during the entirety of the Conference. Conference attendees were afforded an amazing opportunity to learn about and make connections with practitioners and organizations leading cutting-edge work in the asset-building field. The diversity of topics in CFED’s innovation portfolio was well-represented at the Marketplace; some of the work featured included green entrepreneurship opportunities as a prisoner reentry strategy, matched savings accounts for higher education costs and assistive technology for people with disabilities, solar energy products for Native American communities, financial education and savings accounts for children in Uganda and a shared responsibility model for healthcare costs. Traffic in the Marketplace reached its peak during its featured time slot of 4:30-6:30pm on Thursday, September 23 and included the addition of the Entrepreneurship Fair. During this time, Marketplace participants were joined by about 20 creative entrepreneurs committed to social change and expanding economic opportunity who were able to demonstrate and sell their products and services. A fantastic performance by some of the young ladies of the Young Women’s Drumming Empowerment Project infused the atmosphere with even more energy and excitement.
The Marketplace proved to be successful in creating a large, interactive space for CFED innovators to expand outreach on their work, and in creating a dynamic and fun setting for Conference attendees to become intimately introduced to them and other innovative ventures. The feedback we have received has been extremely positive, with many commenting on how the Marketplace created both a fun and informative setting to learn about an “amazing display of innovations” and having it open during the whole Conference created opportunities for “meaningful interactions” and “some of the best conversations.” Our innovators have expressed to us how much they appreciated having a venue to personally meet and connect with a national audience and make valuable connections that will help them move forward.
We would like to send a huuuuge thank you to all of the Marketplace’s innovators, sponsors, exhibitors and volunteers! Your participation helped make this year’s ALC the best ever. For us here at CFED, the success of the Innovation Marketplace exceeded our expectations, and we could not be more pleased to know that the both the innovators and visitors gained so much from this event. | <urn:uuid:59522b17-0f3c-4d71-b546-648e705d7f26> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://cfed.org/blog/inclusiveeconomy/the_innovation_marketplace_an_alc_debrief/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965383 | 517 | 1.5 | 2 |
A host of celebrities have come together on the one-week anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting to produce a public service announcement about gun violence prevention.
Entitled 'Demand A Plan', the black and white video stars actors and singers, comedians and sport stars encouraging Americans to approach government leaders with the request to draw up new laws surrounding gun possession.
The famous faces take it in turns to ask the viewer "How many more?" before naming buildings and sites that have played host to gun tragedies in recent years.
They then go on to urge the audience to take action now as a mom, dad, American and simply as a human being to prevent their loved ones ending up on a list of fatalities as shootings continue to occur.
Featuring Beyoncé, Ellen DeGeneres, Steve Carell, Jennifer Aniston, Paul Rudd, Jamie Foxx and many others, the powerful campaign aims to "pass gun laws that require background checks for every gun sold in America, ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and make gun trafficking a federal crime". | <urn:uuid:03a3f5b9-6357-431f-9d9c-a8c147fd6a15> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.digitalspy.com/celebrity/news/a446902/beyonce-jamie-foxx-in-demand-a-plan-gun-violence-prevention-video.html?rss | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935827 | 214 | 1.5625 | 2 |
One of the reasons Astronomy chose the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit (SBAU) as its 2010 Out-of-this-world Award winner was its clear dedication to outreach. That’s why I was happy, but not surprised, to see the group’s interest in joining Astronomy’s Discover the Universe program, which resulted in a recent success story. SBAU President Ruben Gutierrez elaborates:
The museum turned over its entire outside grounds to astronomy, with special planetarium shows occurring throughout the day. Other sites featured our Out-of-this-world Award-winning UC2 fully transportable wheelchair-accessible telescope, an astronomical flea market where pre-owned telescopes and equipment were on sale at bargain prices, radio equipment demonstrations, hands-on activities like seltzer-powered rockets and remote-controlled robots, SBAU clothing sales, and delicious food (including astronaut ice cream). Once visitors completed their Mission Log, they could return to Mission Control and enter a raffle for 12 great prizes, with the grand prize being a deluxe 8-inch Dobsonian telescope.
That sounds great, Ruben! Congratulations on hosting such a fun and complex event — as always, we’re glad we could help. If you want to know what Astronomy magazine’s Discover the Universe program can do for your club, please email me at [email protected]. | <urn:uuid:f1a34d14-438f-4f20-817c-a70dc6ec927d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://cs.astronomy.com/asy/b/astronomy/archive/2012/09/11/discover-the-universe-santa-barbara-california.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942487 | 293 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Who Benefits from The Center for Physical Therapy?
To put it simply – anyone suffering from pain or limitations in their function. Maybe your lower back hurts. Or the bottom of your feet always seem to bother you. Almost all injuries, no matter the cause – household, recreational, overuse – can be addressed through a physical therapy program.
Here are some specific cases where a PT can be especially useful.
- Post-operative patients who need to regain muscle strength and coordination
- Athletes who are recovering from injuries (as well as those trying to prevent injury)
- Accident victims of car crashes, job-related mishaps, etc.
- Employees who are returning to work after an injury
- People with arthritis who seek pain relief and increased joint motion
- Cancer patients who need to increase strength and function
- Pregnant women who develop back pain and other muscular or joint problems due to pregnancy
The Center for Physical Therapy is about addressing specific rehabilitation needs. First, we identify the source of limitation or pain, while taking the time to educate you on the diagnosis, prognosis and plan. Then we develop a customized treatment program where we can work together to restore as much of your function as possible.
The Center for Physical Therapy Illinois, has only highly trained, qualified and skilled physical therapists -- yes there is a difference. We maintain a dedication to excellence in all that we give to our patients and constantly strive to exceed our patients’ expectations. Whether a patient is looking to relieve pain, promote healing, recover from surgery, prevent future injury or simply be more active and adapt to the rigors of daily living in, we are your partners. The physical therapists of The Center for Physical Therapy Illinois partner with you in the treatment process and work along side you to ensure the most positive outcome possible. | <urn:uuid:d9b6b817-24d7-4247-a12b-2a2c92469cea> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.centersforpt.com/Services/PhysicalTherapy.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941972 | 368 | 1.695313 | 2 |
I really don’t know how this happened. One moment, I’m skimming through the local on-line newspaper, shortly thereafter, I’m thinking about eating weeds.
The local paper has a gardening column, which was about garlic mustard this week. Garlic mustard is a common weed – you may well have some lurking about in your yard. It makes a tallish, tapering plant with white flowers, and it comes up pretty easily – not like that scoundrel goutweed.
Well. It turns out that the Brooklyn Botanical Garden says that garlic mustard is edible, and offers up a recipe for pesto. I don’t really think I’m going to be making that anytime soon, but one thing led to another, and I discovered that the heinous goutweed is also edible. Who knew? In short order, I found a recipe for goutweed soup, and a whole section of Wildman Steve Brill’s book includes recipes using goutweed (though they’re a little suspect, like garlic “butter” with no butter in sight and “hollandaise” made with tofu and lecithin). I’m not even touching on the “medicinal” uses for goutweed, but do note that the name includes “gout”.
So tell me, those of you overrun with goutweed and/or garlic mustard, would you eat it? | <urn:uuid:28f6f05e-3250-4aae-ba22-444116321de8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.magpiemusing.com/2008/05/weeds-weeds-glorious-weeds.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952238 | 310 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Photos above from Maritime NZ
The Rena has now split into two sections on the Astrolabe reef off the coast of Tauranga.
Maritime New Zealand has confirmed that the stern section has broken away and is moving significantly, after being battered by 7 metre waves last night. A large number of containers have been lost overboad. Last Friday, there were 881 containers on board the Rena – another 389 had been removed, and 98 had been lost.
News from Maritime NZ
Severe weather overnight has separated the MV Rena into two pieces, which are now about 20-30m apart on the Astrolabe Reef.
Both sections of the vessel still remain on the reef, with the forward section remaining firmly wedged, while the aft section has separated and moved clockwise (or to starboard) about 13 degrees, after the ship was hit by seas of over 7m overnight, further worsening the damage it sustained following its grounding on the reef just over three months ago. The current bad weather is forecast to slowly ease over next 3 – 4 days.
MNZ Salvage Unit Manager David Billington said the fresh damage to the ship had resulted in the loss of a large number of containers and debris.
“While the two sections of the Rena currently remain on the reef, there’s no question the ship is badly damaged with the severe movement breaking off many of the hatch covers and releasing containers from the holds. Salvors are working to assess the state of the vessel so that naval architects can undertake further calculations get gain a clearer picture of its ongoing stability.”
Mr Billington said the vessel Go Canopus was currently connected to the aft section of the Rena and was continuing to monitor its status.
At least 23 containers had been confirmed as being lost from the ship, which were floating or partly submerged, with another 7 (unconfirmed) thought to be in the water. However, Mr Billington said more were likely to be lost. There was also a large debris trail, including wood, around the vessel.
Container recovery company Bramear Howells had tugs en route to tag containers with buoys as it was currently too rough to tow or safely recover them, while vessels with trawl nets would also be sent out to collect debris once weather conditions improved.
Navigational warnings had also been issued to shipping, with the port company communicating with individual ships via port radio and warnings issued to recreational vessels via Coastguard radio. Shipping lanes were also being monitored for containers and debris. The Bay of Plenty Regional Council Harbour Master is considering extending the 3nm exclusion zone due to the large debris field from Rena.
National On Scene Commander Alex van Wijngaarden said the National Response Team had been mobilised, which included trained oil spill response and wildlife experts, who were preparing for the likelihood of more oil coming ashore.
“While reports at this stage indicate there has not been a significant release of oil, with the Rena in its current fragile state, a further release is likely. While it is unknown at this stage exactly how much oil may be released, teams have been mobilised and will be ready to respond to anything that may come ashore. The wildlife response had also been increased to help deal with any affected wildlife.
“At this stage, preliminary trajectory modelling predicts that any oil released will come ashore around midnight tonight, landing on beaches south east of Mt Maunganui – however, this could change at any time depending on the weather and wind conditions. We also remind people that there may be large amounts of debris or containers that could come ashore so they need to exercise common sense and please keep clear. Instead, if people do see any oil or container debris, please report it to us via the 0800 OIL SPILL number (0800 645 774).” | <urn:uuid:2ac378c7-3007-447d-b7dd-e40068b7b43c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://auckland.scoop.co.nz/2012/01/rena-has-split-in-two-significant-spillage-of-containers/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978935 | 779 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Ken Plum: Virginia’s mixed holiday blessings
Virginians are living through this holiday season with mixed blessings. At least that is the conclusion of the Center for American Progress Action Fund 2012 Annual Report “Tracking Indicators of Poverty and Opportunity in Virginia.”
Nationally the report found that after years of getting worse the U.S. poverty rate remained stable last year. In Virginia the poverty rate is lower than the national average at 11.5 percent, the seventh best rate in the country. Virginia’s population is the 12th highest among the states meaning that nearly a million people live in poverty in the Commonwealth. The American Progress Action Fund’s “Half in Ten” campaign has as a goal cutting the poverty rate in half in a decade.
Virginia fared well on some rankings in the report. Virginia has the second best ranking in the country on the gender gap. Women in Virginia earn 87 percent for every dollar earned by a man doing similar work. While the gap is too wide, it is likely helped by the technology industry in Northern Virginia that is much closer to equal pay for equal work. Virginia has the best ranking nationwide in the foster care system where three children per 1,000 children under age 18 were in the system. Virginia’s success in reducing children in foster care came about in part from the excellent work of former First Lady Anne Holton, wife of former Governor and Senator-elect Tim Kaine.
Virginia has some areas where more work needs to be done. The state ranks 44th in the nation on the availability of affordable housing. Only 57 affordable and available housing units exist for every 100 tenants at or below 50 percent of the median income. The General Assembly meeting in January needs to restore funding to the Virginia Housing Trust Fund.
Virginia’s high school graduation rate of 78.4 percent is 20th in the nation. That leaves too many people undereducated and qualifying for only minimal employment and low wages. A review of public alternative education programs is needed to ensure that avenues are available for all students to complete high school.
The number of persons uninsured in Virginia is 12.5 percent of the population ranking the state 21st among the other states. The General Assembly can take positive action to lower this figure by establishing a health insurance exchange to ensure that affordable health care is available in the marketplace. It can also expand Medicaid to cover the more than 400,000 people who will otherwise be left out of the system.
To read the “Half in Ten” Annual Report, go to www.halfinten.org. The holidays give us opportunities to count our blessings and to develop the resolve that all should benefit in these blessings.
Ken Plum is a member of the Virginia House of Delegates. | <urn:uuid:da95e61d-acc3-4937-8732-43e330f39dac> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://augustafreepress.com/ken-plum-virginias-mixed-holiday-blessings/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953458 | 565 | 1.601563 | 2 |
They’ve survived term papers, all-nighters and final exams, and now it’s time for college students to enjoy their three months of freedom. But students shouldn’t completely ignore their college responsibilities if they want to stay on track for next year.
“It's important not to revert back to your high school mentality of summer--we all remember how jarring the first week back to homework and a busy schedule was after a lazy summer, and that was just high school,” says Hannah Faust, a rising senior at Loyola Marymount University. “If you lay around all summer, you can count on being behind in school starting day one of fall semester.” To make a smooth transition back to campus in the fall, here are five things every college student should do this summer.
Stay on Top of Deadlines
Professors and students may have the summer off, but it’s still business as usual for the university. Faust advises students stay on top of all time-sensitive financial or administrative obligations necessary for next semester.
“In summer time, there are often several deadlines regarding financial aid, housing, tuition and class registration,” says Faust. “If you don't keep college on your radar, you could miss out on some seriously important stuff.”
Gain Industry Experience
Students fortunate enough to land a coveted summer internship, should take the opportunity to build professional contacts, experience working in an industry and an office setting. Interns should be eager to help out and help with projects that will translate onto a resume.
If an internship is not in the cards this summer, Wendy Smiseck, director of Career Services at Wittenberg University, suggests students volunteer at a local organization or charity in their perspective field to bolster their resume. “Volunteer work can be an excellent way to gain experience. Bottom line, experience is experience.”
Save for Upcoming Semester
Travel and going out with friends are big money drainers, and if students don’t carefully budget and save, they may find themselves strapped for cash during the school year.
Suzanna de Baca, vice president of wealth strategies at Ameriprise Financial advises students with federal loans create a post-graduation savings account to help make payments or even start paying down loans while still in school.
“It can be hard to predict what kind of career, salary or further education will come after college, so working during the summer – and throughout the school year if possible – and saving money when one can is always a good idea.”
Work on Your Profile
If they don’t already have an account, Smiseck recommends students create a LinkedIn account over the summer as well as use the free time to scrutinize any other online profiles.
Students should make sure their profiles are appropriate and attractive to potential employers. Any information, images and contacts that are negative or controversial should be deleted.
“Employers are turning to social media to determine whether or not you are a suitable candidate for hire and some photos or comments may not paint you in the best light,” she says. “Know what your career field expects and retool your social media site – this may mean tightening up security, suspending your account, or making yourself ‘unfindable.’”
Take a Week Off
It’s important students also take time this summer to relax and recharge. Experts say students will be more productive if they take the time for themselves and reboot before heading into the semester.
“I am ending my summer internship a week before school starts so that I have a whole week to get my ducks in a row before the semester begins,” says Faust. “In that time I will be finalizing my schedules, organizing my planner, buying any necessary supplies, reorganizing my hard drive, etc. That time off will make sure the semester doesn't sneak up on you!” | <urn:uuid:1f6ddbe8-ea9f-4f7a-9cd2-a44d8e7fc3ee> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2012/06/22/five-things-every-college-student-should-do-this-summer/?intcmp=related | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944853 | 820 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Once again, playing catch up. Most of the items being covered I’m familiar with – and while I may not have used them all, I think I’ve got a pretty good handle on how they work.
#16: Wikis – Task, explore some and write about your thoughts and experiences. I love the concept of Wikis and would love to use them with teachers and/or students. I especially like all that Joyce Valenza is doing with wikis and the TeacherLibrarian Wiki. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending upon your viewpoint, this requires a level of collaboration between teacher and librarian that requires pre-planning. This may be an activity for us to develop for next year (or semester) and would hinge on the district allowing access to a wiki.
#17: Add an entry to the SCASL Wiki – I’ve already updated the SCASL librarians who twitter, blog, and podcast (although our podcast page hasn’t been updated in quite some time!) Will have to think of something to add to the “Your Favorites!” section o.
#18: Zoho Writer – great thing about Zoho is that I can use my GoogleID instead of having to create a whole new account. Zoho seems to do the same and more than Google Docs and I like the Notebook feature. Can see using this to take notes at a conference and exporting them to my blog.
I’m already a Google Docs user and have advised some of my students to use them as well. We have a huge problem with floppy discs and thumb drives not working in our school computers. By using Google Docs (and as long as we have an internet connection), students have a way of retrieving their work. Unfortunately, I haven’t gotten teachers to try it out, yet!
#19: LibraryThing: Kinda neat. I’ve created a LibraryThing catalog to share on my blog (see the widget below the blogroll & links) to list the books that I’m reading now. I’ve entered the six that I’m currently trying to finish. All are available in the school library. As I finish them I’ll write a review. I’d be interested to see what others think of the books.
That’s all for now. This week we’re to look at YouTube and other video sharing sites. Should be fun! | <urn:uuid:32822dba-0692-4ba9-b97b-48be1674416d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://hloy.edublogs.org/tag/scasl20/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949586 | 514 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Economic Independence in Gadag
Sometimes, small measures are all that’s needed to change the world. A tiny village in Karnataka is scripting a quiet tale of empowerment by weaving dreams in jute. The Art of Living Foundation started a jute bag-making unit in Bahadoor Baddi in Koppala, about 20 kms from Gadag town in December 2010. In the space of a month, it has already transformed the lives of more than 30 women including school drop-outs.
Twelve-year old Afroza, clad in a black salwar kameez, chatters excitedly about her newly learnt skill which has added a new, enriching dimension in her life. A shy and timid school drop-out, she has metamorphosed into a confident, enthusiastic teenager. “I am very happy now,” she contends. “Being the youngest of four siblings, I didn’t pursue school after my seventh class but as I wanted to make a difference to my life, I joined the bag-making class. And I have never felt better.”
Her parents are very proud of her. As we enter the hall where the women work, the first thing that catches our eye is a framed picture of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar whose organization is spearheading the women empowerment project.
Afroza feels indebted to him. “His teachers came here to train us. Had it not been for him, I would not have learnt so much.”
All around, there are shining examples of the women’s inner quest to succeed and excel. In the neatly painted room are four sewing machines and meticulously stacked jute bags. The bags, in different hues, tell the fullstory.
The Art of Living Foundation has been working in the villages in north Karnataka for some time. “When we came to this village, we felt like doing something for the women here. It was thus that the idea of starting a jute bag tailoring unit came up,” shares Joyce Prakash,Project Co-ordinator, Divine Karnataka Project. A teacher from the Bangalore unit was called and soon, the center was filled with young enthusiasts willing to learn. They were trained for one month and began rolling out different kinds of jute bags from tiffin carriers, luggage bags, mobile holders, wallets, school bags to trendy college bags.
The place has been let out free by 40-year-old Lakshmi who feels delighted to be part of the beautiful journey. One of the budding entrepreneurs at work, also known as Lakshmi, is an inspiring story in herself. After being affected by polio in her childhood, she had lost the will to live. Her brother introduced her to The Art of Living program which became a turning point in her life. There was a positive shift in her mental and physical health. Not only her will, her enthusiasm too bounced back with renewed vigour. She recalls, “I could see the difference in myself after the regular practice of the Sudarshan Kriya.”
On being prodded by her brother, Lakshmi enrolled herself in the bag-making class. Recognizing her flair for the job, the teacher decided to appoint her to teach. Today, as a teacher of the tailoring unit, Lakshmi is a role model that the others among these new age entrepreneurs look up to. In her fresh take on life, she believes life has been gracious to her and is keen to share her skill with as many as possible.
As we leave, we are given a small jute bag as a token of love. As I look back for a final view of the place that weaves a tale every day, little Afroza’s words echo in my ear, “My wish is to become a teacher and teach this skill to as many as I can. I know I can make a difference too.”
The small chalet might fail to get a second glimpse from a passerby but this is no ordinary house. This is where dreams are being woven.
Written by Shikha Grover. She is a full time volunteer with the Art of Living. An avid reader, writer, she loves to travel and discover territories which lend an beautiful insight into the majestic glory of india. She is also an Art of living teacher. | <urn:uuid:e3eefc50-25e0-4a37-8403-3176c2cc4a31> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.artofliving.org/de-en/weaving-dreams-jute-gadag | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978736 | 898 | 1.84375 | 2 |
|In South Africa:
Time is really irrelevant. Tomorrow really is another day. Don't try to travel SA too quick - it's huge and you'll miss most of it. ideally you should have 6 weeks or so.
Some Phrases you'll need to understand:
Other scheduled tourism related services normally leaves on time but might arrive late - especially the trains. Flights are all leaving about 1 hour late re. WTC - 18/9/01. Flights are back on track but be there about 2 and a half hours before the flight departs.
Outside South Africa:
Basically the same applies. In addition the chicken (local) buses will tell you they are leaving right now as the engine is running. They might leave 4 hours later...
Please note that if the sign states that the busses leave bi-weekly; it probably means every 2nd weeks and NOT twice/week!
Pilanesberg, Kruger National Park, Lesedi, Backpackers,
Adventure Travel Africa Car Rental, 430 Reitz Street, Sunnyside, Pretoria, 0002, ZA
Word of Mouth Rules - Updated Aug 2004 | <urn:uuid:6802f778-e9f3-4829-b72a-6d966651e503> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.travelinafrica.co.za/info/aftimef.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942375 | 240 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Postal service works to stamp out hunger
Saturday will be a busy day for mail carriers all across Berks County.
In just a few hours they will be arriving at front doors across the region not just to deliver mail, but to fight hunger.
It's part of the program Stamp Out Hunger, the nation's largest single-day food drive.
Food in Berks county will be processed by the Greater Berks Food Bank.
Here's how you can help.
"All you need to do is fill that brown paper bag with non-perishable foods. That's anything that's canned, boxed, bagged or bottled, and leave it by your mailbox tomorrow morning and your letter carrier will pick it up," said Doug Long of the Greater Berks Food Bank.
Officials said help is critical, especially with the summer months approaching.
"The reason for that is the children are out of school, and students who are in need who might be receiving a free lunch or possibly a free breakfast during the school year are now home for the summer," said Long.
And given the city of Reading's recent designation by the U.S. Census as the city with the highest percentage of people living in poverty in the nation, organizers are hoping residents will be generous.
"There are signs that the is economy coming around a bit, we're still seeing an increase in the number of local people receiving need," said Long.
If you'd like more information on how you can participate, click here.
Copyright 2012 WFMZ. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | <urn:uuid:8c6d8e5b-a758-489e-a950-7fc49a867424> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wfmz.com/news/Postal-service-works-to-stamp-out-hunger/-/121458/13125154/-/view/print/-/f0k187/-/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962559 | 328 | 1.84375 | 2 |
By the time you read this, 12 current and former Pleasant Valley Middle School students will be on their way to Washington to see the national World War II Memorial accompanying an equal number of veterans who fought in the war.
Tuesday evening, about 300 people gave them a rousing sendoff with a banquet and bagpipes playing period songs in the school cafeteria.
The students are "guards" on an Honor Flight, a national effort to get as many WWII veterans to Washington as possible to see the memorial while they are still able to go.
The youths have been working for more than a year to raise money for the trip washing cars, blending smoothies, selling bake-sale goods and organizing a dodge-ball tournament and community dinner.
Along the way, they had to clear many obstacles, not the least of which is that they come from one of Wichita's poorest schools.
They had to move the dodge-ball tournament to Northridge Friends Church after school district officials deemed it too violent for school grounds. And after they raised nearly $13,000 to pay for the trip, they had to overcome concerns from some program organizers who thought they were too young to handle the all-day duties of serving as guards, who provide whatever assistance the elderly veterans require.
"The thing is they never quit," said Meg Plotner, a teacher who helped organize the trip. "Whenever someone said they couldn't do it, they didn't listen, they just kept working.
"It's been the community this community and the veterans, who supported them when others tried to tell them 'no.' These are great kids."
The students plan to interview their veterans and any other local WWII vets who want to tell their stories and supply copies of the DVDs to the families and the school library.
For the students, Tuesday evening was a mix of happy anticipation and a little nervousness.
"I've never flown before," said Nora Lechner, a 15-year-old freshman at Heights High School who started working toward her Honor Flight when she was at Pleasant Valley. "I'm excited, really excited, a little nervous because of the flying, but excited."
The students were supposed to meet the veterans they'll be matched with at the banquet, but the information didn't arrive. Instead, they were scheduled to meet their veterans when they get to the airport.
Lechner said she could hardly wait.
"It's been a year and a half waiting to meet him," she said.
The one pair who know their traveling partners are Bob Moody, 85, and his grandson, Pleasant Valley eighth-grader Sterling Moody, 13.
"This will probably be the highlight of my life," said the elder Moody. "It's quite an honor to go with my grandson."
Moody, a Marine, was a flight ground crewman in the Pacific theater he served in the battles at Bougainville, Peleliu and Okinawa and finally ended up in China.
He was a high school senior when he enlisted in 1944. He said that when he got to the induction center in Kansas City, they told him to go home and finish high school and they'd call him up later. But the call came before he got home, he recalled.
"They jerked me out of high school," he said. "I had to go back and finish."
He returned to Wichita in 1946 and has lived here ever since, working in contracting, real estate and development of a motel and trailer park.
"My kids went to this school," he said, his eyes misting. "Four boys, all went to this school."
Sterling said it's "cool" to share the trip with his grandfather and that he thinks he'll learn a lot.
He hopes to attend the U.S. Naval Academy, as two of his cousins did.
The Moodys have known they'd be paired since June, but have been waiting since their original scheduled flight was pushed back, he said.
But Sterling said he never lost faith.
"I knew we'd make it sooner or later," he said. "It took us a while, but we got there." | <urn:uuid:256c3b0e-78a9-4382-8628-6952b55ea240> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kansas.com/2011/04/19/1815085/pleasant-valley-students-prepare.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.989086 | 856 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Survey: Net Users Don't Care About Opt-In, Opt-OutMost Internet users don't care whether e-mail arrives on an opt-in or opt-out basis, according to a new survey.
Seventy-two percent of the 1,760 participants in the study, dubbed iCustomer Observer, said they have no preference as to how they receive e-mails and Internet newsletters, said Chuck Curtis, CEO of Valentine Radford Advertising, Kansas City, MO, the ad agency that conducted the survey.
Valentine Radford tapped e-mail list developer NetCreations for 25,000 double-opt-in e-mail addresses it used to find the 1,760 participants. Double opt-in refers to an e-mail address gathering process under which registrants to an e-mail list must respond to a confirmation message to verify they have opted in.
Valentine Radford offered 25 prizes of $100 each as an incentive to get recipients to respond.
When asked whether they preferred opt-in or opt-out, 23 percent of participants favored opt-in, and 5 percent favored opt-out. The rest said they had no preference.
Opt-in and anti-spam advocates questioned the survey results.
"Surveys routinely show consumers don't want commercial e-mail unless they ask for it," said Jason Catlett, president of online privacy advocacy and consulting firm Junkbusters Corp., Green Brook, NJ.
Catlett noted the almost 5-1 ratio of opt-in to opt-out among consumers who had a preference. "Those who chose one or the other clearly chose opt-in," he said.
He questioned the survey's definition of "no preference" and said, "Maybe they included people who had no response or people who didn't understand the question."
This was not the case, according to Curtis. "It only consisted of people who answered 'no preference,' " he said. "I think opt-in is popular with people unfamiliar with the Internet. I think confident Internet shoppers [don't care, because they] know how to opt out of lists they don't want to be on."
Rodney Joffe of CenterGate Research Group LLC said the question and statistics were flawed because no definitions for opt-in or opt-out were given.
"They asked a question without providing a definition. No matter what the results were, the lack of definition makes it a waste. Not even the experts could tell you what was meant there by opt-in or opt-out," he said.
Instead of focusing on the wording or the 72 percent majority, Andrew Barrett, media coordinator at the Forum for Responsible and Ethical E-mail, focused on the 5 percent who favored opt-out methods.
"If I was a marketer, this would be a slam dunk," he said. "This means marketers can please 95 percent of their recipients by using opt-in." Marketers can avoid the risk of upsetting their Internet service providers, violating laws in 16 states and being labeled spammers if they manage only opt-in lists.
Gene Brown, director at the University of Missouri-Kansas City's Center for Direct Marketing Education and Research, conducted the survey. Because the survey consisted of Internet users on a double-opt-in list, Brown admitted that participants were probably less hostile to unsolicited e-mail than the average person.
"But marketers will see this from a segmentation point of view," Brown said. "There is a segment of Internet shoppers out there that want as much information as they can get."
While iCustomer Observer suggests that consumers are not overly worried about spam, Brown chose to purchase his prospect list from NetCreations' PostMasterDirect "because we didn't want to engage in any kind of spam."
"We wouldn't ever advise anyone to send e-mail without using opt-in lists," Brown said. Eighty-five percent of those who responded to the questionnaire agreed to take part in a survey panel and will answer more questions in the future, Curtis said. | <urn:uuid:b1041c61-7246-4e34-83be-04e8a20e560b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dmnews.com/survey-net-users-dont-care-about-opt-in-opt-out/article/68958/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955602 | 837 | 1.539063 | 2 |
This post follows up on our November 22 post on the “Insurgents and the Future of War” event held at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies on November 16. Counter-insurgency expert Dave Kilcullen gave the keynote. Shawn Brimley, Special Advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy; Max Manwaring, a professor of military strategy at the Army War College; Christopher Preble, Director of Foreign Policy Studies at the Cato Institute; and Tom Donnelly, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, all participated in a discussion panel. Audio from the event is available here.
by SAM ABRAMS
After Kilcullen addressed challenges in Afghanistan, he, and later the panel, looked at the future security environment and implications for U.S. strategy. Each speaker recognized the value of having a range of conventional and unconventional military capabilities. To varying degrees, they emphasized the risks of waging counter-insurgency campaigns. Of counterinsurgency capabilities, Kilcullen said, “It doesn’t substitute for strategy and it certainly doesn’t substitute for policy.”
Brimley and Manwaring were similarly concerned about making sure counter-insurgency campaigns comported with grand strategy and military strategy. Preble took pains explain the risks inherent to waging counter-insurgency: they are inherently protracted, expensive and bloody — and incur a cost the American public will tolerate only to achieve vital national interests. Dishonesty about one or the other, in the form of denying the existence of an insurgency or exaggerating the value of fighting one, may work in the short term but will ultimately lead to failure.
Donnelly added that the idea that the development of one set of capabilities denies the development of other capabilities was fallacious. Echoing Brimley, Donnelly said the U.S. was a “systems operator” for the international commons. Policy should reflect these interests, and capabilities developed accordingly, recognizing the fact that irregular threats need to be dealt with to achieve America’s strategic goals. There is no “trade off,” as such; rather, there is being more or less prepared to secure U.S. interests.
(“Lego insurgent” via www.schaefersblog.com) | <urn:uuid:ecb97e2a-3b22-42b3-8a2d-82b856e29fae> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.warisboring.com/2009/12/02/insurgents-at-sais-part-two/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946314 | 481 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Did you ever stop to think about why someone like City Attorney Tom Carr would continue to pursue the never-ending war on drugs? It's been going on for decades, sucking up billions of dollars and accounting for much of the prison population. And yet, anthropologists will tell you that virtually all societies regularly use some sort of drug. In some groups, it's considered a right of passage and you're not a fully actualized adult until you take your first trip. Even some animals will indulge if given the opportunity. Monkeys and elephants are not above sampling alcohol rich, over-ripe fruit while birds have been known to topple from their trees after getting a beak full.
Consider the way Americans treat caffeine. It's certainly qualifies as a potentially addicting, psychoactive drug and yet it's perfectly legal and available at every turn. Let's keep those worker ants working. Kids can buy caffeine-laden sodas with more than a dozen teaspoons of sugar at school. Adults can get their fix from the company coffeepot or at one of the Starbucks now found on every block. The DEA agent planning his next bust over 15 cups of Joe is Standard-Operating-Procedure. So let's get over the notion that there's something unusual, unnatural or evil about creating a chemically induced state.
Now ask yourself, why would the government in general and Carr specifically continue to pursue a policy that clearly does more harm than good? Is it possible that taking an item costing pennies and running up to hundreds of dollars is the key?
During Prohibition, the folks selling booze were able to build their vast organizations only because alcohol was illegal. As a consequence, big bucks were continuously poured into the pockets of legislators who opposed repeal. Keeping liquor illegal was a necessary part of the game. Support your local underworld: Ban something. The people behind the war on drugs recently asserted that buying a recreational baggie aided terrorists. If true, wouldn't putting it on sale at your neighborhood pharmacy really put the brakes on terrorism?
And what's this we hear about government agencies like the CIA trading narcotics for information and as a means of funding undercover operations? Of course, such stories might be nothing more than lunatic conspiracy theories. Then again, is it really true that all the dope collected during the French Connection subsequently disappeared from the evidence room? That's what it said at the end of the film about the drug trafficking scheme.
And too, because controlled substances are often fortuitously found on suspects, this can serve as a quick and easy means of confining someone that might otherwise be out on the street in 24 hours. This is actually a positive result of the drug war. Local police officers typically know who the miscreants are and a very small amount of crack works as an effective means of rubbish removal -- the human kind.
And what about the notion that keeping drugs illegal serves as a kind of welfare system? Making them legal would cut off a source of income and a kind of employment that now constitutes a major cottage industry. Legalizing drugs might just force criminals to leave their home and focus on your home.
Of course, the power that results from making something illegal and then building enormous bureaucracies to control it is a kind of narcotic in its own right. Big agencies spending billions and having the power of life or death, freedom or incarceration over their fellows is a lifestyle not easily abandoned. It's a kind of continuing high -- involving car chases and shootouts just like in the movies. And on top of all that, Joe Six-pack sees you as a hero and a defender of the American Way -- at least until you find some pernicious weed in his kid's car.
The war on drugs also serves to convince some taxpayers that they are being protected and their money is being well spent. What's more, those citizens who believe they need to be saved from themselves will readily abide restrictions of their liberty combined with invasions of their privacy. If you're an individual who accepts being put in prison for growing a plant in your yard and smoking it in your home, you've already lost a much bigger war, the war on freedom.
The war on drugs, as advertised, makes no logical sense. But notice the phrase "as advertised" and keep in mind that the world is seldom the way you're led to believe it is. If you realize that the war on drugs has nothing to do with cutting down on availability and discouraging usage, then suddenly it makes perfect sense. | <urn:uuid:8768c1c0-03c7-4115-809c-b69052665be0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dailycamera.com/guest-opinions/ci_22147936/entertainment/entertainment/entertainment/classicalmusic | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971632 | 913 | 1.757813 | 2 |
Chancellor George Osborne has suggested that compensated no-fault dismissals could be introduced for what he called "the smallest businesses" in an attempt to protect employers' rights.
In a speech at a dinner for the manufacturers' organisation EEF last night, Osborne said: "Of course, employees have rights and should be protected. But what about your right to start a business and not be sued out of existence?
"And now we're beginning a call for evidence on the case for a new compensated no-fault dismissal for our smallest businesses.
"Plenty of trade unions and others will be submitting their evidence for why we shouldn't do this. If you think we should, and it will increase employment, then don't wait for someone else to send in the evidence. Send it in yourself."
The proposed "compensated no-fault dismissal" system was originally outlined in the leaked set of recommendations put together in 2011 by venture capitalist Adrian Beecroft.
However, Osborne's suggestion that employers could currently find themselves "sued out of existence" due to the absence of a system such as no-fault dismissals has been questioned by employment law commentators.
John Read, employment law editor at XpertHR, suggested that this statement overlooks the fact that employers cannot be "sued out of existence" unless they treat their employees badly and suggests that bad employers will be the only parties who are protected by the introduction of no-fault dismissals.
He said: "Unless I'm missing something, no employer has a right not to face tribunal claims from aggrieved employees who feel that they have been treated unlawfully. When it comes to unfair dismissal, employers have only to act reasonably in the circumstances to dismiss an employee fairly.
"I appreciate that small employers, perhaps without dedicated HR functions, might be panicked about employment law generally and unfair dismissal in particular. But there's help available: Acas produces a wealth of guidance on unfair dismissal, and if you follow that then you won't go far wrong.
"It's true that employees can bring vexatious claims even where they haven't been treated badly, and put employers to expense, but firstly, that's already being addressed by the introduction of fees to bring tribunal claims, and secondly, those claims usually won't get very far," added Read. | <urn:uuid:0d04f8ee-ac2f-42a1-8603-6767f10de610> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.happyhr.co.uk/news/no-fault-dismissals/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96931 | 478 | 1.539063 | 2 |
— U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton returned to work on Monday after a month of recovering from a stomach virus, a concussion, and a blood clot between her brain and skull.
Secretary Clinton chaired a morning staff meeting at the State Department where spokeswoman Victoria Nuland says she was greeted with a standing ovation and received the gift of an American football helmet with the State Department seal and a jersey with the number 112, signifying the number of countries Clinton has visited as Secretary of State.
"But then, being Hillary Clinton, she wanted to get right to business. So we do what we always do in that meeting, went around the room and she heard from everyone what they are working on and what is coming forward," she said.
Clinton heard about preparations for this week's visit to Washington by Afghan President Hamid Karzai. She also discussed the findings of an investigation into last year's attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens. Nuland says Clinton told her staff that she wants each of the report's recommendations "on its way to implementation" before her successor is sworn in.
President Barack Obama wants Massachusetts Senator John Kerry to be the new secretary of state when Clinton steps down.
Nuland says Clinton and Kerry have spoken nearly every day since the president made his choice public, and State Department officials are briefing Kerry in preparation for his confirmation hearing.
Nuland says Clinton will testify before Congress concerning the Benghazi attack while she is still secretary of state.
"Our expectation is that we will be able to sequence this so that she will testify as sitting secretary. We will also have a confirmation hearing. And all of this obviously be preparatory to a transition," she said.
Clinton is staying close to home so doctors can monitor blood thinners that are dissolving the clot behind her right ear. It is not likely she will travel internationally before she steps down. | <urn:uuid:d38e89f2-a55a-493a-9506-5e1b1a03fd14> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.voanews.com/content/clinton-returns-to-work/1578917.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976803 | 398 | 1.664063 | 2 |
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Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA)
16 And the Lord said to Samuel. How It long wilt thou mourn for Saul, whom I have rejected from reigning over Israel? fill thy horn with oil, and come, that I may send thee to Isai the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.
2 And Samuel said: How shall I go? for Saul will hear of it, and he will kill me. And the Lord said: Thou shalt take with thee a calf of the herd, and thou shalt say: I am come to sacrifice to the Lord.
3 And thou shalt call Isai to the sacrifice, and I will shew thee what thou art to do, and thou shalt anoint him whom I shall shew to thee.
4 Then Samuel did as the Lord had said to him. And he came to Bethlehem, and the ancients of the city wondered, and meeting him, they said: Is thy coming hither peaceable?
5 And he said: It is peaceable: I am come to offer sacrifice to the Lord, be ye sanctified, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Isai and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.
6 And when they were come in, he saw Eliab, and said: Is the Lord's anointed before him?
7 And the Lord said to Samuel: Look not on his countenance, nor on the height of his stature: because I have rejected him, nor do I judge according to the look of man: for man seeth those things that appear, but the Lord beholdeth the heart.
8 And Isai called Abinadab, and brought him before Samuel. And he said: Neither hath the Lord chosen this.
9 And Isai brought Samma, and he said of him: Neither hath the Lord chosen this.
10 Isai therefore brought his seven sons before Samuel: and Samuel said to Isai: The Lord hath not chosen any one of these.
11 And Samuel said to Isai: Are here all thy sons? He answered: There remaineth yet a young one, who keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said to Isai: Send, and fetch him, for we will not sit down till he come hither.
12 He sent therefore and brought him Now he was ruddy and beautiful to behold, and of a comely face. And the Lord said: Arise, and anoint him, for this is he.
13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward: and Samuel rose up, and went to Ramatha.
14 But the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him.
15 And the servants of Saul said to him: Behold now an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.
16 Let our lord give orders, and thy servants who are before thee will seek out a man skilful in playing on the harp, that when the evil spirit from the Lord is upon thee, he may play with his hand, and thou mayest bear it more easily.
17 And Saul said to his servants: Provide me then some man that can play well, and bring him to me.
18 And one of the servants answering, said: Behold I have seen a son of Isai the Bethlehemite, a skilful player, and one of great strength, and a man fit for war, and prudent in his words, and a comely person: and the Lord is with him.
19 Then Saul sent messengers to Isai, saying: Send me David thy son, who is in the pastures.
20 And Isai took an ass laden with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid of the flock, and sent them by the hand of David his son to Saul.
21 And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him exceedingly, and made him his armourbearer.
22 And Saul sent to Isai, saying: Let David stand before me: for he hath found favour in my sight.
23 So whensoever the evil spirit from the Lord was upon Saul, David took his harp, and played with his hand, and Saul was refreshed, and was better, for the evil spirit departed from him. | <urn:uuid:0529f4e3-254e-430f-94ab-84733cb22c9e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Samuel+16&version=DRA | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968799 | 983 | 1.671875 | 2 |
NY apple production drops in 2011 | News
Last year’s apple production numbers are in and New York’s production was four percent below the 2010 crop.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the end of the season surveys of apple growers and processors in New York put 2011 production at 1,220 million pounds. That number comes up shy of the 2010 crop of 1,270 million pounds.
Fresh market production of 565 million pounds, down six percent from 2010, made up 46 percent of the total. Apples for processing came to 645 million pounds, down two percent from the 2010 crop year.
Although New York’s production was down, nationally, utilized apple production for 2011 was placed at 9.31 billion pounds which is up one percent from 2010. The nation’s 2011 apple crop is valued at $2.72 billion dollars, increased 17 percent from the previous year.
To learn more click here. | <urn:uuid:a4e73fe3-389e-42f7-b6c2-37c7f43431d4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://cohoes.wnyt.com/news/news/145434-ny-apple-production-drops-2011 | 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 | 0.940153 | 195 | 1.53125 | 2 |
It was another day at the office for Izzy Sanchez. He was in a training class for American Standard listening to the instructor carefully explaining how to use new software to a group of employees.
The employees were dutifully following along on their laptops; things appeared to be going well. But Sanchez’s job was to dig deeper than appearances.
During a coffee break, Sanchez asked the employees how the training will work for them. Their response is a resounding “thumbs down.” When Sanchez asked why, an employee pointed to the classroom.
“You see all those computers in there? Well, we don’t have those computers at work,” he said.
“The new software was useless without computers,” remarks Sanchez. “So I found a way they could accomplish the same thing using a pencil and a calculator. Sometimes it’s something that simple.”
Sanchez has a lot of stories like that. For some, the answers are simple; for others, much more complicated. But it’s stories like that and the problems that cause them that led to the formation of Lean Sigma Professionals, LLC.
Founded in 2007 as a partnership between Sanchez and Ian Cato, who are both managing partners, Lean Sigma Professionals provides business performance solutions through Sanchez and Cato’s extensive expertise in Lean Six Sigma solutions for business.
Borrowed from Manufacturing
“Lean Six Sigma is actually a combination of two business efficiency methodologies,” explains Cato. “Lean dates back to the Toyota assembly line. The purpose of Lean is to reduce waste, to streamline and add value.
“Six Sigma is all about reducing variation and defects. In a Six Sigma process, 99.99966 percent of the products are free of defects. Motorola was first to use Six Sigma in producing their pagers. But Six Sigma became well known when Jack Welch used it at General Electric in the 1990s.”
“Lean Six Sigma is a blueprint,” adds Sanchez. “It allows you to identify errors, find root causes and eliminate them. Mistakes can cost companies up to 30 percent of their revenue each year. That’s why this is so important. Lean Six Sigma transforms business processes so they deliver their intended results reliably and consistently.”
Both Sanchez and Cato first came into contact with the Six Sigma methodology while working in large corporations—Sanchez at Xerox and Cato at Johnson Controls—when both were picked as promising leaders and sent for Black Belt training. Each one is now a Six Sigma Master Black Belt and Certified Lean Master.
Lean Six Sigma skill levels are designated by “Belt” designations. The standard hierarchy is Green Belt, Black Belt and Master Black Belt. A Green Belt can handle most problems within a company, a Black Belt is an expert and a Master Black Belt is equipped to handle highly complex issues as well as train others in Lean Six Sigma.
Both Sanchez and Cato entered into training with a healthy skepticism. They were quickly persuaded.
“By the second week I was beginning to see sense in it,” says Sanchez. “I’d just finished grad school for mechanical engineering and realized that if I’d known Lean Six Sigma then, I could have written my thesis in half the time. That’s when I decided that this is really powerful and I turned into a believer.”
“I was sold after I learned about the transfer function,” Cato says. “The transfer function states that outputs are a function of inputs. Most companies focus on their outcomes, on their net incomes. A Lean Six Sigma company focuses on their inputs, on all the items that contribute to their net income. That’s the fundamental difference between companies who’ve implemented Lean Six Sigma and those who haven’t.”
“And it’s quantifiable,” Sanchez adds. “You analyze and quantify. It’s measurable at the end. You’re getting data from it. Lean Six Sigma was developed for manufacturing but it’s expanded into just about every industry now. It can be applied to anything that has a process.”
“But we mean something different when we talk about a process,” Cato points out. “For most people a process is a group of tasks. To us, a process is a foundation, an infrastructure. It has a measurement system and an owner. It tells technology what to do; it tells people what to do. That’s a process.
“We’ve found that most companies with a problem don’t recognize it as a process issue. They think it’s a people issue. So they go out and hire smart people and they expect the smart people to fix things. In many companies the people are constantly fixing things because the problem is about the process infrastructure, not the people. Companies invest massive amounts of dollars on people and technology and ignore their process.”
“What they don’t realize is that if you have a process problem, better technology will only create your problems faster. They’ll now manifest at the speed of light,” interjects Sanchez.
Sanchez, who has an engineering background, and Cato, who has a finance background, first crossed paths while working at Bank of America headquarters in Charlotte. Part of the wave of professionals with Six Sigma experience the bank hired to help refine their processes, Cato became Sanchez’s backfill when Sanchez was promoted.
In hindsight, they credit their partnership to serendipity. Often they would be leaving the bank, hours after the official end of day, and run into each other in the parking lot.
“We would stop to talk about issues and concerns,” Sanchez remembers. “We found we had a lot in common, that we had the same values.”
Those conversations and their mutual belief in the power of Lean Six Sigma principles were the building blocks that led to their startup of Lean Sigma Professionals.
The partnership had an unconventional founding. The two lived on different sides of Charlotte so when it came time to make the business official, they agreed to split the driving distance and meet somewhere in the middle to sign the partnership agreement. The middle turned out to be a dirt road of an undeveloped housing subdivision off I-485.
“We signed the papers on the trunk of my car,” Cato recalls with a chuckle.
The business is unconventional in other ways too. It uses only Lean Six Sigma methodology. That, coupled with their self-designed S.I.M.P.L.E. framework, provides practical and sustainable solutions customized to each client’s needs and objectives.
And unlike other businesses, the company, which they founded in December of 2007, didn’t launch until February of 2009.
“We kept our day jobs and took time to apply the Lean Six Sigma tools to building our own business,” Cato explains. “We built our strategies and got mentorship from another consulting firm. We developed the company on our values. In our careers we’d had experiences with business consultants, and there were things we wanted to do differently.”
A Different Approach
“First, we were determined not to go into a company and disrupt their culture. We didn’t want to be the type of consultants who set up tent, camp in the organization, and then hand down the ‘Holy Grail,’” says Cato. “Where other companies send in 10 or 15 consultants, we send in one really experienced and capable one. And our consultants are there solely to work; not to sell the company on additional work. We don’t allow our consultants to sell.”
“We also ask questions about the corporate culture before we get on-site so that we fit into the company environment,” adds Sanchez. “We’ve actually gone to a nearby Wal-Mart or Target to change clothes when it was necessary.”
“We wanted to use a softer approach when we come into a company,” Cato adds. “We ask questions instead of telling people what to do. We stand back and watch. Many times when we come into an environment, it’s the first time someone has directly asked the employees what’s going on.”
“If people feel that you have a true interest in their pain, they’ll talk to you,” says Sanchez. “But you have to demonstrate your interest. So when they say, ‘You won’t be back here at 3 a.m. when the real work starts,’ you show up at 2 a.m.—with coffee and doughnuts. You make them know what they do is important, because it is.
“We don’t sit in a conference room. You will find us on the manufacturing floor, potentially under a machine figuring out how it works. We’ll be offloading a truck to feel the weight, the girth. In a bank, we’ll be with the teller or loan processor making a connection with the person actually in the process.”
“We come into a project because a company is feeling pain,” explains Cato. “They know they have a problem but they don’t know the legacy of the problem. It’s up to us to figure out what the key driver of the problem is.”
The different approach has already yielded Lean Sigma Professionals success. Last year, they were awarded the Supplier of the Year Award from the U.S. Postal Service for their work with them in 2010. Only 13 companies out of the Postal Service’s 20,000 suppliers received the award.
“Price Waterhouse, Deloitte, Accenture and Booz Allen—all the big consulting firms—were in the mix, but we were the only consulting firm honored,” Cato says with obvious pride. “We may have been a small company without a big name profile, but we went in there and delivered $60 million worth of real money in savings for the Postal Service.”
In addition to custom-designed business solution programs to improve existing processes, Lean Sigma Professionals also designs new processes based on client specifications and allows companies to bring Lean Six Sigma principles in-house by providing flexible training in Lean Six Sigma for employees. Training ranges from a one day overview through Master Black Belt training.
“Another piece of our business is implementation,” says Cato, “and a key part of implementation is messaging. It’s not just about what we’ve done in a solution. We have to take the Lean Six Sigma jargon and translate it into something that makes sense to the client. If they don’t understand it, there isn’t going to be any implementation.
Experts for Charlotte and Beyond
Sanchez and Cato are proud of what they’ve built in only four years of business. They now regularly handle projects all over the country and internationally as well. Their goal is to grow by 100 percent every year and they firmly believe this is an achievable goal.
“We started this business with our personal money and credit cards,” Cato states. “In 2009, our net income was negative $60,000; a year later we were at $3 million. We’re doing things that are unique. We want to make this methodology available to small business. Lean Six Sigma could be especially helpful to small businesses and we’re working on strategies to get it into the small business community.
“We’re also working on a performance-based contract option in which companies pay us based on what we do. We’re putting skin in the game.”
“And we want to commit to being the Lean Six Sigma consulting experts in Charlotte,” Sanchez says. “Every week we see consultants flying into Charlotte from other places to do what we do. Charlotte is our headquarters and it’s a great business city. We have a stake in seeing that Charlotte business thrives and we have the expertise and passion to accomplish that.” | <urn:uuid:92f4395b-01da-4b8a-bb82-fb20408d0995> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.greatercharlottebiz.com/article.asp?id=1367 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967444 | 2,565 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Newest Benghazi Scapegoat: CIA’s David Petraeus
- 11:36 AM
There’s an unexpected casualty of the September assault on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya: the reputation of David Petraeus, the celebrated Army general turned CIA director. For among the first times in his career, a bureaucratic effort to throw Petraeus under the bus is showing through in the press.
Last week, a Fox News story portrayed the CIA as doing practically nothing while the consulate burned. The CIA pushed back against that on Thursday, telling reporters that two different CIA teams, one on hand at the Benghazi compound and the other rushing in from Tripoli, played an active role in repelling the hours-long assault that ultimately left four Americans dead. But not everyone is happy about the CIA’s performance — including that of its director.
The Wall Street Journal cites several anonymous officials who go after Petraeus hard. The CIA, operating out of an “annex” near the 13-acre consular compound, dwarfed the regular diplomatic presence in Benghazi, with the mission of hunting down ex-dictator Moammar Gadhafi’s unsecured rockets and missiles. That apparently led to an expectation at the State Department that the CIA would secure the compound in the event of a disaster, which never congealed into a formal arrangement. The next month, after a contentious congressional hearing, the Journal reports that officials “were surprised” Petraeus attended a screening of the film Argo, a celebration of a CIA success.
The complaints compile: unlike predecessor Leon Panetta after the 2009 attack on a secret base in Afghanistan, Petraeus kept the CIA’s Benghazi role in the shadows. The Journal’s sources portray Petraeus as shielding the agency from embarrassment; keeping the agency’s role in Benghazi a secret even from top-level officials; and leaving Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to phone Petraeus directly as the attack proceeded in the hope of getting real-time intelligence.
And while the Journal piece doesn’t mention it, there’s a possible policy element to the discrepancy between the State Department and CIA. The CIA had 10 people to protect its annex in Benghazi, but the State Department relied on a previously obscure British firm, Blue Mountain, to guard the entire compound. Blue Mountain paid its Libyan guards $4 an hour. It’s speculative, but the State Department’s expectation that the CIA would be “the cavalry” in an assault, as an anonymous official tells the Journal, might have contributed to State’s relatively lax security posture at the consulate.
It’s worth noting that, in the CIA’s telling, the agency did come to the compound’s aid. One CIA team, at the annex inside the compound, prepared an extraction mission within 25 minutes of the attack beginning, arming itself with heavy weapons and lining up a vehicular fleet to extract personnel while dodging rocket-propelled grenades, mortars and thick smoke. A second team raced to Benghazi from Tripoli, toting a suitcase full of cash to commandeer a plane ride, and arrived about three hours later owing to Libyan officials who wanted Libyan security officers on the scene. Ultimately, the extraction proceeded without U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens, who was lost in the chaos and died, apparently at Benghazi Hospital.
Petraeus is not used to being under the bus. His record commanding the surge in Iraq has given him a tremendous reputation, within official Washington and beyond. Politicians and the press tend to downplay his missteps, such as his less-than-impressive record training Iraqi security forces and the stalemate that persists in Afghanistan despite Petraeus’ year in command. Additionally, there is some concern that under Petraeus, the CIA is focused too much on counterterrorism and insufficiently on its broader intelligence mission, although the CIA denies that’s the case.
It’s unclear what Petraeus’ future holds, either in a second Obama term or a Romney administration. Regardless, congressional investigation into Benghazi is expected to accelerate after next week’s presidential election, including a closed-door hearing in two weeks by the Senate intelligence panel. Petraeus may have more tire-treadmarks on the back of his suit jacket before the Benghazi inquiries conclude.
Danger Room senior reporter Spencer Ackerman recently won the 2012 National Magazine Award for Reporting in Digital Media. | <urn:uuid:64ef0e74-3d70-48b2-aaba-ee6f9813a1e0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/11/petraeus-benghazi/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943554 | 904 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Hundreds of tourists visited Newtown, Connecticut over the weekend to mourn the victims of the December 14 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, bringing seasonal items and leaving flowers and teddy bears at a nearby memorial.
Resident Anne Spillane said a Massachusetts family brought a life-sized Santa Claus holding a scroll engraved with the victims’ names.
“People are just so good,” she said. “We understand. They just want to do something.”
Wingdale, New York resident Mark Burkhart said he and his family “felt we had to come here to grieve a little bit … you find yourself not sure what to do or what to say, so this kind of helps.”
Newtown local Connor Collier said Samaritans from far-stretching locales including Washington State and Florida have made their way to the small New England town to lend their support.
“Everybody wants to help,” said Collier, who described the visitors as “just regular people.”
The state of Connecticut has dispatched dozens of mental health professionals to the town to assist with counseling those impacted by the killings.
As we previously reported, Adam Lanza, 20, shot his mother Nancy in her bed before taking an arsenal of her firearms to the school. His subsequent rampage left 26 other people dead, including 20 children, all 6 or 7 years old. As police drew in on him, he shot himself in the head. | <urn:uuid:30ba9d00-0e2a-4028-a287-61bf98d4296a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://radaronline.com/exclusives/2012/12/sandy-hook-newtown-connecticut-school-massacre-memorial-photos/ | 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 | 0.966268 | 303 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Just a little over five years ago, internet social networking was still very much in its infancy, with Facebook hardly registering a blip on the proverbial radar screen. Google and Apple were hot tech commodities back then—as they still are today—but the iPhone had yet to be invented, Gmail was invite-only, and Facebook was still called “Thefacebook” and only open to a small handful of elite university students.
Times have changed, of course, with the little nest egg of Harvard dropout Mark Zuckerberg now sporting over 400 million users, as of February 2010. Facebook’s mobile service is fast approaching half of that, with 150 million users reported by July of this year. Clearly, the social network has had a profound impact on many of our daily lives—but at what cost?
Read the rest of this entry » | <urn:uuid:06b7b8b3-f1e3-441e-b0f5-5f324cdb302a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.psychworld.com/category/technology | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97723 | 171 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Designer sets sights on visual impairment iPhone case
We didn't see that one coming
Visual impairment shouldn’t stop you from making the most of Apple’s iPhone, at least according to the inventor of a concept iPhone case with the blind in mind.
This case supposedly helps the blind use an iPhone
Designer Bruno Fosi said that his tactile silicon iPhone case is suitable for the visually impaired because of the “engraved bas-relief” icons and cover the phone’s screen. These, together with a specially designed application, let the user access the iPhone’s features.
The chunky icons are laid out according to the moon type tactile alphabet, enabling the user to navigate their way into the SMS application, type out a message and send it. The accompanying app's text-to-speech feature also tell you what's been said in SMS replies.
Bas-relief icons for many of the iPhone’s other features, including music, making calls and sending emails, are also built onto the case.
The case does have several drawbacks, though. For example, taking pictures and surfing the web will still be pretty difficult, if not to say pointless.
No plans to manufacture Fosi’s concept iPhone case have been announced.
Not too great
Let me first say I'm actually blind myself.
Small point here, noone uses moon. Next to noone. Braille maybe, but not universal... but moon is pretty rare. It just isn't space efficient enough.
As to touch screens, look up the Meistro and Trekker devices at www.humanware.com. That/s an interesting set up where tyey use an overlay over the screen. There is also a package called Mobilespeak Pocket for Pocket PC PDAs (windows mobile), cna't eremeber the address right now but they have an option where you place your pointer on the screen and it announces the keys on a virtual keyboard as you move around. It doesn't use the standard one, it uses the whole screen as an audio virtual keyboard. These things can be worked around.
Most people who use speaking phones use the various versions of Mobile Speak, or Talks at www.nuance.com/talks. There are other phones that have integrated speech, but they're aimed at the older market and are very primitive. I'm perfectly happy with my Nokia E65 and Talks combination, which cost me about £150 for the Talks software from a UK distributor on top of the phone. I dread to think how much the talking set up for the iPhone would cost since specially designed hardware of any kind tends to bump up the price, a prime example being the visually impaired designed Pac Mate running Windows Mobile (www.freedomscientific.com) fpr the princely sum of $2,450, or from a UK reseller (they all have the same prices so you can't shop around) they charge £1650.
This is a great idea, especially to get it rolling early
I know its not perfect now, but this is a really great idea. The latest fad seems to be touchscreens and these completely ignore the needs of the blind. I don't know anyone who is blind, nor can I begin to appreciate the difficulties they must have in this ever increasing technology driven world, but I can speculate at the frustrations this would present when all the latest and greatest new devices don't offer tactile response. I for one, can't stand touch screen because I like to feel the keys under my fingers, but I never considered it a necessity.
"Blind" isn't a boolean attribute
"taking pictures and surfing the web will still be pretty difficult, if not to say pointless."
Whilst a totally blind photographer would be unusual (though NCIS did make a good episode based around one), someone with some residual sight might want to take a picture of an object or sign to show someone later - and every the totally blind do surf the web using audio-browsers. | <urn:uuid:0bf93a01-6430-42f8-aaf3-ce20c3a7e6b1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/12/01/iphone_case_for_blind/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950954 | 832 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Automatic mode is basic work mode on all digital cameras with wich we let camera itself to choose all settings relevant for photography. On us is only to cadre and choose triggering moment. This mode is most appropriate for begginers and in situations when we don't have time for adjusting settings, and we want go for a safe way because in most case this will give correct results. But still, this mode will leave us much less room for creativity. On camera it is commonly designated by letter P. | <urn:uuid:d352a133-733c-4f6b-84a4-e28b8d17ef33> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mirkobeovic.com/en/faq/article/77/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935852 | 101 | 1.523438 | 2 |
The latest telescope at ESO's Paranal Observatory in Chile -- the VLT Survey Telescope (VST) -- was inaugurated today at the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) Observatory of Capodimonte, in Naples, Italy. The ceremony was attended by the Mayor of Naples, Luigi De Magistris, the INAF President, Giovanni Bignami, the ESO representatives Bruno Leibundgut and Roberto Tamai, and the main promoter of the telescope, Massimo Capaccioli of the University of Naples Federico II and INAF.
The VST is a state-of-the-art 2.6-metre telescope, with the huge 268-megapixel camera OmegaCAM at its heart. It is designed to map the sky both quickly and with very fine image quality. The VST is a joint venture between ESO and INAF and OmegaCam has been provided by the OmegaCam consortium. This new telescope is the largest telescope in the world exclusively dedicated to surveying the sky at visible wavelengths . The occasion of the inauguration has been marked by the release of a dramatic picture of the Carina Nebula taken with the new telescope.
This star formation region is one of the most prominent and frequently imaged objects of the southern sky. It has been the subject of many earlier images with ESO telescopes. However, the glowing gas cloud is huge and it is difficult for most large telescopes to study more than a tiny part of it at once. This makes it an ideal target for the VLT Survey Telescope and its big camera, OmegaCAM. The VST delivers very sharp images because of its high quality optics and the excellent site. But, as it was designed for surveys of the sky, it also has a very wide field of view that can take in almost all of the Carina Nebula in a single picture.
This object was a natural target when the President of Chile, Sebastian Piñera, accompanied by the First Lady, Cecilia Morel, were distinguished guests at the Paranal Observatory on 5 June 2012 and participated in observations with the VST. The picture that the President helped to take on this occasion has now been combined with other recent VST images of the Carina Nebula to produce one of the most richly detailed and colourful views of this object ever created.
The Carina Nebula is a huge stellar nursery lying about 7500 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Carina (The Keel). This cloud of glowing gas and dust is one of the closest star formation regions to the Earth and includes several of the brightest and most massive stars known. The Carina Nebula is a perfect laboratory for astronomers studying the violent births and early lives of stars.
The conspicuous red colour of the picture comes from hydrogen gas in the nebula that is glowing under the harsh ultraviolet light from many young and hot stars. Other colours, originating from other elements in the gas, are also visible, as well as many dust clouds. Just above the centre of the picture lies the bright star Eta Carinae. This huge and highly unstable star brightened dramatically in the nineteenth century and is a good candidate for a future supernova explosion.
This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail. | <urn:uuid:7b639cd7-16a4-4f1a-a733-2402de45a2ea> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.labspaces.net/125785/Image_of_the_Carina_Nebula_marks_inauguration_of_VLT_Survey_Telescope | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952196 | 718 | 1.835938 | 2 |
- Live Scoring
This is the first year for the event.
Can Stacy Lewis defend her title?
This is a good exercise for what they call the X-factor. You try to get more power in your swing and separation between your upper and lower body.
One of the keys to generating power in your swing is to stay athletic and use your lower body correctly and athletically. The key is not only in the sequence when you unwind but how you use your lower body effectively for more power.
We have all heard it. The well-intentioned advice of “keep your head down”. Don’t do it! Keeping your head down in a static sense is an unnatural and tense position.
Why is it important to go through the range of motion? It feels like a lot more than I do in my golf swing.
What if you are in a bunker 50 yards away from the green? What club do you use? How do you hit this shot? | <urn:uuid:e52ab886-1caf-43c1-914f-539486cd65cf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lpga.com/instruction/golf-tips.aspx?p=8 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933879 | 204 | 1.6875 | 2 |
March 27, 2008
Clinton and Obama in Anthropological Perspective
Our own Justin E. H. Smith in CounterPunch:
Will there be no end to this tiresome "national conversation" as to whether a black man trumps a white woman, or vice versa, on our nation's list of the wronged? One possible end might arrive, of course, when another white man is elected in November and American politics returns to business as usual. In the meantime, I would like to join the conversation, if only in order to bring to light the inanity of the relevant comparison, based as it is on a presumption of analogy between two social groups that are distinguished, conceptually and in reality, from the dominant group for entirely different reasons: in the one case, the distinction is based on a relatively short, 500-year history of economic subordination; in the other, it is a consequence of an evidently universal structural feature of human societies.
A few disclaimers. First, disciples of the Robin Morgan-school of feminism will probably fail to appreciate that the disanalogy between race and gender may be acknowledged without abandoning one's feminist principles, even if these principles inform a feminism of a very different stripe: one that does not seek to justify masculine domination on normative grounds, but that nonetheless is genuinely concerned to take it seriously as a deep-rooted, rather than recent and superficial, phenomenon. Second, I confess I will be doing what, at least since Simone de Beauvoir, we have been told we must never do: conflating sex and gender. Of course, "male" and "female" are not just biological categories. They are also social categories, and they have vastly different connotations from culture to culture. They do not always correspond to the biological categories they are presumed to denote.
Posted by S. Abbas Raza at 07:38 AM | Permalink | <urn:uuid:d9afd047-dcb7-4914-af1f-a7048a000163> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily/2008/03/clinton-and-oba.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951947 | 385 | 1.773438 | 2 |
Gardening in Maine is, at times, tough. Whenever people
think of Maine, three things come immediately to mind, cold, snow and
lobster. Such thinking is not far from the truth. There is an old saying
here (imagine the infamous Maine accent), "Maine has nine months of winter
and three months of poor sleddiní." In reality, our summers, though short,
make up for the long and often dismal winters. We have at least one or two
weeks of temperatures reaching the high 80s or 90s and humidity is never
hard to find. Not to mention the fact that weíre all eating lobster 3
times a day, it is so cheap and plentiful!
Other challenges include heavy, clay soil, rocks, black
flies and mosquitoes. It has been suggested many times that the last two
replace the black-capped chickadee as our state bird. Of course, we are
neighbors with New Hampshire, "The Granite State", and there is evidence
that a lot of their granite secretly escaped to Maine. As for clay, I
truly believe I am living on the single, largest, deepest, "un-drainiest"
deposit of clay in the world. When my husband and I started our first
vegetable garden some 25 years ago, we literally took an axe and a pickaxe
and chopped two rows in the ground, threw in seed potatoes and hoped for
the best. Trust me, "the best" was not very good!
Twenty years of soil amending later, we have somewhat
of an upper hand on the clay. And as to the black flies and mosquitoes,
you just give in and scratch. What I refuse to give in to however, is the
need to use awful chemicals to control all the other little visitors to my
garden. Therefore was born my deep interest and pursuit of companion
planting. Which, if you do not know, is simply planting things that are
beneficial to each other in close proximity. As an introduction to what I
hope will become regular, helpful advice, Iíll start with just one or two
Lettuce, while seemingly so easy to grow in most areas,
actually suffers a great deal from aphids, in particular. This year, I
have planted dill on the western side of my lettuce to shade subsequent,
staggered plantings from the hot, late afternoon sun. In doing so, I have
given the lettuce a great aphid fighter, as well. Chervil is another enemy
of the little pest.
Other vegetables that benefit from the lettuce are
radishes, strawberries, carrots and cucumbers. Lettuce has a remarkable
tendency to create a humid environment that these plants thrive on. It has
been proven as well, that lettuce can absorb natural antibiotics in the
soil, which then can be good for other plants and us, too!
Hopefully, this gives you a bit of insight as to what
Iíll be writing about in the months to come. Next time Iíll touch on some
of the garden layouts that have worked well for me. Happy planting! | <urn:uuid:22e3ce25-8427-4091-8a7a-41b483a8e5c4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.earthlypursuits.com/Companions/0503Lettuce.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950566 | 669 | 1.734375 | 2 |
“Good things happen when you get your priorities straight.”
If you’ve been a long time reading of this site , you’re hopefully either beginning your ascent of the career ladder or adjusting to your new (and hopefully better paying) job. If you haven’t, you’re probably feeling like all of this seems like a heck of a lot of work. Well I have great news for either group: you can still make a major improvement to your salary.
This final step is all about increasing your salary’s buying power. You can change how much you make by changing the way you spend it. I’ll explain with a few examples based on various financial goals:
More savings – Let’s say you make $50,000 each year (after taxes) and live a lifestyle that costs $40,000. Let’s say you want to increase your salary because you want to be able to save $20,000 per year. If you’re having trouble finding ways to increase your earnings, you can still achieve your goals by decreasing your spending. Cutting $10,000 from your annual expenditures will have the same effect as earning an additional $10,000. You’ll reach your goal either way!
More extravagance – Now let’s say your only goal is to live a flashy lifestyle. You make $100,000 per year (after taxes) and you already spend all $100,000 of it (or worse, you’re spending beyond your means). You can increase your buying power by making a list of your desired lifestyle’s absolute essentials, and then cutting the rest to the bare minimum. You can still drive the 2012 Mercedes if you skip Starbucks every morning, join a cheaper gym, and cut your eating out in half.
Budget Control – I know what you’re thinking: “This step is just a cheap trick to make me feel like I’m earning more.” In a way you’re right, that’s exactly what it is. All too often, people adjust their spending habits to exactly match their income. Be aware of where your money goes and spend based on your priorities. All too often, people fall into the habit of spending money simply because it’s there.
Don’t fall into the status trap – If you do get a raise, what’s the first thing you would do? Move into a nicer apartment? Lease a shiny new sports car? Treat yourself to a brand new wardrobe? Each of these choices would be a money sink, and you won’t be retaining a single dollar of your income. So often, people follow their 20% raises with a 20% increase in lifestyle cost. Here’s the question: weren’t you getting by on what you made before? Couldn’t you keep on spending what you did? Treat yourself a little, but keep your priorities in line. | <urn:uuid:5c6208ac-5e1b-47a8-acec-a7516881978b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jobdescriptions.net/boost-your-buying-power/ | 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 | 0.939932 | 621 | 1.828125 | 2 |
First comes love, and then comes marriage. But what’s the cost of shared financial bliss? Salient question from TD Ameritrade, and one they (sort of) answer. With money a central factor in divorce, business is good for lawyers and certified divorce financial analysts, but few others.
A recent survey conducted by the clearing and custody firm revealed that the average couple discusses money less than two times a month and fights over money, on average, five times a year.
“With the median age for first-time marriages approaching 30, combining finances is not as simple as it once was,” Carrie Braxdale, managing director of investor services at TD Ameritrade, notes in the report’s release. “Couples are bringing more financial baggage into the relationship than ever before. They have 401(k)s, student loan debt, investments and even mortgages. So, it’s more important than ever for couples to talk about their finances and work together to develop a plan.”
The Dating Game
When it comes to choosing the perfect partner, personality (20%), character (18%) and looks (17%) topped the list. Things like money (5%) and potential earnings (3%) were less important.
However, the survey found that certain poor financial habits are undesirable in a potential partner. Lack of motivation to get ahead (66%), relying on parents for financial support (65%), having significant credit card debt (65%) and poor money management skills (64%) were the most common financial deal-breakers in selecting a potential mate.
The survey also revealed some financial trust and transparency issues among couples:
• Forty percent of respondents said they did not completely trust their partner to manage their combined finances
• More than one in three (38%) said they were only somewhat, slightly or not at all aware of their significant other’s debts
• One-fifth (21%) said they sometimes hid their spending from their significant other
According to the survey, nearly 60% of couples are paying for their own wedding, at an average cost of $28,000 for Gen Y. What’s more, that price tag doesn’t include the honeymoon costs, which add another $3,400 on average. But these young couples think it’s worth every penny—82% say they don’t regret how much they spent on their wedding, and 89% don’t regret what they paid for their honeymoon.
The Honeymoon’s Over
Things like communication gaps and lack of budgeting can cause pain points for couples as they settle into married life. The survey found that 43% of couples admittedly don’t follow a budget, and half of couples jointly share household financial responsibilities. Female respondents said they were more likely to tackle groceries (48% vs. 25% of men), day-to-day expenses (28% vs. 26% of men) and the household budget (40% vs. 28% of men). Meanwhile, male respondents are more often solely responsible for investing decisions (45% vs. 27% of women), retirement savings (39% vs. 25% of women) and tax returns (44% vs. 32% of women).
“While discussing money may not be the most romantic of gestures, it is important to not only have those financial discussions early in a relationship, but to continue having them throughout your marriage to help avoid financial surprises and minimize financial arguments,” Braxdale continued.
Braxdale points out a few easy steps to get couples on the path to financial happiness:
1) Talk about your financial situation before you walk down the aisle.
2) Create a budget and talk about savings goals.
3) Understand the amount and type of debt each partner brings into the marriage, agree on the plans to pay it off, and know your credit scores.
4) Figure out how each partner manages money. You may be more frugal, but your partner may be more of a spender.
5) Understand your investments and discuss how to meet your long-term goals.
6) Don't leave it all to one partner. Joint participation in managing household finances is key. | <urn:uuid:b0c0f29e-5678-4743-8a7d-89b33308ae34> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.advisorone.com/2013/03/07/6-tips-for-shared-financial-bliss?t=legal-compliance | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961961 | 870 | 1.59375 | 2 |
A gay group called Pride in Canterbury has accused the city council of ignoring gay issues and failing to respond to their complaints.
The group has complained that the council has ignored their concerns, specifically the need for a gay bar, an LGBT community drop-in centre and regular celebration of LGBT culture in the city.
They have also said the council failed to respond to a complaint made by them in November last year.
The council has refuted the group’s claims, saying it has funded various gay events and is not responsible for setting up a gay bar in the city.
Andrew Brettell, chairman of Pride in Canterbury, said: “Canterbury council see us as a problem, not as an opportunity.
“We’re someone to be dealt with, not a group to work with. They’re more interested in ticking their equality boxes and engaging in back-and-forth ‘who-said-what’ games than they are in dealing with the real issues.
“They’ll respond to our letters, so that they can say they’ve replied to us. But they never respond to our concerns. We do not believe the council want a thriving LGBT community in their city.”
Pride in Canterbury has complained to the Local Government Omburdsman, which has not yet made a decision on the case.
Currently, there is no statutory requirement for councils to promote LGBT culture, although this will change if the Equality Bill is passed.
The Bill, which passed its second reading in the House of Commons this week, will place a duty on all public bodies to promote equality and diversity, which will include LGBT issues.
Theo Grzegorczyk, political advisor to openly gay Lord Waheed Alli, who is pushing the Bill through parliament, said: “For all those who have questioned whether or not the Equality Duty is practical or necessary: here is your answer. This is a council who have been able to wiggle their way out of engaging with members of their own community, simply because the law doesn’t require it.”
“Fortunately, Canterbury City Council won’t be able to use that defence much longer.” | <urn:uuid:dbdca273-a0e8-4ec8-90d6-887795b5bca2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/05/13/row-in-canterbury-as-gay-group-accuses-council-of-ignoring-gay-issues/ | 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 | 0.970471 | 459 | 1.546875 | 2 |
As the Saturday night showing of The Great Dictator at the Redford Theatre on Sept. 26, 2009 wound down, I thought back over the fun of sponsoring this movie under the name of this web site. Usually I’m just a visitor, enjoying one show, along with some organ music and some tasty, inexpensive snack food. But this weekend, I was much more involved, and got to see the hard work and magic of the Redford unfold over three showings.
I had been preparing for this sponsorship for several months. The first big charge of satisfaction came on Friday evening, before the doors opened for the public, when I set up a display in the outer lobby that included publicity for the Detroit Film Theatre, Michigan Theater, and Redford Theatre, along with a display of information about the opening of The Great Dictator in New York, Detroit, and Ann Arbor in 1940 and 1941.
As I set up my display, all around me were the friendly voices of different Redford volunteers greeting each other, with an air of familiarity and anticipation. Another great weekend of Redford entertainment was taking shape, and this time I had the privilege of being part of it.
I had never seen The Great Dictator, and its powerful message hit me very strongly from the big screen of the Redford Theatre. Its serious subject matter made me shy away from watching it on TV. It seemed to be a movie that you had to see in a theater.
Through the years, the Detroit Movie Palaces has hosted a wide variety of Charlie Chaplin movies, including the short films from the World War I era that made him famous, through notable movies like Modern Times and City Lights, through A King in New York (1957). It seemed like only a matter of time before The Great Dictator would show up on the screen at the Detroit Film Theatre, Michigan Theater, or Redford Theatre.
I was particularly moved by a scene in which Paulette Goddard spoke directly to the audience, asking in an emotion-filled voice why people couldn’t be left alone. Up to then, I had been enjoying her spunk, humor, and beauty, and now I could also admire her heart, mind, and soul.
This 1940 film about the oppression of Jews by an Adolph Hitler-like character (played by Charles—not Charlie—Chaplin) was particularly meaningful, coming one day after Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s powerful rebuke at the United Nations to Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s denial of the Jewish holocaust of World War II. As current history plays out, I’m sure that I will think back to the integrity and principles of many of the characters of The Great Dictator.
Seeing the movie three times in one weekend gave me the chance to explore it in detail and look forward to my favorite parts, from the amazing pantomime of Chaplin, to the burst of comic energy provided by Jack Oakie in the second half of the movie, to the poignant hope in Paulette Goddard’s face as the film faded out at the end.
Chaplin Speaks Out
And then there was Chaplin’s famous speech near the end of the movie, when he steps out of character, and speaks directly to the audience in a loud, passionate voice about the evils of the dictators that he satirizes and mocks in The Great Dictator.
In my research for this movie, I found mixed feelings about Chaplin’s speech by the movie critics of 1940 (when it opened in New York) and 1941 (when it opened in Detroit and Ann Arbor). In general, they admired it, but didn’t feel it fit in with the story line. But in 2009, with all we know about the horrors of World War II that were yet to come, his speech was perfectly appropriate. It was Chaplin’s first talking picture, and he took full advantage of this new freedom to let his voice be heard.
Also on the bill was a Three Stooges short that had a similar theme to The Great Dictator, and was released about nine months before the Chaplin film. In You Nazty Spy!, our three bumbling friends poked serious fun at Hitler and other current day tyrants. Like The Great Dictator, it skillfully used humor to make an important statement about the world situation.
Seeing the Stooges and Chaplin together in these two similar movies was another great package of Redford entertainment, which also included a lively Charlie Chaplin imitator (Bruce Race), who amused the audience throughout the auditorium and lobbies. These great packages continue in October 2009 with weekends of Halloween fun with themes of science fiction, Universal Studios monsters, silent film, and once again (on Halloween weekend), the Three Stooges.
As I wandered around the Redford Saturday night, I felt like I had traveled back 30 years to when I ran a film committee in college. And I thought about how the Redford volunteers have this same feeling of involvement, this same feeling of accomplishment, with every event. Just before I left, I looked around and saw one more demonstration of the dedication of the Redford staff, as it cleaned up the theater, taking care of the final details of another successful weekend of film and fun.
Copyright © 2009 by Robert Hollberg Smith, Jr. | <urn:uuid:017c87d1-ff36-4245-9841-6bedfe48e019> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://detroitmoviepalaces.com/blog/?p=669 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9628 | 1,105 | 1.5 | 2 |
So I've created a pretty simple game in a matter of a couple of days (don't ask me why it took so long to make something so simple), and I've got it sorted and ready to go. It's called Auctus - which is the latin word for growth.
You start out as a square in a world full of other squares, your task is to consume the smaller squares and avoid the larger squares, similar to the Cell Stage in the game "Spore", and the game "Feeding Frenzy". It's kinda fun, but in it's very early and undeveloped form it's also kinda crappy, and you have to exit the game every time you win or lose. You also lose a lot. It's a little bit buggy still and will need a bit of fixing. The code's messy too.
I've decided to release it open source, it's in Java, so I know a lot of people on this particular forum can probably have fun modifying it and making it better, I'm really looking forward to that part.
I've created a .jar file for it to run from, so all you need to do is make sure that you have Java1.6 or higher installed on your computer, then you just have to double click the jar file, and the game should run.
Anyway, here's some screen shots for you "no-pic-no-clickers"
What you'll see when you first fire the game up.
Game over screen, probably seen shortly after firing up the game.
When you know you'll win.
When you've pretty much won.
What you'll see when you win
And finally, here's the download link, not adf.ly ridden, you'll be pleased to know.
- 8.12MB (Megabytes) - 8 seconds download on a standard 8Mbps download speed.
- 2.04KB (Kilobytes) - Less than a second to download on most, if not all internet connections. | <urn:uuid:d9065b01-e247-4cb0-b002-259ec95da164> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.java-gaming.org/index.php?topic=27420.msg245545 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965173 | 416 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Here are Smart Phone Health Care, I’ve focused a lot on mobile health apps. However, there are also a lot of great websites out there that have been designed to help the average person take control of their health. Some of these websites have mobile apps that accompany the sites, but even those that don’t can be accessed from a mobile browser. Here are some of the best patient information/health communities out there, at least in my opinion:
1. WebMD: I think this is quite possibly the most well-known health website out there, but it definitely should be included in this list. I recently reviewed their smart phone app, but I absolutely love their website. It’s the one I turn to most with my medical questions. Sometimes, they might provide too much information (only because it’s fuel for my hypochondriac-ism). This is definitely a one-stop medical website, as it has everything from search tools for symptoms and doctors, to medical news, to different categories with plenty of information, including healthy living, drugs and supplements, and parenting and pregnancy. I like that registered users are able to store and access health records on the site, and that, if a user allows it, healthcare providers can access the information. It’s also an interactive community, with blogs and forums, as well as the “ask the experts” feature. The site is available free of charge.
2. Vitals: When I was looking for an OB/GYN, I frequented this website. It’s a database of just about every physician around the country, and even has many international doctors listed. You can search by the doctor’s name, location, specialty, or medical need, so even if you don’t have a specific doctor in mind, you can find one that fits your needs. Users are encouraged to rate doctors on several different categories, specifically on ease of appointment, promptness, courteous staff, accurate diagnosis, beside manner, amount of time spent with patient, and follow up. It also shows which hospitals a doctor is associated with, their location, education, and other languages spoken. There’s also a cool feature where you tell the website what symptoms you have, and based on that information, a doctor is recommended for you. You can even add in an insurance filter, so you don’t waste time calling someone who doesn’t take your insurance (believe me, I know how frustrating that can be!)
3. Livestrong: This website always is among the first two or three search results whenever I have been Googling anything health related. I’ve come to really like this site, and the detailed information it provides. It was founded by Lance Armstrong and Richard Rosenblatt since March of 2008, and has been going strong ever since. The site was created to help people make good and health decisions, give inspiration, and a provide an outlet of reliable information. From the moment you enter the website, it is a customized experience — you select your gender, and then you are brought to a page with gender-specific information. Livestrong has SO much information that is pertinent to just about anyone and any topic. I’ve found ideas for substitutes for different ingredients, calorie information, and general health news. Livestrong.com also has a great mobile app where you can track your calories and exercise.
4. Healthline: I’ve never actually used this website, but from what I have read, it is highly recommended. It is supposed to be an alternate option for going to the doctor. You can type in your symptoms and suggested diagnoses appear, and you can search for medical advice. There is a lot of information on this page about different conditions, so if you have been diagnosed with something, this would be a good place to go to find out more information. Like all the other websites I have mentioned, advice is free of charge. There is an option to sign up for alerts when information on specific topics are added, and even when something by a specific doctor or writer is updated. It is similar to WebMD in its function, but definitely has a different feel to it in my opinion.
5. iMedix: This is a social media, health community where there are support group for different conditions, where people can ask questions of other users, as well as search the large database of information that is available. Users can create profiles and message other users, and there is a great list of question and answers. I am a member of a “birth club” for the month my son was born on BabyCenter.com, and it’s just kind of nice to have a support group of people going through similar situations. I could see similar comfort coming from the support groups available on this site, which range from fitness, to depression, to the swine flu. There are some great search features, and I think it seems like a very well-managed health community. I love how it incorporates social media, and allows users to really customize their experience. | <urn:uuid:e1741fc3-2e57-4d66-8411-0828badd134d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.smartphonehc.com/2012/08/22/five-health-communities-every-patient-should-use/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969239 | 1,053 | 1.734375 | 2 |
House Measures Introduced that would Improve Services for Individuals with Serious Brain Disorders
On June 28, a bipartisan coalition of House members led by Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) and Jim Greenwood (R-PA) introduced two important pieces of legislation that would extend evidence-based treatment such as PACT under the Medicaid Program and would establish regional consumer-run support centers to assist States, HMOs and other entities involved in the development of peer-support activities. NAMI strongly supports both of these measures.
The Medicaid Intensive Community Mental Health Treatment Act of 2001, HR 2364, is a continuing effort by Representative Marcy Kaptur and a House bipartisan coalition to allow states to use Medicaid funds to invest in community-based programs serving adults with serious brain disorders. HR 2364 would provide states with the option of covering intensive community mental health treatment under the Medicaid program. States could offer a new set of consolidated, optional services under federal Medicaid law. The new intensive community treatment option would include key elements of the PACT model, including a recovery-oriented, 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week, mobile, interdisciplinary team approach to treatment. Comprehensive services would include treatment for individuals with co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse disorders, medication education and management, and family education.
Currently, federal financing of community-based mental health care is spread across more than six optional Medicaid service categories. Patchwork state and county programs are marked by lack of coordination, inflexible funding streams, and missing service components. In contrast, the Kaptur-Greenwood proposal would permit states-through a single policy decision-to finance all necessary community-based services.
The Mental Illness Consumer-Run Services Support Act, HR 2363, is specifically designed to integrate the historical knowledge and experience of consumers in the development of peer-support programs that best meet the needs of persons with serious brain disorders. This Greenwood-Kaptur proposal would provide grants to establish 10 regional centers across the country that are consumer-run and intended to provide assistance in planning, providing and evaluating nonprofessional services to individuals with severe mental illnesses. The consumer-run centers authorized in this legislation would advise and assist State and local governments, HMOs, non-profit and other organizations on how to effectively invest in peer-run programs. HR 2363 also makes clear that consumer-run programs supported with federal funds are to operate as complementary to, not as a complete substitute for, psychiatric treatment.
HR 2363 authorizes $5 million for the development of the consumer-run regional centers for FY 2001, and extends authorized funding through FY 2005. As an authorization measure HR 2363 must first be passed and signed into law before Congress can allocate funding for these programs.
All NAMI members and advocates are encouraged to contact their members of the House of Representatives and urge them to cosponsor HR 2364 and provide states with this important option to offer evidence-based community treatment programs such as PACT that have a demonstrated record of effectiveness in serving people with severe mental illnesses.
All NAMI members and advocates are also urged to contact their member of Congress and urge cosponsorship of HR 2363 and voice support for high quality consumer-run services as a complement to mental illness treatment.
All members of Congress can be reached by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 or by going to the policy page of the NAMI website at http://www.nami.org/policy.htm and click on "Write to Congress."
For more information on PACT (Program for Assertive Community Treatment) please go to the NAMI website at http://www.nami.org/about/pact.htm
What is PACT?
The Program of Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) is one of the most successful mental health service delivery models today. PACT is evidence-based and outreach-oriented. It utilizes a 24-hours-a day, 7-day-a-week, interdisciplinary, mobile team approach to treatment. It delivers comprehensive treatment, rehabilitation and support services in community settings. High quality PACT services typically are implemented at costs significantly less than those of putting individuals with severe mental illnesses in a hospital, residential treatment facility, or jail. PACT also is especially effective in serving individuals for whom previous, traditional treatment has been unsuccessful, including those with co-occurring substance abuse disorders and high use of inpatient care. Among the services typically integrated into PACT are 24-hour comprehensive care, psychiatric rehabilitation, integrated mental illness and substance abuse treatment, housing or housing supports, crisis intervention and peer counseling.
Federal funding of community-based mental health services is greatly diffused, spread across numerous mandatory and discretionary programs. Within Medicaid, community-based mental health services run through more than six separate optional service categories. Moreover, the complicated federal scheme relies on numerous state and local funding streams. The inevitable result is a complex, confusing patchwork of programs, with fragmented services at the community level. Wide disparities also exist among the states in Medicaid spending on mental health services: New York, Massachusetts, and Wisconsin are at the high end; Illinois, West Virginia and Texas are at the low end.
In 1995 and 1997, efforts were made to amend Medicaid to allow assertive community treatment as a state option. In 1997, the effort failed as a result of preliminary estimates by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to "score" the option as a mandatory program, involving significant costs. The estimate was based in part on assumptions that states would use the option to draw additional federal Medicaid dollars.
In fact, many PACT services already are available to states as optional Medicaid services. The new option need not incur federal obligations. The Medicaid Intensive Community Health Treatment Act will permit states to finance consolidated, community-based services. It also represents a cost-effective state-level response to problems associated with deinstitutionalization, homelessness, and the costly trend toward criminalization of mental illness. | <urn:uuid:d3da1d32-09f8-471e-bf41-d54c95f5ea85> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=eNews_Archive&template=/contentmanagement/contentdisplay.cfm&ContentID=6119&title=House%20Measures%20Introduced%20that%20would%20Improve%20Services%20for%20Individuals%20with%20Serious%20Brain%20Disorders | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947748 | 1,229 | 1.765625 | 2 |
I have a request for anyone who is either currently in Tasmania, or is familiar with the north west coast of Tasmania. I am an atmospheric scientist involved in scientific ballooning, and at the conclusion of one of our experiments some equipment ended up in Tasmania near the town of Temma. The equipment is fairly close to a track leading to Temma, but I have been unable to find any information about the quality of the roads in this area. It appears to be an unpaved road from satellite imagery, but I would like to know a little more before sending out an unsuspecting colleague from oz to go recover the equipment.
I am obviously not going to post the exact coordinates here, but if there is anyone who could supply some info on the general area it would be much appreciated. | <urn:uuid:71ed546a-9789-40f8-bb49-ca7e50cb88f5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/53664-Anyone-in-Tasmania-interested-in-a-treasure-hunt | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978168 | 157 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Essays on Discrimination and Corruption
The thesis consists of four papers, summarized as follows."Do attitudes towards immigrants matter?" analyses the consequences of negative attitudes towards immigrants to Sweden. If attitudes changed from the average level to the most positive level, the wage earned by a well educated immigrant from a non developed country would increase by 12%. This change in attitudes would increase the welfare of immigrants from Africa and Asia, through their wage and local amenities, by an equivalent to one third of their wage and the welfare of immigrants from South America and Eastern Europe by one fourth of their wage if they are well educated, and one tenth otherwise.In "Who is hurt by discrimination?", the effects of discrimination of immigrants on the labour market are studied in a search and wage-bargaining setting, including a risk of losing skills during the experience of unemployment. The negative effects of discrimination in the form of higher unemployment and lower wages spread to all workers, immigrants and natives, in all sectors of the economy. An increase in the share of immigrants in the economy exacerbates the problem of discrimination.In "Complementary controls of corruption", a theoretical model shows that when the judiciary and the media are more dependent and the elections less competitive, corruption flourishes. The three institutions are shown to be complementary. The empirical analysis indicates that the dependence of the judiciary and the media has a positive effect on perceived corruption and that the media is complementary with both the judiciary and the electoral system."Decision making in the ECB's Governing Council -- Should minutes and forecasts be published ?" analyses if the publication of forecasts and minutes of the meetings of the Governing Council could have a negative effect due to the influence of governments on their representatives' votes. The information provided is shown to reduce their influence and benefit the Executive Board.
Source Type:Doctoral Dissertation
Keywords:SOCIAL SCIENCES; Business and economics; Economics; Discrimination; Mobility; Wages; Unemployment; Vacancies; Corruption; Voting; ECB; nationalekonomi; Economics
Date of Publication:01/01/2008 | <urn:uuid:4383db49-e28d-4302-9974-20fc1bdeac20> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.openthesis.org/documents/Essays-Discrimination-Corruption-428951.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93832 | 419 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Where's the science at Cultural Olympiad, asks Lord Winston
A leading scientist has hit out at the Cultural Olympiad, saying organisers should "hang their heads in shame" at the lack of science in the four-year celebration.
The fertility expert Lord Winston said it was "shocking" that science seemed to have been "largely neglected". "I think it's shameful," said the IVF pioneer. "If you're having a Cultural Olympiad, not to see science as part of that culture is something which is incredibly backward."
More than 18 million people have taken part in or attended around 9,000 performances and more than 8,000 workshops in the Olympiad since 2008. Its finale, the London 2012 Festival, launching on 21 June, features 12,000 performances and events. A spokesman for the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games said the Olympiad and festival celebrated the "huge range, quality and accessibility of the UK's world-class culture".
"Science is an important part of this, with leading scientists and artists coming together in innovative projects that explore astrology, climate change, biodiversity, marine biology, Dorset's Jurassic coastline, the development of transportation, people's emotional responses to major events and the role of natural phenomena in inspiring scientists," he said.
But Lord Winston dismissed the spokesman's list of science-focused projects as "derisory". He claimed Universe of Sound, an interactive installation allowing visitors to the Science Museum to step inside a virtual Philharmonia Orchestra performing Holst's The Planets and explore themes of astronomy, was "not science". "That's not to pan it all," he said, "but however you look at it, the few events that are going on are... really very much on the peripheral edge of science as a culture."
The peer is speaking on the cultural value of science at Cheltenham Science Festival on Friday. He will argue science is, and should be seen as, a cultural pursuit because it is as much part of our creativity as painting, writing, music and architecture.
That's some guestlist! Stunning images show huge dynastic wedding between Ultra-Orthodox Jewish families which attracted 25,000 guests
Man and woman arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder victim of Woolwich machete attack, named as Drummer Lee Rigby
'Sickening, deluded and unforgivable': Horrific attack brings terror to London’s streets
Video: Woolwich attack - man with bloodied hands and knife addresses camera
Ingrid Loyau-Kennett, the mother-of-two hailed as a hero for confronting Woolwich attackers, thought: 'better me than a child'
- 1 Man and woman arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder victim of Woolwich machete attack, named as Drummer Lee Rigby
- 2 'Sickening, deluded and unforgivable': Horrific attack brings terror to London’s streets
- 3 Grace Dent: I’m not sure how these people can avoid being called ‘bigots’. And the more ‘civilised’, the worse they are
- 4 Woolwich murder: They killed, then they performed - these men should be starved of our attention
- 5 Woolwich attack: The EDL will seek to exploit this evil crime for their own evil ends
BMF is the UK’s biggest and best loved outdoor fitness classes
Find out what The Independent's resident travel expert has to say about one of the most beautiful small cities in the world
Nook is donating eReaders to volunteers at high-need schools and participating in exclusive events throughout the campaign.
Get the latest on The Evening Standard's campaign to get London's children reading.
Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page. | <urn:uuid:8a6d38cd-26a1-45cc-8637-03ee7352d225> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/wheres-the-science-at-cultural-olympiad-asks-lord-winston-7834241.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950279 | 797 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
New FAQ on Wood Packing Material
This is one of those things that only customs geeks, logistics jocks, and entomologists would ever think about: pests in wood packing materials. In any warehouse, you are likely to find wooden pallets and crates. The buyer of whatever came on or in that material rarely cares one whit about the packing material. Unfortunately, the buyer need to worry, especially if they are an importer.
Under U.S. law (implementing an international agreement), imported wood packing material must be certified as either heat treated or properly fumigated to kill wood-borne pests. Importing wood packing material that is not properly treated is an importation contrary to law and exposes the importer to liquidated damages.
Customs has issued a FAQ on wood packing material enforcement. It is here for your enjoyment. | <urn:uuid:7dfdaffb-471f-40b7-bdb8-317dae20bf04> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://customslaw.blogspot.com/2009/07/new-faq-on-wood-packing-material.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951014 | 181 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Bridges are like car-sized ramps: you want to jump your car over them, but how fast is too fast? Using rally cars as test subjects, Spookworks Rally Team set out to find the goldilocks speed for making the perfect bridge launch.
The "study" was conducted at the 2011 Rally of the Midlands in the UK. As we can see, the best approach is to keep your foot planted to the floor the whole time. Hazzard county, here we come!
(Hat tip to MrQuick!) | <urn:uuid:b1721c09-6aba-48cd-9270-c9755f207798> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://jalopnik.com/5895257/how-to-jump-your-car-over-a-bridge?tag=motorsports | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958653 | 109 | 1.757813 | 2 |
The Year of the Flood
by Margaret Atwood
Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, 434 pp., $26.95
Sarah Palin, the former governor of Alaska, announced on her Facebook page that she didn’t want the lives of her elderly parents or her Down syndrome infant to be judged before Barack Obama’s “death panel.” It may be that Palin has been reading the works of Margaret Atwood, the distinguished Canadian writer, northerners alike in their mistrust of the Lower Forty-Eight. Palin’s conception of health care reform might come from any of Atwood’s chilling dystopias, most recently The Year of the Flood, a continuation of her 2003 novel Oryx and Crake, a postapocalyptic tale about the end days of a totalitarian, corporation-run America, collapsing after a laboratory-engineered virus has begun to kill almost everyone on earth.
Atwood has long had America in her sights, and who is to say she is wrong? Her fictional warnings since the 1970s —about our corporations, biotechnologies, greed, sexual mores, rising fundamentalist right-wing ideologies, loony lefties, and the pollution of the environment—have been confirmed with a regularity that ought to give pause. Oryx and Crake uses an epigraph from Swift: “my principal design was to inform you, and not to amuse you.”
Atwood has reigned for forty years in Canada’s pantheon of intellectuals and great writers, with Mavis Gallant, Alice Munro, Michael Ondaatje, and several recently gone: the late Mordecai Richler, Carol Shields, and Robertson Davies, to name those best known in the US. Born in 1939 and educated at the University of Toronto, Radcliffe, and Harvard, Atwood has received the Booker Prize and the Order of Canada and innumerable other honors, and has written twenty-one acclaimed novels and distinguished works of nonfiction, poetry, and children’s literature. She has plenty to say.
Joyce Carol Oates, in her review of Atwood’s novel Oryx and Crake in these pages, recapitulates her career in more detail and calls attention to her idea that the dominant symbol of Canadian literature is Survival. (America’s is The Frontier, England’s is The Island.) She quotes from Atwood’s 1972 Survival: A Thematic Guide to Canadian Literature:
Our [Canada’s] central idea is one which generates, not the excitement and sense of danger which The Frontier holds out, not the smugness and/or sense of security, of everything in its place, which The Island can offer, but an almost intolerable anxiety. Our stories are likely to be tales not of those who made it but of those who made it back, from the awful experience—the North, the snowstorm, the sinking ship—that killed everyone else. The survivor has no triumph or victory but the fact of his survival.
Some critics now find this a bit simplistic, but certainly, along with women’s issues, survival turns out to be a dominant theme in Atwood … | <urn:uuid:48cc72cd-4c92-4c6c-aed9-6613d3d9bdfd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2009/nov/05/the-way-forward/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954165 | 662 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Pros prove importance of a fair shake
Editor's note: This article originally appeared in the June
2010 issue of New England Hockey Journal.
There might be nothing in the sporting world as grueling as a Stanley Cup playoff run: eight to 10 weeks of the most intense, action-packed hockey of the year.
There are games just about every second night, interrupted by potentially long road trips and plenty of nights spent in a hotel. Bumps and bruises pile up game after game from blocked shots, high sticks, errant pucks and bone-rattling checks. Every player walks with a limp and sports a facial bruise or stitches or chipped tooth as a badge of participation.
Each series is a mini-battle in the long journey. The first team to four victories earns the right to keep playing. The loser goes home, faced with a long summer of recuperation and reflection on what could have been and should have been, and how to make it happen the next year.
Each series takes on its own personality, with twists and turns, momentum shifts and rivalries created and rekindled. What starts out as nothing often ends in two teams developing a deep hatred for each other and willing to do anything and everything to beat the guy across from them -- physically and mentally.
Often, the physical part determines the mental advantage. The high sticks, the late hits, the face washes, the well-placed slash and the errant elbow all serve a purpose over the course of the series. While it might not make a difference at the moment, over the course of time the collective effort will. Who wants to be that last team standing? Who will be willing to make the sacrifices to do it?
Then, at the end of it all, after all of the action, intense competition and built hatred, comes … the handshake.
One team moves on. The other moves home. But they both take the time to pay their respect to the other, to signify that what happened on the ice during the games stays on the ice during the games. The competition is over. It’s time to congratulate the winner and console the loser. Then they move on.
It always amazes me how two guys -- or two teams of guys -- can spend so much time and energy beating up on one another and then, when it ends, they stop, turn it off and shake hands. Kind of like the classic Bugs Bunny cartoon, “Hillbilly Hare,” where Bugs has his Ozark Mountain vacation disrupted by two feuding hillbillies. Bugs begins a square-dance routine where he becomes the fiddler and the caller, manipulating the two hillbillies -- complete with playoff beards -- into a frenzied dance that involves plenty of scrumming, rolling about, beard-pulling and beating each other with fence posts.
Just like the playoffs. Then, at the end of it all, they stop, shake hands and it’s over.
In hockey, it is as much about the handshake line as it is about the handshake. Every player is expected to take part, whether he really wants to or not -- and whether he really respects the opponent or not. To not partake is to disrespect the game and the wonderful traditions of those who have played it before you. It’s not even an option.
But it is part of the discipline and respect that are necessary elements of playing the game. If you don’t have it and aren’t willing to play within those cultural boundaries, you really don’t deserve to play. It’s that simple.
Unfortunately, that is not always the case in youth hockey. While there are usually not best-of-seven series that create these incredibly intense rivalries, there are handshakes at the end of every game. To me, that tradition might be just as important as the actual game itself.
A lot of things can happen in a handshake line, many of them bad. Players yipping and yapping at one another can lead to punching and fighting. It can be something as disgusting and immature as players spitting on their hands before shaking the hand of an opponent. Or players pulling their hands back and refusing to shake with certain players. Or players being overly aggressive and smacking an opponent’s hand just a little too hard.
Some leagues have actually altered their rules to prohibit post-game handshakes to avoid any of these occurrences, ones that could easily escalate into a more violent situation. They prefer to have the players shake hands before the game, before emotions run high in the heat of the competition. Then, after the game, the teams go their separate directions so there are no problems.
To me, that is a problem. A huge one.
And it is not the player’s problem, although when we do that we are turning it into a problem for them. They don’t have to have discipline and self-control. They don’t need to have respect for their opponent. They don’t learn to have respect for the game and the traditions of those that have played it before them. We contribute to a complete lack of respect. Then we wonder why the players don’t have any.
It’s not the kids’ fault when something goes awry in the handshake line. That honor goes to the coaches. They are the ones that need to prepare the players for what may or may not happen during the course of a game and interacting with the other team. They are the ones that need to instill discipline and a respectful attitude in their players. They are the ones that need to lead by example and, when the game ends, put their differences aside, smile and shake hands.
Sure, there are times when you don’t want to shake hands with the opponent or the coach of the other team. Maybe you don’t respect how they play. Maybe they just beat you handily. Maybe you just don’t like them. But at the end of the day, it is not really about you and them.
It is about honoring the game.
Lyle Phair can be reached at [email protected] | <urn:uuid:e56dd7e3-4415-4fed-9269-742ba2ef657e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://hockeyjournal.com/news/players/stateOfGame/2011-12/Pros_prove_importance_of_a_fair_shake | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964309 | 1,282 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Mountain Village Town Council recently approved what Town Forester Dave Bangert calls “fundamental” changes to Article 12 of its LUO, in a concerted effort to both protect homeowners’ properties from wildfire devastation as well as to increase the overall health of the forests surrounding Mountain Village.
The amended policy calls for property owners to create “defensible space” around all new construction projects, additions to existing structures valued at $50,000 or greater, or landscaping improvements valued at $50,000 or more.
The changes are timely, if not overdue. As Bangert explains, awareness of forests’ vulnerabilities has been growing across the state of Colorado due to the devastation wrought by mountain pine beetle (MPB) infestations across large swathes of forests in the Front Range. That infestation has decimated hundreds of thousands of acres of forest, acutely heightening those forests’ fire hazard.
Although the forests around Telluride and Mountain Village are not specifically threatened by the pine beetle – many of the species susceptible to MPB infestations are not found in this area – our forests are susceptible to other infestations, specifically the spruce beetle. As Bangert notes, forests that are healthy, composed of different age classes and tree species, and lacking dead or sickly trees, can better withstand insect and disease attacks as well as catastrophic wildfires.
Requiring new development and redevelopment to implement a wildfire mitigation plan will serve to better protect the community from wildfire, while increasing local forest health, he continues. Originally, Bangert and members of Town Council and the town planning department envisioned even more rigorous regulations; however, it would likely have been difficult for property owners to swallow those policy changes.
“We almost passed something that was going to be much more strict, but we ended up with what we have, which basically sets certain standards about how much vegetation can be around the house, and how close it can be,” Schillaci explains.
Bangert adds, “It would be hard to change the rules in the middle of the game” for existing structures, noting that over the past decade Mountain Village policy was less conducive for tree removal. The revamped policies create clearer distinctions between trees and vegetation that should be preserved for aesthetic purposes, and those that should be removed for fire mitigation or forest health reasons.
The amended Article 12 encourages property owners of all existing lots and structures to review the health and wildfire potential that currently exists on their properties and attempt to reduce wildfire risk and develop defensible space.
The Town hosted an informational meeting on Monday, inviting landscapers and tree contractors to learn about the amended Forest Health, Fire Mitigation, and Tree Protection policy. The Town plans to hold another informational meeting, geared more for property owners, in July.
For more information, contact the Community Development Department at 728-1392 or visit www.townofmountainvillage.com. | <urn:uuid:2fb0d0c2-82c6-4041-a86e-442fc6045d73> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.watchnewspapers.com/pages/full_story/push?article-MV+Addresses+Forest+Health-+Wildfire+Mitigation%20&id=13139586 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945768 | 599 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack hosted a national press conference call on Wednesday to discuss the need for reform in the healthcare system to help rural Americans and announce $30 million in grants and loans to rural communities from Recovery Act, many of which are being put toward healthcare infrastructure.
During the teleconference, Vilsack talked about the disparity between urban and rural healthcare and insurance and said that without a doubt healthcare reform will help rural America.
"Under the current system rural Americans, whether you focus on the affordability of insurance, the availability of insurance or the quality of healthcare they get, in all three respects they strike out," Vilsack said. "In terms of affordability rural residents pay more for their healthcare insurance and more for their healthcare as a percentage of income than their urban counterparts do. The reason for that is there are a significantly higher number of uninsured people as a percentage of population in rural communities. When they get healthcare the cost of that gets shifted and so as a result rural residents are often paying more in deductibles, more in co-pays than their counterparts and their premiums are often higher because there is very little if any competition; there is no real choice for them."
Vilsack says that about one in four people in towns of less than 2500 people are uninsured, which is much higher than urban and suburban populations. Because people don't have insurance and because they have to pay more out-of-pocket expense a number of people in rural communities have a tendency to forgo going to the doctor when they first get sick. Vilsack says that results in getting very sick, which necessitates greater amounts of money to take care of them.
"I think you are going to see a continued focus on improving current practices," Vilsack said. "If states simply focused on simply getting the best practices in the existing system today, there are substantial sums of money that could be saved. There's lots of ways to do this and I'm sure as this moves through the process, Senators from rural areas are going to raise this issue and I'll be surprised if it doesn't get dealt with at some time during the process."
Use the player above to listen to Vilsack's opening statement to Wednesday's teleconference. | <urn:uuid:082bd2a2-ec24-4252-a780-00bffd0a53b8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://farmprogress.com/story-disparity-in-rural-health-care-addressed-by-vilsack-0-32325 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979169 | 455 | 1.703125 | 2 |
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