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A personal memo sent out by EPA staff refers to the existence of secondary email accounts for top staffers, according to a new release of agency documents. These secret email accounts were allegedly only known to high-level senior staff, and their contents are not available to the public. Since the EPA is a government agency, its emails are supposed to be available to the public under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
According to the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), which filed for records of the secret email accounts, these were not just secondary accounts, but an entire false identity. Emails sent from the pseudonym “Richard Windsor” were actually sent by EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. That begs the question of why the EPA would want to go to such levels of secrecy. Jackson resigned at the end of 2012, without any explanation, shortly after these emails surfaced.
According to CEI, “[t]he memo acknowledged that ‘[f]ew EPA staff members, usually only high-level senior staff, even know that these accounts exist,’ and that it is unable to recreate most of the accounts' usage histories.”
CEI Senior Fellow Chris Horner told the Business and Media Institute that “federal law requires that government officials maintain an adequate record of their activities. It should go without mention that creating a false-identity email account for certain correspondence with one's inner circle – inside as well as outside government, notwithstanding EPA's untrue but wholly irrelevant spin that the false-identity account was acceptable because it was just for internal purposes – fails that requirement.”
Horner wrote a recent book on this topic, entitled “The Liberal War on Transparency: Confessions of a Freedom of Information ‘Criminal’ .”
Lisa Jackson said while she was still the nominee for her current job that “as administrator, I will ensure EPA's efforts to address the environmental crises of today are rooted in three fundamental values: science-based policies and program, adherence to the rule of law, and overwhelming transparency.” Apparently Jackson changed her mind on “transparency” thing, and possibly even the “rule of law.”
A batch of emails released by the EPA on February 15 included a November 2009 internal email alert about a Wall Street Journal article being published on the “EPA’s transparency.” Kim Strassel, who wrote the WSJ article, also wrote another article on how CEI unearthed emails forbidding the release of a report by a senior analyst at the EPA which called into question the conclusiveness of climate change research.
Another top EPA official, Region 8 Administrator James Martin, also announced that he would resign on February 22, after Sen. David Vitter questioned him about the emails.
No major media outlets have reported on this developing story as of yet. The CEI lawsuit began in May 2012, according to an official statement by CEI. | <urn:uuid:e9e8bcfa-272a-4104-a4fc-1fc6e62313f5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mrc.org/print/articles/epa-hid-information-behind-false-identities | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96901 | 605 | 1.648438 | 2 |
March 19, 2012
The war in Afghanistan—where the enemy is elusive and rarely seen, where the cultural and linguistic disconnect makes every trip outside the wire a visit to hostile territory, where it is clear that you are losing despite the vast industrial killing machine at your disposal—feeds the culture of atrocity. The fear and stress, the anger and hatred, reduce all Afghans to the enemy, and this includes women, children and the elderly. Civilians and combatants merge into one detested nameless, faceless mass. The psychological leap to murder is short. And murder happens every day in Afghanistan. It happens in drone strikes, artillery bombardments, airstrikes, missile attacks and the withering suppressing fire unleashed in villages from belt-fed machine guns.
Military attacks like these in civilian areas make discussions of human rights an absurdity. Robert Bales, a U.S. Army staff sergeant who allegedly killed 16 civilians in two Afghan villages, including nine children, is not an anomaly. To decry the butchery of this case and to defend the wars of occupation we wage is to know nothing about combat. We kill children nearly every day in Afghanistan. We do not usually kill them outside the structure of a military unit. If an American soldier had killed or wounded scores of civilians after the ignition of an improvised explosive device against his convoy, it would not have made the news. Units do not stick around to count their "collateral damage." But the Afghans know. They hate us for the murderous rampages. They hate us for our hypocrisy.
The scale of our state-sponsored murder is masked from public view. Reporters who travel with military units and become psychologically part of the team spin out what the public and their military handlers want, mythic tales of heroism and valor. War is seen only through the lens of the occupiers. It is defended as a national virtue. This myth allows us to make sense of mayhem and death. It justifies what is usually nothing more than gross human cruelty, brutality and stupidity. It allows us to believe we have achieved our place in human society because of a long chain of heroic endeavors, rather than accept the sad reality that we stumble along a dimly lit corridor of disasters. It disguises our powerlessness. It hides from view the impotence and ordinariness of our leaders. But in turning history into myth we transform random events into a sequence of events directed by a will greater than our own, one that is determined and preordained. We are elevated above the multitude. We march to nobility. But it is a lie. And it is a lie that combat veterans carry within them. It is why so many commit suicide.
"I, too, belong to this species," J. Glenn Gray wrote of his experience in World War II. "I am ashamed not only of my own deeds, not only of my nation’s deeds, but of human deeds as well. I am ashamed to be a man."
When Ernie Pyle, the famous World War II correspondent, was killed on the Pacific island of Ie Shima in 1945, a rough draft of a column was found on his body. He was preparing it for release upon the end of the war in Europe. He had done much to promote the myth of the warrior and the nobility of soldiering, but by the end he seemed to have tired of it all:
But there are many of the living who have burned into their brains forever the unnatural sight of cold dead men scattered over the hillsides and in the ditches along the high rows of hedge throughout the world.
Dead men by mass production—in one country after another—month after month and year after year. Dead men in winter and dead men in summer.
Dead men in such familiar promiscuity that they become monotonous.
Dead men in such monstrous infinity that you come almost to hate them.
These are the things that you at home need not even try to understand. To you at home they are columns of figures, or he is a near one who went away and just didn’t come back. You didn’t see him lying so grotesque and pasty beside the gravel road in France.
We saw him, saw him by the multiple thousands. That’s the difference.
There is a constant search in all wars to find new perversities, new forms of death when the initial flush fades, a rear-guard and finally futile effort to ward off the boredom of routine death. This is why during the war in El Salvador the death squads and soldiers would cut off the genitals of those they killed and stuff them in the mouths of the corpses. This is why we reporters in Bosnia would find bodies crucified on the sides of barns or decapitated. This is why U.S. Marines have urinated on dead Taliban fighters. Those slain in combat are treated as trophies by their killers, turned into grotesque pieces of performance art. It happened in every war I covered.
"Force," Simone Weil wrote, "is as pitiless to the man who possesses it, or thinks he does, as it is to its victims; the second it crushes, the first it intoxicates."
War perverts and destroys you. It pushes you closer and closer to your own annihilation—spiritual, emotional and finally physical. It destroys the continuity of life, tearing apart all systems—economic, social, environmental and political—that sustain us as human beings. In war, we deform ourselves, our essence. We give up individual conscience—maybe even consciousness—for contagion of the crowd, the rush of patriotism, the belief that we must stand together as a nation in moments of extremity. To make a moral choice, to defy war’s enticement, can in the culture of war be self-destructive. The essence of war is death. Taste enough of war and you come to believe that the stoics were right: We will, in the end, all consume ourselves in a vast conflagration.
A World War II study determined that, after 60 days of continuous combat, 98 percent of all surviving soldiers will have become psychiatric casualties. A common trait among the remaining 2 percent was a predisposition toward having "aggressive psychopathic personalities." Lt. Col. Dave Grossman in his book "On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society," notes: "It is not too far from the mark to observe that there is something about continuous, inescapable combat which will drive 98 percent of all men insane, and the other 2 percent were crazy when they go there."
During the war in El Salvador, many soldiers served for three or four years or longer, as in the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, until they psychologically or physically collapsed. In garrison towns, commanders banned the sale of sedatives because those drugs were abused by the troops. In that war, as in the wars in the Middle East, the emotionally and psychologically maimed were common. I once interviewed a 19-year-old Salvadoran army sergeant who had spent five years fighting and then suddenly lost his vision after his unit walked into a rebel ambush. The rebels killed 11 of his fellow soldiers in the firefight, including his closest friend. He was unable to see again until he was placed in an army hospital. "I have these horrible headaches," he told me as he sat on the edge of his bed. "There is shrapnel in my head. I keep telling the doctors to take it out." But the doctors told me that he had no head wounds.
I saw other soldiers in other conflicts go deaf or mute or shake without being able to stop.
War is necrophilia. This necrophilia is central to soldiering just as it is central to the makeup of suicide bombers and terrorists. The necrophilia is hidden under platitudes about duty or comradeship. It is unleashed especially in moments when we seem to have little to live for and no hope, or in moments when the intoxication of war is at its highest pitch. When we spend long enough in war, it comes to us as a kind of release, a fatal and seductive embrace that can consummate the long flirtation with our own destruction.
In his memoir "Wartime," about the partisan war in Yugoslavia, Milovan Djilas wrote of the enticement that death held for the combatants. He stood over the body of his comrade, the commander Sava Kovacevic, and found:
"… dying did not seem terrible or unjust. This was the most extraordinary, the most exalted moment of my life. Death did not seem strange or undesirable. That I restrained myself from charging blindly into the fray and death was perhaps due to my sense of obligation to the troops or to some comrade’s reminder concerning the tasks at hand. In my memory, I returned to those moments many times with the same feeling of intimacy with death and desire for it while I was in prison, especially during my first incarceration."
War ascendant wipes out Eros. It wipes out delicacy and tenderness. Its communal power seeks to render the individual obsolete, to hand all passions, all choice, all voice to the crowd.
"The most important part of the individual life, which cannot be subsumed in communal life, is love," Sebastian Haffner wrote in "Defying Hitler." "So comradeship has its special weapons against love: smut. Every evening in bed, after the last patrol round, there was the ritual reciting of lewd songs and jokes. That is the hard and fast rule of male comradeship, and nothing is more mistaken than the widely held opinion that this is a safety valve for frustrated erotic or sexual feelings. These songs and jokes do not have an erotic, arousing effect. On the contrary, they make the act of love appear as unappetizing as possible. They treat it like digestion and defecation, and make it an object of ridicule. The men who recited rude songs and used coarse words for female body parts were in effect denying that they ever had tender feelings or had been in love, that they had ever made themselves attractive, behaved gently. ..."
When we see this, when we see our addiction for what it is, when we understand ourselves and how war has perverted us, life becomes hard to bear. Jon Steele, a cameraman who spent years in war zones, had a nervous breakdown in a crowded Heathrow Airport after returning from Sarajevo.
Steele had come to understand the reality of his work, a reality that stripped away the self-righteous, high-octane gloss. When he was in Sarajevo he was "in a place called Sniper’s Alley, and I filmed a girl there who had been hit in the neck by a sniper’s bullet," he wrote. "I filmed her in the ambulance, and only after she was dead, I suddenly understood that the last thing she had seen was the reflection of the lens of the camera I was holding in front of her. This wiped me out. I grabbed the camera, and started running down Sniper’s Alley, filming at knee level the Bosnians running from place to place."
A year after the end of the war in Sarajevo, I sat with Bosnian friends who had suffered horribly. A young woman, Ljiljana, had lost her father, a Serb, who refused to join the besieging Serb forces around the city. A few days earlier she had to identify his corpse. The body was lifted, water running out of the sides of a rotting coffin, from a small park for reburial in the central cemetery. Soon she would emigrate to Australia—where, she told me, "I will marry a man who has never heard of this war and raise children that will be told nothing about it, nothing about the country I am from."
Ljiljana was young. But the war had exacted a toll. Her cheeks were hollow, her hair dry and brittle. Her teeth were decayed and some had broken into jagged bits. She had no money for a dentist; she hoped to have them fixed in Australia. Yet all she and her friends did that afternoon was lament the days when they lived in fear and hunger, emaciated, targeted by Serb gunners on the heights above. They did not wish back the suffering. And yet, they admitted, those may have been the fullest days of their lives. They looked at me in despair. I had known them when hundreds of shells a day fell nearby, when they had no water to bathe in or wash their clothes, when they huddled in unheated flats as sniper bullets hit the walls outside.
What they expressed was disillusionment with a sterile, futile and empty present. Peace had again exposed the void that the rush of war, of battle, had filled. Once again they were—as perhaps we all are—alone, no longer bound by a common struggle, no longer given the opportunity to be noble, heroic, no longer sure of what life was about or what it meant. The old comradeship, however false, had vanished with the last shot.
Moreover, they had seen that all the sacrifice had been for naught. They had been, as we all are in war, betrayed. The corrupt old Communist Party bosses, who became nationalists overnight and got them into the mess in the first place, had grown rich off their suffering and were still in power. Ljiljana and the others faced a 70 percent unemployment rate. They depended on handouts from the international community. They understood that their cause, once as fashionable in certain intellectual circles as they were themselves, lay forgotten. No longer did actors, politicians and artists scramble to visit during the cease-fires—acts that were almost always ones of gross self-promotion. They knew the lie of war, the mockery of their idealism, and struggled with their shattered illusions. And yet, they wished it all back, and I did, too.
Later, I received a Christmas card. It was signed "Ljiljana from Australia." It had no return address. I never heard from her again. But many of those I worked with as war correspondents did not escape. They could not break free from the dance with death. They wandered from conflict to conflict, seeking always one more hit.
By then, I was back in Gaza and at one point found myself pinned down in still another ambush. A young Palestinian 15 feet away was fatally shot through the chest. I had been lured back but now felt none of the old rush, just fear. It was time to break free, to let go. I knew it was over for me. I was lucky to get alive.
Kurt Schork—brilliant, courageous and driven—could not let go. He died in an ambush in Sierra Leone along with another friend of mine, Miguel Gil Moreno. His entrapment—his embrace of Thanatos, of the death instinct—was never mentioned in the sterile and antiseptic memorial service held for him in Washington, D.C. Everyone tiptoed around the issue. But those of us who had known him understood he had been consumed.
I had worked with Kurt for 10 years, starting in northern Iraq. Literate, funny—it seems the brave are often funny. He and I passed books back and forth in our struggle to make sense of the madness around us. His loss is a hole that will never be filled. His ashes were placed in Sarajevo’s Lion Cemetery, for the victims of the war. I flew to Sarajevo and met the British filmmaker Dan Reed. It was an overcast November day. We stood over the grave and downed a pint of whiskey. Dan lit a candle. I recited a poem the Roman lyric poet Catullus had written to honor his dead brother.
By strangers’ costs and waters, many days at sea,
I come here for the rites of your unworlding,
Bringing for you, the dead, these last gifts of the living
And my words—vain sounds for the man of dust.
Alas, my brother,
You have been taken from me. You have been taken from me,
By cold chance turned a shadow, and my pain.
Here are the foods of the old ceremony, appointed
Long ago for the starvelings under the earth:
Take them: your brother’s tears have made them wet: and take
Into eternity my hail and my farewell.
It was there, among 4,000 war dead, that Kurt belonged. He died because he could not free himself from war. He had been trying to replicate what he had found in Sarajevo, but he could not. War could never be new again. Kurt had been in East Timor and Chechnya. Sierra Leone, I was sure, meant nothing to him.
Kurt and Miguel could not let go. They would have been the first to admit it. Spend long enough at war, and you cannot fit in anywhere else. It finally kills you. It is not a new story. It starts out like love, but it is death.
War is the beautiful young nymph in the fairy tale that, when kissed, exhales the vapors of the underworld.
The ancient Greeks had a word for such a fate: ekpyrosis.
It means to be consumed by a ball of fire. They used it to describe heroes. | <urn:uuid:a4d3dbab-3db3-4959-bbd2-2e93e94a8321> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.uruknet.de/?p=m86650&hd=&size=1&l=e | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982235 | 3,618 | 1.726563 | 2 |
Give $50 to Henry "Pete" Linsert Jr. and he will make your baby smarter.
Sound like the pitch of a snake oil salesman? Some people think so.
But if it's not, and Mr. Linsert is right, the eager 50-year-old former venture capitalist could be the chairman of a very big company some day.
Mr. Linsert, president of a Columbia biotechnology company, Martek Corp., is promoting an ingredient -- Docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA -- that he thinks can make a difference in a child's intelligence when added to infant formula.
After battling the skepticism of infant formula companies for a year, Martek's claim no longer seems so far-fetched.
The Lancet, a respected British medical journal, published a study two weeks ago showing that babies who were breast-fed scored significantly higher on IQ tests.
"This was a shot out of the blue for us," said Mr. Linsert, who teamed up with Martin Marietta Corp. scientists in 1985 to form Martek. "We think there will be a whole perception change in the market" because of the study, he said.
The Lancet study was conducted by Dr. Alan Lucas, a researcher and head ofinfant and child nutrition at the Medical Research Council's Dunn Nutrition Unit in Cambridge, England.
Tracking premature infants who were fed either mother's milk or formula through tubes during the hospital stay after birth, Dr. Lucas tested the same children at age 8.
The IQ scores of those who were breast-fed averaged eight points higher, after adjustments for social and educational factors.
Dr. Lucas said the study was not conclusive. But he acknowledged that "scientists are taking this very seriously."
The study is one of many that point to the same conclusion, said Dr. Frank A. Oski, a pediatrician and director of the Johns Hopkins Hospital Children's Center. "I think it is a given that there is some thing in mother's milk that increases cognitive development."
But Dr. Oski said he has "no idea" what that "something" is. It could be several separate substances or "perhaps things acting in concert," he said.
Dr. Lewis A. Barness, a pediatrician who specializes in infant nutrition, once tried to count all of the ingredients in breast milk that didn't appear in formulas. "I stopped when I got to 400," he said.
The question for Martek is whether the DHA it has produced from micro-algae is the missing key.
Dr. Oski doesn't think so. "It is so naive to think that it is the magic bullet," he said. But Dr. Barness, a visiting professor at the University of Wisconsin, said animal research has linked DHA to brain and eye development.
But much more scientific research needs to be done to prove the connection between DHA and intelligence, to perfect the recipe of fatty acids that should be added to a baby's formula and to ensure that the product made from micro-algae is pure, he said.
At Martek, a privately-held company with sales of less than $1 million last year, scientists think they know the answer to the DHA riddle.
Mr. Linsert held up a pint jar of red liquid -- a combination of DHA and arachidonic acid -- that is essentially a fatty acid abundant in the brain and retina. A couple of drops in infant formula is all that is needed, he said.
The mixture, called Formulaid, is produced from a kind of micro-algae, one of the 70,000 that occur naturally. Martek is betting it can capitalize on the qualities of micro-algae to produce research chemicals, tools to diagnose medical ailments and new drugs such as antibiotics.
Martek scientists search for algae that can produce substances of value. Besides microalgae that excrete DHA, Martek also hopes to develop new antibiotics and breath tests to diagnose illnesses.
Martek says Formulaid is a way of delivering DHA to a bottle-fed baby too young to get it naturally from foods -- fish, some green vegetables and meats.
The body holds on to DHA tenaciously, said David J. Kyle, director of biochemistry at Martek, except during pregnancy and lactation, when the mother transfers stores to her fetus or baby.
The company has applied for patents in the United States and Europe and is negotiating with the dozen or so makers of infant formula. It hopes to conclude those talks in the next few months. | <urn:uuid:305edf7e-5106-4a81-9573-75ad31977caf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1992-02-14/business/1992045173_1_martek-infant-formula-dha | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966019 | 944 | 1.671875 | 2 |
New York, 20 January 2009 - Secretary-General's message to the Conference on Disarmament [Delivered by Sergei Ordzhonikidze, Director-General, UN Office at Geneva, and Secretary-General of the Conference on Disarmament]It is a pleasure to send greetings to the Conference on Disarmament. As you know, one of my personal priorities since my first day in office has been to revitalize the international disarmament agenda and strengthen the effectiveness of the United Nations itself in this area. I therefore attach great importance to your work and to the wide-ranging efforts of Governments, citizens' groups and activists throughout the world in the area of disarmament and non-proliferation. From conventional weapons and small arms to weapons of mass destruction, the risks are clear. I remain committed to using every opportunity, in my meetings with government leaders and my outreach to civil society, to forge partnerships and mobilize action. I look forward to continuing this work with you in 2009.
The immediate task before the Conference is to convert your discussions on procedure into practical negotiations that will lead to real disarmament. At a time of global economic and financial crisis, advancing the disarmament agenda could produce a tangible peace dividend when the world needs it most. The United Nations Charter calls for “the least diversion for armaments of the world's human and economic resources”. If we are to deliver on the Millennium Development Goals in a deteriorating economic climate, all UN Member States must be mindful of this solemn responsibility.
There have been promising signs in recent months, including important initiatives by the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China, Russia, the European Union, the non-aligned countries and other governments. Civil society continues to generate visibility and support. The United Nations and the Conference on Disarmament should seize this moment and be in the vanguard of efforts towards a world free of nuclear weapons.
Last October, I issued a five-point proposal to revitalize the international disarmament agenda. Included in this proposal were several specific contributions that could be made by the Conference on Disarmament with respect to nuclear disarmament and fissile materials. Indeed, this Conference and its predecessors have an impressive record of achievement, including the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the Bacteriological and Toxin Weapons Convention, the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. These instruments demonstrate the potential of the Conference.
For two consecutive years, a proposal to begin substantive work on four core issues -- nuclear disarmament, fissile materials, security assurances and the prevention of an arms race in outer space -- has been at the centre of your deliberations. The Conference has come very close to agreeing to this proposal.
Your recent discussions have had many positive features. These discussions, however, cannot substitute for negotiations. I urge you once again to overcome the deadlock and reach a consensus on an agenda that will permit the resumption of substantive work. I also call on you to intensify your efforts on measures that have already been the subject of your deliberations, including new bans on weapons such as missiles and space weapons. The Conference is a unique multilateral negotiating forum, and must be able to play its proper role.
For my part, I remain strongly committed to global disarmament and will continue to support your efforts to build a better, more prosperous and more peaceful world for all. Please accept my best wishes for a successful session.
Statements on 20 January 2009 | <urn:uuid:e78ba986-08fe-4cdc-8756-51a2469ea99b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.un.org/sg/statements/?nid=3664 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938074 | 707 | 1.765625 | 2 |
|The History of Legolas: The Last Green Leaf
Author: Vendie of Rivendell PM
Part II of The History Of Legolas trilogy. Here is the tale of Legolas Thrandulion that was not told in the Red Book of Westmarch; the trials of his youth and young-adulthood, and how fate sent him to Imladris at a crucial moment during the twilight of the Third Age.Rated: Fiction K+ - English - Adventure/Romance - Legolas & Thranduil - Chapters: 19 - Words: 46,874 - Reviews: 28 - Favs: 36 - Follows: 34 - Updated: 01-12-13 - Published: 12-24-12 - Status: Complete - id: 8828286
|A+ A- Full 3/4 1/2 Expand Tighten|
The Last Green Leaf
Chapter Six – Many Meetings
The next time Legolas awoke, he was unsure of the time of day. He could not open his eyes, though he wanted to. The sounds around him were muffled. It was an odd sensation for the prince of Mirkwood; as an elf, his ears had never failed to hear anything that was within a significant distance. Time passed and gradually he became more conscious of things.
He could feel that he was reclining in a halfway seated position, under sheets, propped up by pillows behind him. He was in a bed… perhaps in the Healing Houses… Someone was speaking near him… speaking to him. Legolas strained to listen, and gradually he could hear.
"…And then Arthion fell out of the tree. You should have seen it, brother. You would have laughed!" It was Hérion, apparently telling Legolas a story.
"I would not have been in that tree if you had not gotten my dagger stuck in the upper branches." Arthion's voice replied, sounding mildly annoyed.
"It was self defense!" Hérion said, chuckling.
Legolas smiled as he conjured up a mental image of one of Hérion and Arthion's brotherly battles. As the image of his eldest brother falling out of a tree entered his mind, Legolas let out a small, labored laugh.
"Legolas?" Arthion's voice cried out in shock. Legolas' eyes fluttered open at the sound of a chair falling over and two pairs of feet rushing across the floor. His vision was blurry at first, but within seconds of opening his eyes, Legolas could see his two older brothers staring down at him, eyes wide open.
"It seems I cannot leave you two alone for too long without someone falling out of a tree," Legolas said, his voice raspy from lack of use.
"Legolas!" both of his brothers shouted happily as large smiles crossed their faces.
"It's so kind of you to grace us with your presence, oh fair dreamer!" Hérion joked, trying to disguise his tears.
"I am glad I could oblige," Legolas replied softly.
"Hérion, you should go fetch Ada, he will be most anxious to see our little brother awake," Arthion said.
"Legolas, you should make him stop me, for there will be not a moment's peace for you once Ada arrives," Hérion appealed.
"There will be no peace if he finds that I am awake and he was not notified!" Legolas pointed out.
"Alas, he speaks truthfully!" Hérion sighed, a laugh still present in his voice. "I shall return in a moment. Ada will be here in less than that, I am sure," he said as he left the room. Legolas and Arthion laughed, knowing this much to be true.
"Legolas," Arthion said softly. Legolas saw that his eldest brother was searching for words, but failing. Arthion was always strong and silent; not easily provoked or moved to show any sort of emotion on his sleeve. Legolas knew that his brother was overjoyed to see him alive just by his expression.
"Legolas… Thank you for returning to us," Arthion finally said, putting his hand on Legolas' shoulder. The tell-tale glint of a tear sparkled in the elder's eyes as he looked down on his little brother.
"Brother," Legolas started, but before he could get another word out of his mouth, the door to his room in the Healing Houses burst open and his father stood there, a look of amazement on his face. A moment of silence overtook the room as Thranduil looked down on his youngest son. It was the first time he'd seen Legolas awake since the day all three of his sons had left on that fateful hunting trip. A thousand images burst forth into the Elvenking's mind; his son's birth, his first steps, scraped knees, hurt feelings, laughter, tears, and finally, the image of his son cold and pale on that first dreadful night after the attack.
"Legolas," he breathed as he took a step closer to his son's bed.
"Hello, Ada," Legolas greeted cheerfully, as if nothing had happened.
"Oh, my son!" Thranduil cried, taking three large strides to his son's bedside. The king of Mirkwood sat on Legolas' bed and wrapped his arms around his youngest son's shoulders carefully, so as not to move him too quickly or painfully.
Thranduil's embrace was tight, as if clinging to his son would insure his stay on this earth. Legolas said nothing, but slowly moved his arms to return his father's embrace. His arms felt as though they were made of lead and his side ached dully, telling him that he was either heavily medicated, or that it had been a significant amount of time since he acquired the injury.
"Ada, I am so sorry," Legolas said. Thranduil pulled back to face his son.
"My son, whatever you are sorry for, you have no need of it. Seeing you living… it has erased all of the pain and sorrow and worry," The king said as two tears rolled down his cheeks. Legolas smiled.
"Besides, we should be thanking you for saving our sorry skins!" Hérion said. Legolas, Arthion, and Thranduil, in spite of himself, laughed.
In that moment, Legolas wondered whether he should tell his family of his dream… if it could be called a dream. He was sure it had truly happened. He had felt his mother's spirit just as he felt his brothers and father around him now. But as he remembered his mother; her words, her face, her smile, and her voice, he realized that his grief was still as a fresh wound and he could not bring himself to retell it.
Instead, the young prince put aside his grief for a time to enjoy his family before him. He never told his brothers or his father of his encounter with Almwen.
Days went by and Legolas was well on the way to recovery. He was set to return home within a week. But for the meantime, his only concern was how to make that week go faster. However, as he was not the most patient of elves, the time seemed doubled. In an attempt to make the time seem more meaningful, Legolas put his mind toward reading whatever scrolls he could convince his brothers and Nestadriel into stealing from the library. His plan was to glean all he could of the battle tactics of Men before he left the Houses of Healing. That way, his mind would always be preoccupied.
"Good morning, Prince Legolas," came a cheery voice from his door. Legolas put down the scroll he had been reading to see a Healer he had never met before standing at the foot of his bed. She was wearing the traditional white healer's garb with her brown, curly hair half pulled back. Her eyes were as blue as the sky on a sunny day.
"Good morning," he said, nodding to acknowledge her with questions in his eyes. Nestadriel usually came to change his bandages in the morning. This unannounced replacement was strange.
"Lady Nestadriel is helping with a birth this morning," the elleth said in response to his unspoken questions. "I'll be changing your dressing today."
"Oh… what do they call you?" He asked, feeling a little more awkward than he thought was necessary.
"Anariel of Mirkwood, your highness… Now, can you sit up by yourself, or do you need my help?" She asked, coming over to his bedside.
"I can move myse- ah!" Legolas, in his haste, began to sit himself up too quickly and moved his wound in the wrong way. He let himself fall backwards, but Anariel was at his side quicker than he could hit the bed.
"Not so hasty, my prince, or you shall re-open your wound," she said softly, helping him back up. Legolas turned to face her and their eyes locked for a second before they both turned away.
"Apologies," Legolas offered for no reason.
"No need to apologize to me, my lord. You are the one who continues to hurt himself," she quipped with a smile. Legolas chuckled and looked up at Anariel. Something about her joyful demeanor demanded his attention. He was unable to look away from her.
"Do you need assistance with your shirt?" She asked at length.
"I believe I can manage the task," he said with a smile as he began to undo the buttons on his shirt. Anariel went to the bureau opposite his bed and withdrew some fresh bandages from the drawer. When Legolas' shirt was removed, she took off the old bandages and began to apply medicine and rewrap the wound. Casually, she glanced at the scroll that Legolas had been examining earlier.
"The History of the Alliance Between Rohan and Gondor? Have you been to either land?" She asked.
"Nay. I may only dream of such places. My father is, well… overprotective, at best."
"And it seems with good reason," Anariel said, pointing at the large gash in his side.
"It was not recklessness that earned me this," Legolas sighed fixing a hard gaze upon her.
"I apologize, my lord. I only meant it in jest," she replied in a quiet voice. She peered up at him in concern, and after a moment Legolas softened his gaze with a faint smile.
"My father is barely content with me a mile away from our home, let alone to other lands. I have never left Mirkwood in my life."
"Never?" Anariel asked, looking up at him in confusion. He was unsurprised by this. Arthion and Hérion were regular emissaries to lands beyond the Woodland Realm. It came as a surprise to most elves that Legolas was not also engaged in such duties.
"Never in my life," he repeated, "but I dream of those lands every day. I want to visit every corner of this Middle Earth with every fiber of my being… though, these days; it seems like the only traveling I will do shall be from the pages of scrolls to my imagination." Legolas said sadly. Anariel finished the last wrap around his wound and gazed at him with a raised eyebrow and lips downturned in a frown, as if she was thinking. Legolas watched her, wondering what she could possibly be considering.
"Where would you like to go next, then?" She asked after a pause.
"Where would you like to go next?" Anariel repeated, taking up the scroll and shaking it for emphasis. A smile broke over Legolas' face.
"Not only a daunting journey across land and sea but across time as well? Splendid! Pray, if I bring back a scroll, will you recount the story to me? I am curious as you may be, and eager to study the world of men. All I have ever known is Mirkwood and Silvan Elves."
Legolas laughed. "Bring the scroll and we shall go off on this adventure together, then."
Anariel smiled and got up to leave. "I shall bring it back later this afternoon?"
"I look forward to it."
Just then, Hérion walked into Legolas' room. Anariel gave a short bow to Legolas, then turned to his brother and did the same before leaving the room. Hérion gave Legolas a confused smirk and pointed to the door.
"That was not Nestadriel."
"Indeed, your powers of observation are unsurpassed," Legolas dead-panned.
"Oh Legolas, you maiden-slayer you! What trouble are you getting yourself into now?" his older brother teased. Legolas smiled and shook his head, rolling his eyes.
"Have you only come to tease me?" Legolas asked.
"Sadly, no," Hérion replied with a grim sort-of smile on his face. He stepped forward and sat on the end of Legolas' bed. "I have news. There are stirrings to the south of an uprising in Orcs."
"This does not bode well," said Legolas dourly. Hérion shook his head, his expression darkening.
"No, it does not. There are rumors… though they are just that; rumors… that the leader of the dark forces in the south, Necromancer, is really the Dark Lord," Hérion said softly. "They say that he is trying to take all of Mirkwood."
Legolas felt his innards fall to the bottom of his body cavity. No coherent words came to his mind to form sentences to react to his brother. Only a concerned stare replied for him.
"They are just rumors, but a shadow is growing over Mirkwood. There were days when sunlight dropped down between the trees, but we have not seen the sun for days now. I do not know what exactly it is, brother, but dark times lie ahead. Father does not want me alarming you with this ill news, but I thought you should know. Be prepared, Legolas," Hérion said.
"Be prepared for what?"
"I fear I do not know."
Later that day, Legolas pushed aside evil thoughts when Anariel returned with four rolls of parchment on Númenor. Anariel read first for some time and then handed the scroll over to Legolas to continue. She sat cross-legged on his bed, her elbows resting on her knees and her hands propping up her chin, watching the prince as he read.
"In an hour unlooked for by Men this doom befell, on the nine and thirtieth day since the passing of the fleets. Then suddenly fire burst from the Meneltarma, and there came a mighty wind and a tumult of the earth, and the sky reeled, and the hills slid, and mighty Númenor went down into the sea, with all its children and its wives and its maidens and its ladies proud; and all its gardens and its halls and towers, its tombs and its riches, and its jewels and its webs and its things painted and carven and its laughter and its mirth and its wisdom and its lore: they vanished forever. And last of all the mounting wave, green and cold and plumed with foam, climbing over the land, took to its bosom Tar-Míriel the Queen, fairer than silver or ivory or pearls. Too late she strove to ascend the steep ways of the Meneltarma to the holy place; for the waters overtook her, and her cry was lost in the roaring of the wind." Legolas concluded with a sigh, put down the third roll of parchment.
"It sank!" Anariel exclaimed.
"It would appear to be so," Legolas replied, raising his eyebrows, but sounding unsurprised.
"Just like that?"
"What do you mean, 'just like that'? Were you not listening? The earth shook and erupted in fire and water!" Legolas laughed, taking up the parchment and shaking it in her face. "It was far more catastrophic than 'just like that'!"
"Well, I knew that Númenor was obliterated, but I thought that there was a large battle and catastrophic fighting… Did no one survive?" Anariel said in a frustrated voice.
"It is your turn to read – you tell me!" said Legolas. Anariel frowned playfully at him as she snatched the parchment from his hands. The prince could not help but smile at her. Never before had he met an elleth so free and open with him as she. Most elleth of the Woodland Realm were quiet and stiff in his presence. Anariel was decidedly the opposite, and it was refreshing.
"Very well then," Anariel said, sitting up straight and holding the parchment out, mocking a distinguished face. She cleared her throat, and Legolas smiled at her and chuckled. Anariel eyed him before beginning to read.
"But whether or no it were that Amandil came indeed to Valinor and Manwe hearkened to his prayer, by grace of the Valar Elendil and his sons and their people were spared from the ruin of that day..."
The sudden voice ended their reading. Both Legolas and Anariel looked up to see Nestadriel standing there in the doorway, looking astonished. Anariel dropped the scroll.
"Lady Nestadriel, I - "
"You are supposed to be making rounds." Nestadriel reprimanded.
"Aye, my lady," Anariel said quietly. She quickly stood up from Legolas' bed and went to the door. Before leaving Legolas' room, she turned and bowed.
"Tell me how it ends!" She said with a smile before she bolted out the door.
Nestadriel whirled around and watched with in annoyance as the younger elleth fled. "Heavens," she exclaimed quietly. "My Lord," Nestadriel continued, turning towards Legolas, "I apologize for her impropriety, she is…"
"Nestadriel, I am happy she came," he assured her.
"I am glad of that, Prince, but I promise she will not bother you again."
Legolas looked confused for a moment and then laughed. "No, please see to it that she does!"
Nestadriel shook her head, and left. "Aye, my prince."
The excerpt in italics Legolas and Anariel read comes from The Silmarillion: Akallabêth, "The Downfall of Númenor". I am in no way claiming to own The Silmarillion, Tolkien's works, or anything related to them. | <urn:uuid:f4a41869-7353-4016-9777-4b22560ca15f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8828286/6/The-History-of-Legolas-The-Last-Green-Leaf | 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 | 0.988999 | 4,017 | 1.546875 | 2 |
The Line Between General And State Government
June 24, 2010 by Bob Livingston
The recent dustups between Gulf States and the Federal government over BP Deepwater Horizon oil gusher cleanup efforts demonstrate the folly of a gargantuan, obtrusive and obtuse Federal government trying to micromanage an operation that should be coordinated locally.
First there was Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and his idea to build what would essentially have been barrier islands to intercept the oil before it reached the state’s delicate marshlands. Then there were efforts by Alabama Governor Bob Riley to string a massive system of booms to keep oil off the Alabama coastline and out of Mobile Bay.
These efforts were delayed by days and weeks while the Federal bureaucracy stumbled and bumbled over whether the ideas were good ones, or whether others might be better. Meanwhile, oil began washing up on shore.
Then there was halting of the cleanup efforts of some of the local governments by the Federal environmental police due to a perceived risk to some wildlife.
Finally, the coup de grâce, the Coast Guard’s forced docking of oil sucking barges off the Louisiana coast to check whether there were enough life preservers on board.
The Federal government proved during the hurricane Katrina aftermath, the Deepwater Horizon aftermath and in countless other ways that when it tries to get involved on a local level it only succeeds in getting in its own way—and in the way of those actually doing something.
As Riley complained of the so-called unified command in charge of the oil spill cleanup effort, each member of the command had veto power over any idea. One would raise a good fix and another would veto it because it might harm a turtle or cause a worker some discomfort (as in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s ruling that beach cleanup workers could only labor 20 minutes of each hour because of the heat).
In response to the Federal government’s inaction, Jindal decided to build the islands himself. Riley ordered municipalities along Alabama’s beaches to do what they needed to do to clean the beaches and promised them compensation. Municipalities in Florida are doing the same thing. And all are avoiding involving the Feds whenever possible.
During the Pennsylvania Ratifying Convention James Wilson, speaking on the line dividing powers between general (Federal) government and particular state governments, said:
“Are disputes between the general government and the state governments to be necessarily the consequence of inaccuracy? I hope, sir, they will not be the enemies of each other, or resemble comets in conflicting orbits, mutually operating destruction; but that their motion will be better represented by that of the planetary system, where each part moves harmoniously within its proper sphere, and no injury arises by interference or opposition.”
So far those disputes resemble comets in conflicting orbits rather than harmonious planets. Let’s hope the Feds will get out of the governors’ way and just make sure the funds needed for the local efforts are there.
The Coast Guard is rightfully overseeing cleanup efforts in the Gulf. But its time could be better spent monitoring oil skimming operations than worrying over whether a barge operator who has spent a lifetime at sea is wearing his lifejacket.
And as for the oil spewing forth from 5,000 feet below the ocean’s surface 40 miles out, that’s where the Feds should be concentrating their efforts. They should be providing BP with all the assistance it needs to contain the gusher. And that means bringing in top oil drilling experts from around the world and any other materiel or resources other countries may provide.
It also should mean for the Federal government to get its boot off BP’s neck. It’ll be a lot easier to work that way. There will be plenty of opportunity for the government to get its pound (or ton) of flesh once the gusher is capped and oil is no longer lapping along the beautiful Gulf Coast. | <urn:uuid:5925a623-a928-4732-8376-46d627571650> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://personalliberty.com/2010/06/24/the-line-between-general-and-state-government/?like=1&_wpnonce=bee8dc37db | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961579 | 810 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Apple v. Apple: Legal fight over iTunes hits court
Apple is set to square off against the Beatles’ own Apple Corps in London court this week. Apple Corps claims that Apple’s iTunes Music Store software violates the terms of a 1991 agreement between the two companies.
Apple, of course, makes computers, iPods and software, while Apple Corps is the licensing agent for the Beatles. And they’ve squared off in court several times over the years. In the 1980s, Apple Corps sued Apple Computer over trademark infringement involving Apple Computer’s logo. Apple Corps accepted a small settlement and both agreed that Apple Computer would steer clear of the music business.
In 1989, Apple Corps again sued Apple Computer, claiming that the company had violated the terms of their earlier agreement after it incorporated MIDI control software in its operating system. This time the 1991 settlement in that case cost Apple $26 million and required them to agree they wouldn’t physically distribute music on formats like cassettes, vinyl records or CDs.
The iTunes Music Store has netted Apple Computer positive revenue and has also helped to drive sales of its iPod music players. The company’s sold more than one billion songs since the service first went online and now operates iTunes Music Store services in dozens of countries. That’s enough for Apple Corps to again claim that Apple has broken its agreement.
Apple Computer is expected to counter that it’s not in violation of its 1991 agreement with Apple Corps, since the iTunes Music Store is ultimately a data transfer system, not a physical method of distributing music.
The case goes before Mr. Justice Mann of London’s High Court on Wednesday. | <urn:uuid:0eb87b2c-9036-4258-875a-4ec52047ab52> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.macworld.com/article/1050056/applevapple.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946777 | 341 | 1.632813 | 2 |
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Hospital probes rise in MRSA
AN INVESTIGATION has been launched after a patient died having twice contracted the MRSA suberbug at Basildon Hospital.
The hospital would not confirm the age or sex of the patient, who was suffering other illnesses, but said a probe was taking place to discover if they caught MRSA while being treated.
A spokeswoman said the death, which happened in April, was not caused by MRSA, although the hospital is now considering testing all patients for the superbug when they are admitted so it can assess how many cases are picked up in the hospital.
The death comes as the hospital saw a worrying increase in the number of cases of MRSA and another superbug, Clostridium Difficile.
There can be no more than three cases of MRSA a year and ten of C-diff every three months.
However, the patient’s death will mean there were four cases in the last financial year. Last month it also experienced a sharp increase in C-diff infections with seven cases.
The hospital strives to keep outbreaks of C-diff at four or less a month and there should be no more than ten cases of C-diff recorded by the end of June.
The rise in infections is expected to be discussed at board of directors meeting today where concerns will also be raised over hospital cleaning.
The trust carried out a review to see if any systematic failings led to the higher number of cases, but was unable to pinpoint any and found cases were in different ward areas with no clear links between patients.
New screening guidelines for C-diff have been introduced and up to May 22 there were no further cases.
On the patient’s death, a hospital spokeswoman said: “We cannot go into the cause of death for patient confidentiality reasons, but it was not MRSA, but MRSA infection was reported twice for this patient and it is still under investigation.”
She added: “We do all we can to prevent healthcare associated infections, such as MRSA bacteraemia and C-Diff, and over the past few years our figures have dropped dramatically.”
In 2004/05 there were 42 MRSA cases, but in 2011/12 just four were reported.
A few years ago there were 30 to 40 cases of C-diff a month, but in 2011/12 the total number was just 27. | <urn:uuid:fa03dc59-f88a-458c-90b5-236751a530a2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.southendstandard.co.uk/news/echo/9737014.Hospital_probes_rise_in_MRSA/?ref=nt | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976505 | 527 | 1.523438 | 2 |
The mission of the bicycle tourism plan is to develop tourism in the Medium and High Mountain areas in Alpes-Maritimes by putting in place a new tourist attraction, including specialized events, in the framework of a triennial action programme (2011-2013).
37 operations are envisaged in this Plan, ranging from the development of cycling circuits and routes, to the design, promotion and marketing of very high quality tourist products. These propositions have been planned with all types of cyclists in mind - families, tourists and sportsmen and women. They meet precise criteria for height difference, distance and difficulty.
By the end of 2012, the cycling circuits are expected to include accommodation and catering facilities, services for cyclists, tourist attractions, sites of cultural and natural interest and activities to be found along the itineraries and nearby. | <urn:uuid:5e50a8fd-c68c-449e-9047-ff5df1d9f1da> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.frenchriviera-mountain.com/BIKING-SPECIAL/alpes-maritimes-cycling-special-06_2270-ete.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948447 | 164 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Photo: Essex County, NJ Detention Center
Lawmakers in Newark are proposing that they renovate an existing county jail so that it can hold more undocumented immigrants than it does now.
Federal officials have given provisional permission to the plans and have commented on the fact that the new center would provide a less harsh background for those who are only being detained due to the fact that they are not legal residents of the US but have committed no other crimes.
Detainees at the new center would have increased access to medical care, as well as greater federal influence. This is a major stride for the Obama administration who vowed in 2009 to improve conditions for those being detained for immigration charges, nothing else.
Prior to this plan, independent companies that were reimbursed by federal agencies ran detention centers. There were also allegations of unjust treatment of those being detained, with one report of a death in a Rhode Island center where a man was allegedly abused and denied medical care. | <urn:uuid:06822a9f-97e0-4981-ae07-845f94ebb0c6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hispanicallyspeakingnews.com/latino-daily-news/details/new-jersey-officials-plans-detention-center/4741/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977618 | 192 | 1.78125 | 2 |
Is it just me, or are there more motorcyclists using bike lanes to find their way to the front of traffic queues at traffic lights. I really don't care for sitting behind a noisy motorbike belching out exhaust fumes while I wait for lights to change. Rightly or wrongly I also feel that the one little concession that cyclists seem to have (dedicated lanes) should be reserved exclusively for those who get off their bums each day and ride.
It is often difficult to record number plates while on your bike, but on two occasions I have reported motorcyclists using bike lanes to the police (who have issued them with a warning). But in reality it all seems pretty pointless as the motorcyclists who I have spoken to, have pretty well told me to stuff off. It seems that if its road, it equally belongs to them.
No, it isn't just you. I've noticed the same thing. In addition to motorcycles using bike lanes at and leading up to traffic lights there is the reasonably new issue of scooters using bike lanes whenever they can to stay out of the traffic.
When I'm not riding my bike I can normally be found riding my motorcycle but my opinion falls in favour of the cyclist on both counts. Motorcycles can lane split if they want (I don't) but they should be leaving the bike lane clear for bikes. Realistically, motorcycles don't cause that much of an issue unless they are trying to push past cyclists to get to the front but I've never seen that happen. When the lights change they are gone before you know it but it is still a bike lane and we cyclists should not have to put up with having their noise and pollution in our faces.
There are two things that worry me about scooters. The first is that if the riders feel the need to use the bike lane they are doing so because they are not confident riding in traffic or feel they are on an underpowered machine and can't keep up with the flow of traffic. Either way you have to wonder how safe they are when the bike lane ends. The second is that as soon as oil prices go up again there will be more and more of them on the roads. You can buy a cheap Chinese made scooter for less than $2000 new. As the numbers of cyclists and scooters increase we are going to see accidents in bike lanes unless scooter speeds in bikes lanes are regulated.
A few months ago I did see a scooter rider get cleaned up in a bike lane, going down Pulteney street. Car did a right turn in front of him and cleaned him up. If he was on a bike he would have seen it coming / never have been travelling that fast. Especially since all the other traffic was stationary.
Justice was served? The rider was okay, but his scooter wasn't. A good result in my opinion.
I've seen many cycles with small petrol motors and electic bikes on the Westside Bikeway and in surrounding bike lanes. They probably assume that their machines occupy a grey area. One can argue that human powered bikes are more vulnerable (slower acceleraton, fatigue factor) and I would certainly like to see fewer non-human powered cycles in our lanes. Having said that, I wouldn't want to ride one of these very light, underpowered cycles as part of regular traffic. I'm not sure what my level of outrage should be. Motorcycles using bike lanes, on the other hand, appears clear cut; they have no place in bike lanes and this should be enforced.
There seems to have been a substancial increase of these petrol driven bikes on the road this summer and all too often the riders seem to be riding dangerously, riding on the pavement, crossing intersections by using the pedestrian crossings, powering around corners and crossing into the opposing traffic lane.
Unfortunately it isn't just the boys but the men too. Mind you the lads on their over-powered sports bikes are the biggest threats but there is a resurgence in 40 - 50 year olds getting back into riding motorcycles. Some of these guy's memories of what they used to do on bike 10, 15 or 20 yrs ago doesn't equate to their current skill level and they are increasingly getting into trouble. | <urn:uuid:a6bff520-73ab-4e73-b68a-db9485ae75d2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.adelaidecyclists.com/forum/topics/ever-increasing-trend-of?page=1&commentId=3086792%3AComment%3A8589&x=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984785 | 865 | 1.570313 | 2 |
A tenet of ethical reporting is to verify information not personally known to the reporter. That's true even if -- especially if -- a public official, a public figure or a syndicated columnist makes a claim of public concern.
Sometimes the only people likely to know what's going on are the sole source(s) for the information. That's often the case when a passenger plane crashes in some remote place and all we have is what the airline says.
That's also why you sometimes see or hear that someone with authority "did not return telephone calls or emails asking for confirmation...." Or, in the case of the hundreds of Americans sickened with salmonella, if the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say it's probably contaminated tomatoes, that's what we report. No one knows better.
Failures to try to verify can embarrass reporters as well as the men and women we quote.
Think of credulous national and local figures who claimed that Chinese were drilling for oil off the Florida coast in collaboration with Castro. Whether Rep. Jean Schmidt or columnist George Will, they went public without bothering to verify an assertion that screamed for further attention.
They were wrong. It wasn't true.
My issue is with news media that repeated their assertions without checking further. Were it true, it would have been a huge story. Granted, it was Soviet missiles in Cuba, but Chinese and Cubans drilling for oil off our coast?
Why didn't the White House or Florida governor screamed "national security?" How could it happen without anti-Castro Cubans in Florida crying bloody murder?
Either it didn't happen or there was such a monstrous conspiracy that it could only have been hatched on a grassy knoll.
And the news media were asleep. Again. Repeat what Schmidt said. Print what Will wrote. If a Democrat were as incurious, report it. Stenography.
An earlier, unresolved failure to verify involves TV images of a Palestinian child fatally shot by as he huddled with his father during a Gaza firefight in 2000. Veteran reporter Charles Enderlin and his network, France 2 TV, blamed Israeli soldiers.
Anne-Elisabeth Moutet in the Weekly Standard says that when skeptics asked how anyone knew Israelis fired the fatal shots, Enderlin and France 2 TV denied the possibility of error. Moutet says Enderlin and France 2 also resisted efforts to show the entire 27-minute video tape and denied the possibility of any error even though Enderlin didn't see the shooting and relied on what the videographer told him.
Finally, according to Moutet, the tape has been shown. She says it shows Palestinians staging various scenes for the Palestinian freelance videographer who provided the genuine killing images.
"All of those present at the screening ... ended up in full agreement that it was impossible to determine where the bullets had come from but that it was highly unlikely that they could have come from the Israeli garrison," she wrote. "More crucially, (critics) caught Enderlin lying.... There was no 'unbearable agony' of the child anywhere on the tape, they wrote. It wasn't edited out, it simply did not exist."
Had Enderlin viewed the entire tape, it would not have verified the videographer's attribution of blame for the shooting death.
In short, the evidence would not have verified the "facts" offered by the videographer, reporter and network.
Another egregious example involves the recent "discovery" of a remote Amazonian tribe. You probably know the photo: tribesmen pointing spears or arrows at the photographer's low-flying plane.
Peter Beaumont, the London Observer's foreign affairs editor, tipped me to the credulous reporting. He says "that far from being unknown, the tribe's existence has been noted since 1910 and the mission to photograph them was undertaken in order to prove that 'uncontacted' tribes still existed in an area endangered by the menace of the logging industry."
Beaumont credits Al Jazeera English for blowing the whistle. Al Jazeera initially called called the Indians "one of the world's last uncontacted tribes."
Sensing further possibilities, Al Jazeera reporter Gabriel Elizondo interviewed expedition leader José Carlos Meirelles in a remote corner of northwest Brazil. Meirelles is a sertanista, a specialist who seeks such isolated groups and works to protect them from encroaching loggers, miners, ethno-botanists, missionaries and other representatives of civilization.
"When we think we might have found an isolated tribe, a sertanista like me walks in the forest for two or three years to gather evidence and we mark it in our GPS [global positioning system]," Meirelles told Al Jazeera. "We then map the territory the Indians occupy, and we draw that protected territory without making contact with them. And finally we set up a small outpost where we can monitor their protection."
Al Jazeera continues: To find the tribe, Meirelles had dozens of new GPS coordinates and the Brazilian National Indian Foundation (FUNAI) and the Brazilian state of Acre -- where the tribe had been spotted -- provided him an aircraft, pilot and two photographers.
"I had years of GPS coordinates and a friend of mine sent me some Google Earth coordinates and maps that showed a strange clearing in the middle of the forest and asked me what that was," Meirelles said. "I saw the coordinates and realized that it was close to the area I had been exploring ... so I needed to fly over it."
Meirelles flew over the border region with Peru and saw huts that belonged to isolated tribes but saw no people. "When the women hear the plane above, they run into the forest, thinking it's a big bird," he said. "This is such a remote area, planes don't fly over it."
The pictures of the huts and indigenous agricultural areas were valuable evidence that the communities were growing, according to Meirelles, and that the policy of no contact was working. Meirelles finally spotted a large community and numerous women running into the forest with their children. He flew back over the exact area later, knowing the men would be back from hunting, Al Jazeera continued.
Upon a second flyover, he captured the iconic images of red-painted tribesmen throwing spears at the aircraft were taken.
"When I saw them painted red, I was satisfied, I was happy," he said. "Because painted red means they are ready for war, which to me say they are happy and healthy defending their territory."
Meirelles says he released the pictures and video as powerful and indisputable evidence to those who say isolated tribes no longer exist.
"This region of Brazil (the Amazon) probably has the highest concentration of uncontacted tribes in the world," he said, adding that Brazil has 69 references to isolated tribes with little to no contact with the outside world -- 22 of which have been confirmed.
• With scores of newspaper journalists being bought out and fired each month, there is no way we'll ever again get the amount of news to which we've been accustomed. (See info on last week's announcement of staff cuts at The Enquirer here.)
There is a limit to "doing more with less." If you're not watching journalism blogs, you might have missed the gruesome bloodletting at some of the nation's best papers and staff reductions almost everywhere. At best, open positions are unfilled to avoid layoffs.
Survivors are grateful but often dispirited. They're asked to fill pages with less substance, shoot digital photos and video and post on the Internet as well as writing for the paper.
In the short term, it's a godsend to people doing public relations and editors and publishers who always feared that too much depth might alienate or anger people they don't want to alienate or anger. Whether diminished papers will be authoritative vehicles for public relations messages or thin gruel is unlikely in the long term.
In too many pages, it seems that anything that isn't obscene, libelous or offensive gets in. It's worse on the Internet as "reader content" replaces journalism and stupidly misnamed "citizen journalists" begin to think they are the real thing.
• Sure, there are some important campaign stories, but too many recall playground name-calling. One way to avoid campaign news fatigue is to turn to BBC World Service and London and other foreign, English-language dailies with their selective, focused coverage and freedom to ignore bullshit stories that American editors use rather than risk being accused of partisanship.
BBC World Service has a good Web site with tightly written stories as well as access to its broadcasts online. Dailies include Guardian and Independent (liberal), Telegraph (conservative) and Times (whatever Rupert Murdoch concludes serves his interests). Other sites include France 24 and Al Jazeera English with their obvious perspectives.
• Enquirer letters to the editor too often accuse the paper of bias based on the display of one story. Dumb. If anything, those letters reveal reader ignorance of how news judgments are reached. | <urn:uuid:3fcf6b25-2dce-4957-be63-519d45456a75> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.citybeat.com/cincinnati/article-15882-getting_to_the_real_truth.html | 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 | 0.971217 | 1,869 | 1.664063 | 2 |
The Community Health and Nursing Services reaches out to its constituents through basic health care by providing access of health services among affected/ vulnerable groups by utilizing intensive trainings as its main strategy in the implementation of its community programs.
Philippine Red Cross needs our help to sustain its operations.
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Philippine Red Cross (PRC) has six (6) services in promotion of its programmes such as:
1. Blood Service - The PRC gives comprehensive blood services, which include donor recruitment, collection and storage of blood, blood testing, processing and supply to the hospitals in accordance with the provisions of R.A. 7719.
2. Disaster Management - The roles of the Disaster Management Services (DMS) are to provide relief in times of disasters and to carry on measures to minimize the suffering caused by them. Disaster preparedness is also a major component of its program that aims to prepare especially the vulnerable communities in the event of calamities.
3. Safety Services - Safety Services is tasked with a nationwide educational campaign to ensure the health and safety of the Filipino people. To effectively carry out these tasks, the Safety Services program includes the conduct of training in: First Aid, Basic Life Support - Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, Water Safety (Swimming, Aquatic Lifesaving & Life Guarding), Accident Prevention and other basic rescue courses (EMT-Basic, Rope Rescue Technician, Vehicular Extrication, etc.)
4. Community Health and Nursing Services - the Community Health and Nursing Services reaches out to its constituents through basic health care by providing access of health services among affected/ vulnerable groups by utilizing intensive trainings as its main strategy in the implementation of its community programs.
5. Social Services - We are committed to provide welfare services that are responsive to the changing needs of the people and deliver these services with quality genuine concern and with human touch.
6. Red Cross Youth - Its mission is to educate and empower the children and youth in the spirit of Red Cross through constructive trainings and effective leadership, and provide opportunities for directing and harnessing their energy and idealism into worthwhile humanitarian activities. | <urn:uuid:315d1a25-8c58-49a6-9582-3f3ddf866bc7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.multiply.com/search/?q=Services&from=raymond42n | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934196 | 566 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Posted on December 29, 2011 by malbell
I have just read a really interesting post by Dan Barker in the Huffington Post United Kingdom edition. The post is titled “Decline and Fall: The UK’s Shocking IT Education Record”. It follows the recent Ofsted report on ICT education in schools.
In the post, Barker, a professional software developer, bemoans the fact that U.K. schools have a terrible record when it comes to teaching ICT skills. In a telling phrase he states: “I left school in 2007. In my entire time at secondary school, I had around 30 hours of computer education, concentrated between the ages of 11 and 12. I was not offered computing as an option at either GCSE or A-Level. Looking back now, it’s only because of my learning outside of school that I can do my job today. In that regard, none of my formal education prepared me in any way for the bulk of what I do from day to day”.
This is a young I.T. professional who is only too aware of the place that ICT skills have in the current world economy. He bemoans the fact that he deals with school leavers who do not have basic skills in this key area of the curriculum. He is wiling to attack politicians for their lack of awareness of the importance of these skills in fitting a young person for the digital world that we all now live in.
His final paragraph is perhaps the most concerning for us:
“The good news is that the problem is apparently now moving up the political agenda, with Michael Gove, the education secretary, admitting recently that he thought that computer science needed to be taught more in schools. But with the great credit-funded consumer boom only just spluttering on as we stare into the precipice of what is widely predicted to be another recession, and with a record 1 million 16 to 24 year-olds unemployed, the uncomfortable question is: Is this too little, too late?”
I can only add to this that it is about time that those people who are discussing the curriculum in schools appreciated the need to get to grips with the use of technology in education and the need to allow children to train in the proficient use of this technology so that they have the key skills that are required in order to compete on a global scale in the 21st century.
Filed under: Digital Technology, The 21st Century school | Tagged: ICT, Information and communication technologies in education, Ofsted | 1 Comment »
Posted on December 21, 2011 by malbell
I was looking in Facebook today and my cousin Jared had posted a link to a wonderful blog post about combatting gender bullying.
The post can be seen here.
As I read through this post which was based on the experiences of a 1st grade teacher who had a child, Allie, in her class who is a girl but preferred to dress as a boy, I got to thinking about how important the lessons that took place were on a key area of significance in the lives of those 1st grade children.
The teacher took the time to address the subject of gender but widened this to look at “differences”. Now the children may have learnt some key skill in mathematics or in spelling or writing that day that may have skilled them up for their tests in the future and maybe given them a lifeskill that would prove important for their future welfare. Whatever they learnt in these subjects would be tested at some point and their success or failure would probably come right back at the teacher.
But what about those lessons on “accepting difference”? There would not be a test at the end of the school year and no administrators would be surveying the results and then nervously passing them on to some official so that they could be compared to other school’s results.
Those lessons though may well affect the lives of those children in a huge way. They may be the most important lessons that they will learn in that class that week. As they grow older and have to work out their own personalities and attitudes it may well affect how they relate to other adults, how they bring up their own children and what kind of a world we all get to live in.
In classrooms throughout the world there are lessons such as these happening each school day. They do not appear in grade listings or in sets of data that can be used by politicians and media personalities, they are at the heart of good teaching and effective learning and they change lives.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
Posted on December 18, 2011 by malbell
I found out the other day whilst e-reading “Five Minds For the Future” by Howard Gardner, about two types of learners, spotlight learners who roam around the place and seek information from a multitude of sources and laser learners who concentrate on one particular thing and dig deeper and deeper into it.
This morning I was spotlighting around as I like to do, looking at Facebook, Google Plus and Twitter for something interesting to research, to watch, to read, to look at. I found nothing that really grabbed me so I decided to do a search on Google about most beautiful songs of all time.
I watched a couple of videos and didn’t find them all that moving. I was just about to leave my quest when I discovered a link to a song called “Hurt” by the late, great Johnny Cash.
I looked at this video and the power of it amazed me. Here was a song that had been written by Trent Reznor in a dark moment in his bedroom that was to become the last great song of an iconic performer. The words talked of regret, of ending and of ultimate hurt to the ones that you love. It is a dark song.
Cash though and the filmmakers who shot the video turned the song into a testament of his life and a visual farewell to his followers. It was intensely moving.
I turned from a spotlight learner into a laser learner because I felt that I wanted to know more about the song, its creation and effect. I did a YouTube search and found two more videos about how the video fitted into Cash’s last few months. It made me think of how much material there is on YouTube that can be accessed so easily and provide visual evidence for research.
It proved to me yet again how important visual education is in our digital world and how it must become a key part in the study of the future.
Below are the original “Hurt” video and one of the two videos I found about the song…. watch, feel, think, interpret and understand the real power of video as an educational resource.
Filed under: creativity, Digital Technology | Tagged: Johnny Cash, Trent Reznor | Leave a Comment »
Posted on December 15, 2011 by malbell
At long last YouTube have taken note of the concerns about unlimited access to their total content in schools. They have now come out with “YouTube For Schools”which will have vetted videos which can be accessed safely in schools without any comments or advertisements.
Surely this will answer those who have used the “safety” argument for banning YouTube videos in schools. There is, as the well-made video above shows, so many things that students can get from having the ability to access the wealth of material that is available on YouTube.
This has got to be a step in the right direction of getting wider use of technology into schools. Maybe it might convert some die-hard technology doubting teachers out there that there is something in all this new technology stuff!
Filed under: Digital Technology, The 21st Century school | Tagged: Education, Google, YouTube, YouTube For Schools | Leave a Comment »
Posted on December 13, 2011 by malbell
I did a YouTube search on “Children talk about using digital technology in school” and found a really interesting link that was not about children as such, or having them talk about their use of different forms of technology (which was the intention of my search) but which was valuable nonetheless.
This was the link:
in education and learning, is technology doing all it can to help us? Is technology on the cutting edge? Is technology delivering its promise? …
Start playing at search term (40:44)
What I found really interesting about this link was that it actually led me to a specific part of a long video (over an hour) that contained a section where Eric Schmidt (now Executive chairman of Google) talked about the importance of technology.
This idea of starting in a long video at a specific part which relates to a search term was really powerful to me. It made me think about the wider idea of how technology can be used to further learning. It related very much to Schmidt’s point in the video that schools haven’t come to terms with a world of information that is instantly accessible and which can be accessed by technology that is becoming cheaper and more powerful by the year (in an exponential growth).
I would recommend that you access the video at the point of the search term and watch Schmidt as he explains how technology has made the old forms of teaching and learning redundant and how we all need to adapt to a changed world of information that grows by huge amounts on a daily basis (even this blog is adding one tiny segment to today’s input to our well of knowledge!).
Filed under: Digital Technology, The 21st Century school | Tagged: Eric Schmidt, Google, YouTube | Leave a Comment »
Posted on December 10, 2011 by malbell
I retired from full-time work yesterday. I have left at a time of economic uncertainty and indeed I have been able to take early retirement due to being made redundant because of the Government’s public spending cutbacks.
I should feel somewhat concerned about the future, both my own personal one and the future for the rest of us in an age of economic downturn and the threat of yet another recession.
But I do not feel depressed at all. I have plans to extend my learning using the wonderful online opportunities to learn that are available these days with courses on all subjects from the great centres of education from across the world.
In the wider world picture I have found three young people this week who have given me hope for the future. Here are the links I saved in my Diigo account:
10 Dec 11
These stories show me that we have some really outstanding talent in our younger generation. Not only are they outstanding in terms of their personal qualities but they have an outlook that wants to help their fellow human beings.
Kyle Thiermann is a 21 year old surfer who has used his surfing connections to help people to understand about the investments that large banks have made that have led to economic exploitation in countries such as Chile. He has been able to get people to change their investment to local,environmentally friendly banks.
Travis Allen made a YouTube video whilst in high school about the need to promote mobile (specifically iPad) learning. The article that I have linked to above shows just how far he has come in promoting his environmentally friendly ideas. He has become a keynote speaker in many conferences and recently attended the Google Zeitgeist Conference where he met other leading “movers and shakers” from all over the world. He has started his own company that promotes paper-free ideas and the advantages of using new technology to promote effective learning in schools and colleges.
Angela Zhang is 17 years old and she’s just been awarded the $100,000 Grand Prize in the Individual category of the Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology. Her project was entitled “Design of Image-guided, Photo-thermal Controlled Drug Releasing Multifunctional Nanosystem for the Treatment of Cancer Stem Cells.”
Here is a High School student who has developed a means for trying to locate and destroy cancer stem cells which could have far-reaching impact on the ability of the medical profession to combat this horrible disease in the future.
These are just three of many many thousands of amazing young people who give me hope for the future. So, as I go out into the unknown that is my retirement I feel that I have a lot to look forward to and, with amazing young people such as Kyle, Travis and Angela , so do the rest of us.
Here’s to a bright future!
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
Posted on December 7, 2011 by malbell
I have watched two excellent videos today by two of the great movers in our world of education, namely, Sir Ken Robinson and John Seely Brown. I say “movers” following the section towards the end of Sir Ken’s talk where he quotes Benjamin Franklin in saying that “there are three types of people in the world, the immovable, the ones who will move and those that actually move!”
These two people are preaching important messages about the need to have a creative and innovative education system. It is very much against the message of “No Child Left Behind” and other so-called educational reform.
If you have the time, watch the videos. I appreciate that Sir Ken’s is over 40 minutes long but it repays your attention. John Seely Brown is a seminal thinker who has a clear vision of how education must adapt to the challenges of the 21st century.
These men are movers who we would do well to listen, watch and follow.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
Posted on December 6, 2011 by malbell
I have never owned any Apple product! Now there’s a statement that should draw gasps of disbelief from you. This was not because I had any particular dislike of the Mac, the iPod, the iPhone or the iPad but because I found that they always seemed to hit the market at a price that made them to expensive for me to try them.
I have of course come across all of these objects as they are to be found almost anywhere these days at any time. I have seen their functionality and admired their design. I was impressed by the range of Apps that the iPhone had and the ease of use of these Apps. But something told me not to buy or contract any of them and I therefore remained outside the worldwide loop of Apple aficionados.
Last night though I was at a meal with several of my colleagues to celebrate two of us retiring (me being one!) and one leaving for pastures new. I was sitting next to a colleague who showed me her new iPhone 4. She switched on Siri, the voice activated assistant and told me to ask for the latest weather details.
Siri thought for a short while and then came back to me with the details of the weather for our area for the next few hours. I watched (and listened) transfixed. I had seen a video of Siri at work on YouTube but had not been this close to seeing the real thing. This to me was a great moment.
In Siri I see the real potential of the mobile phone as a fast track information system. It does not need text to act and can work efficiently to provide a range of information. It can be used by young and old. Incredibly it is just the start of voice activated technology on phones. It is also yet another example of how Apple has been so powerfully influenced by Star Trek.
I wonder if the young Steve Jobs (who is almost contemporary with me ) sat at home and marvelled at the ability for a human to talk to a computer that could talk back at him and provide information. Like so much of the design of the Apple products it seems to me that we are living in the early part of the 21st century besotted by objects that have their origins (in terms of idea) in the mass media of the 1960′s U.S.A.
Siri has certainly convinced me that this technology is a powerful step forward. I may even become the owner (or user) of an iPhone at long last!
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
Posted on December 4, 2011 by malbell
As it says in the video: A Picture is worth a thousand words
I have grown up and have been educated to express myself in text. I have worked at this for many years and have developed a certain facility for expressing myself in this media.
More and more though I have come to realise that we are moving inexorably towards a society that expresses itself visually. I realise that I have to learn how to do this. I shall be retiring soon and have decided that I want to spend much of my learning time in trying to become more able to express myself visually. I want to become a more effective photographer and I want to explore video.
Here is a photograph that I downloaded today:
This photograph is by Skinnylawyer and was downloaded from Flickr. It is in a series of photographs taken at the 9/11 Memorial. The single rose says it all in a way that my prose cannot.
Surely it is time that we realised the way that the digital revolution has effected the way that our children learn about their world and the way that they would choose to express themselves. A powerful argument is given for the importance of a visual curriculum in the following TedXDartmouth Talk by Brian Kennedy
Filed under: Digital Technology | Tagged: Flickr | Leave a Comment » | <urn:uuid:6ca7cac2-81f1-4aaa-9750-6664b1727fa9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://malbell.com/2011/12/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974874 | 3,614 | 1.835938 | 2 |
A few people have alerted me to this video of toddlers and you can watch as a little boy hugs a little girl multiple times and each time he does, she pushes him away. A few of the times, he seems to be prompted to continue by the person with the camera. It’s a full two minutes and nothing changes – he hugs her, she pushes him away, he gets up and hugs her again and she pushes him away again.
Clearly this isn’t street harassment because they know each other and it isn’t sexual harassment because they’re toddlers and don’t have an understanding of all that, but it is a problematic situation in which adults are standing by and letting (encouraging?) this little boy to do something the girl doesn’t want him to do and then instead of helping her use her words to tell him to stop, they’re letting her push him down over and over.
The Good Men Project linked to the video via the How to Be a Dad’s site, where the author labels the post “My Life with Women” and writes, “This one symbolizes every attempt I’ve ever made at relationships with the fairer sex… …. …. until my wife.”
The he writes, “I could be the misogynist here and make some comments about just how badly the lady little treats this fine, young man, but women are pretty great. Maybe this kid needs to get a job, buy a sweet ride (Power Wheels, perhaps?) and learn some Karate, proving himself a worthy love interest?”
And I find that very problematic. Implying that this little toddler and all women who reject men are stuck-up, bitchy, and only after good-looking or rich men is harmful. Instead of looking at the actions and saying, this girl doesn’t want to be hugged, they are focusing on the poor boy and how mean she is. She may have 10 reasons or only 1 for why she doesn’t want to be hugged by him and all of them are valid and should be respected.
No means no, even when you’re a toddler. Especially when you’re a toddler. Fifteen percent of sexual assault and abuse victims are under age 12. Teaching kids how to protect themselves at a very young age is crucial to helping them know how to prevent or get help if they are victimized and can teach them skills they can use all of their life.
This attitude that women owe men attention no matter what contributes to how, when some men are ignored or rejected by the women they harass on the street, they call them a bitch, a ho, throw trash at them, chase them, or tell them they were ugly anyway. Instead of thinking logically about all the reasons why a woman may not respond positively to a man who hollers at her on the street, men feel it is an affront on their masculinity and lash out.
Another problematic aspect of the video is the number of people who applauded how persistent the kid is. Some people in the comments of posts talked about being disappointed he never got her in the end. Guess what, you don’t always “get the girl” in the end. No means no! 1,006,970 women and 370,990 men are stalked annually in the U.S. We need to teach kids, especially boys because they are the bulk of the stalkers, not to follow or keep hugging etc women and girls who clearly don’t want that attention.
So those are my thoughts on the video, what are yours?Share on Facebook | <urn:uuid:f3313eca-ee0e-45c8-8ffe-2e786edfa12e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.stopstreetharassment.org/2012/05/toddlers/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968322 | 756 | 1.617188 | 2 |
CHANDIGARH: The government's decision to allow further exports of cotton likely to lead to increase in its prices and a drop in domestic availability, as per the concerns of the textile industry in Punjab.
The Punjab industry also fears that the increase in cotton prices would put further pressure on margins of companies, which are already facing challenging phase.
SP Oswal, Vardhman Textiles Chairman, said, “Because cotton export has been allowed, the prices of raw cotton will certainly go up and the stock availability of crop in the country will also be affected.”
On April 30, the government had decided to allow further exports of the natural fibre in 2011-12 marketing year ending September as production estimates have been revised upwards by the Cotton Advisory Board (CAB) and the Agriculture Ministry.
With the Centre's nod for cotton exports, the prices would soon inch up to the level of global cotton rates.
Presently, global cotton price rules at 99.85 cents per pound (453.59 gm), while cotton rates in domestic market stand at 87 cents per pound. | <urn:uuid:2088c04e-fda3-4200-acfa-22f9424bc1f2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://news.indiamart.com/story/cotton-exports-allowance-may-lead-price-hike-decline-domestic-availability-fears-159546.html | 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 | 0.95787 | 224 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Comprehensive Clothes Shopping: from Fabrics to Accessories
Dongdaemun has every fashion item imaginable: fabric, clothes, accessories, and wedding goods. The newest fashion trends, along with the newest fabrics, often make their debut in the market. It is home to the largest clothing suppliers in Korea, and aspiring designers also come to here to hone and test their skills. Cheap and diverse clothes attract not just fashion leaders but also the average consumer. It has become a place frequented by major Korean and international buyers as well.
Dongdaemun Market started as a traditional market in 1905 and experienced its first major transformation in 1970s as it began to develop as a center of the textile industry (both wholesale and retail), further contributing to the fast economic growth of Korea at that time. With the later construction of mega shopping buildings in the area, the market became reborn as the most famous fashion street in Korea.
Wholesalers across the country visit the market at night, forming an iconic night image in Seoul. The market is a mixture of both traditional and modern stores. Some stores maintain their old buildings, selling clothing materials, crafting clothes, or processing them. Modern shopping malls (such as Cerestar, Migliore, Designer’s Club, and Doosan Tower) popped up in the late 1990s, attracting young people by holding frequent music and dance performances at night. Various fashion shows and festivities are also held year-round.
Even though stores may sell goods wholesale, individual consumers and tourists purchase them at retail prices. The market offers special fabrics not found anywhere else and sells material and accessories at very reasonable prices. Simple accessories can even be made on-site at some stores. Plenty of currency exchange services and information desks provide a pleasant shopping experience for international visitors.
Located in front of Exit #14, the Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station, the center provides information in English, Japanese, and Chinese about the Dongdaemun Market, lodgings, and public transportation.
- Small lockers: ₩2,000
- Medium lockers: ₩3,000
• Fees are charged every four hours up to 12 hours, after which fees are charged once every 12 hours.
• Accepted forms of payment: T-Money Card (electronic transit card), credit cards, cash
• Near Exit #14, Dongdaemun Station | <urn:uuid:bdee0c26-da57-446a-9612-c5be65d22963> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SH/whereToShop/whereToShop.jsp?action=about&cid=995824 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962203 | 494 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Thomas Jefferson was a Christian? Many say he was not... but he did what many do; use the bible and select what he wants from it. His form of Christianity was certainly a "cut and paste" as he LITERALLY cut passages he liked and created his own version.
I believe the bible is not "agenda" driven by those who wrote it... I do believe letters and sections were written for specific audiences... but apply to us all. I believe in the miracles, virgin birth, resurrection, etc... but much of the essence of how Jesus wanted us to live are in Thomas Jefferson's version.
I'm not saying we should cut and paste like Jefferson, BUT he carefully read through and thought about the bible. I admire that. He searched and came up with his version. On one hand, as a Catholic, I find huge problems with this, BUT, on the other hand I admire his searching for truth... (I don't want to debate this issue, I'm just stating what I think)
Many "so called" Catholics (and Protestants) do what Andrew Sullivan noted in the attached article: "What does it matter how strictly you proclaim your belief in various doctrines if you do not live as these doctrines demand?" This is a thought that has been going around in my head lately, life-long Catholic that I am.
Here are two articles regarding Thomas Jefferson's "cut & paste":
I do find Andrew Sullivan's article troubling. But it made me think about my Christian faith and whether I have taken responsibility to KNOW it on a personal level.
In order to "Live the Message" we need to know what that means individually, and not worry so much about what others think of our journey. The important thing, as I see it, is that we take a journey and search for answers to our questions.
Happy Easter, everyone. | <urn:uuid:a8ff05e1-733e-464f-a8e8-7ce120b9046d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://margaretbednar365.blogspot.com/2012/04/happy-easter-2012.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98182 | 383 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Moscow’s Anti-discrimination Ordinance sent back for Revisions
February 26, 2013 6 Comments
The Moscow Administrative Council voted Monday night to send a proposed ordinance prohibiting LGBT discrimination back to the two committees responsible for crafting it.
The ordinance, which would prohibit discrimination in areas of housing and employment based on an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity, is a collaboration between the Human Rights Commission and the Fair and Affordable Housing Commission.
City Attorney Randy Fife drafted the ordinance and presented it to the City of Moscow Administrative Committee on Monday night.
Jim Huggins, head of GetEQUAL Idaho, attended the meeting. He reports Fair and Affordable Housing Commission’s Ken Nagy told the committee that in some cases discrimination in housing is necessary, based on past rental history etc. but that it’s wrong to discriminate, “just because of a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity”. According to Huggins, Nagy’s was the only testimony taken during the meeting.
According to Moscow City Councilman Tom Lamar,”The City administrative committee action of sending it forward to the two citizen commissions was not so much for edits, but rather asking for review and input. There were no edits or modification requested by the Council Committee.”
The draft will be presented for a public hearing sometime in March or April. Following the hearing, it will return to the Administrative Committee, who will then decide whether or not to pass it on to the full city council. Huggins speculates that if all goes well, the ordinance should be in front of the city council sometime in May.
If passed, Moscow would join Sandpoint, Boise, and Ketchum in banning LGBT discrimination within city limits. There is speculation that Idaho Falls and Pocatello may be the next cities to take up the matter. Leaders in both towns have previously expressed interest in the idea.
For the seventh time in as many years, Idaho lawmakers will once again be asked to amend the state’s Human Rights Act to include the words “sexual orientation and gender identity” on a state-wide level.
Sen. Cherie Buckner-Webb, (D) Boise, says that she’s prepared to sponsor the measure this session. The language of the bill would be similar to last year’s proposed amendment, with a few minor changes. | <urn:uuid:0ae12a66-d9d0-4f4a-a642-6a267cd0ff02> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://idahoagenda.net/2013/02/26/ordinance-sent-back-for-revisions/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944558 | 494 | 1.546875 | 2 |
|REVIEW: The Silmarillion - Thirty Years On|
Subject: REVIEW: The Silmarillion - Thirty Years On
by Khamūl on 2008/1/6 3:27:17
Just a brief summary for those thinking of buying; thread for comments for those who have read...
The Silmarillion - Thirty Years On
Edited by Allan Turner
Walking Tree Publishers
Pb 162 pp; six articles
This was a good Christmas read; not too heavy, but good scholarship none the less. Focusing only on The Silmarillion.
Opens with Rhona Beare's article A Mythology for England; adapted from her book (J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion; 1999?). Much improved on the small book (if I'm remembering right; I thought it was very plodding & for children?). Touches nicely on the influence of climate on mythology (i.e. the gloomy north); and contributes a 'significant new piece of research' in exploration of the word earendel.
Michael Drout's article Reflections on Thirty Years of Reading The Silmarillion is a very personal account of Drout's own relationship with this book. Odd to see an article written like this by a leading Tolkien Scholar; very good. Covers some familiar ground with nostalgia & death under discussion; gives plaudits to those parts of The Silmarillion, in terms of style & content, that are often the very parts to come under the most criticism.
Anna Slack's Moving Mandos: The Dynamics of Subcreation in 'Of Beren and Luthien' is a rambling article (not in a bad way!) touching on subcreation in Of Beren & Luthien; focusing on the role of oath & song. The spoken word is also discussed in relation to The Gospels and Tolkien's Ainulindale (In the beggining was the Word...)
Allan Turner states in his introduction that the final three articles are concerned with 'the construction of the text'; touching on the editorial role of Christopher Tolkien and the 1977 text proper.
Michael Devaux's article The Origins of the Ainulindale - The Present State of Research (translated from french by the editor Allan Turner) brings together the threads of current research, many of which are French (and have possibly passed those of us in the UK by). Devaux seems to draw on quite a body of (french) research; discussing Tolkien's Catholicity in respect to his creation myth, whilst dissecting all the different elements through all the versions now available to us (through HoME). Although Tolkien's faith is often mentioned in scholarship, this article strikes me as different; perhaps because of the french perspective.
Jason Fisher's From Mythopoeia to Mythology: Tolkien, Lonnrot, and Jerome is the first article (that I've read) that directly & openly discusses Christopher Tolkien's role as author in the writing of The Silmarillion. As often as he is praised for his editorial role in the book's assembly, not many people discuss in detail his role as (essentially) author. Fisher states 'without Christopher, we might have had a 'Silmarillion', in the loosest sense of that term, but we would not have had The Silmarillion'. The Kalevala & The Latin Vulgate Bible are (as is implicit in the title) also disussed.
Nils Ivar Agoy's Viewpoints, Audiences and Lost Texts in The Silmarillion discusses in detail the idea of The Silmarillion coming down to us as a collection of 'lost texts'; both in a secondary way (within the Legendarium) and in a primary way (in the way the texts have physically come down to Christopher Tolkien, and ourselves). Agoy concludes that the 'lost text technique' simply does not work in The Silmarillion as published; whether Tolkien's aim or not; and that the book should be read as a novel by J. R. R. Tolkien.
All in a very good selection of articles; and very current (CoH is mentioned). The book itself is also of good quality; well bound; decent paper. Resonable priced at <£10.
[Thanks to Pieter at TolkienLibrary.com for original recommendation in site updates!] | <urn:uuid:f75eddf3-1957-450b-ab35-d35b64823e63> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tolkienguide.com/modules/newbb/report.php?forum=9&topic_id=542&post_id=3071 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944938 | 891 | 1.71875 | 2 |
The following letter was addressed to President Rodin and was also sent to Almanac for publication.
The human resources consulting firm Watson Wyatt has recently published a report entitled "Human Capital Index: Linking Human Capital and Shareholder Value." In companies studied, they found a strong correlation between the degree to which employees are valued in the organization and the return realized by shareholders over a five year period.
In my six years at the University, I have noticed an increasing trend towards management principles used in business, as opposed to those traditionally found in academia. That is, an increasing attention to quantifiable financial interests, as opposed to nurturing human capital resources. Examples are the alienation of employees by outsourcing, the alienation of graduate students by ignoring their voices in issues where the University perceived a financial stake (health insurance, vending, exclusive service contracts, misleading crime reporting, etc.). More and more, the 'democratic' nature of the academy is being replaced by a more hierarchical management style of business.
These changes seem to come at a time when businesses are actually moving the other way, and recognizing that their human resources are their most valuable assets, and that respecting and empowering their employees yields immense benefits for the organization. The Watson Wyatt report is only one indicator of this trend. I hope that you will study this report (available at www.watsonwyatt.com), and consider how your administration can take steps to appreciate the value of the University's human capital. Tangible improvements in the consultative process will help to heal the marginalization which has already occurred. I'm confident that tremendous improvements in Penn's stature can be realized by reinvigorating a sense of loyalty and belonging among faculty, staff and graduate researchers and teachers.
--David Bergeron, GSAS, Physics & Astronomy
Although considerably outside the inner circles of the debate on separating HUP from the Medical School, and therefore not privy to the details, I am disturbed by one feature seemingly absent from the discourse and that is the unique traditional and historical role of Penn Medical School and its contribution to our history. Severing the centuries old connection of these two institutions is bound to diminish the status of both because this deep pride of origin permeates the medical institution and diffuses into the attitudes of the community and the country. This bond also instills pride into students and faculty, and adds to the motivation of both clinical and basic research. Particularly, as regards research and teaching, the Medical School and the hospital are a complex in which the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, and like history itself, they can only be diminished by sub-division. True the effects of tradition are subtle but they are all pervasive and long lasting. Can the losses due to separation be measured in $$$?
--Robert J. Rutman, Emeritus Professor, Animal Biology, Veterinary School
I fear that your 12-word excerpt of my question to Medical Faculty Senate Chair James Saunders at the special meeting of the University Faculty Senate (Almanac, March 7, 2000, p. 2) may have left readers with an inaccurate impression of the issue I was seeking to raise. I did say the words you quoted, but I was expressing a wish to know more detail about the "efficiencies" being sought in the Health System, rather than merely scoffing in a rhetorical way. More to the point, my comments about administrative cost-cutting were in the context of observing that faculty typically come up with ideas (usually good ones, I will presume) that cost either a little money or a lot of money, and typically view skeptically (often with good reason, I will presume) administrative moves to save money. This division of labor goes far to assure that the hopes of many of us for a real faculty voice in governance will not come to fruition. How, I asked, can the faculty begin to develop its affirmative ideas about judging among differing modes of costs savings?
I did not ask rhetorically; I do not know the answer. Neither did Dr. Saunders, if I understood his response right. But he did, I believe, appreciate the salience of the question. An "answer" cannot be expected unless the Faculty Senate(s) address the question of devising a structure by which the answers can be seriously sought and developed.
--Howard Lesnick, Jefferson B. Fordham Professor, The Law School
Speaking Out welcomes reader contributions. Short, timely letters on University issues can be accepted by Thursday at noon for the following Tuesday's issue, subject to right-of-reply guidelines. Advance notice of intention to submit is appreciated.--Eds.
Almanac, Vol. 46, No. 25, March 21, 2000 | <urn:uuid:561b057e-9646-4c80-8cea-221e2d2ac84e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.upenn.edu/almanac/v46/n25/spout.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95786 | 947 | 1.59375 | 2 |
North County Times: S’mores Galore
S’MORES GALORE: Local chefs put their own twist on campfire treat
By Pam Kragen
August 9 2012 | North County Times
Friday is National S’Mores Day, and the gooey campfire treat seems to be popping up on lots of local restaurant menus this summer.
Nobody knows how s’mores came to be. The ancient Egyptians were the first to use the roots of the marshmallow plant to make a sweet confection. (Today’s marshmallows no longer contain any of the plant, but are made of sugar and gelatin.)
But the first documented recipe for the dessert we know today was published in a Girl Scouts handbook in 1927 (published under the name “S’more,” short for “gimme some more”).
The traditional recipe for s’mores is simple: Roast a marshmallow over an open fire and sandwich it between two graham crackers with a square of milk chocolate. Lately, local chefs have been putting their own spin on the treat.
Margaret Nolan, pastry chef at the Rancho Bernardo Inn, said she doesn’t see s’mores as a dessert “trend” so much as she believes they’re becoming more accepted as a dessert option at fine dining restaurants.
Veranda Cafe, Rancho Bernardo Inn: S’mores-inspired desserts include toasted marshmallows on skewers dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with salted caramel graham cracker crumbs, as well as dark chocolate-based brownies topped with marshmallows and graham cracker crumbs. | <urn:uuid:17342727-878b-4e24-8c8f-fec97d616bbd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ranchobernardoinn.com/north-county-times-smores-galore/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932181 | 361 | 1.671875 | 2 |
View of Trondheim From the River
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"No King in Norway could rule in peace if he failed to have the people of Trondelag on his side."
--Snorre Sturlasson, 12th century Icelandic poet
Trondelag, or Trondheim, has been the city of kings ever since Viking king Olav Tryggvason sailed up the Trondheim Fjord in his longboat over 1,000 years ago and founded Nidaros, after the River Nid. In 999, Olav invited Leiv Eiriksson to stay here as his guest, after which the famous seaman sailed off to Greenland and onto America. Olav himself was canonized as Norway's patron saint with a cathedral built at his gravesite. By the Middle Ages, this central Norwegian city had become an important religious pilgrimage center and trading hub.
After a devastating fire destroyed much of Trondheim in the late 17th century, the city was rebuilt using a gridiron plan with broad avenues intended as firebreaks. This layout has survived, lending an elegant air to Norway's third largest city. Trondheim also enjoys a youthful energy thanks to some 25,000 students in its population of 160,000. Nidaros Cathedral remains Norway's religious center, attracting thousands each July for St. Olav's festival. Locals like to say, "Without Trondheim, all that would be left of the history book of Norway is the cover."
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Other Baltic & Northern Europe Cruise Ports:
Aarhus • Amsterdam • Bergen • Bremerhaven • Copenhagen • Flam • Gdansk • Helsinki • Ilulissat • Oslo • Reykjavik • Riga • St. Petersburg • Stockholm • Svalbard • Tallinn • Travemunde • Trondheim • Visby • Warnemunde
Norway has two official languages: Bokmal or "book language," derived from Danish, and Nynorsk, derived from many rural Norwegian dialects. Bokmal is the more common of the two languages with Nyorsk spoken in the fjord country along the west coast and in the central valleys. Norway's oldest language, Sami, is spoken by the country's indigenous people. Most Norwegians also speak English. Interestingly, fjord is a Norwegian word that's become part of the international lexicon.
Currency & Best Way to Get Money
At the time of this report, $1 U.S. = 5.4 Norwegian kroner (NOK) but do check with www.xe.com for current currency conversions. Unlike Denmark and Sweden, Norway is not a member of the EU and the Euro is not legal tender. ATMs are located throughout Trondheim's city center. Banks, the main post office (Dronningens gate 10), and the Tourist Information Office all change currency.
Where You're Docked
A German coastal defense battery guards the approach to Trondheim Fjord, Norway's third longest fjord, an eerie reminder of the city's five-year occupation during World War II. The Hurtigruten fleet docks at the harbor north of the city center, a 15-minute walk to the train and bus terminal. From there, it's a short walk across the bridge to central Trondheim (cab fare from the Hurtigruten dock to the city center is about $14).
Historic Trondheim sits on a triangular island bordered by the River Nid and a long arm of the fjord. The city's heart is its main square, Torvet, with a towering statue of Olav Tryggvason, Norway's patron saint. The tourist office here rents bicycles and sells tickets for guided city tours. On the square's south end, there's a popular outdoor market with flowers, souvenirs, and fruits and vegetables for sale.
From Torvet, it's a pleasant stroll north along Munkegate to Stiftsgarden Palace, a residence of Norway's royals. To the south are Nidaros Cathedral, Archbishop's Palace Museum, and the Museum of Decorative Arts. East of the Cathedral is Gamle Bybro, the 19th century Old Town Bridge that crosses the Nidelva River. The bridge offers great views of Kristiansen fortress and the wharves, and leads to Bakklandet, a former working class area whose old wooden buildings have been converted to fashionable boutiques and restaurants.
Trondheim is pedestrian friendly with many attractions located in the city center. For visits northeast to Ringve Museum and southwest to the Trondelag Folk Museum, it's best to use public transportation. Bus drivers sell a single ticket for $4 or an unlimited 24-hour ticket for $10.
Another option is renting a bicycle from the city's 125-bike fleet at the Trondheim Tourist Office. For $13 plus a $37 deposit, you have use of a bike for up to 24 hours. The only hitch is you must return the bike to one of 10 stations around the city after three hours and take another bike (Munkegate 19).
Taxi stands are located at Torvet, Trondheim's central rail station, Sondre Gate, Nedre Elvehavn, Nordre Gate, and the Radisson SAS Royal Garden Hotel (TronderTaxi, phone #07373, Norgestaxi #08000). Car rental offices include Avis (Kjopmannsgt 34), Hertz (Innherredsveien 103), National (Ladeveien 24), and Budget (Kjopmannsgt 41). Daily rates are pricey: For example, a small manual car from National including 62 miles costs $94 per day; an automatic station wagon or similar car with 62 miles runs $122 per day.
Ferries leave frequently from Ravnkloa jetty for Monk Island (late May to September, 50 kroners roundtrip).
Watch Out For
Hurtigruten ships are very punctual -- so be aware of the time when sightseeing independently.
Nidaros Cathedral and Archbishop's Palace Museum: This impressive, Gothic-style cathedral was completed in the early 14th century over the burial place of St. Olav, Norway's patron saint. Over the ensuing centuries, a series of fires badly damaged the church. Highlights of the extensive restoration begun in the late 19th century include stained glass windows, two German organs, and sculptures on the west front. Next door, the Archbishop's Palace Museum houses Norway's national regalia as well as original Cathedral art and sculptures, including the St. Olav altar front painted over 700 years ago. It's possible to time a visit here with an organ recital given Monday to Saturday at 1p.m., a summer service with music held Monday to Friday 5:40 to 6 p.m., or year-round services held Sundays at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. (admission to the cathedral and museum is $19, cathedral only is $9.50).
Ringve Museum: This 18th century summer manor house, formerly the childhood home of Norwegian naval hero Petter Wessel Tordenskiold, is now Norway's national music museum. The former barn has been turned into gallery space for the museum's impressive collection -- covering four centuries of musical instruments from around the world. In the elegant manor house, with period rooms named for famous composers, tour guides play Chopin and Beethoven on antique clavichords, organs and square pianos. Ringve's setting is also charming – with great views of Trondheim Fjord and a 32-acre botanical garden (Lade Alle 60, two miles east of the city center, bus No. 3 & 4, $14). Guided tours are offered mid-May to mid-June, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily; mid-June to August 5, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily; August 6 to September 9, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.
Been There, Done That
Trondelag Folk Museum: This Norwegian Williamsburg is an open-air museum located around the ruins of King Sverre's medieval castle. Some 60 structures have been reassembled, including 200-year-old barns with sod roofs, farmhouses, cottages and a stave church. "Images of Life" and "The Tronder Bride" exhibitions depict life in the region over the last 150 years. Also on the grounds is Sverresborg Ski Museum, tracing four centuries of Norwegian skiing (Sverresborg Alle, three miles west of the city center, bus No. 8, $15). Hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, June 1 to August 31; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday and 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, September 1 to May 31.
Stiftsgarden Palace: With over 140 rooms, there's no shortage of space when Norway's royal family comes to town. In fact, this yellow structure is Scandinavia's second largest wood building. Built in the late 18th century as a private home, the palace features furnishings in a variety of styles, like Biedermeier, Chippendale and Hepplewhite. Princess Martha Louise had a reception here in 2002 after her wedding at Nidaros Cathedral (Munkegate 23). The palace is open June 1 to August 20; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Guided tours are $11 per person and start on the hour from the rear.
National Museum of Decorative Arts (Nordenfjeldske Kunstindustrimuseum): This museum's permanent collection includes gorgeous glass, silver, costumes, textiles and furniture from the 16th century to today. Art nouveau lovers shouldn't miss Belgium architect Henri van de Velde's 1907 interior designed for the museum. The entire second floor is devoted to the work of three pioneering women artists: tapestries by Hannah Ryggen and Synnove Anker Aurdal, and glass designs by Benny Motzfeldt (Munkegata 5, 60). Entry fee is $11 per person and hours of operation are June 1 to August 20, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday; August 21 to May 31, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, and closed Mondays.
Monk's Island: This popular summer beach destination has a dramatic history -- from an ancient execution ground and 11th century monastery to 17th century fortress and prison. Unfortunately, its cannons could not ward off the Swedes, who conquered Trondheim in 1658 and 1718. The prison's most famous inmate, Danish Count Peder Griffenfeld, spent 18 years here in the late 17th century. The tiny island is a mile and a quarter offshore, a quick 15-minute ferry ride on the hour from Ravnkloa (adults $9, fortress tours $5.50).
Local Eats: Bakklandet Skydsstation serves reasonably priced Norwegian standards for lunch and dinner in an old coaching inn. Try baccalao, dried salted cod in tomato sauce, and kjottkakaker, meat cakes (Ovre Bakklandet 33, open daily from noon to 1 a.m.). Bring a hearty appetite to Vertshusset Tavern for Norwegian peasant food like meatballs in brown gravy with pea stew, sour cream porridge, fish cakes and fish soup. On Tuesdays, the cozy, 18th century tavern serves all-you-can-eat potato dumplings for under $19 (Sverresborg alle 7, Sverresborg Folkemuseum; 4 p.m. to midnight Monday to Friday, 2 p.m. to midnight Saturday, and noon to midnight Sunday).
Gourmet Options: Havfruen (The Mermaid) just celebrated its 20th anniversary. The seasonal menu changes monthly and stars ingredients like giant scallops, king crab, lobster, oysters, blueberries and chanterelle mushrooms (Kjopmannsgata 7, open from 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday). With a floating pontoon terrace perfect for summer evenings, Chablis brasserie just across the Old Town Bridge serves three- and four-course Norwegian cuisine as well as an a la carte menu (Bakklandet 66; 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Monday to Saturday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday).
Restaurants Close to Main Attractions: Located in a 200-year-old former blacksmith's forge near the Archbishop's Palace, rustic Grenaderen features Norwegian fare including lutefisk, beefsteaks, pork ribs, and smoked salmon. The daily lunch buffet and special Sunday buffet are good values at $24 and $31, respectively (Kongsgardsgata 1; noon to midnight Monday to Saturday, noon to 9 p.m. Sunday). Egon, located atop the Tyholt radio tower, revolves one complete turn every hour, with spectacular views. On Sundays and Mondays, there's a pizza buffet for $20, a bargain in Norway (Otto Nielsens vei 4, Tyholt; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.).
Staying in Touch
For free internet access, try the Trondheim Public Library (Peter Egges plass 1). The library is open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, September to April, and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays). If you're in a hurry, Spacebar Internet Cafe has 40 terminals and charges $7.50 per hour with a $3.75 minimum (Kongensgate 19, enter Prinsensgate, weekdays 10 a.m to 2 a.m, weekends 24 hours).
Hurtigruten's fleet offers two excursions. Northbound itineraries feature a bus tour combining Nidaros Cathedral and Ringve Museum; southbound itineraries feature a tour with stops at "Utsikten" ("The View") and Nidaros Cathedral (2 hours, $51).
For More Information
On the Web: www.trondheim.com and www.trondelag.com
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--by Susan Jaques, a Los Angeles-based writer whose favorite travel adventures are with her husband and teenage son and daughter. In addition to Cruise Critic, Jaques' articles have appeared in the Los Angeles Times and Los Angeles Magazine.
--photos of bridge, cathedral and river bank appear courtesy of Johan Berge/Innovasjon Norge | <urn:uuid:9d936e53-df23-41e8-aabc-214c33f6f8b8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/newport.cfm?ID=207 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933883 | 3,225 | 1.84375 | 2 |
Haga Family Stories
The Haga Family Stories book project is a labour of love, blood, sweat and tears. And that was just at our end.
It was all made possible by our dear client who spent close to four years devoted to gathering and writing content in painstaking detail (including several visits to see the surviving senior family members in Vulcan to get their stories). 460 pages, full of authentic family history and memorabilia. We started the design of this book at the beginning of the journey and saw it through to completion three and a half years later. By the end of it we felt like family.
This book is a tribute to the Haga family, who immigrated from Norway, and chronicles the life story of the family’s hardships and victories growing up in Vulcan, Alberta between 1905 – 2010. There are 13 chapters that represent each sibling (and their extended families) from the Haga family. The idea of the book all began when our client discovered a trunk in her Uncle Omer’s closet that had been there since 1928 – having travelled from Norway with her grandfather in 1868. Upon opening it up, she discovered that the belly of this trunk held letters, jewelry, legal documents, photos – you name it, it was in there. Right in that moment, the client realized that her family had a story to tell and if she didn’t write it, to pass onto their children and children’s children, it would be lost forever.
Each photograph in the book belongs to the Haga family, aside from a few that were supplied from the Glenbow Museum’s archives. Countless hours were put towards designing all layouts, charts, features, sidebars, timelines and all supporting details such as actual signatures, letters, handwritten notes, personalized mementos and memorabilia of the era.
Each chapter contains at least one feature story, which is illustrated by Vancouver artist, Doug Sandland. Doug worked closely with us to reflect every detail correctly, working from an arsenal of family portraits to get the likenesses correct. Doug’s paintings add life, character and colour to the book.
The book is designed in muted, sepia earth tones, representative of the era. Timelines showcase specific moments, and photos from decades past start to sprinkle into a brighter presence. The cover is embossed with the monogram “H” and includes a tipped in image framed in gold foil, as is the book title and spine. The book was printed, bound and shipped to Vulcan just in time for the 2010 Haga Family reunion. | <urn:uuid:356c69a6-2698-49ea-bdb9-0cb7517521f1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://tugboatgroup.com/portfolio/projects/haga-family-stories | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972458 | 529 | 1.601563 | 2 |
There was a time when toys didn’t plug in and the batteries were your imagination. They had sharp edges, eye-poking points, were violent, racist, sexist, and promised to make boys into men and girls into mommies.
Every boy had to have a cap gun and every girl wanted a play kitchen. Our parents go goo-goo over these toys when they see them in an antique store or see an old ad on YouTube. What was so great about them? Certainly creatives love toys. Go into any art studio and there will be toys galore. Vinyl figures that cost a week’s salary can be found on every desk and blind box toy collections that are complete bring a level of respect and jealousy.
I once heard someone say that as adults, we love toys because they are the first art form...
And here’s another great freebie for all WDD readers.
This one was designed by Carlos Viloria and it’s a very attractive business card template with a retro style. It has the perfect balance between elegance and creativity with a modern twist.
The files are provided as two separate PSD files and can be used for both personal and commercial uses.
You can find more great free and premium files at CarlosViloria.com. If you have a freebie that...
Todd McLellan is a Canadian photographer, originally from Saskatchewan (Canada).
His interest in the creative field all started from a kindergarten finger painting class, with his father encouraging him into the field of photography at an early age.
In one of Todd’s newest projects, he disassembles various items such as a Pentax Camera and a Suffolk Lawnmower (among plenty of other things), rearranges the pieces into a neat presentation and then photographs them.
The high amount of detail and thought put into the work makes the project very inspiring and a joy to look at. You’ll...
Irina Werning is a photographer who loves to look at other peoples’ old photographs. Instead of just admiring the photos, she wonders how people would feel and look if they were to reenact the same photos today.
This project, titled Back To The Future features a collection of her photographs of individuals and groups of people reenacting a photograph that was taken in the past (usually many years ago).
The result is somewhat beautiful. You can tell just from one photo that a lot of work has been put into research, locations and props for each and every shoot – even time and money has been...
The vintage and retro style is becoming more and more popular in today’s digital artwork.
The use of retro and vintage themes in design is probably one of the most pervasive trends since the industry went almost completely digital.
In today’s post, we’ll look at examples of work sourced from the wonderful Dribbble, which helps us focus on snippets of a piece, rather than the entire design or illustration.
From here, it’s possible to identify what techniques have been used and to describe how they impact the overall design. You will become familiar with... | <urn:uuid:59e222eb-3faa-4a8a-ae76-f51487a589f9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/category/design/retro-2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966755 | 650 | 1.539063 | 2 |
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Blog Entry# 203956
Posted: Jul 13 2011 (10:42AM)
Last Response: Jul 15 2011 (12:14AM)
what is the ICF Coaches, and LHB's.
Jul 13 2011 (11:03AM) ↑⇑ ↓⇓ ←→
Abdunnoor Patankar 43 blog posts 5 correct pred (50% accurate)
ICF= integral coach factory.
Integral means that these coaches do not disintegrate (get crushed, brak) lengthwise in the case of accident, u may have seen coaches one above the other in accident scene, but broken coaches are very rare. This is bcoz the coaches are made of single shell bodies.
LHB= is the name of company, these coaches are all metal, lighter and still can accomodate more passengers by being lighter.
25 posts - Wed Jul 13, 2011 - are hidden. Click to open.
20 posts - Thu Jul 14, 2011 - are hidden. Click to open.
Jul 15 2011 (12:13AM) ↑⇑ ↓⇓ ←→
Kota Jhalawar Pass is must** 7368 blog posts 14899 correct pred (62% accurate)
Also I have seen recently that space between two LHB coach is very less even more that half in normal train also roof is little higher but I could not go to inside since I was on platform number 1 and train arrived at 3 at bhopal junction. LTT-gorakhpur.
Doors are nice. | <urn:uuid:67e3ae55-66ef-42fe-8bb4-4dc854d89c57> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://indiarailinfo.com/blog/post/203956/16 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936008 | 383 | 1.601563 | 2 |
University of North Carolina at Wilmington: Invasion of Professor’s Privacy and Suppression of Speech
A student at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington sent an email to Professor Mike Adams and others blaming the September 11th 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. She asked recipients to forward it those interested in "open" discussion. When Adams complied, forwarding it to others accompanied with his own criticism of her ideas, the student demanded that the University grant her access to the professor's private emails so that she could sue him. Although UNC-W's legal counsel acknowledged the student's claims were without legal merit, the administration nevertheless examined the professor's private correspondence. FIRE wrote to UNC-W Chancellor James Leutze pointing out Professor Adams was protected under the First Amendment, and therefore entitled to criticize the student's work. Chancellor Leutze, under intense media scrutiny, declared that Adams was never investigated.
- "UNC-Wilmington Update: Hiding from the Truth," December 20, 2001: In response to growing criticism, the administration of UNC-W has begun an effort to conceal what occured and to spin its way out of the public-relations nightmare that has ensued from its outrageous conduct
- "UNC-W's Form-Denial," December 20, 2001
- "UNC Wilmington, Without Shame, Invades Professor's Privacy and Chills Everyone's Free Speech," December 19, 2001: At the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, administrators intimidated by a would-be censor shamelessly abandoned their moral and legal obligations to protect freedom of speech and privacy rights on their campus
- "Transcript from Interview with UNC Professor Mike Adams on Fox News’ ‘Hannity and Colmes’," Hannity and Colmes (Fox News), November 9, 2001
- "FIRE's Letter to Chancellor Leutze," November 8, 2001
- "The Source of the Controversy," September 15, 2001
- "Nearly Six Years After Filing, UNC-Wilmington Professor’s First Amendment Lawsuit Heads to Trial," by William Creeley, March 26, 2013: In April 2007, Professor Mike Adams of the University of North Carolina-Wilmington filed a federal lawsuit against his institution, alleging that he had been denied promotion in part due to political viewpoints he had expressed in columns written for non-university publications. Nearly six years and one successful appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit later, a federal district court has ruled that Adams’ First Amendment claim may proceed to trial.
- "University Prof's Christian Speech Protected,"
by Bob Unruh, WND, March 28, 2013
- "Professor's lawsuit against UNCW proceeding to trial,"
by Ashlea Kosikowski, WSFX, March 28, 2013
- "You have gall but I have Town Hall,"
by Mike Adams, Townhall, September 10, 2003
- "Professors' Organization to Investigate Erosion of Academic Freedom,"
by Jon Sanders, Carolina Journal Online, October 14, 2002
- "Is Free Speech Free Again?,"
by David Orland, Boundless.org, January 10, 2002
- "UNCW Action Called 'Absurd': Foundation Says School Shouldn't Have Pried Into Professor's E-mail,"
by Mark Schreiner, Wilmington Star, November 3, 2001
- "Speech Codes on Campus,"
by John Leo, Chattanooga Times, October 31, 2001
- "Tasteless Talk and Terrorism; Free Speech Even Applies to Attacks on Apple Pie,"
by Suzanne Fields, The Washington Times, October 4, 2001
- "Campus Hawks and Doves Find Speech is Not So Free,"
by Andrea Billups, The Washington Times, October 1, 2001
- "Don't Tread on Free-speakers,"
by John Leo, US News & World Report, September 5, 2001 | <urn:uuid:95c8ced5-7a7d-4323-ae8c-bc81f7f3c811> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thefire.org/case/634 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960187 | 806 | 1.8125 | 2 |
Wednesday, 20 February 2013
Five ways to live your life with no regrets.
1. Follow Your Own Yellow Brick Road.
Too many people live their lives based on what other people think. They disregard pursuing their hopes and dreams for fear of ridicule and judgement. Don't let that be you!! Enjoy your individuality, choose to be strong, don't listen to the naysayers.... dance proudly down the Yellow Brick Road to find your Emerald City. Step into your dream and create the life you want.
2. Always Be A First-Rate Version Of Yourself.
In the whole history of what ever was or what ever will be, there will never be another you....Ever!! Believe in yourself, trust your instincts, think positively. Put your best foot forward, refuse to compromise who you are and what you believe in. Act with the utmost integrity, walk tall knowing you are doing the best you can in all circumstances. Look after your health, your wealth and your loved ones. Raise your personal standards, if needs be, to be someone who you trust implicitly, spread your wings and Fly.
3. Appreciate The People You Love.
There is no escaping the fact that loved ones are not going to be here forever. It's an unfortunate fact of life. Realise that no matter how much time, or how much you appreciate someone, or how much closeness you feel, it will never seem like you managed to spend enough time together. Don't shy away from the people you love. Open your heart honestly, tell them what you need to tell them, say the words, have the conversations, no matter how awkward or uncomfortable. They will appreciate your honesty. Leave a footprint on their heart.
4. Live The Life You Love.
Before you know it you will be asking yourself the question, "Where did the time go?". Life is over in a flash. It is made up of a collection of moments that express happiness and sadness, each lived one second at a time. Take the opportunity to figure yourself out, realise what you want out of life, take calculated risks, hold on tight to what you love. What makes you, YOU!! Work hard to make your dreams come true, grasp opportunities that come your way. Look for signposts on your journey to show you, you are living a life that you love. Life is shorter than you think.
5. Step Up To The Plate.
When life get tough, the tough get going!! If life doesn't challenge you, it won't change you. As an individual, in order to live, we need to grow. Putting one foot in front of the other, allows you to push through life's greatest challenges. Trust that you are going to succeed, reach for your full potential and stay positive. Forget the mistakes of the past and embrace the future. Today is a new day, the first day of the rest of your life. Spend today with no regrets.....live your truth. | <urn:uuid:d9dbcf1b-a4cd-44f9-9cbb-ea7470063973> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thehomespunenchantress.blogspot.com/2013/02/five-ways-to-live-your-life-with-no.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948688 | 606 | 1.507813 | 2 |
By Blair Humphreys
August 2008 (for an explanation of the delayed posting, see here)
In 1939 Angelo C. Scott, an ‘89er and early civic leader, wrote in his book The Story of Oklahoma City:
“The Chamber of Commerce is the heart that pumps the life blood into the veins of the city. It is the hand-maid and the agent of the city, as vital to its progress as the city government is to its protection and control.”
These words are as true today as they were the day they were written. Following in the footsteps of men like Anton Classen, John Shartel, and Stanley Draper, today’s Chamber leadership has helped push Oklahoma City to new heights. The Chamber has been at the forefront of the City’s dramatic renaissance over the last fifteen years and now hopes to contribute directly to the revitalization of downtown by building a new headquarter’s building at the corner of Fourth and N. Broadway. Their vision calls for an iconic design capable of elevating the status of the Chamber and the City alike, while utilizing a site plan and layout that integrates the project into a rejuvenated downtown and provides for the growing needs of a 24/7 urban community.
The successful development of the new chamber building is critical to the sustained success of Oklahoma City’s ongoing renaissance. For many visitors to Downtown, the new Chamber building will shape their initial impressions of the City, as pointed out by civic leader and current Chamber Chairman Larry Nichols:
“The chamber is often the first place a new company comes when they look at investing in Oklahoma City, and the Convention and Visitors Bureau welcomes tourists from all over the world. The new chamber building will truly be a front door to our community, a way to make a lasting first impression of this dynamic and vibrant city.”
More importantly, the Chamber building will be a model for future downtown development. This is one of the first major projects to be implemented under the City’s new Downtown Design Guidelines and will establish precedents responsible for shaping the future of Downtown’s urban environment. While the soon-to-be-constructed Devon Tower will certainly have a more noticeable effect on the City’s skyline, the new chamber building’s potential to positively influence the experience of pedestrians downtown is unmatched. The building will sit in a pivotal location at the nexus of multiple centers of downtown activity and the project presents a rare opportunity to improve downtown mobility by mending the historic urban fabric that was severed nearly four decades ago by the Pei Plan.
It is clear that improving the pedestrian experience downtown is now a major priority of the city. The aforementioned Downtown Design Guidelines were adopted with the intention of making OKC’s downtown a “vital mixed-use area” containing “a network of pleasant public spaces and pedestrian amenities.” The Chamber has thus far embraced this idea; Chamber President Roy Williams has indicated that he wants this project to be the start of a discussion on how to make the area more pedestrian friendly.
“The reality is that’s a troublesome intersection there,” Williams said. “When Gaylord was put through (in the early 1970s) it created unusual pieces of property and an unusual traffic configuration. It’s not pedestrian friendly. It’s not friendly for crossing. And we see where people might want to walk to us from their offices downtown or from the convention center.”
The Chamber has gone out of their way to ensure that the design for the site would live up to these lofty expectations. They reviewed design concepts from a handful of architects before selecting Allen Brown with Frankfurt-Short-Bruza. Brown’s architectural talent has already been demonstrated by his design for the Donald W. Reyolds Visual Arts Center. The project, which was completed in 2002, is home to the Oklahoma City Museum of Art and can be credited with helping to rejuvenate the city’s Arts District.
Despite the best efforts of the Chamber, the recently released designs for the new building (see below) do not meet their stated expectations, nor are they in keeping with the spirit of the city’s Downtown Design Guidelines.
The proposal calls for a 50,000 square foot building to be positioned away from the street, near the center of the three-acre site, and flanked by an expansive surface parking lot. The resulting density is problematic. With a floor area ratio (FAR) less that 0.40, the site will be less dense than a typical two-story suburban office complex. Further, the area’s need for pedestrian amenities and usable public space are not effectively met. The lack of density seemingly leaves a significant amount of area for this public space, but instead the land is either utilized for surface parking or is rendered useless to pedestrians as one of the small landscape buffers, each isolated by retaining walls that will prevent pedestrian use.
While the “Commerce Circle” appears to represent a significant pedestrian improvement, it is little more than an attempt to dress-up the six lanes of traffic that pedestrians will still be forced to cross. [Note: This aspect of the original plan is not present in the most recent site plan (shown above) and what remains of the circle has been renamed "Commerce Plaza".] In the end, the proposal does little to improve pedestrian friendliness in the area and may even be seen to exacerbate the existing problems for persons walking to downtown from the Flatiron District by adding more surface parking and creating new barriers.
In truth, the majority of the responsibility for the current proposal’s problems belongs to neither the Chamber nor their very capable architect, rather it is a result of the fundamentally flawed planning done by I.M. Pei all those years ago. Pei’s plan was focused on making the central business district car-accessible. He never imagined that pedestrians would be attempting to cross what is now E.K Gaylord, so while he envisioned a pedestrian friendly central business district, the area east of Broadway was planned for cars. Fred Kent, the Founder and President of Project for Public Spaces, who spoke at Oklahoma City’s 2007 Mayor’s Development Round Table says:
“If you plan cities for cars and traffic, you get cars and traffic. If you plan for people and places, you get people and places.”
This has certainly been the case with this area of Oklahoma City. The only way for the objectives of the Downtown Design Guidelines to be met and the full vision of the Chamber leadership be realized is for I.M. Pei’s planning for “cars and traffic” to give way to new planning for “people and places.” The Chamber cannot be expected to fix these problems alone, but requires the partnership of the City – and the support of all those that desire a vital urban center – in boldly re-visioning this portion of downtown. Time is certainly an issue, and such a re-visioning will require some delays, but the new chamber building is of such importance that we must take whatever time is necessary to ensure that it is done right!
Continue reading: Re-visioning the Chamber Proposal, part II
For more on the planning of the Chamber site:
1. Re-visioning the Chamber Proposal
2. Re-visioning the Chamber Proposal, part II
3. Re-visioning the Chamber: Defining Objectives
4. Oklahoman Park: OKC’s First Great Public Space | <urn:uuid:bbff485c-52ce-4a86-ae7e-a85f417c0ff8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.imaginativeamerica.com/2009/01/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948795 | 1,552 | 1.554688 | 2 |
The Night Mother is the Unholy Matron, bride of Sithis, and spiritual leader of the Dark Brotherhood. According to Dark Brotherhood beliefs, she is the wife of Sithis and bore five children. Despite being a relatively powerful spirit, her corpse is needed for communion with her. She receives prayers from people seeking to arrange assassinations via the Black Sacrament, and relays those desires to the Listener, the mortal leader of the Brotherhood. However, since the destruction of the Brotherhood in Cyrodiil, and the death of the Listener in a riot, the last remaining Skyrim Sanctuary has been cut off from contact with the Night Mother. Without a Listener to guide the Dark Brotherhood in way that the Night Mother wants, Astrid has taken complete control of the Brotherhood. They have eschewed the tenets and traditions of the Dark Brotherhood, and to many are considered no better than a group of mercenaries. Although the Night Mother is no longer respected as she once was, she has a plan to help change this and restore the Brotherhood to its former glory.
The Night Mother is being transported by Cicero to the Falkreath Sanctuary when his wagon wheel breaks and they are stranded together near Loreius Farm. Cicero and the Night Mother will make it to the Sanctuary with or without the player's help, and will live there until the destruction of the Falkreath Sanctuary. After the quest Hail Sithis!, she will be transported to the Dawnstar Sanctuary by Babette and Nazir, where she will remain indefinitely.
- She is not technically an NPC. She is implemented as a talking activator, meaning she is just an inanimate object with some associated dialogue. Therefore, she does not have a race, health, magicka, FormID, or any other statistics normally associated with NPCs. However, she will shed red blood if her corpse husk is attacked within her coffin with a bladed weapon.
- In Oblivion, the Night Mother's remains were merely a skeleton, yet 200 years later in Skyrim, the remains have changed to a corpse-like look.
- When she speaks to the player her corpse will appear brighter than normal.
Related Quests
- Delayed Burial: Convince an unwilling farmer to help fix a stranded jester's broken wagon wheel.
- Whispers in the Dark: Spy on the Night Mother's keeper to see if he is planning sabotage against the Brotherhood.
- The Silence Has Been Broken: Meet Amaund Motierre inside Volunruud and learn who he wants assassinated.
- Death Incarnate: Assist Brotherhood members in the fight against the Penitus Oculatus assault.
- Hail Sithis!: One of the biggest contracts in Brotherhood history is yours to fulfill.
- The Dark Brotherhood Forever: Yet another child has prayed to their mother.
See Also
- For historical information on the Night Mother, see the lore article. | <urn:uuid:e040af56-67ad-4432-b929-b19e5049cc4e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Night_Mother | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946865 | 588 | 1.539063 | 2 |
The words “hero” and “role models” are “bandied about kind of carelessly,” Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn said in Vandalia last Wednesday.
Many times, a hero is described as a professional baseball player who hits a home run in the ninth inning, Quinn said while speaking at the unveiling of the “Portrait of a Soldier” memorial at the Kaskaskia College Vandalia Campus.
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If you are new to the award winning Leader Union and wish to get a subscription or simply gain access to our online content then please enter your ZIP code below and continue to setup your account. | <urn:uuid:c07ba18a-bef7-407f-a03a-054b8dae40ba> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.leaderunion.com/content/memorial-exhibit-displayed-kc-vandalia-campus?quicktabs_2=1&mini=calendar-date%2F2013-01 | 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 | 0.936279 | 184 | 1.5625 | 2 |
A December issue of the University Chronicle featured Thierry Amisi, a political science major at SCSU who began writing “Cognitive Science and H. Rationalism: The Human Mind” after an encounter with a professor sparked his curiosity about the way the human mind allows us to recognize people.
This idea, combined with research, grew into a 170-page book filled with Amisi’s own theories and concepts about the human mind.
Now, the book that has been a year and a half in the making is published and available for readers everywhere. Amisi shares his hopes for the book, what he’s learned from the publishing process and his future plans as a published author.
How does it feel to finally be published after all of that work?
I felt relief, the amount of pain or sacrifice or whatever with what I did … I felt happy too because I’ve been telling people, giving speeches and many things about the book and now they can have it and read it for themselves, so I’m happy.
What are your hopes for the book now that it’s published?
I hope it will sell a lot as it is now. It should continue, because it’s been published internationally. Barnes and Noble and Amazon are the leading sellers so far, so I’m hoping that it will sell a lot. The idea isn’t to make money, but just to spread the knowledge of the research. This idea I have, I want people to have, to get to know the content of the book.
You mentioned a couple places the book is available, where else can people buy it?
I believe in bookstores they should be able to get it and if they don’t have it they can easily order them from the publisher, which would be Outskirts Press.
What are you doing to promote the book?
I have a Facebook page and a Twitter page. Besides that there have been more sellers that work with Outskirts Press, and they are doing their own work too. I would say so far most of the books have been bought by people I personally don’t know… mostly in the U.S. and the education field, so I am guessing maybe schools will.
How was the process? Are you happy with the way everything turned out?
Yeah, I am. It should be interesting to see what happens one year from now because I would like the book to have a second edition. So far I’m really happy with the process of how things are going. I have a coach from Outskirts Press. I’m getting a lot of advice from Outskirts Press, a lot of advice from friends and many people who are supportive.
You mentioned a second edition, so that means you’re planning to continue writing?
Yes, this book will have a second edition and I’m hoping to continue adding editions as long as they focus on mostly education. So I guess that as long as I do more research and get more findings on reflections and everything that was talked about in the book, it can always be updated, so this is definitely the first edition. I’m hoping in the future I will have maybe a team to work with so that it makes it easier, but, personally, I have been writing something else that’s not related to this at all. I don’t know when I will get it published, but I’m still writing so I’ll continue publishing.
Now that you’ve been through the publishing process, would you do anything differently?
Yes, I think it will make things much easier. Well, not necessarily easier. I understand that it’s a long process. I’ve learned so far that it takes patience and lots of work because you get assignments from your other consultants to try to get everything in order and legally done according to the policies of the publishing companies and the law of the United States… so I think I’ll be more knowledgeable and understand the process. You go slowly, but you can always get there as long as you’re getting everything that they ask you to correctly, so I am positive.
What advice would you give to anyone who wants to write a book or get something published?
It takes a lot of persistence, courage, and passion. I submitted the book to many companies… only one responded, which means if one didn’t respond I wouldn’t be where I am today. So it takes courage, persistence, and lots of patience to wait until they finish publishing the book. Sometimes it gets very tiresome because people ask questions such as “so when is your book coming out?” and maybe it’s been a month since you told them, and that’s because you believe that by then it will be published but it’s not. So it can get a little discouraging, thinking that people might tend not to believe in you anymore but it takes a lot of patience. If you know what you’re doing just go for it, as long as you try and believe in it. | <urn:uuid:f0159db9-1958-4af0-b4da-a2b75a229dab> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.universitychronicle.net/index.php/2012/07/15/amisi-qa/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973738 | 1,066 | 1.726563 | 2 |
It turns out that former Majority Leader and Presidential candidate Bob Dole was hired last year as a legal consultant by Dubai Ports World to shepherd the deal through, courtesy of Alston & Bird.
Wife Sen. Elizabeth Dole says that she is "deeply concerned" about operations at six U.S. ports being controlled by Dubai Ports World (owned, in case you somehow hadn’t heard, by the United Arab Emirates – AUE). Congrats on her "independence" – I guess.
I have several concerns and questions about this whole situation, so I thought I’d weigh in.
I object to any port operations run by non-Americans. This is a national security issue.
The deal would allow Dubai Ports World to operate ports in New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia. They have been operated by a British company until now – why has no-one objected to that? With that in mind, some of the objections now seem to be to be shadowed by a tinge of racism. That said, and I think it should be acknowledged that it is a possible factor…
Almost 40 percent of the Army cargo deployed in support of military operations in Iraq flows through two of the ports in question. Why isn’t this a matter for military logistics or Homeland Security? Has this always been a private concern? If so, why? If not, how long has it been this way and why are non-Americans in charge at our ports? If this isn’t illegal, it should be.
I thought our policy was to limit dealings with nations that support terrorism. This is actually a state-owned company. They may be allies in some ways, but they do have troubling involvement with international terrorism, including:
– The UAE was one of three countries in the world to recognize the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.
– The UAE has been a key transfer point for illegal shipments of nuclear components to Iran, North Korea and Lybia.
– According to the FBI, money was transferred to the 9/11 hijackers through the UAE banking system.
– After 9/11, the Treasury Department reported that the UAE was not cooperating in efforts to track down Osama Bin Laden’s bank accounts.
Former CIA director Tenet told the 9/11 commission that the United States did not target Bin Laden at a camp in Afghanistan in February 1999 because he was meeting with the UAE royal family. What exactly are our ties here? Is there any connection to the royal family of Saudi Arabia that we’ve been protecting for so long?
It seems very suspicious to me that there are two White House ties on this. One is Treasury Secretary John Snow. The Treasury Department runs the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S (the federal panel that signed off on the $6.8 billion sale of an English company to government-owned Dubai Ports World – giving it control of Manhattan’s cruise ship terminal and Newark’s container port)and he was also chairman of the CSX railroad company that sold its own international port operations to DP World for $1.15 billion in 2004, the year after Snow left to join Bush’s cabinet. The other is David Sanborn, who runs DP World’s European and Latin American operations and was tapped by Bush last month to head the U.S. Maritime Administration. Conflict of interest, crony capitalism, anyone?
Of course, there is standard documentation of Presidential hypocrisy, this one from February 2004:
Part of doing our duty in the war on terror is to protect the homeland. That’s part of our solemn responsibility. And we are taking unprecedented steps to protect the homeland. In the 2005 budget, as the Secretary mentioned, we proposed increases in homeland security spending. And some of those increases are measures to protect our seaports. And that’s why I’ve come to this vital seaport, to remind people — to remind the American people, as they pay attention to the debates in the halls of Congress, that we have a solemn duty to protect our homeland, including the seaports of America.
Bush admits he had no knowledge of the deal before his administration approved it, but he has also threatened to veto any legislation from Congress to overturn the sale. Why didn’t he know? Why would he veto? What’s at stake here?
In a press briefing on the 21st Donald Rumsfeld also claimed ignorance of the deal, but as Secretary of Defense, he is a member of the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States – who unanimously approved the sale on February 13. Huh?
Of course one must ask – how is Cheney involved in this? Here’s one connection – Halliburton has used an offshore subsidiary incorporated in the Cayman Islands (where the company has no oil and gas construction or engineering operations) to trade with Iran. Halliburton Products and Services, a Cayman islands firm headquartered in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, made over $39 million in 2003 (a $10 million increase from 2002) by selling oil-field services to customers in Iran. Offshore money laundering, trade with Iran, avoidance of America’s laws, presumably the usual Cayman Islands tax evasion… Is this just one clue to a much bigger picture? See also "All Roads Lead to Cheney" at Rense for information on a company called Prime Projects International Trading LLC (PPI). By the way, why is Halliburton still working for the US after ripping us off? Why was it awarded multiple no-bid contracts in the first place?
On CNN’s Late Edition (Feb. 19), Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff appeared, only to assert a right to government secrecy.
The discussions are classified. I can’t get into the specifics here…
Why is it ok for Chertoff to refuse to talk about any of this? How can it be "classified"? What information exactly could be entrusted to a foreign government but not shared with the American people?
So my larger question is – who gains from this deal? What is the back story? How could this be classified? It seems to me that this bears a fractal resemblence to numerous other situations this administration has been involved with – The Carlisle Group, Enron, etc.
Homeland Unsecured has a detailed report about how the Bush Administration’s ties to industry and hostility to regulation leave our country vulnerable by failing to secure the most vulnerable, high-impact targets in our country. The report is based on an analysis of five key areas – chemical plants, nuclear plants, hazardous material transport, ports and water systems. citizens who still manage to think that Bush is "strong on security" still haven’t gotten an accurate picture. His comfty appearance as a swaggering little-boy cowboy-wanna-be doesn’t have anything to do with the realities of his policies and priorities.
Some of the Repubicans, every watchful of re-election, are starting to listen to some of their constituents on these topics. What they won’t do for the right reasons, they might do for the wrong ones. I’m not sure how to feel about that exactly, but I do welcome any signs that there might be any no-saying to this increasingly fascistic, heartless war-for-profit administration.
As with many situations involving the Bush administration, we may never know the whole story. | <urn:uuid:2caa874c-713d-4e92-96f6-98111b51f0d7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.virushead.net/vhrandom/2006/02/23/port-questions-et-tu-dole | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96132 | 1,550 | 1.71875 | 2 |
MV Brigitte Bardot (formerly Gojira and Ocean 7 Adventurer) is a unique high-tech 35 m (115 ft) stabilized monohull twin diesel engine powered vessel designed by Nigel Irens. Construction of the Adventurer began in June 1997 and she was launched on 16 March 1998. The official naming ceremony took place on 3 April 1998 in London's West India Dock.
Cable and Wireless Adventurer
Originally named the Cable and Wireless Adventurer
she was built for the purpose of circumnavigating the world in less than 80 days. This was successfully accomplished in July 1998 in 74 days, 20 hours, 58 minutes, traveling more than . This achievement set a new Guiness World Record
for a powered vessel. However, on 27 June 2008 Earthrace
(later renamed Ady Gil
), the biodiesel
powered wave-piecing trimaran, set a new world record when it docked at the Vulkan shipyard in Sagunto, Spain after completing a circumnavigation in just 60 days 23 hours and 49 minutes.
The design of the vessel was evaluated and proven by hydrodynamic tank testing and a 21.3m scale prototype named the iLAN Voyager
completed sea trials to demonstrate the advantages of the concept.
is equipped with state-of-the-art navigation and communications equipment.
Ocean 7 Adventurer
In 2007 the vessel was acquired by Ocean 7, a Cape Town
based marine brokerage and charter operation. The vessel was recommissioned and transferred to a mooring at the V&A Waterfront
. The vessel was available for... Read More | <urn:uuid:478fb672-b05c-474e-be95-c4398fd2fd5c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://pages.rediff.com/mv-brigitte-bardot/1629944 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959428 | 333 | 1.84375 | 2 |
After moving to the U.S. 10 years ago, Juana Carabarin still wanted to cook Mexican food for her family but often didn't have time to go to specialty shops for the ingredients.
Now the Publix grocery in Norcross, Ga., near her home carries products used in Mexican cuisine — including corn husks for tamales, chilis in the spice aisle, chorizo and queso fresco in the refrigerator case and some branded items. And she no longer has to make do with stand-ins.
Several major chains are expanding their specialty offerings to capture business from Latinos, the country's fastest-growing population and already almost one-sixth of the U.S. total in 2008. Other retailers are opening new stores that target Hispanic shoppers.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the nation's largest retailer, is in the process of converting two of its stores in Phoenix and Houston to Supermercados — a test format aimed at Hispanic shoppers. Its wholesale subsidiary, Sam's Club, is opening a store in Houston this summer — called Mas, or "more" — that targets Hispanic shoppers and businesses.
And Lakeland, Fla.-based Publix, which has run a line of Publix Sabor stores for years geared toward Florida's Cuban, Puerto Rican and other Latino shoppers, recently began expanding its Hispanic offerings at its Publix stores in other areas of heavy Latino population, like the store in Georgia where Carabarin shops.
Developing new stores or venturing into new markets may seem like a dicey proposition during a recession, but a recent U.S. Census report shows the Hispanic population grew 3.2 percent between 2007 and 2008. Better serving an existing and rapidly growing population could pay off well for retailers.
Hispanic consumers tend to shop for groceries more often than the average U.S. consumer, cook from scratch more often, buy more fresh items and spend an estimated 20 percent more at the store, according to the Food Marketing Institute.
At the Food Marketing Institute's last count, in 2005, Hispanic consumers spent considerably more on groceries than average U.S. consumers: an average of $133 per week per household versus $91. They also estimate Hispanics direct an estimated 34 percent of their grocery shopping outside their primary grocery store, compared with 18 percent among general U.S. shoppers.
It's that 34 percent these retailers aim to recapture.
Sam's Club said Mas will sell mainstream U.S. products as well as brands and items not often found in the states. Mas will feature a fresh tortilla shop, expanded produce, meat and bakery sections, a full-service health clinic and financial services — through a partner company that is popular in Mexico.
Mas also will have a business side, catering to restaurants, stores or other businesses that want Hispanic-oriented products in one spot with the benefit of its buying power.
While some grocers still contain their Hispanic offerings to an "ethnic" aisle, some experts say the popularity of Hispanic products among Latino and other consumers merits more attention.
"I think there is an increase in appetite across the board for more international experiences, particularly in Hispanic grocery," said Stephen Palacios, executive vice president at consulting company Cheskin Added Value. "The ethnic-specific aisle is eventually going to evolve into everybody's aisle."
A major challenge for retailers will be accurately understanding this diverse and dispersed population.
Felipe Korzenny, director of the Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication at Florida State University, said other retailers who have failed in their attempts to market to Hispanics have failed to understand the nuances among its customers. But he said if Wal-Mart and others simply change the sign out front, that won't be enough.
Wal-Mart says its Supermercados are much more. At its recently opened Houston site, the meat department offers sweet breads, milanesa (a type of veal) and arrachera (similar to skirt steak, for grilling), and the bakery sells fresh corn tortillas.
The new stores — which build on the offerings of Wal-Mart's existing stores and add bilingual signs and a different layout — are more relevant to Hispanic customers, the company says. Wal-Mart often modifies a store to target a micro-market, including installing hitching posts at an Ohio store near a large Amish population and a bike repair shop at a store in a bicycle-friendly community in Texas.
"It's not about putting the same store into every market," spokeswoman Amy Wyatt-Moore said.
Food, more than bicycles or hitching posts, may be key to pulling in new ethnic groups and especially Latinos.
Paul Bryan, director of account planning at Bromley Communications in San Antonio, Texas, the largest ad agency targeting the Hispanic market, said traditional cuisine is a crucial component of the Hispanic experience.
"Food is probably a strong cultural pillar for any culture, but it does seem to play a very strong role in the Hispanic population," he said.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | <urn:uuid:fb6d8904-d7c0-4535-91a1-8c2179c3f1b8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nbcnews.com/id/31356017/ns/business-retail/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950602 | 1,050 | 1.546875 | 2 |
In the immediate aftermath of the Mumbai attacks, India's response has been to look to the United States to lean on Pakistan, which it blames for spawning Islamist militancy across the region, rather than launching any military retaliation of its own. So after U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice's trip to India and Pakistan last week, have the Americans done enough for now?
According to Pakistan's Dawn newspaper, Rice told Pakistan there was "irrefutable evidence" that elements within the country were involved in the Mumbai attacks. And it quotes unnamed sources as saying that behind-the-scenes she “pushed the Pakistani leaders to take care of the perpetrators, otherwise the U.S. will act”.
India's Business Standard said the Indian government was pleased with the U.S. warning. "This is exactly what India wanted," the newspaper said.
The Times of India, however, fretted the U.S. action against Pakistan appeared to be "turning tepid", in public at least. It attributed the U.S. approach to the perceived need to avoid backing the civilian government led by President Asif Ali Zardari into a corner. (India has specifically not accused the Pakistan government of involvement in the Mumbai attacks, pointing instead to militant groups supported by Pakistan's powerful spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence, or ISI.) It also said the United States was wary of destabilising a partner on which it depends crucially as a transit route for supplies to Afghanistan, while also being hobbled by the change of administration in Washington.
So which way is the pendulum swinging -- towards firm U.S. action that will allow Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to say he was right to put his faith in American diplomacy, or a lukewarm response that will either force India to act alone or leave its Congress-led government looking on in helpless frustration as it heads into a general election due by next May? | <urn:uuid:b00715ee-c86d-4295-a146-6c79f8e9f7af> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/tag/pakistan-army/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975087 | 400 | 1.539063 | 2 |
In just five years, the 38-year-old Nadine Labaki has become the director laureate of her tiny, politically fragile country of Lebanon. She first came to prominence in 2007 with her debut, “Caramel,” a sleepily beguiling film about the private lives and longings of four women working in a beauty shop in Beirut, which Labaki, in the starring role, lovingly portrayed as a warmly gossipy city full of battered, Old World charm. The film refused to so much as nod at the 15-year civil war that tore the city apart. “You say Beirut and people think bombs and women crying in the street, but I wanted to show a sweet, everyday Lebanon, on a sunny day,” she says.
Yet with her new film, “Where Do We Go Now?,” which opens on May 11, Labaki directly addresses the country’s deep religious divisions. Set in a mixed Christian-Muslim village, the movie (starring Labaki alongside a cast of mostly nonactors) tells the story of Christian and Muslim women who go to Lysistrata-like extremes to keep their menfolk from turning on each other as sectarian strife breaks out around them. “The film is an homage to all the women in my country who wear black to this day to mourn husbands, sons and brothers,” Labaki says. “It’s a way of saying, ‘Can we talk about what happened in this country?’ Can we turn to one another and say, ‘I did something wrong, and I ask you to forgive me?’ ” | <urn:uuid:28beeaee-32d4-4653-92d8-c027c1bf2dc1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/09/lebanon-lens/?ref=todayspaper | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963405 | 342 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Employees at the huge Honda car factory in Wiltshire have been left reeling today following the announcement that 800 of them are to lose their jobs within the next few weeks. The Japanese company currently employs 3,500 people at its plant at Swindon. Nearly a quarter are to be made redundant.
The company blames a slump in demand for cars across Europe, and says it remains fully committed to long term operations in Britain. The loss of so many jobs will have a major impact on Swindon's economy. Our correspondent Robert Murphy has more.
His report includes interviews with Business Secretary Vince Cable, Kim Ballamy from Honda, Swindon North MP Justin Tomlinson, Jim d'Avila from Unite Union and local businessman Peter Richardson.
The Japanese car firm Honda is to cut 800 jobs at its UK plant in Swindon after a slump in demand for its vehicles in Europe.
The factory employs 3,500 people. Workers were told about the cuts when they arrived for their shifts this morning.
A 90-day consultation period is underway. Honda has siad it is trying to avoid compulsory redundancies.
The multinational has been making cars in the UK since 1992, and has never had job cuts here before. The firm said demand had fallen by a million across Europe.
"Sustained conditions of low demand in European markets make it necessary to re-align Honda's business structure. As such, Honda of the UK Manufacturing (HUM) will enter into forma consultation with its associates to consider these changes and the proposal that it will reduce the workforce by 800 associates by spring 2013.
"Honda remains fully committed for the long term to its UK and European manufacturing operations. However, these conditions of sustained low industry demand require us to take difficult decisions. We are setting the business constitution at the right level to ensure long-term stability and security."
– Ken Keir, Executive Vice President, Honda Motor Europe | <urn:uuid:1b4a89fb-6ee0-4e6d-9335-f9076014c279> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.itv.com/news/meridian/story/2013-01-11/honda-cuts-800-jobs-at-swindon/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966281 | 398 | 1.59375 | 2 |
But what should I do?
Once realisation that the placement is happening whether or not you want it to sets in, the next thought is ‘Can I hide for two weeks and pretend I’m at work experience? Whose house can I stay at? I’ll need someone to pretend to be an employer to sign my forms…hmmm’.
Just kidding, the next thought will be so what should I do? Now it’s actually hard for us to tell you what you might like to do. That’s really something you need to answer for yourself. For example, if you like animals, you might like to be a lion tamer. If you like sand, you might like to make hour glasses. And so on. So just think of something (anything!) that interests you. Seriously, there is a job for just about anything you can think of.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
So start by making a list of things you might like to be one day: Oompa loompa, dirt bike racer, princess… and so forth. If you’re not sure what you’d like to do you might like to do some online personality and career tests as a guide (and guide only) to what sort of jobs might be suitable for you. Try to spend no longer than a week on this, even if it does seem impossible to think of anything, because many people get stuck here and don’t go any further. If you can’t think of anything just do something that you think would be fun!
I’m not kidding; I really don’t know what I want to do after school…help!
If your list is still looking a bit bare (i.e. all you wrote down was the name of the boy/girl you like and some lame hearts around it) then we suggest you speak to your careers advisors, teachers, family, friends and next door neighbours and ask for some advice. It might go like this, ‘Hi friend/family member/teacher/advisor/confidant/brains trust, I don’t know where to do my work experience because my brain has been frazzled by TV and computer based or phone based activities and your brain seems much bigger than mine based on the size of your head and on that basis I’m asking if you know me better than I know myself and can assist me’. I guarantee that will work. Ultimately, the important thing is to get active about the situation and talk to others if you need to. The more people you speak to, the more ideas you will get.
So who wants to give me a placement?
So now that you have some sort of list (or a series of drawings and doodlings you jotted down – perhaps you should be an artist?) the next question to ask yourself is where do I find a work placement? If you can’t find them on our site, you need to search the net or ask anyone who you think might be able to help you in locating a suitable company. Once you have created a list of potential companies in your area you will actually need to (gulp) contact them.
Contact them? Surely not!
Contacting companies used to be such a chore. The good news is that we’ve now made it very easy for you! Search for and find the placement you want on our site and follow the instructions of how to apply…and you’re done! Sure beats writing letters, calling them or just showing up doesn’t it?
If you can’t find the work placement you want on our site (which I doubt) there are other ways you can contact a company.
What should I say?
When you apply for work experience, you want to really talk them up and focus on why they are so great, and why it would be just the biggest honour of your life to even be in their presence let alone come and do work experience wow wee! Get the point? Now you don’t have to go that far, but just make sure you explain why you think their company would be a great match for you and where you think you can help them out.
Umm, yeah, umm, hi, ummmm…
The other options you have are calling employers or physically going to the company and asking in person if there are any opportunities going. These may seem like nightmare options but if you have left your work experience placement to the last minute, then you’ll have to suck it up! I told you pain and panic is a tough combination didn’t I?
So what’s the worst thing that can happen on a phone call? Well, honestly the worst thing that can happen is that you are so nervous that you can’t speak and they don’t know what you want and you ending up just panting and crying over the phone and the receptionist thinks you are a stalker and calls the cops. But the best thing that can happen is that they say yes! And that possibility is what needs to be your motivation. If they yes, think of the relief!
However you should be prepared that some or even many companies may say no (without the need to call the cops). No need to feel disheartened, just keep trying and change your approach if you need to. For example, I know someone who found pretending to be Irish by putting on a very poor Irish accent was a good way to make calls without feeling self-conscious, although we don’t really advise that.
I missed out on the work experience placement I wanted; what do I do now?
If you are not able to find a placement in the industry or area you wanted, don’t be disheartened. You will still be able to practise many of the important skills and attitudes that were listed earlier and can still impress the employer and receive the glowing endorsement of your employability – which is just what you need. A work experience placement in an area that wasn’t your first preference also gives you an opportunity to look at a different industry or job and see what else is out there and whether your chosen field is actually right for you.
Not the end of the line for you
Work experience is an experience of dipping your toes in the working water. It doesn’t define your future working life! This is not life and death. Besides it’s predicted that you will go through 30 jobs in your working lifetime in 5 different industries. Amazing huh? Also, if you think you will enjoy a certain job and find out it’s not as good as you’d hoped; it’s a great thing that you found that out now! If however, you find that you really enjoyed it then that will help spur you on to get good marks and get into the course you need to become what you want to become! Win-win. | <urn:uuid:36500800-3f41-4302-84e8-388bfb3b2246> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://workexperiencedirectory.com.au/work-experience-ideas/but-what-should-i-do | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967635 | 1,450 | 1.710938 | 2 |
The riots that at times roiled France under Nicolas Sarkozy aren't ceasing under Francois Hollande. Some 100 youths clashed with police in the impoverished city of Amiens overnight, with rioters reportedly torching cars (in at least three cases dragging drivers out of them in order to do so, reports the AP) and firing buckshot at cops. Reuters attributes the eruption to frustration over spot police checks on residents. Officials say 16 officers were injured, one seriously.
Hollande, who sent his interior minister to the city, vowed to "mobilize all [of France's] resources to combat this violence. Security resources have sadly been declining for too many years. Our priority is security which means that the next budget will include additional resources for the gendarmerie and the police." Amiens itself is supposed to get more resources, too: Less than two weeks ago, the French government designated it as one of 15 impoverished zones selected to receive more money and security. | <urn:uuid:c122a1f2-3f4f-497e-bdf5-734f9770c4a3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newser.com/story/152082/french-youths-riot-drag-drivers-from-cars.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960487 | 197 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Yes, first person reporting centuries before Christ. 5th century BC
Herodotus of Halicarnassus. Interviews, dates and a clear difference from what the considered fact (or likely) from stories.
Difficult listening. I'll never buy a book narrated by Bernard Mayes
again. In part 3 it seems there good microphone stopped working so they replaced it with one from a speak n spell. Very course, gave me a headache trying to listen. No amount of radio tuning could correct it. That's right I'm not happy about it.
A good purchase for any history buff. Stop watching television and do your own research.
Yes, if complete.
Book VIII is missing the first 22 paragraphs(!), quite a chunk of text. Secondly, the translation replaces the names of the Greek gods with the Roman names, which is odd.This is a flawed recording.
Ancient Civil Engineer and Land Surveyor
The histories of Herodotus were meant to be read aloud in the theater, so they are more properly called narratives. They contain case after case of tyrants going to war for no good reason. At one point a Spartan general has captured Persian servants prepare a meal as they normally would for the Persian officers and then had his men prepare a Spartan meal. He laughed out loud at the result, called his men in and said "What fools these Persians are to leave their luxury and come to do battle with us to take our penury." Apparently it was ever thus; tyrants, not content with what they control try to control more and reap destruction. It's enlightening in it's tragic repetition of this theme.
I enjoy this audio book. The quality of the story as accurate history is debatable, but it is terribly interesting as much for the perspective of Herodotus as anything else. The quality of the sounds varies at times, but it is generally pretty good.
Herodotus is a classic, but this reading is only average. Try to find a better version if you can.
the narrator sounds like the old man character off "Family Guy" he even whistles when he says "s's ... not sure how i'm going to get through 20 hours of this : ( ugh.
i was so looking forward to this, but i can barely understand what this guy is saying.
does AUdible give money back? | <urn:uuid:e41b2d75-061e-4c49-97d8-556507c867b4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.audible.com/get-reviews?asin=B002V5BVD2&page=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974574 | 488 | 1.742188 | 2 |
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Fri January 28, 2011
Snyder's business tax plan revealed
Governor Snyder has said he wants to do away with the complex, "job-killing" Michigan Business Tax, and replace it with a more simplified flat tax for businesses in the state.
- A 6 percent tax imposed on the income of companies with shareholders
- the tax would not be applied to LLCs (limited liability corporations) or sole proprietorships
- A tax credit for some small corporations with gross receipts of less than $20 million or adjusted business income that does not exceed $1.3 million.
The News sought reactions from business leaders in the state, and while many said they're still going through the details, they did offer up some opinions. The Chamber of Commerce had a "fairly positive" reaction to the draft bill. The Michigan Manufacturers Association told the News that it was...
"very encouraged that the Snyder administration is working aggressively to make Michigan more competitive," but concerned the new tax could result in "a tax increase for a large portion of our membership."
And the Small Business Association told the News, "We're open to the concept," and, "We're studying the details." | <urn:uuid:3671d93f-1bc6-4b56-985a-3aa53a4874aa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://[email protected]/post/snyders-business-tax-plan-revealed | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966658 | 255 | 1.6875 | 2 |
The Coalition of Contingent Academic Labor is a loose network of activists involved in contingent faculty issues. Its primary functions are to share information, educate our colleagues and the public, and build solidarity among the scattered ranks of faculty activists.
COCAL has organized a listserve, a website, a Facebook page, a series of conferences, and Campus Equity Week, a week of coordinated activity also known as Fair Employment Week. COCAL has also inspired the organization of one statewide, one regional, and several metropolitan coalitions, including those in California, and Chicago.
COCAL has no regular staff, budget, or constitution, and it is governed by a shifting steering committee of volunteers that is constituted according to the task at hand. Funds are raised and staff hired as needs arise.
The independent and grassroots character of COCAL and its reliance on local autonomy are central to its unique role in advancing the interests of faculty and defending the quality and integrity of higher education. The principle of local autonomy is an effective way for dealing with the wide variations that exist in conditions, political traditions, and language. Local autonomy means that the extent to which different COCAL-related organizations participate in COCAL initiatives varies greatly. It is up to each organization to determine its own style and emphasis.
One of COCAL's most important accomplishments has been the emergence of an international leadership able to develop and exchange organizing strategies, contract language, and political insights. Organizing contingent workers is extremely challenging because the conditions of contingent labor inhibit a visible community of interest from developing. A few years ago, faculty activists often labored in isolation with few sources of information and a limited conception of what was possible or desirable.
COCAL has become one way that contingent faculty have created new forms of solidarity to compensate for what is often lacking in the workplace. Now a victory in Canada or Michigan or California is a victory for the entire movement and a learning opportunity for all of us.
The tenth conference of the Coalition of Contingent Academic Labor (COCAL X) was held August 9-12, 2012 in Mexico City. Topics included Health care, social security, and retirement benefits; organizing and union rights; Political and cultural rights; issues of diversity; relationships with students, administrators, and other campus workers; and more. You can download a flier from COCAL X here and read more about the event on the COCAL website.
The ninth conference of the Coalition of Contingent Academic Labor took place August 13-15, 2010, in Quebec City. The conference was a great opportunity for contingent faculty and their allies to strategize and learn from one another. For more information, see the COCAL International website.
The eighth conference of the Coalition of Contingent Academic Labor (COCAL VIII) took place August 8-10, 2008, at San Diego State University. (See the agenda.)
August 10-13, 2006, contingent faculty activists in Vancouver hosted the seventh conference of the Coalition of Contingent Academic Labor. The conference, attended by more than 200 contingent faculty members and activists, offered an opportunity to mingle, organize, and learn from one another.
The sixth COCAL conference, COCAL VI, was held in 2004 in Chicago. A story about the conference, "Contingent Labor Conference Grades Institutions," appeared in the November-December 2004 issue of Academe.
Links and Resources:
Subscribe to the COCAL listserv (also known as ADJ-L).
COCAL International website.
More about Campus Equity Week
Download a request for donations | <urn:uuid:c76c2de8-fd38-4e67-9187-d2a98cb88e32> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://aaup.org/node/242 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964438 | 738 | 1.570313 | 2 |
You may not know the name of Continental, but they are a major supplier of components to the big automakers. A story in the Detroit Free Press details their latest project in autonomous driving. This is a VW Passat using radar Automatic-Cruise-Control combined with lane-keeping, similar to projects announced by Mercedes and VW/Audi itself. The story has a video showing the screen of the car displaying its lane-keeping. The car also has side radars to track vehicles or barriers to the left and right, according to the story. It’s aimed at stop-and-go traffic and empty highway. If it’s like the other products it requires constant human supervision, as it is not safe to not look at the road in case the lane markers vanish or other unexpected problems occur.
They claim they have done 6500 miles in Michigan, and that soon they will have the 10,000 needed for a testing licence in Nevada. The new Nevada law allows developers of robocars to test on Nevada highways once they have shown 10,000 miles on a test track or in another state, and under special testing rules. (The Google cars have over 200,000 miles in California and Nevada.)
The Nevada regulations specifically exempt vehicles which require full time human supervision, so in theory they don’t need a Nevada testing licence if this is such a vehicle. If it is planned to operate without such supervision it needs the licence and is more advanced that the other systems of this type.
According to a different story from Motor Trend the vehicle has the ability to swerve around obstacles, it is claimed. This might be the Emergency Steer Assist Continental announced last summer. It uses stereo cameras and 5 radars.
An interesting note about the photo, credited to Conti — if this car actually does qualify as an autonomous car in Nevada, then that picture of the car robo-driving in Las Vegas presumably was taken before the regulations came into effect.
Sources claim a car will be able to sell with these systems in about three years. This work appears to be an extension of the system demonstrated in the European HAVEit project. | <urn:uuid:20b3bcf0-3bbe-48ee-a3e5-2c0c964de213> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ideas.4brad.com/continental-testing-lane-following-car-michigan-plans-go-nevada | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952135 | 437 | 1.78125 | 2 |
The American Cancer Society estimates that almost one and a half million new cancer cases will be diagnosed in 2007. In this week's One On 1, NY1's Budd Mishkin introduces us to a doctor and scientist at the forefront of the battle against cancer.
| View the full, uncut interview with our web-only "One On 1 Extra" feature at the bottom of the page.|
He spent almost a decade working in Washington running the National Institutes of Health.
Now he's headed up Memorial Sloan Cancer Center for almost a decade.
For Dr. Harold Varmus, after a career spent negotiating the vagaries of science, one thing is certain.
“Nobody can dispute the fact that it's much more fun to live in New York than it is to live in Washington, DC, for a lot of reasons,” says Varmus.
Varmus has been at the top of the medical and scientific worlds for a long time. He’s a Nobel Prize winner for cancer research. The NIH director in the Clinton administration.
And now president of Memorial Sloan Kettering, an institution with vast influence in New York and around the world, a nexus between science and health care.
“In Memorial hospital, we're trying to practice the best possible care of cancer patients that we can, for people that have cancer now,” says Varmus. “In the institute and in parts of the hospital, we're doing research that we hope will benefit people in the future."
The scope of Varmus's work is not contained inside the walls of Memorial Sloan Kettering. He is behind the effort to make New York a biotech hub.
"When you think of New York, you think of entertainment, finance, sports, and many other things. But New York is the second best-funded city with respect to NIH grants. So it's a major center for bio medical research,” says Varmus.
This past summer, Governor Eliot Spitzer named Varmus to a board designed to oversee and administer $600 million to promote stem cell research and development.
Varmus says the controversy over stem cell research and federal funding has forced states to take the lead, and has kept young researchers at bay.
"I like to call it Îcheckerboard quilt’ across the country,” says Varmus. “There are states where certain kinds of research are illegal, and states not far away provide money to support the same kinds of research. So this to me is not something that will induce young people to feel that this is an area of research that is going to be secure."
One of Varmus's mantras is that money should be devoted to general cancer research and not funneled to individual diseases.
It's a belief that has brought him into disagreement with what he calls "disease advocacy groups." He claims that many of the advances in cancer therapies over the last 40 years have come from such research, which he labels "unpredictable."
"A lot of the work that went on depended on the willingness of the federal government to make investments in the studies of fruit flies, and worms, cancers in animals, and viruses that cause cancers in other animals, but not cancers in human beings,” says Varmus.
When Varmus is not working on, or writing or speaking about cancer, you can often find him on his beloved bike.
He's a serious cyclist, so much so that when Lance Armstrong came to town for a race to raise money for Memorial Sloan Kettering, someone took the poster from the event, scratched out the name of one of the elite riders and wrote in Varmus's name.
And for a man who has looked for sure things in his research for 40 years, another hobby provides anything but: he's a small time investor in Broadway shows.
"My best hit so far, of course, was ÎHairspray,’ but, that was only after passing up on ÎThe Producers,’” says Varmus.
Investing in a show is, after all, an inexact science.
Yet, one of the most renowned scientists in the country might have become an English teacher if not for a dream he had while a graduate student at Harvard.
“I woke up in a sweat, thinking that they wouldn't care if the English teacher didn't turn up, but patients would care if the doctor didn't turn up,” says Varmus.
The irony is, Varmus claims he hasn't seen a patient in 30 years, but he frequently teaches. He grew up on Long Island, the son of a physician and a psychiatric social worker.
He studied English at Amherst and then as a grad student at Harvard before the dream convinced him to go to medical school, which he did at Columbia.
Varmus eventually landed at the University of California at San Francisco, where he describes his research on a chicken virus as Wagner, not Mozart — a gradual process mixed with success and doubt.
"We were studying chicken cancers and mouse cancers and not everything you learn with experimental models prove to be illuminating and deeply significant for treating of human cancer,” says Varmus. “But in our case, it turned out to be quite predictive of how cancer is going to be controlled.”
Varmus and his colleague Michael Bishop were credited with discovering how a normal gene can mutate and lead to cancer.
"The basic principle, the paradigm, if you will, that was illuminated by studying that virus [was that[ the virus carries a cancer-causing gene, the cancer-causing gene is derived from a normal gene in a chicken that turns out to be a gene that shared through evolution with other organisms,” says Varmus. That was the beginning of understanding genetic stages of cancer. The idea that these genes would be important in human cancer, while certainly a reasonable idea, it took a long time to get validated."
It was certainly validated in 1989, when Varmus and Bishop won the Nobel Prize for their research. It landed them on the front page of the paper and at Candlestick Park to throw out the first ball.
But Varmus says the prize has some dark sides.
“The danger of accepting too many invitations to do things you don't want to do and shouldn't do; an expectation of something that's greater than what you're able to deliver,” he says.
Yet it opens a lot of doors. In 1993, President Bill Clinton opened a big one, asking Varmus to become director of the National Institutes of Health.
“I was catapulted just from just being a lab rat into running a big agency, in part because I had this little emblem of distinction,” says Varmus.
He was credited with doubling the NIH’s budget to $20 billion and he developed a facility for describing the agency's research in layman's terms. He had to. He was always on call.
"Any single member of Congress, almost any senior member of the administration, could call me up, and say, ÎCome down and talk to me,’” says Varmus.
But after the bureaucracy of running an agency with 20,000 employees, and little time for his lab work, Varmus welcomed a return to New York to run Memorial Sloan Kettering, a chance to get back in the research game and be part of the increasing interaction between scientists and doctors.
"To do this right, you really need to understand what the clinical problems are that doctors are facing, whether it's drug resistance or some difficulty in surgery, or making an earlier diagnosis, these are the problems that we need to think more about as scientists,” says Varmus.
He and his wife Constance Casey, a journalist and book reviewer, have two sons. They have been married for 38 years, almost the same amount of time that Varmus has dedicated to studying cancer.
"We cure some cancers now, we'll cure more in the future, but the expectation has to be, I think, that the cancer will continue to be a distinctly human medical problem that we'll be much better equipped to control,” says Varmus. | <urn:uuid:53309d44-7bd7-4be3-927c-e94377fcd673> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ny1.com/printarticle.aspx?ArID=76173 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974583 | 1,728 | 1.804688 | 2 |
This is a story that is making the rounds around the start-up community and I thought you guys would enjoy it. duffmt6 tipped me off to it a few days ago and now it's gaining some steam on the Twittersphere.
19-year old high school graduate Eric Simons is not a big fan of school. Rather than go to college, he set out to start a company that would revolutionize the way lessons were taught in school. So far it sounds like just another dreamer turned entrepreneur about to get slapped in the face by reality.
However, after crashing on his buddies couches for several months, Simons was accepted into Imagine K12, a Silicon Valley incubator focused on education companies, which happened to be housed on the AOL campus in Palo Alto. The program lasted four months and he received $20,000 in seed capital, but the time and money eventually ran out. Rather than drop back and punt, Simons just kept coming to work. He discovered that AOL didn't turn off his security badge when the program ended, so he lived on the AOL campus for the next two months until he was caught by security.
When I say he lived on the campus, I mean he lived on the campus. He slept on couches in people's offices, he showered at the gym, he ate the free food, the whole shebang. The first month he squatted he spent a total of $30. All the while he continued building his start-up ClassConnect. And his gamble paid off. Even after being caught, he was far enough along in the process to score another $50,000 in , and now the product is taking off.
My life's motto has always been Audentes Fortuna Iuvat, which is Latin for "Fortune favors the brave". It can also be translated as fortune favors the audacious, which fits this kid to a tee. Sometimes you have to color outside the lines to be successful. | <urn:uuid:82d4d11f-6ed5-41fc-afcd-5867251e07be> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/blog/kid-squats-at-aol-starts-company | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.987444 | 407 | 1.757813 | 2 |
NEW ULM - With votes counted in 25 out of 25 precincts early Wednesday, voters appeared poised to approve a new local tax levy requested by District 88.
Approximately 56 percent of voters voted for the levy, and approximately 44 percent voted against it, according to preliminary counts.
District 88 sought approval of a ten-year levy of $575 per pupil, which is projected to provide $1.28 million per year for the district.
The district said the additional revenue was needed after several consecutive years of budget cuts, because of very limited increases in state funding in recent years, a shift in the delivery of state funding support, and a modest current and future enrollment decline.
"The voters in the District 88 school district have spoken," said Superintendent Harold Remme, in a statement after the votes were reported. "The results indicate additional school revenues will be available for District 88 in the future. These results are fantastic! On behalf of the students, staff, parents and all the residents of District 88 we say, 'Thank You.' Passage of the referendum was a critical, crucial and positive step in the future of our school and the community."
"These additional funds will allow the school district to reduce class sizes to reasonable levels and restore essential courses needed for the graduates of District 88 to be prepared for post high school training and employment," continued Remme. "The levy referendum results will assist the school district to more fully implement its theme for the year which is, 'Preparing for the Future.'"
YES 5,991 56.26%
NO 4,658 43.74%
"The funds provided by passage of this levy referendum reflect on the importance of education in New Ulm and the communities around New Ulm" added Remme. "Because of this financial support, New Ulm and the surrounding communities will benefit in many ways."
"District 88 remains dedicated to providing the best educational opportunities for the students we serve based on the financial resources available. Newly-elected school board members will have a solid base of financial resources to base decisions on as they assume their duties as school board members in January 2013."
Currently, the district has two local levies in place: $450 per pupil per year renewed in 2010 for 10 years and $300 per pupil, in place until 2017. The combined value of the levies, with an inflation escalator, is $775 per pupil. The median state levy is $1,035 per pupil.
In the run up to the vote, officials sought to reassure the public that school funds are, and would be, managed wisely. They recapped that the district has cut, on average, $860,000 from its budget each year over the last nine years; or a total of about $7 million worth of programs.
The reductions have resulted in class section size increases, elimination of course offerings, delays in textbook purchases, restructuring custodial and clerical staffing duties, reduced bus routes, a three-day furlough of non-union employees, increased activity fees, a fair-share fee costing structure, a main campus parking fee, delayed equipment purchases and an early retirement incentive, said officials.
Class sizes have reached 25-26 children in kindergarten (recommended size is 17-20); 28-29 in third grade (recommended 22-24) and 29-30 in sixth grade (recommended 23-26), said the administration. Some 100 sections at the high school have more than 30 students and at least one as many as 37 students.
The newly-elected school board will decide how to use new funds generated by the levy, said Remme. Possibilities include class size reduction, returning more elective choices to the high school, concentrating on opportunities in science, engineering and math, and integrating technology in all classroom settings. | <urn:uuid:996d0878-04c6-41ed-acd8-5d117f9c51ad> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nujournal.com/page/content.detail/id/532138/Dist--88-levy-passes.html?nav=5009 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960071 | 773 | 1.5 | 2 |
Glancing Backward, 11/7/12
Today is Wednesday, Nov. 7, the 312th day of 2012. There are 54 days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History:
On Nov. 7, 1972, President Richard Nixon was re-elected in a landslide over Democrat George McGovern.
Glancing Backward Locally:
25 years ago - 1987
There's been a lot of talk over the past three years in Sayre about what space could be developed for recreational use. Recently, efforts have been made to clean up the river area on Thomas Avenue that is currently utilized as the Little League playing field and Sayre High School's auxiliary playing field.
Anders Akerberg's 33-yard field goal with 4:05 to play in the game provided the winning points as the Canton Warriors defeated the Troy Trojans 15-14 in the 33rd Old Shoe Classic last night.
Peggy Horning of Towanda is celebrating her birthday today.
50 years ago - 1962
Bradford County voters trooped to the polls in unusual numbers in yesterday's general election. Snow that had been feared failed to arrive and in bright, cool weather about 75 percent of the eligible voters in the county cast their ballots.
Residents of Towanda are using electricity to a greater extent than ever before, indicating a rising standard of living locally. For residential consumption in Towanda's regional area, the figures show that the average family used a total of 4231 kilowatt hours last year, compared with 2684 three years before.
Residents of Ridgebury and Smithfield townships yesterday voted to create a union school district of those two areas.
Elsewhere on this date:
In 1912, black boxing champion Jack Johnson was indicted in Chicago for allegedly violating the Mann Act with a white woman, Belle Schreiber. (Johnson was convicted and sentenced to a year in prison; he fled the U.S., later returning to serve his term.)
In 1916, Republican Jeannette Rankin of Montana became the first woman elected to Congress.
In 1917, Russia's Bolshevik Revolution took place as forces led by Vladimir Ilyich Lenin overthrew the provisional government of Alexander Kerensky.
In 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt won an unprecedented fourth term in office, defeating Thomas E. Dewey.
In 1962, Republican Richard Nixon, having lost California's gubernatorial race, held what he called his "last press conference," telling reporters, "You won't have Nixon to kick around anymore." Former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, 78, died in New York City.
In 1973, Congress overrode President Richard Nixon's veto of the War Powers Act, which limits a chief executive's power to wage war without congressional approval.
In 1980, actor Steve McQueen died in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, at age 50.
In 1992, former Czechoslovak leader Alexander Dubcek (DOOB'-chek), whose failed attempt to loosen the Communist grip on his country became known as the "Prague Spring," died at age 70.
Ten years ago: In his first news conference since the midterm elections, President George W. Bush, charting an agenda for the new Republican Congress, said that homeland security came first and that an economic-recovery plan with new tax cuts would wait until the next year. Dick Gephardt stepped down as House Democratic leader in the wake of his party's election losses.
Five years ago: An 18-year-old gunman opened fire at his high school in Tuusula, Finland, killing seven other students and the principal before taking his own life. A cargo ship struck the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, causing the San Francisco Bay's worst oil spill in nearly two decades. Space shuttle Discovery and its crew returned to Earth, concluding a 15-day space station build-and-repair mission. At the Country Music Association Awards, Kenny Chesney won his second straight entertainer of the year award, while Carrie Underwood made it back-to-back trophies as female vocalist of the year; Brad Paisley was named male vocalist.
One year ago: A jury in Los Angeles convicted Michael Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray, of involuntary manslaughter for supplying a powerful anesthetic implicated in the entertainer's 2009 death (he was sentenced to four years in jail). Former heavyweight champion boxer Joe Frazier died in Philadelphia at age 67.
Today's Birthdays: Evangelist Billy Graham is 94. Actor Barry Newman is 74. Singer Johnny Rivers is 70. Singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell is 69. CIA Director David Petraeus is 60. Actor Christopher Knight ("The Brady Bunch") is 55. Rock musician Tommy Thayer (KISS) is 52. Actress Julie Pinson is 45. Rock musician Greg Tribbett (Mudvayne) is 44. Actor Christopher Daniel Barnes is 40.
Actors Jeremy and Jason London are 40.
Actress Yunjin Kim is 39. Rock musician Zach Myers (Shinedown) is 29. Rapper Tinie (TY'-nee) Tempah is 24.
Thought for Today: "Remember always that you not only have the right to be an individual, you have an obligation to be one." - Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962). | <urn:uuid:0a0d22a4-17a2-45bd-9710-e75c19a72358> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thedailyreview.com/news/glancing-backward/glancing-backward-11-7-12-1.1399689 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95709 | 1,092 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Seattle Times Political Caucus
The Seattle Times Political Caucus is an online community aimed at adding diverse voices to our coverage of politics. How we'll use the Caucus will evolve over time. But the idea is to create a conversation with people of various backgrounds and political beliefs. As the election season unfolds, we'll ask participants to weigh in on key political questions and then post their comments here.
September 28, 2008 4:39 PM
Posted by Richard Wagoner
By David Domke
Presidential debates are tricky things.
For one thing, they present an artificial setting: average citizens never engage in formal debates, and if elected neither do political leaders. Second, audiences are present, but they often aren't allowed to applaud, boo, or do most anything except sit quietly. Third, candidates must stand by while someone else criticizes them repeatedly. Who would do well at that? Finally, all of this is live, on-camera, with no commercial breaks. There is no hiding anything, as George H. W. Bush (checking his watch) and Al Gore (heavy sighs) learned to their detriment in past elections.
Not surprisingly, therefore, pundits and reporters often are all over the board in their impressions of debate performances. Consider some reactions after Friday's presidential debate, the first in the 2008 election.
On one side, Roger Simon of Politico said: "John McCain was very lucky that he decided to show up for the first presidential debate in Oxford, Miss., Friday night. Because he gave one of his strongest debate performances ever." Similarly, highly respected Des Moines Register columnist David Yepsen said, "The only good news for Obama is that any pain from this debate is likely to be short-lived."
On the other side, Joe Klein of Time said, "Obama emerged as a candidate who was at least as knowledgeable, judicious and unflappable as McCain on foreign policy ... and more knowledgeable, and better suited to deal with the economic crisis and domestic problems the country faces." Others similarly declared Obama the winner.
In general, though, punditry reaction missed the two most important things that happened Friday - both of which were distinctly favorable for Obama. Don't take my word for it: it's what public reaction to the debate is telling us.
In every systematic analysis of public response to the debate, results suggest Obama won. A night-of-the-debate CBS poll of undecided voters showed it, a CNN poll did too. Focus groups by Time, Media Curves, conservative-leaning Fox News, and liberal-leaning pollster Democracy Corps showed it. And a Gallup poll released on Sunday showed it.
First, Barack Obama was uncowed in being on the same stage with John McCain. Newcomer Obama could have wilted standing next to a former POW military hero, a lion of the Senate who has passed several pieces of landmark congressional legislation. Obama didn't appear intimidated or, conversely, over-compensate with arrogance. In fact, Obama was so comfortable that when he agreed with McCain, he commended his opponent's answers with statements such as "Senator McCain is right."
These words were jumped on by pundits, who said Obama was too generous to McCain. The McCain camp immediately put out an ad showing Obama's "he's right" comments. These reactions all missed something deeper: Obama didn't come off as a sycophant; he had the feel of a man confident enough to offer credit sometimes to his opponent, an unusual move in today's macho political culture.
McCain took a different tack. He didn't look once at Obama, didn't mention him by first name, and several times called Obama "naive" or "inexperienced." It turned off political independents. I watched the debate on CNN, which included instant reactions from a focus group at the bottom of the screen, and every time McCain harshly criticized Obama, the reactions went negative. Every single time. Obama's respectful confidence played much better than McCain's approach, which came off - whether intentional or not - as dismissive and contemptuous.
Time's focus group of undecided voters in St. Louis told us this:
McCain was seen as the more negative of the two - by 7 points before the debate and by 26 points after. The audience did not like it when he went after Obama for being "naive" or used his oft-repeated "what Senator Obama doesn't understand" line. When the two clashed directly in the second half of the debate, with Obama repeatedly protesting McCain's characterization of his statements or positions, the voter dials went down. Voters appear to have judged McCain too negative in those encounters and Obama more favorably.
Second, Obama connected with voters. Within the first five minutes of the debate he said "[W]e've had years in which the reigning economic ideology has been what's good for Wall Street, but not what's good for Main Street," and "[U]nless we are holding ourselves accountable day in, day out, not just when there's a crisis for folks who have power and influence and can hire lobbyists, but for the nurse, the teacher, the police officer, who, frankly, at the end of each month, they've got a little financial crisis going on. They're having to take out extra debt just to make their mortgage payments. We haven't been paying attention to them."
That's Obama's version of Bill Clinton's "I feel your pain" and George W. Bush's "I'm a regular guy." More professorial to be sure for Obama, but the words hit home. It's been an approach that has flummoxed Obama for some time, but he seems to have found a new voice since the Wall Street crisis hit.
In Fox News' focus group, two Nevadans interviewed on-camera who were impressed by Obama said this: "He cared about the average person and he got to me," and "He seemed to care about everyone in America." In the television age, the ability to convey empathy is the single most-important attribute in presidential debates - one that is far more important than the exhibition of knowledge, something that Republicans have known for years but Democrats have tended to ignore.
James Fallows of The Atlantic, and former editor of U.S. News & World Report, puts it this way: "Emotional messages, which are variants on 'how do I feel about this person?', are all that matter in presidential debates. Issues discussions are significant mainly to the extent they shape these impressions."
In its post-debate poll, CNN asked which candidate "was more in touch with the needs and problems of people like you?" Fully 62 percent said Obama, compared to 32 percent for McCain. And Time's focus group showed this: "Both candidates saw their net favorability ratings rise over the course of the evening. McCain started off with a 22-point net and gained 9 points. But Obama went from a 6-point net favorability to plus-45, a shift of 39 points that placed him higher than McCain at the end of the debate (69 percent versus 62 percent."
Plus-39 favorability in one night? It looks like maybe Obama did learn something in that much-publicized meeting with Bill Clinton a couple weeks ago.
David Domke, a former newspaper journalist, is a professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Washington. Domke also has worked with Democratic Party leaders in the Northwest to understand the dynamics of modern political campaigns. His latest book, "The God Strategy: How Religion Became A Political Weapon in America," was published in January. He can be reached at [email protected].
Nov 4, 08 - 03:12 PM
Thanks for your participation!
Nov 4, 08 - 01:54 PM
Photos of Election Day (and earlier)
Oct 31, 08 - 04:48 PM
Your pick for governor
Oct 28, 08 - 02:44 PM
Making your last, best argument
Oct 28, 08 - 01:18 PM
The case against McCain's campaign rhetoric
(The Associated Press) Fuel rules get support A Consumer Federation of America survey conducted in April found that a large majority of Americans R...
Post a comment | <urn:uuid:b1f6ae87-0999-4c9e-8a2b-0a5c9046ed56> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/politicalcaucus/2008/09/28/by_david_domke_presidential_de.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975698 | 1,689 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Houghton Mifflin has acquired U.S. rights to publish the first complete book by J.R.R. Tolkien since the
posthumous Silmarillion in 1977. HarperCollins UK acquired the project from
The Tolkien Estate in a world-rights deal. Presented for the first time as a fully continuous
and stand-alone story, the epic tale of The Children of Húrin will reunite fans of
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings with elves and men, dragons and dwarves, and the rich landscape and characters unique to Tolkien.
The Children of Húrin, begun in 1918, was one of three "Great Tales" J.R.R. Tolkien
worked on throughout his life, though he never realized his ambition to see it published. Though
familiar to many fans from extracts and references within other Tolkien books, it has long been
assumed that the story would forever remain an "unfinished tale." Now reconstructed by Christopher
Tolkien, painstakingly editing together the complete work from his fatherís many drafts, this book is
the culmination of a tireless thirty-year endeavor by him to bring J.R.R. Tolkienís vast body of
unpublished work to a wide audience.
Christopher Tolkien said: "It has seemed to me for a long time that there was a good case
for presenting my fatherís long version of the legend of The Children of Húrin as an
independent work, between its own covers, with a minimum of editorial presence, and above all in
continuous narrative without gaps or interruptions, if this could be done without distortion or
invention, despite the unfinished state in which he left some parts of it."
Having drawn the distinctive maps for the original
The Lord of the Rings more than fifty years ago, Christopher has also created a
detailed new map for this book. In addition, it will include a jacket and color paintings by
Alan Lee, illustrator of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Centenary Edition and
Oscar®-winning designer of the film trilogy.
The Lord of the Rings was already acclaimed worldwide as the most popular book of the
twentieth century before the blockbuster films in 2001 through 2003 broke new ground and inspired millions more to
read J.R.R. Tolkienís books an additional 50 million copies were sold, leaving new fans
wanting more. The Children of Húrin will be published in the United States by
Houghton Mifflin in April 2007, on the same day as HarperCollins' international editions.
Victoria Barnsley, CEO and Publisher of HarperCollins Publishers UK, said: "This epic story of adventure,
tragedy, fellowship, and heroism stands as one of the finest expressions of J.R.R. Tolkien's
skills as a storyteller. With a narrative as dramatic and powerful as anything contained within
The Lord of the Rings, it can now be read and enjoyed as Tolkien originally intended, and
will doubtless be a revelation for millions of fans around the world."
Janet Silver, Vice President and Publisher of Houghton Mifflin, said,
"As J.R.R. Tolkien's original American publisher, dating back to The Hobbit, we are extremely
proud to be bringing this project to Tolkien's devoted readership in the United States.
Christopher Tolkien has done a great service in realizing his father's vision for
The Children of Húrin." | <urn:uuid:21fdd1fa-fa85-440d-822d-ca3ade6a6d26> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/booksellers/press_release/hurin/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947376 | 720 | 1.796875 | 2 |
The Transition Network is a small nonprofit organization near Wall Street that helps women 50 and older plan the next steps in their personal and professional lives.
When Hurricane Sandy struck the eastern United States on Oct. 29, 2012, Transition Network Executive Director Betsy Werley and her four employees had to scramble to find a plan to keep the business open.
The hurricane flooded parts of lower Manhattan and knocked out power over wide swaths of the region. It left thousands of people struggling to commute during mass transit outages and gas shortages—especially in New York. Werley had to shut down her office during the last week of October.
Telecommuting saved the day. Werley’s staff worked from home using personal computers and mobile devices. The only thing Werley couldn’t do was write paper checks.
“It was not a disaster,” Werley said. “We were well prepared and were able to stay in communication mostly by e-mail but also by phone.”
Unfortunately, the hurricane was a disaster for many other companies. Hurricane Sandy is expected to cost up to $20 billion in insured losses and $50 billion in economic losses to the United States, according to EQECAT, a catastrophe risk modeling company.
Some companies discovered that having telework policies and technology in place allowed employees to continue to do business during the storm—even if just on a bare-bones level.
Calls to Action
What’s more, telework advocates said Hurricane Sandy, Hurricane Irene and other major disruptive events may be calls to action for the acceptance and implementation of the fast-growing telework movement.
Although federal government offices in the Washington, D.C. area closed down for two days during the hurricane, about one third of government workers were able to continue working remotely, said Cindy Auten, general manager of the Telework Exchange, an Alexandria, Va.-based public/private partnership that promotes telework and worker mobility.
“Anytime an event like this happens there is more chatter about telework and productivity gains,” Auten said. “I think it was a wake-up call for businesses that are very information-technology dependent,” said Ian Meklinsky, a labor and employment attorney and partner at Fox Rothschild LLP in Princeton, N.J.
After disaster strikes, it’s really too late to devise a telework plan, experts said. Those provisions should be in place as part of a business continuity plan.
“Telework should not be taken lightly,” said Barbara Goldberg, owner of Back on Track Solutions, a St. Augustine, Fla., business that helps businesses overcome disasters to better serve customers. “Companies need to start practicing now.”
After all, a natural disaster is not just a hurricane or blizzard, Goldberg said. For instance, a construction project in front of your office could knock out power or keep customers from getting to your door, she said.
Pitney Bowes, a customer communications technology company that serves clients in more than 100 countries, had to shut down three major offices in Connecticut due to Hurricane Sandy.
Employees teleworked, however, even if that meant working from a friend’s or relative’s home, a Starbucks, or a local high school where they plugged in their laptops or mobile devices, company officials said.
Kim Tuffarelli, PHR, a Pitney Bowes HR executive and a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) who has led the migration of that company’s workforce to more mobile/agile technology in the past few years, said companies must have telework disaster plans in place well before storm clouds gather.
“We have pushed the program and it’s becoming ingrained in who we are,” she said.
Before Disaster Strikes
Here are tips Tuffarelli and other HR experts said companies can use to ensure their company can continue to operate during a natural disaster:
Train employees on how to telework. Show them how to log in remotely to a company’s e-mail or file sharing system—well before a real disaster strikes, Tuffarelli said. This avoids confusion if the office closes and employees have to work remotely. “You can’t expect them to pick it up on day one,” she said.
Conduct a disaster simulation before a crisis occurs to ensure that your telework plan really works, Auten suggested. “Telework isn’t ‘break glass in case of emergency,’ ” Auten said. “It has to be ingrained in what you do.”
Decide beforehand which company services are essential and what employees will perform them; then, create a plan, so that these employees can work remotely in case of disaster.
Consider using cloud-based systems, such as Google Docs to store company documents and allow employees to access them if your office shuts down, Meklinsky said. Companies should invest in backing up their computer servers at a remote, secure site in case a flood or fire takes out servers in the office, he said.
Set up a plan to guarantee key people in the company can communicate if a disaster hits, said Andrew Marshall, chief information officer and senior vice president at Campus Housing, a Philadelphia-based company that was affected by Hurricane Sandy. Consider a cloud-based communications service such as Ring Central, which allowscompanies to forward calls to employees’ mobile or home phones if the phones at the home office are shut down due to a power outage or natural disaster.
Always be concerned about the welfare of the staff and their families during a crisis, even if employees are able to work remotely, Elliot Lasson stated in his blog. Lasson, an HR professional for more than 20 years, is executive director of Joblink of Maryland, a nonprofit organization that helps job seekers in the Baltimore area. He said employees should be given flexibility to deal with personal matters during disasters.
Companies with multiple locations should consider having workstations and support staff available in each place, so displaced workers from one office can work in another if disaster hits, Meklinsky added. For instance, Fox Rothschild was able to shift workers from offices without power in New Jersey to functioning offices in New York City and Philadelphia.
Don’t just focus on technology. Other experts advised making sure employees take home paper documents they may need to do their work. Make sure employees have access to paper checks or petty cash just in case a storm knocks out power and ATMs and corporate credit cards don’t work.
Form relationships with neighboring businesses before disaster hits, Goldberg said. Neighboring companies may loan office space or allow employees to power up laptops and mobile devices in the event of power outages.
Greg Wright is a Washington, D.C.-based freelance writer who has covered Congress, consumer electronics and international trade for major news organizations, including Gannett News Service/USA Today, Dow Jones and Knight-Ridder Financial News. He can be reached at [email protected]. | <urn:uuid:f533ebcb-0619-49d9-80df-29194c4537a1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/technology/articles/pages/hurricane-sandy-telework.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963254 | 1,467 | 1.84375 | 2 |
Our Health Partners
Northwestern Memorial's mission to improve the health of the communities we serve is advanced through innovative programs to better manage chronic diseases, particularly among the medically underserved. We have formal and long-standing affiliations with two Federally Qualified Health Center partners, Near North Health Services Corporation and Erie Family Health Center. Two members from our leadership teams each serve on the boards of Near North and Erie.
Together with our partners, we develop programs to address the healthcare needs of the patients in medically underserved communities. And patients in need of specialty care also have the option to come to Northwestern Memorial Hospital for high quality, affordable care.
Near North Health Services Corporation
Near North, a community health partner for more than 40 years, provides neighborhood-based primary care, support services and dental services to more than 47,000 primarily low-income uninsured or underinsured residents who live in some of the city's most underserved communities.
Erie Family Health Center
Erie Family Health Center was founded in 1956 as a project of volunteer physicians from Northwestern Memorial and Erie Neighborhood House. Erie provides a variety of primary care, case management and dental services to more than 30,000 patients a year through eight sites and a number of other partnership programs.
Denny Primary Care & Preventive Medicine Center
Northwestern Memorial also has provided care to the medically underserved through the James and Catherine Denny Primary Care and Preventive Medicine Center at the Lawson House YMCA since 2000.
The Denny Center provides Lawson House residents and qualifying homeless people access to:
- Health assessments
- Health education
- Basic primary care
- Preventive care
The Denny Center patients receive diagnostic and specialty services, free outpatient services, mental health intervention, dental care and social support services through Northwestern Memorial.
During fiscal year 2008, Northwestern Memorial and Near North jointly planned and completed transition of management of the Denny Center to Near North. Northwestern Memorial is committed to continuing its support of the Denny Center through collaborating on programs to address the health needs of the homeless and those at risk for homelessness in our community. | <urn:uuid:ec8882ca-6621-48a7-8426-031327e3a469> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nmh.org/nm/community-matters-health-partners | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952182 | 426 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Central Government has paved the way for 1.24 lakh Graduate Shikhsha Mitra to become teacher, by giving consent to Uttar Pradesh Government proposal for doing the same. Centre stated that after completion of two years of training they can be appointed as Teacher. State Government would give this training. Shiksha Mitra training will go simultaneously with their current job. On the basis of seniority, Shiksha Mitra would be called for training. This gift has been given to State Government in the new year 2011 , at the occasion of UP Chief Minister’s Birthday. As per the proposal, across the state at 821 Blocks, after each six month these Shiksha Mitra will have to undergo 40 days of contract course. The task to prepare the Training Syllabus is given to State. NCTE, National Council of Teacher Education, would approve it. NCTE will monitor the whole training process. | <urn:uuid:5d4784b2-abe9-41c9-9607-847ddb743fcf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://indianewsflash.com/2011/01/shiksha-mitra-up-2011-appointment-as-teacher-after-training.html/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973224 | 185 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Don't get me wrong, I like little bunnies and baby chicks, as well as pretty candy eggs and the fun of egg hunts for little children.
However, too many people try to put up Easter trees and tell their children about the Easter bunny coming to see them. I think this is misrepresenting the true meaning of Easter.
Actually, it is the most important holy day of the Christian religion, the day we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the day He triumphed over death and brought promise of new life for all men. He arose from the grave, once dead but now alive forever. The power of God is displayed in this great event.
Romans 1:4 says, "Who through the spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead. Jesus Christ our Lord."
Think of what His resurrection means to us: Our faith in Jesus Christ and belief in His resurrection from death saves our souls from Hell and assures us of eternal life in heaven with Jesus Christ our Lord. His death on the cross and His resurrection empowers God's great plan of salvation for all mankind.
His birth, life and death, and resurrection, shows God's great love for us. His will to sacrifice His beloved Son to an awful, cruel death on the cross to provide payment for the sins of mankind is absolutely the greatest miracle of all time.
Please read or recall John 3:16. Christ's resurrection was the first fruit of God's salvation plan. We Christians shall one day be resurrected to life again, just as our Lord Jesus. Hallelujah!
Jesus Christ was killed, crucified on a Roman cross on Friday. He was buried that same day and lay in the grave the rest of Friday, day one, all day on Saturday, day two, and then early on the third day, Sunday, He arose from the dead and the grave. The day we call Friday was known to the Jews as "preparation day," the day before the "Sabbath," which was proclaimed by God as the Holy day for the Jews.
Since Jesus arose from the dead on Sunday, the first day of the week, Christians have chosen to honor this day as the Lord's Sabbath day.
For all these reasons, we who believe in Christ and claim Him as our Savior should observe Sunday as a holy day - every Sunday - not just Easter Sunday. We should do this to honor Him and to remember His great sacrifice which He gave to all mankind for the remission of sins.
Please memorize Romans 10:9 and 10, and claim it as your very own, for it is a statement that should be a part of everyone's testimony of our belief in Jesus Christ and our participation in God's salvation plan: "If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes resulting in righteousness and with the mouth one confesses, resulting in salvation." Amen.
Other great verses to memorize are Eph. 2:8 and 9: "For it is by grace you are saved, through faith, and that not of your selves. It is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast." First John 1:9 tells us: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
If you are not a Christian, why not put your faith in Jesus Christ right now and ask Him to forgive your sins, and to save you to an eternal life in paradise. He would love to hear you read the verses given above as you receive His gift of eternal life. I pray you will. | <urn:uuid:8f6e4222-e8f1-47f0-9b62-6a35593cdb83> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.news-daily.com/news/2009/apr/11/this-easter-celebrate-jesus039-resurrection-james/?opinion | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956252 | 769 | 1.828125 | 2 |
The FA and Football Foundation team up for Respect campaign.
The Football Foundation has teamed up with The FA to provide funding towards Respect Barriers and Respect Packs as part of The FA’s Respect campaign. The campaign aims to maintain acceptable levels of behaviour at grassroots games so that everyone can enjoy the game in a safe environment.
The FA has provided the Football Foundation with £200,000 for the scheme, which will cover both Respect Barriers and ensure that there is a de-marcated area along the touchlines at grassroots football matches within which spectators must stay, as well as Respect Packs which will include equipment such as captain’s armbands, marshal’s bibs and signage.
FA Respect Manager Dermot Collins believes that the Respect measures have had a real impact in grassroots youth football: “The Respect programme was launched in 2008 and has had a significant impact on creating a more positive environment for young people to play the game. We’ve seen fewer raging touchline parents and ‘win-at-all-cost’ coaches, and as a consequence it’s a more enjoyable game for everyone involved – including the 6000 additional referees we now have.
“This scheme will help extend some of the good practice we’ve seen make a difference in the grassroots game. Touchline Barriers are an effective but inexpensive way of improving spectator behaviour and the Respect Packs will provide a club with the means to send out a strong visual statement of its commitment to Respect.
“The vinyl banners can be displayed at club houses, pavilions and central venues. The pitch marshal’s bibs have been employed successfully at many clubs to welcome opposition supporters and to work with the referee to create a positive playing environment. Team captains can really help referees in their management of the game and the armbands elevate the status of the captain.”
The Football Foundation's Chief Executive Paul Thorogood commented: “It is essential that everyone is able to enjoy our national game and that people, especially youngsters, are not put off by unacceptable language and behaviour.
“By teaming up with The FA and providing £200,000 towards Respect Barriers and Packs, the Football Foundation is helping to create an environment where everyone can feel safe and comfortable at the grass roots level of football.”
Collins added that he believes the scheme will make the promotion of Respect affordable for all clubs and the value of investment in this equipment will be seen quickly in enthused and contented participants.
Clubs can apply online to the Football Foundation for a voucher offering them a 50 per cent discount on the price of a barrier and other Respect promotional items. FA Chartered Standard Clubs will be able to access additional vouchers.
For more information apply online by clicking here. | <urn:uuid:04b516f3-8995-400d-b338-b626df023952> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thefa.com/Leagues/Respect/NewsAndFeatures/2012/foundation-fa-respect-220812 | 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 | 0.952121 | 578 | 1.5 | 2 |
Fake Documents Used to “Steal” Homes
Criminals are filing fake deeds to gain control of homes, often those belonging to the elderly, according to recent reports. A con artist can attempt to "steal" a house by falsely claiming to be the owner of a property or the owner's adult child who has the authority to conduct business for the family.
The perpetrator typically targets nice homes that are vacant for a long time, perhaps because the owner is away for the winter or is receiving extended medical treatment. The thief then goes to the courthouse and files a fraudulent deed that, in legitimate circumstances, can be a simple way to transfer the ownership of property from one person to another. After the courthouse records show the criminal as having the deed to the property, he will attempt to sell it and take off with the cash.
"Because the house is not being lived in, this fraud can go undetected for quite a while," said David Nelson, a fraud specialist in the FDIC's Financial Crimes Section. To protect yourself, he suggested "making sure the house looks lived-in while you are away," such as by arranging for mail and newspapers to be picked up or forwarded.
Source: FDIC Consumer News | <urn:uuid:55d6b066-e985-4fde-9c88-26d97c9a63c5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://dfi.wa.gov/consumers/education/seniors/steal_homes.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970277 | 250 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Casting off her familiar lollypop pink livery, Hello Kitty, the definitive symbol of 'kawaii' (Japanese for very cute), has taken on a classier look in readiness for February 14th. - St. Valentine's Day. This year's chocolate packaging is done out in a warm, rich chocolate brown, with beige type, and a beige and pinky-orange logo. The boxes are tied with a real cloth ribbon, in the same colors, and have a small metal ornament (real metal) chained through the ribbon. This is probably meant to become a mobile phone decoration - which young Japanese people love - after the chocolates are consumed. You can still see the familiar pink packaging in the range photo, shown as the small bag on the left. This is about the only 'traditional' Hello Kitty pack I saw. Maybe left-over packaging from last year, which might be why the re-design.
Valentine's Day is a very big deal in Japan. All of the sweet shops are already full of it, with huge displays of chocolate offerings in all shapes and sizes. But in keeping with usual Japanese form, there is a twist. Only women buy chocolate, and give it to men. Girlfriends to boyfriends, wives to husbands, even elementary school girls to male classmates. But because Japan is so group-oriented, and people are so keen to preserve harmony, then the gift-giving goes a stage further. To prevent those young men, whose secret fancy gives chocolate to another she admires more, becoming jealous, then the young lady is obliged to give 'giri-choc' (obligatory chocolate) to them as well. It is not unusual for young women to have to buy several dozen such giri-choc gifts. Of course the gift she gives her special someone will be larger, and more expensive. I hope the chocolate company executive who dreamed up that marketing scheme was suitably rewarded!
Part of the Hello Kitty range of chocolate packaging, showing the traditional pink color scheme on the left, and the cat-shaped chocolates.
But in one final piece of of money making madness, we have White Day. That is celebrated one month later, on March 14th. Men who were lucky enough to receive chocolates from a lady friend, should return the pleasure on White Day by purchasing a slightly more expensive box of chocolates (usually packaged in white, and often consisting of white chocolate) for her. Japanese people do love giving (and getting) gifts!
As you can see, even the chocolate inside the Hello Kitty packs is cat shaped. But at least it is not pink! I must look for Hello Kitty White Day packaging, and see what branding changes are made to that this year. | <urn:uuid:eed6396c-f2d6-4b05-9e12-73561f76325f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.roarfish.com/2006/01/hello_kitty_goe.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95596 | 570 | 1.609375 | 2 |
The New York Times gets hold of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission report first and it seems somewhat promising.
Here’s the money quote:
“The crisis was the result of human action and inaction, not of Mother Nature or computer models gone haywire,” the report states. “The captains of finance and the public stewards of our financial system ignored warnings and failed to question, understand and manage evolving risks within a system essential to the well-being of the American public. Theirs was a big miss, not a stumble.”
To say the least.
This is also important:
The report does knock down — at least partly — several early theories for the financial crisis. It says the low interest rates brought about by the Fed after the 2001 recession “created increased risks” but were not chiefly to blame. It says that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the mortgage finance giants, “contributed to the crisis but were not a primary cause.” And in a finding likely to upset conservatives, it says that “aggressive homeownership goals” set by the government as part of a “philosophy of opportunity” were not major culprits.
This comes a day after The Huffington Post reported that the FCIC referred cases to authorities for potential prosecution. Maybe the panel will be of some use after all.
— Reuters confuses right-wing talking points with facts in the lede of a news story on the State of the Union address tonight:
President Barack Obama aims to rise above party politics in his State of the Union speech on Tuesday, but he must prove he is serious about tackling the budget deficit that could unleash a bitter partisan fight.
Lots of people, mostly on the left, think that tackling the deficit—at least the short-term one—right now is what the president most definitely should not be doing. Government spending increases economic growth. Reduce it while the economy is still shaky and you risk sending the country back into recession (see our austerity-minded pals in the UK)
And does Reuters really know that this is why Obama’s poll numbers are up rather than, say, his response to the Giffords shooting?
Americans have responded positively to better bipartisan cooperation after Obama struck a deal with Republicans over tax cuts, helping lift his approval ratings in recent weeks.
— Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal are suing the government to let it report freely on Medicare and the doctors who get paid by it.
The filing by Dow Jones & Company, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, seeks to overturn an injunction obtained by the American Medical Association in 1979. The injunction prevents the public from knowing how much taxpayer money individual doctors receive from the Medicare program. As a result, The Wall Street Journal and other news organizations are barred from fully investigating and exposing abuses in the $500 billion system.
The legal action follows a series of articles in The Wall Street Journal last year, “Secrets of the System,” that relied on a sampling of the government’s closely guarded Medicare databases. The series highlighted suspicious billing, potential abuses of the system and the government’s role in policing Medicare payments.
However, the 1979 injunction constrained the Journal’s investigation and what it could tell its readers because it limited the Journal to only a subset of the data. In addition, the government would only release the limited subset of data if the Journal agreed not to disclose the identities of individual doctors in the databases.
Good for them. The strings attached to the information the WSJ reported earlier smacked of government censorship. | <urn:uuid:d3e37b52-4728-41eb-9be8-c6b253432597> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cjr.org/the_audit/audit_notes_fcic_report_reuter.php?page=all | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949293 | 744 | 1.515625 | 2 |
On this page:
Updated April 2011
We are often asked for information about the responsibilities and liabilities of trustees of trusts registered with Charities Services.
This information sheet answers some of the most commonly asked questions.
To understand your responsibilities fully, you may wish to talk to someone who is experienced in trust law at your local Community Law Centre, or seek advice from another professional experienced in trust law, such as an accountant or lawyer.
Does the Charities Act limit my liability as a trustee?
No. The Charities Act does not limit or change your liability as a trustee.
As a trustee, what are my legal obligations?
As a trustee you are subject to the legal obligations created by your trust deed and by the law relating to trusts. It's important to note that in certain situations, your legal obligations may continue even after you have resigned and are no longer a trustee.
As a trustee, you must understand and comply with the terms of the trust deed that created your trust. It sets out your powers and obligations as a trustee.
It's a good idea to talk to the other trustees of the trust, to make sure you have fully understood the terms of your deed.
Helpful tip: a copy of your charity's trust deed is available to read or download from the Charities Register.
It goes without saying that, as a trustee, you should always act honestly and in the best interests of the trust.
You should also make sure that you are actively involved with the trust by being part of the decision making process. Trustees who regularly skip meetings and let the other trustees make the decisions for them are not acting responsibly.
It may not always be in the best interests of the trust to accept professional advice - for example, if you don't fully understand the consequences of following the advice, or if you and the other trustees don't agree with it.
As a trustee, you and the other trustees are collectively and ultimately responsible for all trust decisions.
Apart from legal duties, what other duties do trustees have?
Other duties include:
- using care and skill at all times in relation to trustee duties
- making sure the trust keeps suitable accounts
- making sure that payments are made to the correct beneficiary and for the right amount (the trust may hold you personally liable to account to them for any overpayments)
- treating potential beneficiaries without prejudice
- actively advancing the charitable purposes of the trust
- doing what is considered reasonable to ensure that you have suitable skills and knowledge to guide the management of the trust.
Helpful tip: you won't be able to delegate your duties to someone else unless your trust deed specifically allows you to do so.
As well as these general obligations, trustees also have some specific obligations relating to the investment of trust funds.
Who is responsible for the governance of the trust?
Trustees are responsible for the governance of their trust.
Governance responsibilities include developing strategy and policy, budgeting and planning.
The Department of Internal Affairs has published a resource called the Community Resource Kit. It includes a 'How to guide' about Governance which has information about roles and responsibilities and governing body processes.
What should we do about potential conflicts of interest?
Trustees have the responsibility of ensuring that conflicts of interest don't arise.
Your trust should have a conflicts policy in place to ensure that conflicts between the duties of a trustee and their personal interests don't occur.
If a conflict of interest does occur, the trustee involved must not be part of any decision relating to the conflicting issue.
Helpful tip: Your conflicts policy could include a requirement to keep a regularly updated ‘disclosure register', listing any potentially conflicting personal interests of trustees
- It is important for trustees to be familiar with, and understand the terms of the trust deed that created the trust.
- To understand your responsibilities fully, you may wish to seek advice from someone who is experienced in trust law.
- The Charities Act does not limit or change your liability as a trustee.
- As a trustee you are subject to the legal obligations created by your trust deed and by the law relating to trusts.
- You won't be able to delegate your duties to someone else unless your trust deed specifically allows you to do so.
- Trustees are responsible for the governance of their trust.
- Trustees have the responsibility of ensuring that conflicts of interest don't arise. | <urn:uuid:13cb52fa-76dd-41f5-bff4-1ef1e23dd599> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.charities.govt.nz/news/information-sheets/trustee-s-responsibilities/ | 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 | 0.963266 | 904 | 1.757813 | 2 |
Just want you've always wanted: tweets stored on your hard drive for offline reading.
Twitter's Mollie Vandor of the User Services Engineering Team revealed on Wednesday that users can now download their Twitter archive. That's right. Every tweet and retweet can instantly be at your reading fingertips without having to jump online and wait for the Twitter engine to render a chunk of tweets in handfuls. Why would anyone want to sift through thousands of old posts? Ask the government: it's a gold mine.
"If you tweet, you may have found yourself wanting to go back in time and explore your past Tweets," Vandor said. " Maybe you wanted to recall your reaction to the 2008 election, reminisce on what you said to your partner on your 10th anniversary, or just see your first few Tweets. We know lots of you would like to explore your Twitter past."
Ok, we're sold on the idea. So how does one download their golden Twitter treasure trove?
"Go to Settings and scroll down to the bottom to check for the option to request your Twitter archive," Vandor explained. "If you do see it, go ahead and click the button. You’ll receive an email with instructions on how to access your archive when it’s ready for you to download."
As of this writing, there was no such option on my Twitter account (@exfileme). That's likely because Twitter is still rolling out the option to its millions of users, starting with a small percentage of users whose language is set to English. Over the coming weeks and months, Twitter will make it available to all users around the world, for all the languages the social network offers.
"This project was first built during one of our quarterly Hack Weeks," Vandor said. "Since then, we’ve done the engineering work necessary to make it available to Twitter users. We look forward to seeing the old Tweets you uncover. As you go through all of your Tweets, share your favorites using #TwitterArchive."
Too bad this feature wasn't rolled out before the world comes to an end on Friday – it would have made good reading material while we all wait for our doom. | <urn:uuid:d16afbdb-6bf3-40e3-8aba-37b3d5460a21> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tomsguide.com/us/Twitter-Archive-Mollie-Vandor-Social-Netowrk-retweet,news-16482.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951477 | 451 | 1.710938 | 2 |
The developer of a proposed southern Indiana fertilizer plant said Wednesday the project will be safe and not handle explosive materials like a Texas plant where a deadly explosion occurred last month. All of the products made at the Ohio Valley Resources LLC proposed for the Ohio River city of Rockport will be liquid, non-flammable and non-explosive, Fairfield, Ill.-based developer Doug Wilson said.
A man is dead after being electrocuted at a manufacturing plant in St. Louis County. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that employees of St. Louis Cold Drawn Inc. arrived at 4:15 a.m. Wednesday and found the 55-year-old victim on the ground. He was taken by ambulance to a hospital and pronounced dead.
State and federal agents will release this week the findings of an investigation into a deadly explosion at a Texas fertilizer plant. The State Fire Marshal's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will announce their findings on Thursday.
Opponents of a proposed southern Indiana fertilizer plant are arguing that state officials should block the project because of dangers highlighted by last month's deadly explosion at a Texas fertilizer manufacturer. An Illinois businessman is seeking permission to build a fertilizer plant projected to cost $950 million near the Ohio River city of Rockport.
When they saw 30-foot flames licking the sky inside a massive fertilizer plant, firefighters in this tiny Texas town rushed to evacuate nearby buildings and raced to spray water on tanks of chemicals, hoping to prevent a catastrophe. They didn't know, and probably could not imagine, that the plant would soon explode into a deadly fireball and lay waste to much of the community.
General Motors Co. says a new supercomputing data center and a fledgling shift to bring software development in-house should help it limit the size of future safety recalls. The Detroit automaker, which formally opened the giant data storage center in suburban Warren, Michigan, said the changes are examples of how it is moving faster to cut costs and serve its customers better by bringing more computer technology inside the company.
U.S. auto safety regulators are investigating complaints that the engines can stall without warning in three Chrysler and Dodge brand cars. The probe covers more than 192,000 Chrysler 300C luxury cars, Dodge Charger muscle cars and Dodge Magnum wagons from the 2006 model year. The cars have 5.7-liter or 6.1-liter V-8 engines.
Two workers were injured Monday when highly flammable gas used in welding exploded at a West Virginia industrial site, officials said. Fire crews were sent at about 3:20 p.m. to Airgas, a distributor of specialty gases in Poca, outside of Charleston. Putnam County emergency management director Frank Chapman said the explosion involved about 50 tanks of acetylene that were at Airgas waiting to be refilled.
U.S. safety regulators are investigating complaints that problems with steering-gear boxes are causing a loss of control in some Ford trucks. The probe by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration covers an estimated 340,000 F250 and F350 Super Duty Trucks from the 2008 model year.
Bangladesh offers the global garment industry something unique: Millions of workers who quickly churn out huge amounts of well-made underwear, jeans and T-shirts for the lowest wages in the world. But since a building collapse April 24 killed at least 1,100 garment workers in Bangladesh in one of the deadliest industrial tragedies in history, the country has gone from one of the industry's greatest assets to one of its biggest liabilities.
The culprits are the cars themselves, produced with weaker welds, scant safety features and inferior materials compared to similar models manufactured for U.S. and European consumers, say experts and engineers inside the industry. Four of Brazil's five bestselling cars failed their independent crash tests.
Chrysler is recalling 469,000 Jeep SUVs worldwide because they can shift into neutral without warning on startup. The recall affects 2005 to 2010 Grand Cherokees and 2006 to 2010 Commanders. U.S. safety regulators say cracks in a circuit board can cause a faulty signal as the SUVs are being started. If the vehicles shift into neutral they can roll away.
Bangladesh's government plans to raise the minimum wage for garment workers after the deaths of more than 1,100 people in the collapse of a factory building focused attention on the textile industry's dismal pay and hazardous working conditions.
Pest birds cost individuals and businesses millions of dollars each year in clean-up expenses, repairs, and damaged equipment. Some large industrial facilities spend as much as six figures to combat pest bird problems. Facility managers must understand the important of implementing a preventative bird control program as means of reducing these costs.
There is no such thing as a vibration free machine,” says Steve Matthews, business manager of VibrAlign’s service company, PdM Solutions, Inc. Rotor unbalance, sheave misalignment, worn bearings, loose bolts, and bearing lubrication issues can affect every machine on the plant floor. And when they do, costly and dangerous failures can result.
After several near-misses culminating with an injurious forklift truck collision involving strip curtains, a Northeast Ohio metal fabricator and manufacturer searched for creative solutions to improve safety, energy efficiency, and productivity at a high traffic ground level material handling doorway.
Texas law enforcement officials on Friday launched a criminal investigation into the massive fertilizer plant explosion that killed 14 people last month, after weeks of largely treating the blast as an industrial accident. The announcement came the same day a paramedic who helped to evacuate residents the night of the explosion was arrested on a charge of possessing a destructive device.
All Nippon Airways Co. is planning to start flying the Boeing 787 to Taipei and Shanghai in addition to three other cities abroad previously served by the U.S. manufacturer's advanced aircraft, after it resolves the battery issue and resumes services on June 1.
U.S. auto safety regulators are investigating complaints that the low-beam headlights can go dark without warning on some Chevrolet Corvettes. The probe by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration covers more than 103,000 Corvettes from the 2005 through 2007 model years.
North Dakota has the highest rate of worker deaths in the nation, due in large part to the oil boom in the western part of the state in recent years, according to a new report from the AFL-CIO. There were 44 worker deaths in North Dakota in 2011, for a rate of 12.4 deaths per 100,000 workers.
An 83-year-old nun and two fellow protesters were convicted Wednesday of interfering with national security when they broke into a nuclear weapons facility in Tennessee and defaced a uranium processing plant. It took a jury about 2 ½ hours to find the three protesters guilty of a charge of sabotaging the plant and second charge of damaging federal property in July the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge in July.
A robotic pharmacy at the UCSF Medical Center could be the next big thing for hospitals. The robot counts, dispenses and packages pills with perfect accuracy. Doctors at the Medical Center say the machine has been a game-changer – eliminating errors and mistakes.
An 83-year-old nun and two other protesters accused of defacing a Tennessee nuclear weapons plant said Wednesday they have no remorse for their actions and were pleased to reach one of the most secure parts of the facility. Sister Megan Rice, Michael Walli and Greg Boertje-Obed testified on their own behalf during their federal trial on charges related to the July intrusion at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge.
Two people are hospitalized in Tulsa after an explosion outside a sandblasting plant in Eufaula. McIntosh County Sheriff Kevin Ledbetter told reporters the two were injured in the blast at Ford Sandblasting in west Eufaula shortly after noon Tuesday. Officials say the two suffered burns in the blast but their names and conditions were not immediately released.
A bill introduced in the Senate on Tuesday would require the president to block imports of products using stolen U.S. technology or made by companies implicated in computer theft. Washington's sudden focus on Chinese hacking comes after rising complaints from U.S. businesses about theft of trade secrets. | <urn:uuid:e2d369c9-4b58-428c-81a1-4213bc8777da> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.impomag.com/topics/safety?page=3&items_per_page=25&qt-recent_content=0&qt-most_popular=0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950908 | 1,695 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, April 04, 2002
China and EU Enjoying Best Relations Ever in History: Jiang
China and the European Union (EU) are enjoying their best relations ever in history, said President Jiang Wednesday. The two sides are sharing the same views on more and more international issues, and economic and trade cooperation has been expanded and exchanges in cultural and scientific fields promoted.
China and the European Union (EU) are enjoying their best relations ever in history, said Chinese President Jiang Zemin Wednesday.
The two sides are sharing the same views on more and more international issues, said Jiang when he met with Christopher Patten, a member of the EU's External Relations Commission.
Economic and trade cooperation has been expanded and exchanges in cultural and scientific fields promoted between the two sides, Jiang said.
He pointed out that China always regards its relations with the EU from the strategic perspective with the long-term in mind.
Both China and Europe have a long-term history and splendid culture, and should get along well with each other, he said, adding that the two sides should further cooperation in all fields, and push forward their all-round, long-term and stable partnership.
Patten agreed to Jiang's view on relations between the EU and China, saying that China has one quarter of the population of the world, and its progress benefits the EU and the world as a whole.
He called the cooperation between the EU and China a good example of international cooperation, saying that enhancing exchanges with China is a correct choice of the EU.
EU Regards Ties with China as Priority: Patten
Christopher Patten said that the EU-China relationship is of vital importance, and the EU regards its relations with China in the political, economic, cultural and environmental protection fields as priority ones.
Patten made the remark while delivering a speech prior to a reception sponsored by the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China in his honor.
He expressed the EU Commission's willingness to expand EU-China trade and economic relations, saying that about 400 small and medium-sized European enterprises will come to China later this year to seek business opportunities.
He said the EU will work closely with China in the new round of WTO negotiations to ensure that it becomes a more effective international organization.
He added that the EU Commission hopes to extend its cooperation into other areas such as space science, higher education, environmental protection and cracking down on international crime.
Patten emphasized that China's development will not pose a threat to the rest of the world, saying that it will be a real threat if China does not succeed.
He admitted that there exist some disagreements between the two sides, expressing the hope that these disagreements will abate over the years, and will not cast a shadow over the EU-China relationship.
"There is on both sides a recognition that the success of our relationship is just too important to allow our occasional disagreements to destroy what we are committed to, that is, to make sure the world becomes more prosperous and more stable," Patten said.
Overview of European Union
The European Union (EU) was set up after the 2nd World War. The process of European integration was launched on 9 May 1950 when France officially proposed to create 'the first concrete foundation of a European federation'. Six countries (Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands) joined from the very beginning. Today, after four waves of accessions (1973: Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom; 1981: Greece; 1986: Spain and Portugal; 1995: Austria, Finland and Sweden) the EU has 15 Member States and is preparing for the accession of 13 eastern and southern European countries. >>more information | <urn:uuid:971b20d2-fcb6-434d-aa23-76cc07888fbb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200204/03/eng20020403_93421.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954181 | 760 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Welcome to the community Kara! :)
Welcome aboard, kara!
what made you convert?
It was a number of things really. I had a strong foundation in Science and History and things like evolution for example just didnt fit with what I had been "taught". I hate to refer to it as religious education because the two dont go together but thats exactly what happened. My "religious education" and my college education and beyond just didn't jive. From history to morality to science and mathematics none of my belief in God made sense anymore.
That is excellent. My favorite way for someone to switch, which seems such a simple thing. Some good stuff on this site, glad to have you here.
Thanks :-) Any good stuff come to mind that I should check out? There is so much!
well anything really, most of the posts are pretty intelligent, the chat rooms has some lively discussion sometimes, really what ever tickles your pickle as far as what threads to read. hell just start pointing and clicking.
Jimmy's right. I didn't really know where to start on here. I tried creating a group but it gained zero popularity, so I just started surfing and jumping into some conversations. Some people just contacted me and so on. So far people have had a pretty good sense of humor on here, and thats usually one of my top priorities. gotta laugh at least a couple of times a day or the days wasted, lol.
I'd like to start a group. Thanks for the words of advice, there is a lot of funny stuff on here!
"Religious education" is usually an oxyoron, unless it's a dispassionate education ABOUT religion.
One of the best philosophy classes for me was Philosophy of Religion, and The History of Religious Ideas. Real eye openers. Both can generate the most amazing classroom heat during discusions. | <urn:uuid:5160ec1c-9baa-4173-a882-0ec74ed7271d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thinkatheist.com/forum/topics/hello-community?xg_source=activity | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972569 | 385 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Our Choices in the Wake of Jerry Sandusky's Sentencing
A commentary from Stop It Now!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Deborah Donovan Rice
Executive Director, Stop It Now!
413.587.3500 ext. 1
October 10, 2012
Despite his claims of innocence and conspiracy, the prison term handed down yesterday against former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky will effectively keep him locked away for the rest of his life. And it puts the rest of us at a collective crossroads in our own lives.
The sentence by Judge Cleland has received a near-universal endorsement from anyone familiar with the sordid details of Sandusky’s sexual abuse of at least 10 boys over a 15-year period. Sandusky was convicted of 45 counts of sexual abuse against the boys, who had come under his influence while he served as a Penn State coach and as the founder of Second Mile, a program for at-risk youth.
Sandusky’s charitable works, his professions of innocence, and his goofy grin have revealed him to be a complex archetype and an easily-demonized caricature of a predatory sexual manipulator. These two images respectively offer a great opportunity and a significant danger, for educating adults about how to prevent future sexual abuse of children.
And so, we must choose.
We have an unprecedented opening to use this case’s stunning lessons about ignorance, self-interest and responsibility to closely examine widespread, false assumptions about the dynamics of child sexual abuse and how to prevent it. These assumptions make us all susceptible to becoming silent bystanders who, like many in Sandusky's midst, fail to protect vulnerable children due to self-protective confusion, fear or misunderstanding.
Or we can seek reassurance in the caricature and congratulate ourselves for putting away a man who many equate with evil. We can punish the callous individuals and institutions who we believe should have stopped Sandusky. We can consider our duty done. We can convince ourselves that “they” were the problem and “we” would have done better. That’s the danger of this scenario.
Let’s be clear. Almost all adults are convinced they would speak up and intervene if they became aware of a child at risk of being sexually abused. But research and the experience of many survivors of sexual abuse demonstrate that more often than not, adults don’t speak up.
Why? Because we all want to view people that we know as “good”, and to believe naively that we’ll recognize the “bad” ones.
One of the greatest barriers to preventing childhood sexual abuse is this either/or thinking. This thinking held up Jerry Sandusky as a widely-admired savior of kids, and has now turned him into the bogey man. When any of us has to choose between two extremes of saint or devil, we’re generally reluctant to recategorize someone we respect into the negative category without absolute proof. But research shows that most people who sexually abuse children are complicated individuals with good qualities as well as a horribly destructive problem. They are not solely manipulative monsters.
To stay safe, kids need the adults in their lives to embrace that complex reality.
Only then do adults realize that it’s possible to start challenging behaviors that confuse children about what’s okay and what isn’t. That’s real prevention.
Every child needs adults in their life who’ve educated themselves about warning sign behaviors and situations that may indicate an increased risk of abuse.
Children need adults who are knowledgeable about healthy sexual development and age appropriate sexual behavior. Children need the adults in their families, programs, schools, and faith communities to speak up - and to follow up.
Showering alone with a young boy – that’s a warning sign.
Sharing a bedroom alone on a trip – that’s a warning sign.
Gifts and favors, special rules, secrets – they’re all warning signs.
Adults like Penn State coaches, administrators and Second Mile officials didn’t need to determine that Sandusky had bad intentions or an evil personality to take decisive action. They only needed to recognize that he was violating good, interpersonal boundariesi. Whatever his intentions, he was setting dangerous precedents. Those are the warning signs that adults can learn to recognize and use to prevent abuse – before it happens.
As satisfying as Sandusky’s long sentence may feel, preventing abuse will always have a much greater positive impact on our children, families and communities, than punishment will after the fact.
At the end of the day, that’s our choice. | <urn:uuid:6a03806f-9a1e-4374-9bcb-7fda4f57b26c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.stopitnow.org/press-release-commentary-sandusky-sentencing | 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 | 0.955845 | 965 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Monterey Fish Market
Opened in 1979 by a former chef, this sustainability-focused fish market on Pier 33 buys its catches from local boats, small suppliers, and national producers. The seafood selection, displayed in coolers and on beds of ice, comprises mostly wild species from the West Coast. Depending on the season and availability, the latest catches may include geoduck clams, Atlantic cod, John Dory, or European oysters. The market’s fishmongers are well-versed in everything from marine conservation and sustainability to cooking techniques, especially as owner Paul Johnson has written a book on seafood cookery: Fish Forever. | <urn:uuid:2e89a8be-67a5-4ba3-a5da-15ede0324d37> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.foodandwine.com/activities/shop/monterey-fish-market | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944081 | 131 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Just so you don't think me ungrateful, I decided to take down my rather miserable post earlier this morning, which sounded a little like The "before" Scrooge, instead of the "after" Scrooge. and focus on the holiday we just had before going full steam into the holiday we are now entering.
Here is a little Thanksgiving trivia for you:
The Pilgrims' Menu
Foods That May Have Been on the Menu
Seafood: Cod, Eel, Clams, Lobster
Wild Fowl: Wild Turkey, Goose, Duck, Crane, Swan, Partridge, Eagles
Meat: Venison, Seal
Grain: Wheat Flour, Indian Corn
Vegetables: Pumpkin, Peas, Beans, Onions, Lettuce, Radishes, Carrots
Fruit: Plums, Grapes
Nuts: Walnuts, Chestnuts, Acorns
Herbs and Seasonings: Olive Oil, Liverwort, Leeks, Dried Currants, Parsnips
What Was Not on the Menu
Surprisingly, the following foods, all considered staples of the modern Thanksgiving meal, didn't appear on the pilgrims' first feast table:
Ham: There is no evidence that the colonists had butchered a pig by this time, though they had brought pigs with them from England.
Sweet Potatoes/Potatoes: These were not common.
Corn on the Cob: Corn was kept dried out at this time of year.
Cranberry Sauce: The colonists had cranberries but no sugar at this time.
Pumpkin Pie: It's not a recipe that exists at this point, though the pilgrims had recipes for stewed pumpkin.
Chicken/Eggs: We know that the colonists brought hens with them from England, but it's unknown how many they had left at this point or whether the hens were still laying.
Milk: No cows had been aboard the Mayflower, though it's possible that the colonists used goat milk to make cheese.
Source: Kathleen Curtin, Food Historian at Plimoth Plantation.
And...a typical Thanksgiving table today:
Not that any of these things matter, it's still kind of interesting, I think.
For Thanksgiving at out house, we had a nice meal with our own family and a friend of ours from Haiti, and another from Peru. It was lovely! We had turkey, mashed potatoes & gravy, stuffing, rolls & jam, peas, corn, green beans, sweet potato casserole, spinach salad, and cheese and crackers and spinach/artichoke dip for appetizers.
We had a larger extension of our family and friends come and eat desert with us at our house, and the desserts included Pumpkin Pie, apple crisp, banana cream pie, pecan pie, buttermilk pie with berries, whipped cream and vanilla ice cream as the toppers, as well as some other desserts I can't remember.
We had a really nice sort of fireside afterward where we all sat around and took a few minutes to talk about what we are most grateful for. There weren't many dry eyes after that one. All in all, it was a wonderful day!
I want to go on record as saying that I know I am extremely blessed and spoiled, and that I'm sure there are many things I take for granted every day of my life.
I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving, if you live in the States, and if not, I hope you can take a moment to reflect on your blessings, wherever you might find yourself!
It has helped me to pull out of a silly slump on more than one occasion in my life.
(and...here it comes... Merry Christmas!) | <urn:uuid:9f75bc32-b8d0-490d-92f5-96c961408036> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lilatuellerdesigns.blogspot.com/2009_11_01_archive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967115 | 779 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Airports can make case to keep towers open
FAA starts letter campaign
The Federal Aviation Administration this week is sending out scores of letters to small- and medium- size airports nationwide saying the agency may soon close their control towers because of budget cuts, unless they can convince the government that the action will harm the national interest.
"Negative impact on the national interest is the only criterion the FAA will use," the letters read. "The FAA is unable to consider local community impact."
The FAA says it has not yet identified which towers will be closed, or the date of closure.
But Spencer Dickerson, the head of a contract tower association, said top FAA officials made clear in a Monday conference call that the agency intends to close contract 173 towers on April 7, and another 16 towers on September 30, the end of the fiscal year. In addition, 49 FAA-staffed towers are on a list that may be closed.
In the letter to airports, the FAA says they must make a case for their tower to remain open by March 13. The list of closures will be finalized March 18, the FAA said.
The FAA, in talking points obtained by CNN, says it has adopted a philosophy of cutting in a way "to minimize impact to the greatest number of passengers."
All of the towers on the list have fewer than 150,000 operations (an operation is a takeoff or landing) or 10,000 commercial operations a year.
The 189 contract towers handle approximately 20% of all airport operations, but less than 2.5% of commercial operations, according to the talking points. The 49 FAA-staffed towers handle approximately 26% of all tower operations, but less than 3.5% of commercial operations.
Combined, the 238 towers handle 5.8% of all commercial operations during the last fiscal year, the talking points say.
Tower closures would not necessarily result in airport closures, because some aircraft can land without air traffic control help, and those that need controller help can communicate with more distant FAA facilities. Further, individual airports could pay for contract controllers, the FAA said.
"We're extremely discouraged and disappointed that the FAA is taking this action," said Dickerson, of the contract tower association. "The rest of the FAA's budget is getting a 5% haircut; the contract towers are getting a 75% cut, because the FAA is cutting 189 of the 251 contract towers."
"It's hard for us to see the fairness in the budget cuts. It seems the contract tower program is taking a high, disproportionate cut. We have serious concerns about the safety, efficiency and loss of jobs in almost 150 communities across the country," he said.
The towers are part of the FAA's contract tower program, in which 251 towers are staffed with contractors instead of FAA employees.
Though little-known, contract towers are widely used by the FAA to manage air traffic. FAA employees staff busier towers.
John Cozart, CEO of Robinson Aviation Inc., which staffs contract towers in the South and Southwestern United States, said the decision was "not unexpected."
"I didn't think they'd resolve it in favor of the contract tower program. I kind of expected that they would continue on their course," he said.
Asked for his reaction, he said, "You're asking a guy who's having to lay off a ton of people because of this."
A 2011 report by the Department of Transportation's Office of Inspector General said contract towers cost on average $537,000 a year to operate, compared with $2 million for an FAA-staffed tower with a similar workload. The lower costs were chiefly from lower staffing and salary levels at contract towers, which had an average of six controllers, while FAA towers had 16.
And a typical contract controller near Tampa, Florida, received a base pay of $56,000 per year, compared with a base pay ranging from $63,000 to $85,000 a year for an FAA controller in Sarasota, Florida, the study said.
Dickerson said contract towers are carrying the brunt of the cuts, despite having comparable safety records and being more cost efficient.
But the forced spending cuts, known as the sequestration, are also affecting FAA staff. Most of the agency's 47,000 workers, including its 14,700 controllers, have been told to expect one or two furlough days every two-week pay period. The FAA also has proposed eliminating overnight shifts at some towers.
Copyright 2013 by CNN NewSource. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | <urn:uuid:69518854-e029-46f4-990f-06eea0bfe5f7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kjct8.com/news/travel/Airports-can-make-case-to-keep-towers-open/-/194774/19209770/-/view/print/-/mjwg38/-/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971602 | 944 | 1.585938 | 2 |
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Digital projectors are those video projectors which are used in conferences for presentations. The digital projectors receive video signals from, usually, desktop computers and display images on large screens which can be easily comprehended by all in the gathering.Published:28-Dec-2006
Whenever you need to grant another entity or individual certain rights and privileges to act on your behalf it is imperative to execute a written power of attorney…not doing so could be disastrous.Published:28-Dec-2006
Experts estimate that there are around 20 thousand different kinds of orchids, these orchids grow in many different climates and conditions and are found in many different places around the world.Published:28-Dec-2006
Ten ways to quickly align your energy are explained. They will insure your success in any business or endeavor. Simple steps to boost income in your small business or home based business success are detailed in part two of the three articles. These success tips have created millionaires. It also explains WHY you must have goals.Published:28-Dec-2006
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Anal fissure is an injury in the anus. This injury is either a cut or a tear in the canal which passes stool i.e. the anus. This condition is very common among adults.Published:28-Dec-2006 | <urn:uuid:7a36460c-7f44-4973-8e54-caee15bfa64b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.peerfear.org/articles/archive/2006?page=4 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934469 | 329 | 1.53125 | 2 |
The Hudson Yards is a huge swath of land located on the Far West Side of Manhattan. The land, which is the largest undeveloped site left in Manhattan, is owned by the Metropolitan Transit Authority. Now, five teams of architects are in the running to develop a 26-acre site in a sustainable way. Pictured here are a few of the designs.
All teams have been asked to provide about 12 million square feet of residential and commercial space, a cultural building, retail and parks. And, all teams have incorporated the High Line, the defunct overhead railway, into their designs. | <urn:uuid:b3b39b6c-04d5-4b26-8b09-4c1981301e80> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://metaefficient.com/architecture-and-building/agreen-complex-planned-for-new-york.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977144 | 119 | 1.789063 | 2 |
I was, to some extent, inspired by the article by Benjamin Morris on his blog Skeptical Sports, where he suggests that to win playoff games in the NBA, three factors are most important: winning percentage, previous playoff experience, and pace – a measure of possessions. Pace translated into the NFL would be a measure that would count elements such as turnovers and punts. In the NBA, a number of elements such as rebounds + turnovers + steals would factor in.
I’ve recently captured a set of NFL playoff data from 2001 to 2010, which I analyzed by converting those games into a number. If the home team won, the game was assigned a 1. If the visiting team won, the game was assigned a 0. Because of the way the data were organized, the winner of the Super Bowl was always treated as the home team.
I tested a variety of pairs of regular season statistical elements to see which ones correlated best with playoff winning percentage. The test of significance was a logistic regression (see also here), as implemented in the Perl module PDL::Stats.
Two factors emerge rapidly from this kind of analysis. The first is that playoff experience is important. By this we mean that a team has played any kind of playoff game in the previous two seasons. Playoff wins were not significant in my testing, by the way, only the experience of actually being in the playoffs. The second significant parameter was the SRS variable strength of schedule. Differences in SRS were not significant in my testing, but differences in SOS were. Playing tougher competition evidently increases the odds of winning playoff games.
Some notes on the logit. If the probability of a win is P, then the logit of P = ln (P/1-P). Logits aren’t easy to think in, so it helps to have an online logit calculator handy. A logit calculator is here. Using this, you can tell how much effect a single unit change in a variable will have on a logistic formula. If I have a logistic formula that goes logit P = 0.2 + 0.5x1 + 0.85x2 then I know that a single unit change in x2 has an effect on the probability of an outcome that is equal to logit P = 0.85. Using the calculator above, that comes out to about P = 0.7.
The formula is: logit P = 0.5775 + 0.296 (delta SOS) + 0.765(delta Playoff exp). The former has a relative error of about 80%, the latter about 20-25%. The odds these number were obtained by chance is 1% and 3.3% respectively. A logit of 0.765 corresponds to a P of about 0.68 and a logit of 0.296 corresponds to a P of about 0.57. | <urn:uuid:42689a8f-dc57-4ad2-a634-a6d93fbe307c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://codeandfootball.wordpress.com/2011/04/25/predicting-playoff-wins-in-the-nfl-what-factors-are-important/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969871 | 589 | 1.601563 | 2 |
April 2, 2012 by
Local Food is Always in Season in Woolwich...Join in the fun at the sixth annual Taste of Woolwich!
In addition to a spectacular range of local farmers and food producers, the event features a special Youth Recipe Challenge and four informative workshops. We welcome $2 donations for adults, children attend for free.
Besides showing people about all the local food available in the area and how to access it, a key goal of A Taste of Woolwich is to illustrate the health, economic, and community-wide benefits of choosing local food.
This year, A Taste of Woolwich boasts a variety of informative and enjoyable free workshops, with something for everyone!
April 16, 5-8pm at the Breslau Mennonite Church, 226 Woolwich Street South, Breslau:
Workshop 1 – Quick & Nutritious Meals for Young Families
The first workshop of the evening invites young families to learn how to cook quick and nutritious meals, with local dietitian Robin Hicken. (5:45pm)
Workshop 2 – Local Youth Recipe Challenge Showcase
Later on, support local youth while you learn to cook with local ingredients, as Chef Ryan Terry of Flow Catering demonstrates a recipe created by a Woolwich-based Youth Group. This year, for the first time, local youth groups have been invited to get creative in the kitchen as a way of learning about the various foods that are produced right here in Woolwich Township! Participating groups are tasked with exploring where in Woolwich the ingredients for their recipes can be purchased. (6:15pm)
Workshop 3 – What Should We Pay for the Benefits of Local Food?
After the exciting Youth Recipe Showcase, attend Ellen Desjardin and Steve Martin’s informative talk about the costs associated with producing food in Canada and how this impacts the prices we pay. By the end of this workshop, we hope that people will feel more informed about why buying local food makes sense in so many ways. (6:25pm)
Workshop 4 – Learn the Art of Cooking Slow for Healthy Families on the Go
Finally, watch and learn as Libby Barrie of Barrie’s Asparagus Farm and Becky Barrie of Harvest Table Catering prepare a mouth-watering meal in the slow cooker! (7:10pm)
Many people don’t know that every job in the agriculture sector in Waterloo Region supports another four jobs. At A Taste of Woolwich, everyone will be amazed and inspired by the array of food produced right in our area and discover the benefits of buying local food. There are also plenty of opportunities to talk with local farmers and food producers, many of which are interested in exploring innovative ideas for new crops to meet the needs of our changing culinary lifestyle. For example, Stevanus Farms grows bok choy – now a staple in many people’s diets.
A Taste of Woolwich is sponsored by Region of Waterloo Public Health, Foodlink Waterloo Region and Woolwich Healthy Communities, a non-profit volunteer organization committed to making Woolwich an even better place to live; socially, economically, and environmentally. For more information, visit www.healthywoolwich.org
Look for Woolwich Healthy Communities “A Taste of Woolwich 2012” on Facebook! Share our page to help us spread the word!
Laurie Malleau does project work for Foodlink. She likes to spend her leisure time in the company of foodie farming friends, sharing and learning about living sustainably with a focus on local food. | <urn:uuid:f53410fd-adae-4899-90a7-695d00156442> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.foodlink.ca/local-dish/local-food-demos---april-16th | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939202 | 739 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Art Mazza, a Tottenville man who owns a small property in Great Kills, is upset that the city Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is billing him for water not being used.
Between June and September last year, the property at 340 Cleveland Ave., used 600 cubic feet of water, resulting in a $93.50 bill, according to a statement sent to him by the DEP.
From December last year to March, usage was zero, yet he was charged $95.31, another statement shows.
The South Shore resident was surprised to receive a bill, adding that while he has no problem paying it off, "It's all principle."
"I get angry when they do things like this," he said of the agency that charged him.
However, there's nothing he could do about it, says the DEP.
"Any property that is connected to the city water or city waste water system is charged based on the meter system," explained DEP spokeswoman Mercedes Padilla. "There is a minimal charge per day."
For Mazza, that price was $1.04, which accumulated from Dec. 21 of last year to March 23.
She said the minimum charge is a contribution to maintain the basic service of the system.
"If the house is empty and the owner of the property doesn't want to pay minimal bills, they have to have a plumber disconnect the water line and the sewer line," Ms. Padilla said, noting that some bills are estimated minimal charges, while others are minimal charges.
She noted that all charges can be avoided if the homeowner disconnects from the system.
One of Mazza's DEP statement reads that the bill is an estimate of the water used.
"An estimated bill based on previous consumption is a valid bill," the statement reads.
A response from the DEP sent to Mazza, regarding his questioning of the charges, said that a minimum charge is billed during any bill period in which charges based on actual consumption are less than the minimum charge and the usage is less than 0.15 hundred cubic feet (HCF) per day.
But, Mazza says the DEP shouldn't charge him for something he's not using.
"There's no water coming in or no water coming out, but they're still charging you in the both directions," he said. "For what reason?"
He said the city has him at a catch-22, because even to disconnect the property from the water system costs a lot of money.
"They just dictate policy. They don't care what the common citizen thinks," said Mazza. "And the last few years, all they've been doing to the general public is charging them with any violation the city could charge." | <urn:uuid:26cb9d88-3a0f-4b50-8e94-c62aab79332c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.silive.com/southshore/index.ssf/2011/05/tottenville_man_says_hes_tired.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982146 | 566 | 1.5625 | 2 |
San Francisco - Google on Tuesday wove content from its social network and Picasa photo-sharing service into its search formula to serve up personalized results to online queries.
"Search plus your world" was billed as a major change to the leading Internet search engine.
"There is a huge amount of content on the Web today but, at a certain point this content is nameless and faceless," Google's Ben Gomes said.
"The most relevant content is from people you know so we are introducing your personal world to search."
People signed into Google accounts will be able to have the search engine include in results content approved for sharing by them or friends at Google+ or Picasa.
"I've been trying it out and it really changes the nature of search for me," Gomes said. "Now when I search for Bangalore I not only see information about the city but I see pictures of the house where I grew up."
A cursor hovering over an image will reveal where the picture was shared online and by whom, according to Gomes.
"We want to show you your personal data and data from friends," Gomes said. "We want to use Google+ and circles as the underlying infrastructure."
Google's social network lets users share comments, pictures, videos or other online content based on which "circles" friends, family, co-workers or acquaintances fall into.
Google is also enhancing searches for information about people by factoring in Google+ posts.
"It is a whole new kind of search you can do that is focused on content respective to a particular person," Gomes said.
Google will also show which celebrities or other prominent people are commenting at the social network about topics of searches.
Personal data woven into results is protected with encryption and other security on par with that used to safeguard Google's email service, according to Gomes.
"We've gone above and beyond on control because we know people are sensitive with personal data," he said.
Google plans to weave its social network into an array of its properties and services as it builds an online community in a market dominated by Facebook.
Globally popular microblogging service Twitter was quick to blast the changes to Google's search engine, arguing that real-time "tweets" with dramatic ramifications will sink deeper on results pages.
"As we've seen time and again, news breaks first on Twitter; as a result Twitter accounts and Tweets are often the most relevant results," the San Francisco-based startup said.
"We're concerned that as a result of Google's changes, finding this information will be much harder for everyone," Twitter continued in a statement emailed to AFP.
"We think that's bad for people, publishers, news organizations and Twitter users."
Twitter messages are public and are blended into online search results. Posting Google+ pictures and posts high on results pages could relegate tweets to lower positions that are less likely to be noticed. | <urn:uuid:7a2991ab-52a1-4676-a8e8-7eddd13762db> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fin24.com/Companies/ICT/Google-makes-search-personal-20120111-2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958555 | 606 | 1.617188 | 2 |
News, comments, resources, and more for nonprofits.
United We Serve Initiative Launched by President Obama
On June 22, President Obama launched United We Serve, calling on all Americans to help in our nation's recovery by volunteering in our communities this summer. The initiative runs for 81 days, until the National Day of Service and Remembrance on September 11 and is being coordinated by the Corporation for National and Community Service.
“This summer, I’m calling on all of you to make volunteerism and community service part of your daily life and the life of the nation,” said President Obama. “And when I say ‘all,’ I mean everyone—young and old, from every background, all across the country. We need individuals, community organizations, corporations, foundations, and our government to be part of this effort.
“The challenges we face are unprecedented in their size and scope, and we cannot rely on quick fixes or easy answers to put us on the road to recovery,” said President Obama. “Economic recovery is as much about what you're doing in your communities as what we're doing in Washington – and it's going to take all of us, working together.”
By visiting www.serve.gov and entering your zip code you can find local opportunities, post organizational projects, and get ideas for creating projects.
Kalamazoo has always had a high level of volunteerism. This initiative in these critical time urges each of us to reach out wider and deeper. Are you involved in new or bigger volunteer projects this summer?
Let us know by submitting a comment. And, thanks for volunteering.
President Barack Obama signing the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act | <urn:uuid:2616bcf5-dd28-41cc-9a55-80bfdca5740d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://kpl.gov/oneplace/blog/Default.aspx?id=21532 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943916 | 354 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Jonathan Steele, The Guardian | October 29, 2010
Gorbachev recently gave the US valuable advice on the war in Afghanistan that Putin would rather not hear: "Victory is impossible". ++ Yet, Russia's post-Soviet leaders have long seen eye-to-eye with the west on Afghanistan. ++ In fact, they also consider the Taliban and al-Qaida to be greater regional and global threats than Iran. ++ Nevertheless, Medvedev and Putin will not send their own troops, but they firmly want the Americans to stay. ++ Given his experience, Gorbachev should be listened to. | <urn:uuid:36eae8cb-111d-4e96-b78c-866f892b424c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://archive.atlantic-community.org/index/Global_Must_Read_Article/Russia's_Agenda_in_Afghanistan_ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952531 | 121 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Two years ago, Kaddoumi declared "the PLO no longer recognizes Israel and adheres to its national charter." Thirty of the 33 clauses in the PLO charter call for Israel's destruction or violence against Israel. Numerous statements by Kaddoumi over the years have made it clear that he, like Arafat, has no intention of settling for anything less than all of the land and none of the Jews.
Ahmed Qureia will continue in his present post as prime minister of the Palestinian Authority. Qureia has been responsible for many of the PLO's terrorist operations, which in just the past four years have murdered 1,288 Israelis.
Qureia has opposed action against terrorists, attacked President Bush for referring to Israel as a "Jewish state," declared his hope that Britain would "correct the historic mistake (it) committed against Palestinians through the Balfour Declaration in 1917" (which declared Britain's support "in Palestine for a national home for the Jewish people") and publicly trampled on Israel's flag.
The vision for Israel's future must be based on something other than fantasy. Hoping that these killers will suddenly beat their swords into ploughshares, or that the brainwashed "Palestinian people" will elect a true democrat or someone who would pursue objectives other than those of Arafat and his henchmen, is wishing upon a star.
Since Israel's establishment as a modern nation in 1948, pleadings for peace have traveled in just one direction. Peace can't be made in a vacuum. It takes two peoples committed to democratic longings and religious liberty. So far, only one side has demonstrated a commitment to such principles.
It would appear that no one running to replace Arafat, and probably most, if not all, of those voting for his successor, will express anything but the dominant religious and political party line. To do otherwise would render their vote - and probably their life - null and void.
Carney: Okay Fine, Senior Officials Knew the IRS Report was Coming, but Nobody Told Obama | Guy Benson | <urn:uuid:6f0e7831-a91b-40ba-b5ee-72f790c9b50a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://townhall.com/columnists/calthomas/2004/11/15/more_killers_for_president!/page/2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969292 | 422 | 1.5 | 2 |
Ugh! Not Another Newsletter!
What sort of email do you prefer to read? An email from a friend or a corporate newsletter? Thought so.
Here’s the real problem with the typical email newsletter: people don’t really want to read them. This may sound strange coming from someone who writes and sends email newsletters for a living, but it’s true!
Having said that, written and presented the right way, you can have people actually looking forward to receiving your email.
The secret to getting people to open and read your email update, newsletter, whatever you want to call it, comes down to a few things:
1) The way you write it
Many companies believe they have to communicate in ‘corporate speak’ – you know, where they talk about ‘solutions’ and ‘paradigms’ and ‘best practice’. These words just shout out ‘boring’ and are a swift turn off to most people (apart from those people who like to talk about paradigms, solutions and best practice, of course). The absolute opposite is the case. The more you are able to write like you speak, the more your readers will thank you. It’s important to inject your own personality into your writing, so that people who know you will say ‘yes, that’s him’. Journalists have long been aware of this and that’s why most newspapers are written so they can be read by a 12 year old.
2) What you write about
Your job – as an expert in your field – is to educate your email readers about your field – in general terms perhaps make them aware of the pitfalls you can help them avoid or explain the problems your product or service addresses.
If you are going to write about current topics in the news, make sure you have something to add. If you’re a financial adviser and you’re giving exactly the same advice as every other financial adviser, that doesn’t really add anything. Someone could read the paper and get this info. Make sure you have your own take (and of course the more controversial the better!).
It’s always good to write about happy customers. If people can relate to a real story about a real person who benefited from what you did for them, this strikes a chord, particularly if they identify with that person. Again another take from the world of newspapers – people like human interest stories.
3) What it looks like
People can tell a corporate newsletter as soon as they see it – set out in the corporate colours, boxed in etc., a series of images and boxes with short bits of text in them. Unfortunately many popular email marketing systems make a great play of the huge variety of different templates they have. The problem is that 99.9% of them suck.
The more an email update looks like a simple personal email, the more likely it is to be opened and read. We generally advise our clients to go with a clean look and minimal branding – perhaps a small logo at the top right or even the logo down at the bottom. We also advise kicking off with a personal message ahead of any listing of more formal ‘news stories’.
4) Is it for me? Personalise, personalise
When you get an email from a business, you pretty much know the only reason it says ‘Hi David’ is because they’ve inserted the ‘fname’ field at the top. Despite this, personalised emails still get opened more. Personalisation also applies to sending from a real person, not from ‘[email protected]’, and signing off as a real person – open rates are higher. And finally if you have a database of people who you can group into different types of people with different interests, consider sending slightly different emails to these groups, skewed to their interests.
5) What you put in the subject line
Your subject line can’t be bland – it needs to explain a little about what you’re covering in the email. Seems like common sense, but there are still plenty of emails going out with the uninformative ‘February Newsletter’ in the subject line.
6) Test, test, test
It’s all very well listening to a marketing person (like me) talk about what works and what doesn’t work, the only way to prove what works is to test it. If you have a large enough list (ideally 1,000+), why not try some split testing (sometimes referred to as A/B testing)? Split your database into two and send slightly different emails to each. It’s important to only have one difference between them in order to get a useful result. Also make sure you send them both at the same time to eliminate timing as a differentiating factor.
* It’s interesting to see that quite a few high open rate subject lines as reported by Mailchimp here strike me as being pretty boring, but I’m also assuming many of these newsletters are going out internally or to external partners, where reading them is a prerequisite.
David Bateson is principal of Brisbane-based email newsletter and email marketing agency NewsBusiness. Prior to setting up the agency David has a successful career in sales where he had seen first hand the power and effectiveness of email newsletter campaigns he had initiated. Although he has worked for large corporates in his time, his experience and enthusiasm is with the SME (small/medium enterprise) sector. Originally from the UK David is now based in Brisbane, Australia. For more information go to http://www.newsbusiness.com.au | <urn:uuid:f463bc26-b734-4356-a0fc-117c6f3304af> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.shlady.com/2012/03/01/ugh-not-another-newsletter.html | 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 | 0.96272 | 1,184 | 1.507813 | 2 |
In Washinton State there is a river that salmon once called home.
Return to Elwha is an interactive documentary that explores the largest dam removal in U.S. history. Through video, audio, and photography, meet conservationists, researchers, fishermen and more as a grand experiment in restoration unfolds. Will the salmon return and reclaim their home?
Sign up. Follow the Journey. | <urn:uuid:4afd37ec-1b2f-4c90-bbd6-cb6cdecde3be> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.returntoelwha.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942702 | 79 | 1.546875 | 2 |
EarthCam to Observe September 11th by Featuring Ground Zero Cam
One Year Later, EarthCam Continues Live Webcam Coverage From Ground Zero
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New York, September 4, 2002 -- a, Arial">EarthCam (www.earthcam.com), the Internet's premier global webcam network and leader in webcasting technology, will feature its Ground Zero Cam (www.earthcam.com/groundzero), along with the time-lapse archives from the camera, in observance of the one-year anniversary of September 11th.
The launch of the Ground Zero Cam came less than two weeks after the devastating attack that took place in New York City on September 11, 2001. Through EarthCam's Ground Zero Cam, viewers have been able to see exclusive live images around the clock of the courageous crews who worked on the Ground Zero recovery efforts. Views from this camera are free and continue to provide comfort and healing to family members of the victims, members of the military, and individuals worldwide. Visitors to the Ground Zero Cam are able to see the rebuilding efforts from multiple angles, along with a view of the memorial site located outside St. Paul's Chapel.
"We originally produced the Ground Zero Cam as a way to generate donations to the FDNY and other charitable websites," said Brian Cury, CEO and Founder. "Since launching the Ground Zero Cam, we have received thousands of emails commending New York City's recovery efforts and acknowledging the comfort they feel in being able to view Ground Zero. From people affected directly by the events of September 11th to those in remote areas of the world offering sympathy, the response has been overwhelming and for that reason, our plan is to continue to share this view with the world."
For nearly one year now, EarthCam has archived images from its Ground Zero Cam on an ongoing basis in an effort to encapsulate the extensive recovery efforts that have taken place. Archiving several thousands of images per week, EarthCam has amassed a substantial amount of content from which it created 3 time-lapse movies (www.earthcam.com/usa/newyork/groundzero/archives.html) for visitors to the Ground Zero Cam to watch. Coupled with these time-lapse movies is a gallery of images from the 11th of each month since September 11th. This collection of images provides a brief but powerful look at the amazing recovery and rebuilding efforts made since the tragedy.
In addition to the live camera and archives, visitors to the Ground Zero Cam page can find a before and after picture comparison of the remains of the fountain that once stood as the centerpiece of World Trade Center plaza. The fountain sat amidst the ruins and was visible, until removed during the recovery effort, on the Ground Zero Cam for an extended period of time. This picture comparison provides a shocking and surreal visual perspective and acts as a prominent reminder of the scale of the disaster that engulfed New York.
EarthCam received help and support from Riese Restaurants and AirLink Communications as they supplied a location and a wireless modem, respectively.
EarthCam.com is the leading network of live webcams and, as the premier webcam portal, offers the most comprehensive search engine of webcams from around the world. EarthCam provides complete infrastructure services to manage, host and maintain live streaming video camera systems for it's corporate clients. Clients include MSN, Yahoo!, Intel, AOL/Time Warner, ESPN, Panasonic, Ford, NASA, Kodak, Toys "R" Us, This Old House and Discovery.com. As the foremost provider of live images on the Internet, EarthCam webcasts events such as the Daytona 500, Mardi Gras, New Year's Eve in Times Square and the Super Bowl for the NFL. Visit EarthCam at www.earthcam.com. | <urn:uuid:4ba61b57-a100-4e9a-88a8-5b73f804aa0e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.earthcam.com/press/press_details.php?lang=es&id=182 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943112 | 780 | 1.6875 | 2 |
This morning on the way to work, I came across a situation and was left thinking of what responses were possible.
An obviously drunk man of about 30 carrying an open tall can of beer in his hand came up to a younger (maybe 16-18 year old) boy and started belligerently berating him on the subway in between stops. He threatened the boy that he would find and later kill him. That revenge is sweet. All sorts of angry banter. The boy sat quietly, looking down at his phone, earphones in, mostly trying to ignore him.
The man then swaggered down the subway car, stopping at least 3 times to yell at other passengers, his voice growing with each passing taunt and his aggression level clearly rising.
The boy looked up at me and the numerous other passengers in the vicinity as the man turned his back and just shrugged his shoulder and shook his head and mouthed– I don’t know him at all.
At first when I saw the confrontation– I had an assumption that the two males knew each other– and had perhaps had some previous violent background (such as gang affiliations), but as the man continuously walked up and down the subway car continuing his anger on other unsuspecting passengers, I realized that this was not the case.
I thought about the possible responses to this I could have taken and weighed each option over in my mind.
The man’s growing anger was clearly making the passengers extremely uncomfortable. The boy seemed seriously concerned, as did the other objects of his anger. Would it escalate? Would it come to the man becoming physically violent? The car sat in silence, people nervously exchanging glances outside of the man’s gaze—and others burying their noses deeper into newspapers, books or electronic devices.
The man had a beer in his hand– so he obviously got past any “security” on the TTC; did he have a knife or other weapon in his pocket? Would he be willing to use it should the situation escalate?
Would any other passengers speak or stand up against his abuses?
Would the man get off at the next stop?
Would anyone alert TTC authorities?
If I said something, what would I say? What would/could I do to de-escalate the situation?
In the end, I did nothing and I felt disappointed with myself at this response. I exchanged glances with other worried passengers, and watched as the belligerent man got off at the next stop.
Situations like this happen and often times fear holds us back from action. Fear held me back from action this morning. I was afraid that my doing something would escalate rather than de-escalate. I thought about trying to calm the man down, but ultimately thought against it, worrying that his response would turn violent against me. Sometimes there is no reasoning with people because they are emotional beyond reason. I don’t know this man and what he’s capable of.
What would you do/say? How would you respond? How can we step in to de-escalate violent confrontations with strangers in our lives? Is avoidance the best policy? | <urn:uuid:6aa7a738-b340-4a5c-a1a7-bebb95e88105> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://apeaceofconflict.com/2012/05/08/violent-encounters-with-random-strangers-14/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.987758 | 643 | 1.8125 | 2 |
Check out this post from Angel over at The Gypsy Librarian on getting to know our students and who needs to know them better. Angel writes “I guess here is what worries me. I can educate the students. I am comfortable with them, and they tend to be willing to at least give the crazy librarian a chance. I don’t think I can educate those administrators, and that worries me since they make the decisions with no idea of what the reality in the trenches is like.” I think that this is a problem at many schools – and may be one of the reasons why it is so difficult to institute postive change.
As a distance education student, a post yesterday from the LibrarianInBlack caught my eye – The importance of getting library cards to remote users. Sarah Houghton-Jan expands on a post by Laurie the Librarian and applies the same concepts about library cards to the public library. Laurie’s post, Why the highest priority to helping distance students should be getting them library cards, chronicles a bit about her adventure to facilitate an easy system of getting cards to distance students at a college library. I think that both Sarah and Laurie are trying to make the point that services need to be brought to distance students and/or remote users. Not only do we need to bring these services to our constituents, but we need to do it in a painless and way that is easy to understand and facilitate.
From my perspective as a student, these services don’t necessarily need to come from the library. I really want all of my ID numbers (whether I get a physical card or just the information) to come from one place – and really wouldn’t it be wonderful if I only needed one number??? Actually, I want all of my services to come from one spot. The library really isn’t a separate entity. In Laurie’s post, she talks about trying to get librarian presence in the online space that houses the distance classes – aka WebCT. I personally think this is where libraries need to be in order to better serve distance students. I don’t want to have to leave my class session, open a new browser window, and log into the library’s proxy server to get information. A link within the course place to the library catalog, to the electronic resources, etc. would be wonderful. It isn’t really about bringing the library card to the user, it is about bringing the library services to the patron.
Happy BlogDay to all!!!!
I first heard of this from Angel at The Gypsy Librarian – and I thankfully
she summed up the BlogDay information on her blog since the BlogDay site seems to be unavailable at the moment. From Angel’s post: “From the Blog Day website, “Blog Day was created with the belief that bloggers should have one day dedicated to getting to know other bloggers from other countries and areas of interest. On this day, every blogger will post a recommendation of 5 new blogs. In this way, all Blog web surfers will find themselves leaping around and discovering new, previously unknown blogs.”
I thought that I would list some of my favorite blogs by fellow students. My five recommendations (in no particular order):
- LIS: Michael Habib On Librarianship and the Information Sciences – Michael Habib is a MSLS student at University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. Michael has some great insights on Academic Library 2.0, including a great visual picture of the concept. I’m a little bit jealous (okay, I’m a whole lot jealous) that he is almost done with his degree.
- Into the Stacks – kiki is a library student in Oklahoma. While she has had this blog since November of 2005, I have only recently discovered it. I enjoy her insights into academia.
- Librarienne - A new student in the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne’s library science program who started this blog back in March of 2006. She starts classes this fall. Librarienne’s personal stories add quite a bit of character to her blog – and make her blog very entertaining.
- What I Learned Today – A blog by Nicole Engard – an MLIS student at Drexel University who has a great deal of technical knowledge. I’ve picked up many neat tricks and quite a bit of good information from Nicole’s blog.
- Subject/Object – A blog by Steven Chabot, a masters student in Information Studies at the University of Toronto. This is another blog that I have discovered recently. Steven puts together some very insightful posts on a variety topics.
As for the questions about blogging, I will admit to not preparing in advance.
- Why did you start blogging? The answer is really two fold. As the tech support person in my library, many questions about blogs, RSS feeds and other social software applications kept coming up. I find that actually using new software is the best way to learn it. At the same time, I had just finished applying to graduate school – and a blog seemed like the perfect way to document my progress through school.
- What do you blog about mainly? I mainly blog about things that are related to library school. Sometimes, my topics may come from work-related events, thoughts or issues. Lately, I have felt the desire to incorporate more personal information, since school is really a very personal journey.
- Do you blog in your first language or in another language? Why? I blog in English which is my first language. Although I did take six years of Spanish in high school, I wouldn’t call myself fluent. Hence, English it is.
- What motivates you to keep blogging even if (like most bloggers) you are not paid much for it? I’m not paid at all for it. Oddly enough, I find blogging to be a very engaging process that keeps me thinking about issues that are important to libraries and to library students. I have been very suprised at how much I enjoy blogging and at how much I get out of it.
- Is your audience mainly inside your own country or around the world? I would have to say the audience is probably mainly in the my own country. Several of my posts have been linked to by bloggers from other countries, however. I’m not overly sure exactly what my audience looks like.
- What does your family and friends think about the fact that you a blogger? My husband thinks it is fun to murmur “blog, blog, blog, blog . . . ” when I am sitting in front of the tv with my laptop writing posts. I’m not entirely sure what that means. I would guess he isn’t really sure about what a blog is. My best friend isn’t really sure what to make of it – she kind of can’t believe it. Other than that, no one knows.
- Does your boss know you have a blog? No, he does not. I struggle whether I should mention it to him or not. The place where I work does not have a blog policy in place – and that scares me a little.
- What is the relationship between blogs in your country or region and the mainstream media? I’m not sure how to answer this one.
- When you blog, how would you describe what you write? I think sometimes I rant, sometimes I use the blog as a sounding board, sometimes I ask questions, sometimes I try to write more thoughtful posts. It really all depends upon what is going on in my life at the moment. I don’t think blogs should be restricted to any particular type of writing.
- Have blogs started to have in impact on politics in your country? Have they started to influence what stories get covered in your country’s media? Given the non-political nature of my blog, I’m not really sure how blogs may have begun to impact politics. I think it will be interesting to watch this over the upcoming presidential election.
Pretty lame answers, but really that’s all I’ve got time for right now.
I’ve always had a hard time wrapping my head around the need for branding and marketing in a library. For most of my time working in a library, I have pretty much paid the concepts very little to no attention. Our library has been doing fine. Academic libraries are generally guaranteed a certain number of patrons given that kids keep coming to college. However, over the past couple of years, I have come to believe that branding and marketing may be the most important things libraries can do in order to combat stereotypical attitudes and to provide better service. Ok, really these are THE most important things because, let’s face it, it is all about the perception. The reality doesn’t really matter as much to the world at large. There is a great branding video on the show with zefrank (found via Louis Rosenfeld.com – Bloug). This video really gives a great explanation of branding – both positive and negative. What I get from thinking about this is that libraries need to have a better brand before they can successfully market themselves to the world at large. | <urn:uuid:44f4fbe8-c367-4717-99be-2b32e6bd3728> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://scruffynerf.wordpress.com/2006/08/31/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966649 | 1,922 | 1.625 | 2 |
With the change to democracy in South Africa came a constitution that allowed the right to strike. This was implemented to give power to the people and the opportunity to speak out if they felt they were being treated unfairly. Well over a decade since the turn of democracy strikes have become a kind of phenomenon. On almost a weekly basis in Cape Town hundreds, sometimes thousands of people will gather together most commonly at Keizergracht and march to the steps of Parliament to vent their frustrations. The topics vary from poor working conditions and low pay, to public health issues, housing, poor decisions by Government, and xenophobia.
With little development being seen and the same people constantly having to demand change, one has to ask if we should have the constitutional right to voice oneself, or to be heard?
This ongoing collection of photographs is testament that the people have used their constitutional right to demand a better life, and that if South Africa spirals out of control Government cannot say there were no signs.
It also looks at how the right to strike is accepted by the people, how after time with no signs of improvement the initial passion to stand up for a cause and abide by the rules wanes and is replaced with extreme measures – a natural progression to search for a method that works and a sign of ineffective governing.
In the spirit of making a stand that is the nature of striking, I want these pictures to penetrate the imaginations of those who can make a difference but who are mute to the cries of the people. | <urn:uuid:89f45287-771b-43c5-a0a2-e066759f96d0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://dspgallery.com/features/strike | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971384 | 304 | 1.84375 | 2 |
Riot breaks out in Vancouver
By DHARM MAKWANA, QMI Agency
A smashed and red paint soaked display window is seen at the downtown Vancouver Hudson's Bay Co., store. It is reported that protesters did the damage and then left the area. Police are investigating and looking for the people responsible for this damage on Saturday, Feb 13, 2010. (ANDRE FORGET/QMI Agency)
An anti-Olympic march through downtown Vancouver turned violent when protesters started demolishing the HBC window display on Georgia Street.
Protesters also smashed other windows at surrounding businesses with newspaper boxes and hammers.
Red paint was seen on the windows and some nearby vehicles.
Vancouver police who had followed the march called for the crowd control unit who arrested dozens in a group of about 200 protesters when the situation escalated, witnesses say.
Pedestrians ran for cover and crying children nearby could be heard crying.
The remaining 150-or-so protesters were allowed to continue marching along West Georgia Street to the city's West End.
Vancouver police held a line at Robson and Jervis Streets where protesters stopped and celebrated their demonstration with music and dance.
Behind the apparently benign group of 30 dancing protesters, about two dozen people wearing balaclavas huddled and passed joints.
One among the group set fire to a Canadian flag and called for an end to the Olympics on unceded native land.
After a tense 20 minutes, police wearing face shields and carrying batons moved forward towards the crowd.
Some escaped through side alleys but the majority were divided into two groups on the 1300 block of Robson Street.
Officers wearing riot gear surrounded one group while the other was kept behind a line of bicycle police.
Those surrounded by police on all sides threw up peace signs with their hands and chanted defiantly, "The people united will never be defeated."
The group was divided and pushed to the north sidewalk and then west on Robson Street where they eventually dispersed.
Though police have yet to issue an official statement this reporter witnessed two men in their 20s being ushered into police cars.
The protesters are believed to have regrouped and were heading to Stanley Park as of 11 a.m. | <urn:uuid:5d457297-7fca-4c26-aeef-61b9524c643a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Olympics/2010Vancouver/News/2010/02/13/12868681-qmi.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957336 | 459 | 1.84375 | 2 |
This is a guest post by Abhilash Kumar
If you have a website of your own, you would be fairly used to using various FTP clients to transfer files to and from your hosting space. I personally use Filezilla for this activity. What I do not like about most FTP clients is the interface and the number of sections that are there in front of a user. While the designers are trying to show all that is happening in the background when you transfer a file to a remote server, this transperancy is not always required.
At times like these, I like to switch over to an interface that is familiar and uncluttered. Nautilus, the file manager for the Gnome desktop can also be used as an FTP client without having to install any additional software to your system. Nautilus provides an easy way to connect and exchange files via FTP and makes the process as simple as a copy paste that you may be doing day in and day out.
Getting started with Nauitlus is easy. The File menu provides the option to “Connect to Server”. The connection dialog provides the options to establish various types of connections like Public FTP, FTP with Login, SSH, Windows Share and a few others. For a normal hosted acocunt you would probably have a FTP login which you would have provided to your FTP client.
Choosing the option of FTP (with login) allows you to specify your Server, Port, Start Folder and User Name to connect to the server. There are no cryptic fileds and you can also add this connection information as a bookmark in Nautilus so that you dont have to enter this information the next time. The bookmark will appear under the Bookmarks menu in Nautilus.
The connection is established as soon as you click on Connect after entering your password. You can also specify the validity of your session by choosing to let the system remember your password.
Your default directory is shown in the normal Nautilus file browsing window. All the actions like Copy, Cut, Paste can be carried out the same way as you have been doing them on your machine locally. The benefit of using Nautilus as your FTP client is that you can use the Tabbed Browsing feature of Nautilus even while working on your remote server. This allows you to browse multiple sections of your server and carry out file operations in each section simultaneously. Which is a functionality that I miss in normal FTP clients like Filezilla.
The performance provided by Nautilus is as good as any FTP client in terms of speed of browsing the remote server. The added benefits of tabbed browsing and a clean and familiar interface are a bonus that you will enjoy.
Receive the latest update in your inbox. | <urn:uuid:93792fa0-ce0b-4acb-963f-ec02ab26a68d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.maketecheasier.com/use-nautilus-as-a-ftp-client/2010/01/20 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947082 | 559 | 1.65625 | 2 |
MOBILE POOL A SWIMMING SUCCESS
10 Sep 2009
A mobile swimming pool located on London’s South Bank during August gave more than 2,200 people the opportunity to have free swimming lessons.
Located between the London Eye and the Oxo Tower Wharf and boasting poolside amenities such as bathing huts, deckchairs and ice cream and refreshment stalls, the pool was launched on 6 August by Olympic Gold Medallist Rebecca Adlington and remained open until the end of the month.
The mobile pool scheme, devised by Total Swimming in partnership with the ASA, is part of the British Gas Pools 4 Schools Summer Camp initiative in association with Coin Street Community Builders and GLL.
Operated by sports trust Greenwich Leisure (GLL), lessons were provided by some of the top swimming teachers in the country, and a coaching session was held by British Gas swimmers Cassie Patten, David Davies and Keri-Anne Payne.
Andrew Clark, swimming development manager at GLL, said: "The pool was situated in an area of London where opportunities to swim for children and families are limited.
"The pool has had a fantastic response from local people since it opened and we are delighted to have been able to introduce the physical and recreational benefits of swimming to many Londoners this summer."
For further details contact Lauren Sanderson, British Swimming Media Assistant, on 07795 251 917 or email [email protected].
About British Swimming
British Swimming is the National Governing Body for Swimming, Diving, Synchronised Swimming, Water Polo and Open Water in Great Britain. It is responsible internationally for the high performance representation of the sport. The members of British Swimming are the three Home Countries national governing bodies of England (ASA), Scotland (Scottish ASA) and Wales. (Welsh ASA) British Swimming seeks to enable its athletes to achieve gold medal success at the Olympics, Paralympics, World Championships and Commonwealth Games.
About British Gas
British Gas, the biggest energy supplier in the country, has the lowest carbon intensity of any of the major UK energy suppliers in terms of tonnes of CO2 emitted per megawatt hour of electricity supplied to customers. The company is one of the biggest investors in renewable power generation, principally offshore wind. Its recently completed Lynn and Inner Dowsing development, off the Lincolnshire coast, is the UK's largest offshore wind development. British Gas is committed to energy efficiency. Our Energy Savers Report provides free expert advice on how you can cut energy use in the home and, in turn, save money. So far, the report has shown over 2 million people how they could make an average saving of £175 a year. To complete a report go to www.britishgas.co.uk/energy-efficiency/energy-savers-report
The world’s leading swimwear brand, Speedo® is passionate about life in and around the water, creating revolutionary new technologies, designs and innovations. Supporting swimming from grass-roots through to elite level, including the phenomenal Michael Phelps, Speedo® is owned by Speedo Holdings B.V and distributed in over 170 countries around the world; SPEEDO, the ARROW device, FASTSKIN, LZR PULSE, SPEEDO ENDURANCE, FLIPTURNS, FASTSKINFSII, SPEEDO BIOFUSE, SWYM and LZR RACER are registered trademarks of Speedo Holdings B.V. The LZR RACER suit has worldwide design rights and patents pending. | <urn:uuid:6f4ea647-55bc-4629-b323-40fc8fb92499> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.swimming.org/news/general-news/mobile-pool-a-swimming-success/1565/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944633 | 758 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Penurious Penguin writes "On October 2, City Commissioners of Delray Beach finalized a policy which prohibits agencies from hiring employees who use tobacco products. Delray Beach isn't alone though; other Florida cities such as Hollywood and Hallandale Beach, require prospective employees to sign affidavits declaring themselves tobacco-free for 12 months prior to the date of application. Throughout the states, both government and businesses are moving to ban tobacco-use beyond working hours. Many medical facilities, e.g. hospitals, have implemented or intend to implement similar policies. In some more-aggressive environments referred to as nicotine-free, employee urine-samples can be taken and tested for any presence of nicotine, not excluding that from gum or patches. Employees testing positive can be terminated. Times do change, and adaptation is often a necessary burden. But have they changed so much that we'd now postpone the Manhattan project for 12 months because Oppenheimer had toked his pipe? Would we confine our vision to the Milky Way or snub the 1373 Cincinnati because Hubble smoked his? Would we shun relativity, or shelve the works of Tolkien because he and C. S. Lewis had done the same? If so, then where will it stop?" | <urn:uuid:f2e12c1d-7524-4402-bd87-dfa9e3f33e91> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://politics.slashdot.org/story/12/10/06/1334240/hiring-smokers-banned-in-south-florida-city?sdsrc=popbyskidbtmprev | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94161 | 248 | 1.703125 | 2 |
(1888PressRelease) Students at Olin Business School, Washington University in St. Louis, gained influential career advice from some of Silicon Valley's most accomplished investors.
St. Louis, MO-IL - John Doerr has backed some of the most successful ventures in the internet age from Amazon to Zynga. He shared insights and advice during a recent visit to Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis.
"I'm an idea junkie, an addict to new and shiny ideas," John Doerr told an audience of students and faculty at Olin Business School this week. The influential Silicon Valley venture capitalist and his partners at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers have backed some of the most successful start-ups in the internet age. From Google and Amazon to Bloom Energy and Zynga, Doerr has a passion for discovering and funding the "next big thing."
Michael Long, chairman and CEO of Essence Group Holdings Corporation (EGHC), invited Doerr to visit Olin along with two other investors, John Burbank, Passport Capital, and Christopher W. Kersey, MD, MBA, Camden Partners. All three investors are members of the Board of Directors of EGHC. EGHC provides a wide range of technologies and management services to healthcare delivery systems.
Doerr's casual lecture style - which he prefers to call "conversation" - included career advice and life lessons that the St. Louis native said he hoped would "affect your ideas about choices you make."
Career advice from John Doerr:
• Seek out opportunities to learn and grow
• Learn how to sell
• Learn how to be a manager
• Learn how to launch a product
• Get in on the ground floor of a high-growth industry
Doerr's career began in 1974 at Intel after earning undergraduate and graduate degrees in electrical engineering from Rice University. He also has an MBA from Harvard Business School, and he founded software company Silicon Compilers and ( @ ) Home, the nationwide broadband cable internet service, before joining KPCB in 1980 dot
"Talented, experienced leadership is in high demand," Doerr said. He noted that learning from experienced mentors throughout one's career is important, and he emphasized the value of networking to develop lifelong mentors. He urged listeners to build their leadership skills by constantly reaching out to people outside their areas of interest.
Doerr advised students to "be crystal clear about your priorities." He offered profiles of two distinct corporate cultures - missionary vs. mercenary - and said no matter which approach to business and life one chooses, it's important to remember that it can't be done alone. It takes a team.
Long, the former CEO and Chairman of Healtheon/WebMD, echoed Doerr's advice about teamwork while acknowledging the unique responsibilities of being a chief executive. He said it is difficult to manage life-work balance when you're accountable 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, but the rewards are great.
"Nothing is more fun on the planet than to be a part of a team that's making changes and creating a better life for people," Long said.
The 90-minute conversation with Doerr, Long and their fellow investors included a question-and-answer period that covered everything from starting a business incubator to solving the shortage of engineers in the U.S., as well as the future of healthcare and innovation as the driver of job creation.
For more information, visit the Olin Business School website:
Learn more about Olin Business School's career services: | <urn:uuid:66cdf229-d6ba-4983-be3d-95132434937c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://us.localxxl.com/st-louis-city-county-missouri/silicon-valley-investors-share-career-advice-with-olin-business-school-students-1334992572-ftu/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947239 | 728 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Attn. GPS Users - Advice for Seeking Directions to the Park
If you are using a GPS unit, please click here: More »
Time Change for Today's Corling's Corner Program
The time for today's (June 14) Corling's Corner event has been changed from 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm. This program focuses on the slave trade in Petersburg and occurs at the corner of Sycamore and Bank Streets.
Welcome New Recruits!
If you would like to read more about the words of the soldiers, a bibliography will indicate the sources of their words.
Did You Know?
Richard Eppes, owner of Appomattox Plantation, which is currently part of the Grant's HQ Unit of Petersburg National Battlefield, noted that it took 8,320 pounds of bacon each year to feed his 127 enslaved people in 1860. | <urn:uuid:1a8abb3e-f483-4929-b424-5262f091ac43> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nps.gov/pete/forkids/kids-soldier-life.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945486 | 178 | 1.570313 | 2 |
First Female President of Ireland to Visit Utah State University
Thursday, Oct. 04, 2012
A lecture and book signing by former president of Ireland, Mary Robinson, is Wednesday, Oct. 10, at USU.
Utah State University’s Center for Women and Gender and the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost will present a lecture and book signing by former president of Ireland, Mary Robinson.
Robinson’s presentation, Reflections on Peace and Social Justice, will be held in the Eccles Conference Center auditorium on the campus of Utah State University, Wednesday, Oct. 10, at 4 p.m. The lecture will be followed by a book signing in the Eccles Conference Center foyer.
Robinson’s book, A Voice for Human Rights, can be purchased at the presentation or earlier at the USU Campus Store.
“The Center for Women and Gender is dedicated to exploring the social intersections that shape our lives,” said Ann Austin, professor and director of the Center for Women and Gender. “President Robinson will give us a chance to consider some of the global intersections challenging our global village.”
As the first woman president of Ireland, Robinson elevated the country to a new level of international status by fighting for controversial changes and bridging religious, social and economic groups. Robinson’s campaign for worldwide democracy continues today with her work as president of the Mary Robinson Foundation — Climate Justice, a center for thought leadership, education and advocacy on the struggle for global justice. With the belief that there is a seat at the table for businesses when it comes to solving human rights, justice and environmental issues, Robinson is also a member of the Club of Madrid.
A courageous defender of fundamental respect for human life, Robinson was the first woman to chair the United Nations Commission for Human Rights and is the founder of the Ethical Globalization Initiative. She advocates for the integration of human rights, gender sensitivity and enhanced accountability in politics. She is also on the Council of Elders (along with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, President Jimmy Carter, and Gro Harlem Brundtland), the honorary president of Oxfam International and Chair of the Board of the Institute of Human Rights and Business. She is currently working on writing her memoir, Everybody Matters, which will chronicle her remarkable career, beginning with her work as a young lawyer in Ireland crusading for the rights of women.
In 2005, Robinson was listed as one of Time’s Top 100 Men and Women whose “power, talent, or moral example is transforming the world.” In 2009, President Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the highest civilian honor — for her significant global contributions.
Working to leave the world in better condition than how she found it, President Robinson continues to lead by example, acting as a bold, determined catalyst for change.
“We are thrilled to host President Robinson at Utah State University,” said USU Vice Provost Janis Boettinger. “We encourage all members of the USU and Cache Valley communities to experience the talents and grace of this remarkable individual.”
For more information, contact Melissa Keller 435-797-9222, or [email protected].
Contact: Melissa Keller, Center for Women & Gender, (435) 797-9222, [email protected] | <urn:uuid:06911c16-5d31-4601-a069-17f5cea4d1f3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.usu.edu/ust/index.cfm?article=51677 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938349 | 699 | 1.765625 | 2 |
LAPORTE | Plans to demolish a historic fire station in LaPorte that's attracting homeless people and becoming a safety risk have advanced.
Efforts to find a buyer have been extensive but there have been no takers for the landmark building.
"We're at the point where we have to consider safety and move forward with asking for demolition," said LaPorte Fire Chief Andy Snyder.
The city's Redevelopment Commission last week approved Snyder's request to seek bids for tearing down the uniquely designed structure that has stood beside Pine Lake Avenue since the late 1920s.
It was vacated in 2007 when the department relocated to a new, much larger north side fire station.
Snyder said the vacated building has been broken into on several occasions with the last occurring in November.
There's also been evidence of homeless people from time to time living inside, something that could result in a fire and even death because of materials the homeless typically bring into empty structures for cooking and heat, said Snyder.
"It's a cause for concern," said Snyder.
He also said mold is now beginning to grow in the basement which is also flooding because a system designed to keep the lower level dry no longer works.
Interest in saving the structure has been high over the years with interest once in converting the structure into a Starbucks, but a coffeehouse and other dreams for the building never materialized.
Making prospects of saving the building more difficult is the old fire station sits on the edge of a 150-acre parcel targeted for redevelopment and has not been included in plans by any of the interested developers eyeing the ground for retail and other uses.
The building also is not sturdy enough to move unless a lot of money was invested to shore it up.
LaPorte Mayor Blair Milo said an effort will be made to salvage some of the materials to, perhaps, build a monument to the fire station to remind people of its existence.
"There's some history involved there but it's not safe to continue to have it exist as it is," said Milo. | <urn:uuid:d699340e-a672-45f8-ab94-d8cc57dcc018> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/laporte/city-of-laporte/demolition-of-old-laporte-fire-house-moving-forward/article_b0ad0679-7b05-5ac6-a7bb-79b872e1414c.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978667 | 421 | 1.820313 | 2 |
From Tar Valon Library
Author: Estyrien al'Halien
Iselle was ordered to bring Brys and Diryk - members of the Kandori royal family - to Merean Redhill. Unbeknownst to her, Merean was Black Ajah and wanted to kill Diryk because he could possibly channel. Merean killed Iselle by pushing her off a balcony (NS, Ch. 26).
- 962 NE: Iselle is born (NS, Ch. 22).
- 974 NE: Iselle is tested for the ability to channel (NS, Ch. 25).
- 979 NE: Iselle approaches Moiraine about going to the White Tower (NS, Ch. 25).
- 979NE: Iselle is killed by Merean Redhill (NS, Ch. 26).
- Iselle was very close to her mother, Edeyn Arrel (NS, Ch. 22).
- Iselle was spoiled as a child (NS, Ch. 22).
- Iselle was tested for the ability to channel at age twelve. It was found that she could but her mother refused to let her go to the White Tower at such a young age. She wanted to become Green Ajah when she finally went to train (NS, Ch. 25).
- Edeyn wanted Lan to marry Iselle. Iselle would not have minded Lan being her carneira but she did not want to marry him (NS, Ch. 22).
"When you tell her you are taking me to the Tower, she will have to listen. Everyone knows that Aes Sedai take any woman they want for training, and no one can stop them." Iselle to Moiraine about going to the White Tower (New Spring, Chapter 25). | <urn:uuid:cff449bb-32bf-4aac-bad6-bc4008a11b43> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://library.tarvalon.net/index.php?title=Iselle_Arrel | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958286 | 387 | 1.648438 | 2 |
The International Criminal Court (ICC) Can Try Abortionists:
Are you shocked that such a thing could be suggested? Then you haven't paid attention to what the International Criminal Court is designed to accomplish.
This is how an AP report on July 3, 2002, described the International Criminal Court, "…opening its doors for operation in February 2003 in The Hague, Netherlands, …the new court will deal with genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity…Crimes against humanity include systematic murder or torture, rape and sexual slavery…"
According to the Declaration of Independence we are supposed to be celebrating tomorrow, those who are willing to act like unborn babies are human beings who are "…endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights; that among these are Life…" have a perfect legal foundation in the International Criminal Court to indict abortionists for "crimes against humanity."
True, the rules of the court
specifically say, "…Crimes committed before
You scoff? You think it is impossible for abortionists to be prosecuted at the ICC?
If you examine the International Criminal Court's mandate and jurisdiction, you will see that, at least in principle, it looks like it is designed to bring crimes like abortion to the bar of justice, even when those activities have been declared to be perfectly legal in nations, like the United States of America, that sanction them.
To prove the point, the AP report continued, "The ICC will not supercede national legal systems and will intercede only when national courts are unable to investigate or prosecute serious crimes…It can try anyone from heads of state who knew, ordered or condoned a crime, to average citizens, who cannot say they were acting under orders."
In other words, the ICC will decide
what constitutes a crime, local government's decrees notwithstanding. And in the
Before you are tempted to dismiss
this idea as literally unthinkable, consider this: "The
In other words, while there is obviously significant opposition to the ICC from the major nuclear powers on earth, the rest of the world is rallying behind the court because, without it, there is no legal basis on earth for a weak, non-nuclear power, to defend itself from the nuclear powers. The only thing that protects the citizens of a non-nuclear powered nation is the benevolent character of the nuclear powered nations.
Did the idea of any nation on this earth being seen to be of "benevolent character" provoke a snort of scorn from you? Then you know why the great majority of nations on earth are working like beavers to bring about the ICC. And they will continue to work. If you want to see why the ICC will continue to grow in power, look at how benevolent Israel looks these days, or, for that matter, look at how benevolent the USA looks when guests at wedding parties in Afghanistan (where scores of civilians were recently vaporized for the crime of being at the wrong place at the wrong time) must keep one ear attuned to approaching B-52s or American gunships.
The point is this: do not expect
the International Criminal Court to go away, and do not expect the Court to
exempt citizens of the
If we've got to learn to live with it, we might as well put it to good use.
As the Nuremberg Files web site said nearly four years ago, and still says today, "One of the great tragedies of the Nuremberg trials of Nazis after WWII was that complete information and documented evidence had not been collected, so many war criminals went free or were only found guilty of minor crimes."
The Nuremberg Files continued, "We do not want the same thing to happen when the day comes to charge abortionists with their crimes. We anticipate the day when these people will be charged in PERFECTLY LEGAL COURTS once the tide of this nation's opinion turns against the wanton slaughter of God's children (as it surely will)."
In a world where bad news and
good news go hand in hand, the good news about the ICC is that the means are
becoming available to bring about justice for those children of God who have
been legally butchered in the
Return to Christian Gallery News ServiceThe United States objects to the idea that Americans could be subject to the court’s jurisdiction if a crime is committed in a country that has ratified the Rome treaty that established the court -- even if the United States is not a party. Washington is demanding that American and other peacekeepers from countries that have not ratified the treaty be exempt from arrest and prosecution by the tribunal. The court’s supporters contend that the Rome treaty provides adequate safeguards against abuse. First and foremost, it will step in only when countries are unwilling or unable to dispense justice themselves.
You Can Mail A Donation To: Neal Horsley, PO Box 1081, Carrollton, Ga 30116,
Or If You Can't Donate Now, Click Below and Join The We Choose Life Network.
Use Your Internet Connection Fee To Help Deter People From Butchering God's Children | <urn:uuid:19055f05-ce1d-4d69-85d7-a2cf2fac5d8c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.christiangallery.com/icc.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950807 | 1,040 | 1.601563 | 2 |
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Some Kansas winery owners are concerned about a new state law that cuts the percentage of Kansas-grown ingredients that wineries are required to have in their products.
The new law went into effect in May and cuts the amount of Kansas products required in Kansas wine from 60 percent to 30 percent. The new provision applies to a winery's overall products, rather than each bottle. Under the law it would be acceptable, for example, for a winery to make one type of wine using 100 percent Kansas grapes and two other types with no Kansas grapes.
The Associated Press reports supporters say lessening restrictions promotes growth of Kansas wineries.
Opponents say fostering regionality in the wine is more important than spurring large numbers of new wineries. | <urn:uuid:a6e2bde1-5215-474d-bac8-e8317f8561b3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kfdi.com/news/local/170923641.html | 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 | 0.952113 | 158 | 1.71875 | 2 |
U.S. Embassy Sponsors Pakistani Teacher Training (June 22, 2012)
U.S. Embassy Sponsors Pakistani Teacher Training
Islamabad, June 22, 2012
Contact: Mark Stroh,
The U.S. Embassy hosted Thursday an orientation for 40 Pakistani public school English teachers, half of them women, at a local hotel. The teachers will travel to the United States for six weeks of intensive training as part of the U.S. government-funded Teaching Excellence and Achievement (TEA) program.
The teachers were selected from hundreds of Pakistani public secondary school teacher applicants. The TEA program provides educators a unique opportunity to develop subject expertise and enhance their teaching skills. Participants will engage in group training seminars and internships at U.S. secondary schools. The U.S. Department of State pays for all travel, living stipends, health insurance, and tuition for the entire period of study.
U.S. Embassy Cultural Affairs Officer, Brent Beemer, encouraged the teachers to take advantage of the opportunity granted them and to return to Pakistan prepared for a challenge: “to teach your students to write and speak excellent English, nothing less.” Beemer told the teachers that the TEA program is part of the U.S. government’s commitment to education in Pakistan, and in particular the enhancement and encouragement of its teachers. “With 70 percent of its population under age 30, the future of Pakistan, and its role in the world, is dependent on the success of its children in school right now. The job of educating that generation relies on teachers like you, and what an opportunity. Imagine tens of millions of educated, multi-lingual young Pakistani men and women serving as soldiers, politicians, diplomats, engineers, lawyers, doctors, scientists, businessmen, and teachers: what a great nation and a great world they—through you— will build.”
For more information on educational opportunities to study in the United States, students and parents can contact the United States Educational Foundation of Pakistan (USEFP) at http://www.usefpakistan.org/.
USEFP, a bi-national commission established in 1950 by the governments of Pakistan and the United States, is one of 51 ‘Fulbright Commissions’ located throughout the world. Since its inception more than 61 years ago, nearly 4,000 Pakistanis and more than 800 Americans have participated in USEFP- administered exchange programs. In addition to the Fulbright program, USEFP administers a number of scholarship programs for undergraduates, teachers, journalists, and other professionals. In addition, USEFP offices in Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi assist students interested in applying to study in the United States by offering free advising services. USEFP also runs testing centers in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi administering the TOEFL, SAT, GRE, and other standardized examinations. | <urn:uuid:4a83a465-1a50-4e46-b0c4-bdee89c162dc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://islamabad.usembassy.gov/pr_062212.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94364 | 588 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Dutch carrier KLM says it will become the first airline to between Europe and the southern Japanese city of Fukuoka. KLM's service will begin April 3 with three round-trip flights a week from its hub in Amsterdam.
"With this new destination Japanese passengers have more access to Amsterdam and other European destinations beyond this hub. This addition means a further strengthening of KLM's network between Japan and the Netherlands," KLM COO Pieter Elbers says in a release.
Fukuoka will become KLM's third destination in Japan, joining Tokyo and Osaka. KLM will operate the Fukuoka route with 318-seat Boeing 777-200ER (35 business-class seats and 283 in coach).
Fukuoka also has drawn attention from U.S. carriers during the past year, with both Delta and Hawaiian initiating service to Fukuoka from Hawaii.
As for Fukuoka, here's how KLM describes the destination in its release:
"Fukuoka is the economic centre of the Kyushu region, located in the south-west of Japan. The region has a total population of around 15 million inhabitants. It is the fourth largest Japanese passenger market to Europe. Every year, 16 million passengers use Fukuoka Airport for domestic and international flights."
"Fukuoka is also a tourist destination with interesting cultural and historical highlights. The new service between Fukuoka and Amsterdam will also enable the people from Kyushu region to conveniently visit Amsterdam, the Netherlands and Europe with this first direct flight to Europe." | <urn:uuid:8ff460f7-966f-46dc-8132-31ec91bc0d97> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthesky/2012/10/22/klm-fukuoka/1649057/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962201 | 315 | 1.625 | 2 |
On the Trail... at the Mount Mitchell Challenge
A typical cold Saturday in February
In 2005, the event also drew nationally known runners, such as the men’s Leadville Trail 100-Mile winner and course record holder, Paul Dewitt, and Annette Bednosky, who recently won the Western States 100 as well as the Massanutten Mountain Trail 100-Mile Run. Previously, the event has been dominated by local runners.
A little after 8:30, 2,000 feet higher into the mountains and 12 miles into the race, the first runner crested the Blue Ridge Mountains near Pinnacle Springs.
Dewitt already led the challengers and looked as fresh as if he were only going on a run around the block. In the women’s race Anne Riddle-Lundblad, local favorite and Challenge course record holder, had a two-minute advantage on Bednosky, last year’s women’s winner of the Challenge.
Half a mile along the Blue Ridge Parkway from Pinnacle Springs, the Black Mountain Marathoners were sent back down the mountain. But the Mount Mitchell Challenge runners were just starting the most arduous section of their climb. There was no rain or snow this year, but there had been precipitation during the week, and the final seven miles to the peak were frozen, slippery, and threatening.
The last few miles are especially treacherous. Even the most experienced trail runner admits to walking and scrambling over rocks and snow. "I don’t know anyone who has run the final portion of the climb," Harlan said. "The final two to three miles feel like 12 miles. It is steep, and you have to climb over rocks on all fours."
Approximately three hours after the start of the race, Dewitt reached the summit of Mount Mitchell, 6,684 feet above sea level, still seeming as composed and fresh as he had at the start, and leading all runners by two minutes.
The ice had taken its toll, and many of the runners making the turnaround at the top of Mount Mitchell had bruised and bloody shins.
Riddle-Lundblad reached the peak still in the lead, but Bednosky followed her to the summit, trailing by only a minute. | <urn:uuid:e4eceef4-0e5a-408f-911b-f3b8a53b3967> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.runnersworld.com/trails/trail-mount-mitchell-challenge?page=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980669 | 467 | 1.625 | 2 |
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Artman quoted in ‘Republic’ article regarding Internet access on Indian reservations
Professor of Practice
, Director of the College of Law’s Economic Development in Indian Country Program, was quoted in a March 6
article entitled, “New online world ahead for reservations,” by reporter Kristena Hansen.
The article discussed the federal government’s initiative to bring high-speed Internet access to homes, businesses, police stations, schools and hospitals on the Tohono O’odham, Hopi and Havasupai reservations. However, economic hardships and the costs entailed with broadband have many experts worried that participation may be low at first.
To read the entire article, click
Artman argues that even though the broadband stimulus funds may show little financial return at first, it is a fiscally responsible investment, and its successes may be on a secondary or tertiary level.
“If broadband adoption is encouraged today, over time, the impact will increase college enrollment and completion, improve the quality and efficiency of health care and strengthen the business economy on reservations, which would attract outside companies needed for a competitive, healthy market,” Artman said.
Artman has served as the 10th Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs for the U.S. Department of the Interior and as the Department’s Associate Solicitor for Indian Affairs. An enrolled member of the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin, Artman has worked for his tribe as Director of Federal Affairs, Chief Legal Counsel and as Chief Operating Officer of an Oneida Tribe-owned telecommunications venture. | <urn:uuid:e7ee6eb8-45b1-43d7-9170-0f8df144cc27> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.law.asu.edu/News/CollegeofLawNews.aspx?NewsId=3101 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935526 | 363 | 1.671875 | 2 |
As I was writing up the GWAS Central post, the question occurred to me: does their mapping of identifiers take something away from topic maps?
My answer is no and I would like to say why if you have a couple of minutes. Seriously! It isn’t going to take that long. However long it has taken me to reach this point.
Every time we talk, write or otherwise communicate about a subject, we at the same time have identified that subject. Makes sense. We want whoever we are talking, writing to or communicating with, to understand what we are talking about. Hard to do if we don’t identify what subject(s) we are talking about.
We do it all day, every day. In public, in private, in semi-public places. And we use words to do it. To identify the subjects we are talking about.
For the most part, or at least fairly often, we are understood by other people. Not always, but most of the time.
The problem comes in when we start to gather up information from different people who may (or may not) use words differently than we do. So there is a much larger chance that we don’t mean the same thing by the same words. Or we may use different words to mean the same thing.
Words, which were our reliable servants for the most part, become far less reliable.
To counter that unreliability, we can create groups of words, mappings if you like, to keep track of what words go where. But, to do that, we have to use words, again.
Start to see the problem? We always use words, to clear up our difficulties with words. And there isn’t any universal stopping place. The Cyc advocates would have us stop there and the SUMO crowd would have us stop over there and the Semantic Web folks yet somewhere else and of course the topic map mavens, yet one or more places.
For some purposes, any one or more of those mappings may be adequate. A mapping is only as good and for as long as it is useful.
History tells us that every mapping will be replaced with other mappings. We would do well us understand/document the words we are using as part of our mappings, as well as we are able.
But if words are used to map words, where do we stop? My suggestion would be to stop as we always have, wherever looks convenient. So long as the mapping suits your present purposes, what more would you ask of it?
I am quite content to have such stopping places because it means we will always have more starting places for the next round of mapping!
Ironic isn’t it? We create mappings to make sense out of words and our words lay the foundation for others to do the same. | <urn:uuid:2e2354ab-0169-4d36-aace-1824771cb69c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://tm.durusau.net/?p=23350 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968709 | 589 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Readers are consuming their news on more than one platform. Pew’s 2012 State of the News Media report found that while the desktop or laptop computer remained the primary digital platform for news (54 percent of Americans receive their news there), 23 percent of U.S. adults now get their news on at least two digital devices.
With more consumers gravitating toward smartphones and tablets, the industry is on the verge of a new technological force that can take their advertising and content to the next level.
What’s your plan?
Even though Pew’s study of 38 newspapers found that mobile made up only a small part of revenue — 1 percent of the digital revenue in 2011 — executives are still excited about the prospects of mobile, particularly in the growth of traffic on mobile platforms. For the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, mobile marketing has been a “game changer,” according to digital business development manager Troy Piekarski.
“With a PC and laptop, content has always been at our fingertips, but with mobile, content is at our fingertips 24/7,” he said.
Piekarski said users are three to five times more likely to click on mobile ads. “At most, a mobile device should only have three ads. More people will see it because the image cannot be ignored, compared to a desktop where users have ‘banner blindness.’”
When Piekarski spoke at this year’s America East conference in Hershey, Pa., he asked the 90 mobile marketing session attendants if they had an iPad solution — only about five hands went up. “I was shocked,” he said.
Learning about upcoming mobile strategies is essential, Piekarski said. “Publishers want to learn how they can monetize their products. Some are still on the fence and they’re not sure on mobile, but during the session, pens didn’t stop moving, and I’ve heard back from about a dozen people who wanted more information.”
Piekarski said a successful Post-Gazette mobile campaign involved local business Moon Automotive. The car dealership was looking for a way to build a mobile database and turned to the newspaper for help. When customers texted in their favorite vehicle brand, they were entered into a drawing to win a free iPad. The giveaway was given prominent placement on the homepage of the paper’s desktop site and the homepage of the mobile site for three days.
As a result, the car dealership’s database grew to more than 2,000 phone numbers. Each of the numbers targeted to the dealer’s brand was placed in databases for future remarketing. After the giveaway ended, the business sent out a text message to everyone who didn’t win an iPad to let them know they had won an oil change coupon.
Once Moon Automotive saw the results of capturing those customers, Piekarski said the mobile marketing campaign became “tangible to them.”
The Post-Gazette also recently launched a redesigned website (post-gazette.com) built on a mobile platform focused on social networking and quick response (QR) codes. According to Piekarski, monthly pageviews at the Post-Gazette’s mobile website have grown from 1.5 million in April 2009 to 5.3 million as of February 2012.
“Selling mobile is not a passing fad,” said Post-Gazette director of advertising Rich Medeiros. “We have to be ready to accept it and train our staff, or else we will miss the wave.” Medeiros added that newspapers have an advantage, because they know their local market.
Allen Klosowski, senior director of social and mobile media at The Denver Post, said that as of January 2012, the Post’s mobile traffic neared 40 percent of all online pageviews due to the company’s aggressive priority, focus, and development of mobile products.
“Mobile will be a key area of growth over the next several years,” Klosowski said. “In many cases it will outpace the Web in terms of daily consumption, particularly when combined with smart notifications of breaking news or other relevant information.”
For advertisers, Klosowski said being on mobile is an “absolute requirement.”
“You must be able to give the right consumers, the right advertisement, at the right time, in the right place,” he said.
Klosowski said more consumers are gravitating toward mobile, because the experience is more adaptable to them. “It will create a discovery of places to go, things to do, products to buy, and media to consume. The information will come to you. This is a tremendous new opportunity for advertisers and content producers alike.”
Apps, Klosowski said, are easy and intuitive, and designed around the way consumers want to interact with information, and websites on tablets are starting to become more tactile and swipeable. The Denver Post has seen success with its sports apps and Viva Colorado app, a bilingual news source for Denver’s Latino population.
Klosowski said publishers usually ask him how to get their sales representatives to sell mobile and get customers to buy it.
“I think the answer is you have to be able to demonstrate the value directly to customers and sales reps,” Klosowski said. “You have to start with those sales reps that are already carrying a smartphone every day and work outward in the organization from there. You need to empower reps with smartphones as budgets allow. Then, they need to be trained to be able to instantly demonstrate to a potential advertiser that still doesn’t use a mobile phone the benefit of mobile advertising.”
Training sales reps on how to sell mobile is also important for Schurz Communications, Inc.’s mobile director, Sandy Martin. Based in Mishawaka, Ind., the company publishes 11 daily and eight weekly newspapers in medium and small markets around the country, including the South Bend (Ind.) Tribune.
“There is an idea that mobile is disruptive to the Web and that mobile cuts into the share of digital revenue, like when TV disrupted radio,” Martin said. “Mobile may seem insignificant, but there are profound implications for that revenue. Newspapers may not realize how quickly things are shifting, and they may miss out on advertising revenue, so I ask them, ‘What are you planning?’”
Martin said the solution is to have sales reps who believe in their product. “Right now very few reps think mobile is better than the Web, so it’s very challenging for them to communicate with the client why mobile is best. For mobile products to thrive, someone needs to think they are the best. Our best middle-ground effort is to train reps how to suggest a variety of ads to meet multiple marketing needs for clients.”
A popular mobile app for Schurz is Catalist, which follows the Twitter feed of University of Kentucky basketball team players and coaches and their opposing teams before each game.
“(The Catalist app) came from a brainstorming session in-house,” Martin said. “It didn’t exist anywhere else, so it had to be custom-built, and if we have a really good idea, we will make an investment.”
As the mobile market continues to grow, publishers are looking for strategies that work. Mark Challinor, director of mobile with Londonbased Telegraph Media Group, wrote in a recent International Newsmedia Marketing Association blog entry that the challenge for news media companies is “capturing and holding readers’ attention and presenting only the right content in the context of who the reader is, what they’re interested in, and where they are.
“Know your readership and how they use mobile with you,” Challinor said. “To deliver this user experience and make it effective, we should take the time to learn what our readers’ mobile content habits are: how they access our content online, what our brand is known for, and what they expect from us.”
Here in the U.S., Advanced Publishing Technology, Inc., with headquarters in Burbank, Calif., provides publishing companies with the enhanced Falcon software suite. Falcon software is currently installed at more than 300 locations. Clients include The Chronicle-Tribune in Marion, Ind., and the Kokomo (Ind.) Tribune.
Realizing that more of his clients were looking for a mobile solution, APT vice president of operations Ken Barber said the company began to make its applications available in mobile. “Smartphone and tablets had become a part of the main workflow,” he said.
The latest Falcon editorial system has the ability to publish to Apple’s Newsstand on the iPad and to Amazon’s Kindle. Tablet applications for iPad and Android slated for this year will allow users to edit or read stories securely on the network.
In order for publishers to stay competitive, they want something that can get their content online faster. “We ask (publishers) what content and ads they want to send to what mobile app, and it gets fed right into it,” said APT editorial product manager Wolfie Frank.
He added that mobile reporters have the ability to type up stories and submit them through a Web browser, and the website is updated automatically.
APT also offers software for online classifieds and contests. For example, an online photo contest is a fun and easy way for online visitors and print subscribers to interact and a way to drive more traffic to the website. Online product manager Diane Duren said publishers could charge certain prices for the ads and then upsell additional features such as backgrounds and borders.
In addition to content and advertising, mobile applications are on the rise. Based in San Jose, Calif., Whiz Technologies was founded almost three years ago, specifically to create mobile apps for the newspaper publishers.
Founder and chief executive officer Nikil Modi said apps should be “content and feature rich and aesthetically pleasing in order to make a good reading experience.
“There are general concerns from publishers on how to monetize their apps,” he said. “The best way is through a paid content strategy — a mobile paywall. If publishers have a free content model, we tell them to avoid network ads because the CPM (or cost per impression) rates are low; rely on your sales team, and instead bundle mobile with print, or have your big advertisers sponsor the app.”
The Commercial Appeal in Memphis is one of Modi’s clients. Whiz created a MobileNewsPack for the publication focused on four components: mobile apps, mobile dashboard, normalization engine/server, and services. Modi said the apps went live about seven months ago and continue to yield good results.
comScore’s 2012 Mobile Future in Focus report found that nearly 42 percent of all U.S. mobile subscribers are now using smartphones, and by the end of 2011, nearly 15 percent of users also had tablets. Both statistics are a sign that mobile media is accelerating.
“These mobile devices are getting smarter about learning what its owner wants,” Klosowski said. “Through the applications they install to the location services they use, it is the best chance to create a personalized media consumption experience of any available media platform.”
APT president David Kraai said mobile will only become faster. “We will need to provide content faster and instantly funnel the news for mobile customers. Ads will also be put up quicker.”
According to Modi, publishers should embrace mobile now, because they are in a better position to monetize their content. “At the end of the day, publishers do several things well: They know how to generate local content, and they know how to sell ads for local businesses.”
With the future of mobile filled with augmented reality and QR codes, the possibilities are endless, but as Martin put it, “Newspapers have always been a mobile product — you can carry it with you anywhere. Now people enjoy this kind of mobile experience more.” | <urn:uuid:2749e878-c92e-460e-ae19-244e16ab8822> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.editorandpublisher.com/Features/Article/Top-Mobile-Marketing-Strategies | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9564 | 2,554 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Obama's dwindling band of true believers has taken heart that their man has finally delivered on one of his many promises — the closing of the Guantánamo prison. But the prison is not being closed. It is being moved to Illinois, if the Republicans permit.
In truth, Obama has handed his supporters another defeat. Closing Guantánamo meant ceasing to hold people in violation of our legal principles of habeas corpus and due process and ceasing to torture them in violation of U.S. and international laws.
All Obama would be doing would be moving 100 people, against whom the U.S. government is unable to bring a case, from the prison in Guantánamo to a prison in Thomson, Illinois.
Are the residents of Thomson despondent that the US government has chosen their town as the site on which to continue its blatant violation of U.S. legal principles? No, the residents are happy. It means jobs.
The hapless prisoners had a better chance of obtaining release from Guantánamo. Now the prisoners are up against two U.S. senators, a U.S. representative, a mayor, and a state governor who have a vested interest in the prisoners' permanent detention in order to protect the new prison jobs in the hamlet devastated by unemployment.
Neither the public nor the media have ever shown any interest in how the detainees came to be incarcerated. Most of the detainees were unprotected people who were captured by Afghan war lords and sold to the Americans as "terrorists" in order to collect a proffered bounty. It was enough for the public and the media that the Defense Secretary at the time, Donald Rumsfeld, declared the Guantánamo detainees to be the "780 most dangerous people on earth."
The vast majority have been released after years of abuse. The 100 who are slated to be removed to Illinois have apparently been so badly abused that the U.S. government is afraid to release them because of the testimony the prisoners could give to human rights organizations and foreign media about their mistreatment.
Our British allies are showing more moral conscience than Americans are able to muster. Former PM Tony Blair, who provided cover for President Bush's illegal invasion of Iraq, is being damned for his crimes by UK officialdom testifying before the Chilcot Inquiry.
The London Times on December 14 summed up the case against Blair in a headline: "Intoxicated by Power, Blair Tricked Us Into War." Two days later the British First Post declared: "War Crime Case Against Tony Blair Now Rock-solid." In an unguarded moment Blair let it slip that he favored a conspiracy for war regardless of the validity of the excuse [weapons of mass destruction] used to justify the invasion.
The movement to bring Blair to trial as a war criminal is gathering steam. Writing in the First Post Neil Clark reported: "There is widespread contempt for a man [Blair] who has made millions [his reward from the Bush regime] while Iraqis die in their hundreds of thousands due to the havoc unleashed by the illegal invasion, and who, with breathtaking arrogance, seems to regard himself as above the rules of international law." Clark notes that the West's practice of shipping Serbian and African leaders off to the War Crimes Tribunal, while exempting itself, is wearing thin.
In the U.S., of course, there is no such attempt to hold to account Bush, Cheney, Condi Rice, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, and the large number of war criminals that comprised the Bush Regime. Indeed, Obama, whom Republicans love to hate, has gone out of his way to protect the Bush cohort from being held accountable.
Here in Great Moral America we only hold accountable celebrities and politicians for their sexual indiscretions. Tiger Woods is paying a bigger price for his girlfriends than Bush or Cheney will ever pay for the deaths and ruined lives of millions of people. The consulting company, Accenture Plc, which based its marketing program on Tiger Woods, has removed Woods from its Web site. Gillette announced that the company is dropping Woods from its print and broadcast ads. AT&T says it is re-evaluating the company's relationship with Woods.
Apparently, Americans regard sexual infidelity as far more serious than invading countries on the basis of false charges and deception, invasions that have caused the deaths and displacement of millions of innocent people. Remember, the House impeached President Clinton not for his war crimes in Serbia, but for lying about his affair with Monica Lewinsky.
Americans are more upset by Tiger Woods' sexual affairs than they are by the Bush and Obama administrations' destruction of U.S. civil liberty. Americans don't seem to mind that "their" government for the last 8 years has resorted to the detention practices of 1,000 years ago — simply grab a person and throw him into a dungeon forever without bringing charges and obtaining a conviction.
According to polls, Americans support torture, a violation of both U.S. and international law, and Americans don't mind that their government violates the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and spies on them without obtaining warrants from a court. Apparently, the brave citizens of the "sole remaining superpower" are so afraid of terrorists that they are content to give up liberty for safety, an impossible feat.
With stunning insouciance, Americans have given up the rule of law that protected their liberty. The silence of law schools and bar associations indicates that the age of liberty has passed. In short, the American people support tyranny. And that's where they are headed.
December 28, 2009
Paul Craig Roberts [send him mail], a former Assistant Secretary of the US Treasury and former associate editor of the Wall Street Journal, has been reporting shocking cases of prosecutorial abuse for two decades. A new edition of his book, The Tyranny of Good Intentions, co-authored with Lawrence Stratton, a documented account of how Americans lost the protection of law, has been released by Random House.
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