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NATO still hopes to engage Russia in its prospective missile defense system, but won’t yield to Moscow’s push for the shield to be run jointly, an alliance envoy said Tuesday.
James Appathurai, deputy assistant NATO Secretary General, said the alliance would like to reach a missile defense deal with Moscow by NATO’s summit in Chicago next May, but added that he wouldn’t “gamble on expectations.”
“We are always, of course, optimistic at NATO,” Appathurai said at a news conference. “But we are also determined to keep the hand outstretched. I can’t predict, of course, when we would arrive at agreement.”
Russia says the U.S.-led missile defense plan could threaten its nuclear forces, undermining their deterrence potential. It has agreed to consider NATO’s proposal last fall to cooperate on the missile shield, but the talks have been deadlocked over how the system should be operated. Russia has insisted that the system should be run jointly, which NATO has rejected.
Appathurai insisted that the alliance’s 28 members share a treaty obligation to provide security for each other and can’t outsource that.
“We can’t do that with any other partner no matter how trusted,” he said, adding that NATO is offering Russia an “unprecedented level of transparency and cooperation.”
Appathurai argued that the alliance has proposed to engage Russia by sharing data and coordinating a response. He also mentioned a U.S. proposal for Moscow to have a close look at the shield’s technical capabilities and see that it won’t threaten its security.
The NATO proposals have failed to impress the Kremlin, which has continued to push for legal guarantees that the future system wouldn’t threaten Russia.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has warned that the failure to reach agreement on missile defense may prompt Russia to deploy new offensive weapons, triggering an arms race.
Relations between NATO and Russia have been a roller coaster over the past decade, reaching a high point after the September 2001 terrorist attacks and then plummeting to post-Cold War low after the 2008 Russian-Georgian war when the alliance froze relations with Moscow.
Despite the missile defense dispute, Appathurai argued that current relations between NATO and Russia are “broader and deeper than they have ever been,” pointing to Russia providing a vital overland supply link for NATO forces in Afghanistan.
“We have a clear shared interest in ensuring that Afghanistan finds its feet, maintains stability and doesn’t export drugs, terrorism or extremism,” he said.
The two sides have cooperated successfully on counter-terrorism, anti-drug and counter-piracy missions, and “have potential for more in all of these areas,” Appathurai said.
“We shouldn’t let missile defense become the single prism through which we see our relationship,” he added. “It’s not the only part and shouldn’t define the rest of it.”
Appathurai and other NATO officials and military officers opened a four-day seminar Tuesday to brief their Russian counterparts on the alliance’s missions and plans.
“It’s best to understand each other’s perspective, to exchange ideas and to identify best practice,” said British Maj. Gen. Simon Porter. “The future is about working together and understanding each other.”
Russian Gen. Vladimir Yakovlev, the head of the General Staff of the Russian armed forces’ academy, said meetings like this week’s seminar will help narrow differences.
Source: Las Vegas Sun | <urn:uuid:84e7782e-244b-419c-9076-2c23a3b2c5b3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://missiledefense.wordpress.com/2011/10/25/nato-still-hopes-to-link-russia-to-missile-shield/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95312 | 777 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Mapping Vacant Properties to Make Quicker Sales
If you just look at this map, you might think hardly anyone lives in Philadelphia anymore. But, no, the fifth largest city in the United States hasn't emptied out in Detroit-like droves. It has taken a population hit, however, losing nearly 500,000 people since 1950, and it does have a vacant property problem.
The city has about 10,000 vacant properties on its hands and about 30,000 privately-owned vacant properties. According to FixItPhilly, a development coalition between businesses, non-profits, and local government, all these vacant properties have cost homeowners an estimated $3.6 billion in property value reduction, or about an $8,000 reduction per home. And they're a burden on the taxpayer, costing $20 million each year to clean up waste, control pests, and provide fire and police services. And with 17,000 vacant parcels that are tax delinquent, the city loses out on an estimated $2 million in revenue each year.
Now the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority (PRA) has come up with a package of tools it hopes will make the long, involved process of buying vacant properties easier for developers and residents. They recently enacted a series of policies with the goal of making the sale of publicly owned vacant properties easier. As part of the initiative, they created an online map (above) of city-owned vacant properties which includes a way to get the buying process started more quickly. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports on how John Carpenter, the PRA’s deputy executive director, describes the project:
[It's] a “front door” to the city for potential developers. Before, there was not so much a doorway as a labyrinth of confusing pathways to acquiring vacant land from city agencies that more often than not led to a dead end.
Instead of navigating that labyrinth, potential buyers can take the first step toward buying vacant property by filling out a short form stating their interest. Once the form is filed, you can then follow your progress online.
Vacant properties are not a problem unique to Philadelphia. Nationwide, according to a report last fall from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), the number of vacant properties has increased from 7 million in 2000 to 10 million in 2010.
It's certainly an arduous process for cities on a budget to seek out and map thousands of properties and then turn around and act like real estate agents -- getting this project off the ground took more than a year for Philadelphia. But the trade off is by any measure more costly: maintaining all those crumbling buildings and all that unused land.
Top image: Flickr/MikeWebkist | <urn:uuid:abfa6082-3913-4398-9555-b5983ee53bc2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theatlanticcities.com/housing/2012/05/philly-maps-vacant-properties-make-quicker-sales/2092/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946868 | 554 | 1.648438 | 2 |
- Language Tips
China is "sincerely happy" to see Thailand's achievements, in spite of the flooding disaster of 2011 and the financial crisis, Premier Wen Jiabao said on Wednesday.
He made his comments as he visited the once chaos-torn country during the first official visit of a Chinese premier in more than a decade.
Wen said China will support and cooperate with Thailand in accordance with the five-year plan of economic cooperation. The two countries will forge cooperation on infrastructure development, agriculture, investment and Mekong development schemes, he said.
"Development in Thailand not only brings benefit to the Thai people, but it would be a good condition for relations between Thailand and China," Wen said.
"It is China's pleasure to cooperate with Thailand to help each other to coordinate also on regional affairs, especially to promote relations between China and ASEAN for the peace and prosperity of the region."
Chinese experts said the stable situation in Thailand since Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra took office in 2011 has not only benefited the country, but helped develop its huge potential for political, business and cultural ties with Beijing.
"China and Thailand have been friendly neighbors since ancient times, while the two peoples have close contacts and a deep friendship," Wen said at a joint news conference with Yingluck after their meeting.
There are nearly 10 million ethnic Chinese living in Thailand.
Luo Yongkun, a researcher of Southeast Asian studies with the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said a memorandum of understanding on the rice trade China signed with Thailand during the visit is just the latest round of support from Beijing to Bangkok.
"In the 1997 financial crisis, we promised not to depreciate the yuan, strongly upholding the economy of Thailand and the whole of Southeast Asia," Luo said, adding that the integration of the East Asian economy accelerated from then on.
"Such cases are common in the long history of China-Thailand ties," he added.
Ties between the two nations did not develop much amid the political chaos in Thailand after former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra stepped down in 2006, he said.
ThoughWen's visit is the first by a Chinese premier in more than a decade, leaders have met frequently at multilateral events. Yingluck visited China in April, forging a comprehensive strategic partnership.
Contact the writers at [email protected] and [email protected].
The Nation and ANN contributed to this story.
(China Daily 11/22/2012 page12) | <urn:uuid:3dbdd9e3-9a93-49ac-97b4-b2a49f5c08ce> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2012-11/22/content_15949665.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951689 | 529 | 1.578125 | 2 |
23 I can read books for 5 Year olds in the CHILDRENS BOOKS Category
When it comes to picking I can read books among all the CHILDRENS BOOKS for kids of all ages, we have a simple, reliable approach. First, we send in our SEAL Team of Child-Experts and they go to work. They look at, play with, and select only the top I can read books. They base their selection on play value, durability, uniqueness, design and safety. Then the I can read books under review must be equal to or better than any of the other I can read books on the site. If they are, they immediately go on the site. If they are not, we dump them. And every year, we get rid of the bottom performers and add, new top I can read books to our selection of CHILDRENS BOOKS. | <urn:uuid:f5cdde34-e743-4335-9eeb-0fc3450f0fc3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ebeanstalk.com/category.php?category=childrens_books&subcategory=256&ageId=21 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948623 | 180 | 1.5 | 2 |
1600 SW Western Blvd.
University Plaza, Ste. 280
Corvallis, OR 97333
Substitute Decision Makers
Health Care Documents, Finances and Business, Guardianships and Conservatorships
There are a variety of situations in which other people may make decisions for you.
Health Care Documents
It can be very important to have a valid Advance Directive for Health Care in place, so that if you are unable to direct your own health care, the person you want to make health care choices for you will be able to direct doctors and hospitals, and will be able to have access to your health care information.
Although the basic form for the Advance Directive for Health Care is set by statute in Oregon, there are a variety of additional or special conditions which can be helpful. It can also be important to make sure that the document is filled out in a way that is internally consistent, and that all powers you wish to grant are actually granted.
Similar documents in some other states are sometimes called Living Wills. It can be important to understand that in many circumstances such documents from out of state may not be useful in Oregon, pursuant to Oregon statute.
Finances and Business
Other situations where someone else may make decisions for a person include decision making regarding financial affairs. Many such situations involved advance planning. Trusts are a prime example of such preplanning designed to allow someone else to make financial decisions for a person. Often, the person who creates a trust (a trustor, or settlor) is also the initial trustee. Most trusts provide for some other person to take over the administration of the trust once the trustor or settlor becomes incompetent or dies, or even when the trustor or settlor simply decides that he or she no longer wishes to manage some or all of his or her own financial affairs.
Powers of Attorney
An even simpler (although less certain) mechanism which may allow someone else to handle a person’s affairs is a power of attorney. With a power of attorney a person (often called the principal) can appoint an agent, or an attorney in fact, to handle the person’s affairs. Powers of attorney can be very broad ranging, or they can be very narrow, allowing a person to grant wide powers, or restricting the powers granted to a very limited sphere such as the sale of a single asset.
Powers of attorney, and the powers they grant, die when the person who granted the power of attorney dies. Powers of attorney cannot be used to handle a person’s affairs after he or she has passed on.
There are some other restrictions to the powers granted by a power of attorney as well. Some of these restrictions apply even if the power of attorney says that it grants the attorney in fact the power to handle all of the person’s financial affairs and to do everything that the principal could do or could have done for himself or herself.
A well crafted power of attorney can sometimes widen the scope of a power of attorney by adding specific powers. There are some situations that cannot be handled by powers of attorney, but a skilled attorney can add considerably to the powers granted in some circumstances.
Guardianships and Conservatorships
If there is no power of attorney, or if it is inadequate (or not accepted by the necessary people or businesses or other entities), it may be necessary to establish a conservatorship. A conservatorship grants a person known as a conservator the power to handle most or all of a protected person’s business. There are some limitations, and certain actions can be taken by a conservator only after a court grants specific authority, often after there has been an opportunity for various people, including the protected person, to object. For example, court authority is often required before a conservator may sell the home of a protected person.
A conservator must also make public filings in court at least once a year, accounting for property of the conservatorship, and reporting on actions and changes of circumstances over the past year.
In order for there to be a conservatorship, the court must find that a person is financially incapable and has property that is in need of protection.
Similarly, if a person is mentally incapacitated, and is unable to safely live on his or her own or make his or her own decisions, a guardianship can be ordered. As with a conservatorship, this requires a court finding that a person is incapacitated, and, as with a conservatorship, annual reports to the court are required.
In an emergency situation, a temporary guardianship and/or a temporary conservatorship can be requested at short notice.
Opposing a Guardianship or Conservatorship
A person can object to having a guardianship and/or a conservatorship imposed. People with standing to object include various relatives and other people, as well as the individual himself or herself.
People who wish to oppose a guardianship or conservatorship can be represented by lawyers. This is true both for interested persons who seek to intervene, and for the protected person or respondent himself or herself if he or she wishes to challenge the protective proceeding.
In some cases, if some protection is needed, but a person is not completely incapacitated or financially incapable, an accommodation can be reached that adequately protects the person’s health and property, while allowing the individual a degree of self determination, and restricting the guardian and/or conservator in ways that a court may find to be appropriate.
Pre-Selecting Guardian or Conservator
Sometimes someone has reason to wish that a particular person either should serve as a guardian and/or conservator if needed, or to wish that a particular person never serve in that capacity. Examples of the first situation include situations where a person would like an unmarried partner or a close friend or neighbor, or even a professional fiduciary, to take over if there is ever a need. Examples of the second situation include situations where there is a child or other close relative who has a poor track record, or with whom there has been a falling out.
In situations of this kind, a Nomination of Guardian and/or Conservator can be very useful.
In short, there are a variety of situations where someone may need or want to make decisions for another person. In some cases, a person may object to allowing another person to take control of such matters. In others, the person may actually have planned for another person to take such steps.
It can be helpful to consult with an elder law attorney before such situations develop, so that an incapacity plan is in place. This may reduce the expenses that arise in an emergency, or may even prevent a situation from rising to the level of an emergency, which can result in meaningful savings in some situations.
Consulting with an elder law attorney before any difficulty emerges may also help a person to fend off unwanted attempts by someone else to manage the person’s affairs at some point in the future.
An elder law attorney may also be helpful in seeking a solution in court if someone is unable to manage his or her own affairs and needs the protections of a guardian or a conservator. Similarly, an elder law attorney may be needed in cases where a person feels that someone else is trying to be appointed as a guardian or a conservator in situations where this is inappropriate.
It can also be very important to take steps to make sure that if a person is no longer able to direct his or her own health care, appropriate decisions can be made by a person designated in an Advance Directive for Health Care, and to make sure that this person can have full access to otherwise protected health care information.
NOTE: The above are only some of the times that one can benefit from legal advice from a person who is well versed in elder law matters, guardianships and conservatorships, Advance Directives for Health Care, power of attorney issues, similar matters. The above should not be considered legal advice, nor should it be taken as a statement of the only time that one might benefit from consulting a legal or other professional.
- Steven A. Heinrich
- Guardians and Conservators
- Wills, Trusts, and Probates
- Support and Custody Modification
- Elder Law and Medicaid
- Substitute Decision Makers
- Overview of Guardianships, Trusts, and Health Care Documents
- Finances and Business
- Health Care Documents
- Real Estate
- Downloadable Documents and Forms
- Contact Us | <urn:uuid:46e2155e-0c1f-439e-a595-68c8f5cf4783> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://corvallislegal.com/substitute-decision-makers | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954437 | 1,743 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Vienna is an interesting place. It sits right along the border of Western and Eastern Europe. It is at the very heart of the European continent. I have published some great snap shots of this area, but tonight I am going to share a certain Austria tradition.
The Austrian people love a great many things, their beautiful mountain range, the Alps, dogs, the breath taking architecture of their capital city of Vienna, and coffee. They have quite a coffee culture. But that is a blog post for a different blog. Look for it in towards the end of August over at Scoutie Girl Blog.
Tonight, I am going to share the most amazing coffee I have ever tasted. I have had coffee in Finland. Sweden, Great Britain, The USA, Canada, Jamaica, etc…. The list goes on and on. But the famous Viennese coffee known as Melange has truly captured my heart.
Melange, is a mixture of roughly half milk and half espresso. It is traditionally served along side a small glass of water, and a pair of cookies. Typically the cookies are very simple, without frosting, no chocolate or berries inside…. Just very sweet and plain. Delicious.
So, you begin,by making a pot of very strong coffee, I am sure that isn’t a difficult task. Then heat up whole milk on the stove or in the microwave. You want it to be right at the brink of boiling point. But you don’t want it to boil. You may like to use a cup or some sort of plastic measuring cup that allows for easy pour, for the hot milk.
Next, take a mixer, spin it between your hands in the cup of hot milk, till you see foam form on top. Pour it into a second cup which is placed on top of a saucer plate with a pair of sweet plain cookies on it. Fill this second cup about half way with your frothy mixed milk. Then, go collect your freshly brewed extra strong coffee and add it to your cup of milk sitting with the cookies on the saucer. Place the saucer on a small tray and pour yourself a shot glass full of water. There you have it. A Viennese traditional treat that most here enjoy often multiple times a day.
You can add however much sugar makes you happy and if you like, you can follow the tradition they tend to use for ice coffee by garnishing your melange with a small shake of cinnamon on top. But this is totally optional. Then…. Just sit back and enjoy your coffee. Mix it as usual, and just enjoy yourself and your cookies! | <urn:uuid:aeb46a0d-8bda-4bc3-9110-386817a34fb1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://cafeprimrose.com/2012/07/viennese-coffee-talk/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957812 | 534 | 1.695313 | 2 |
The following two marriages were extracted from The Franklin Observer, published in Macon Co., NC, and edited by C. D. Smith and L. F. Siler. Only two issues of The Observer are known to be extant: the March 16, 1860 issue, held at the Duke University Library in Durham; and the June 22, 1860 issue, held at the University of North Carolina Library at Chapel Hill.
Both marriages were taken from the March 16, 1860 issue (Vol. 1, No. 34). The first marriage deals with the first licensed marriage among the Cherokee East.
Married, On the Raven Fork of Oconalufta, in Jackson county, on the 17th of February, by Rev. W. W. Smith, John Ool-stoo-ih to Gin-she, grand-daughter of Standing Wolf. The ceremony was interpreted to the parties by Jefferson Hornbuckle.
This marriage may be worth of note from the fact that it is the first licensed marriage that has ever been solemnized among the Cherokees East. Under an Ordinance passed some months since, by a full council of the nation, a marriage to be made legal, must be licensed by a native Clerk, appointed for that purpose. This is the first marriage under it. The same ordinance abolished bigamy.
The second marriage was a little more run of the mill.
[Married] On the 11th of March, 1860, by M. Rhodes, Esq., Mr. Jackson Frady to Miss Caroline Scroggs, all of Macon county.
I apologize for not including page and column numbers. I transcribed the two issues for inclusion in a genealogical society publication, but the editor and I could not agree on terms. (He wanted me to place the surnames in all caps. I refused, politely.)
These issues are available on microfilm, for those interested. | <urn:uuid:5f353e49-b466-4137-8dff-6edb9df6c231> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://genealogical.wordpress.com/2012/03/23/feature-friday-two-marriages-from-the-franklin-observer-16-march-1860/?like=1&_wpnonce=51a146d80d | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96928 | 392 | 1.53125 | 2 |
I've been spending a great deal of time thinking about how we can promote cycling positively instead of attempting to scare people. I was extremely pleased to see these posters all over Copenhagen a couple of weeks ago.
This "Hej Cyklist" campaign [Hi, cyclist!] was an idea we came up with at Copenhagenize Consulting a couple of months ago.
Hej Cyklist features on the city's bicycle railings/footrests.
The idea was quite simple. A behavioural campaign and a communications template with which Copenhagen's Bicycle Office coulc communicate with the cycling citizens. The average Copenhagener who rides to work or school each day doesn't really pay much attention to bicycle infrastructure or even bicycles. They just ride.
We all have a sense of pride about the city in which we live. Here in Copenhagen we love to hear that we've been voted the world's most liveable city and things like that. I figured that our cycling citizens should be made aware of all the positive aspects of our bike culture, in order to stimulate that inherent civic pride in relation to our cycling life.
For example, very few know that at many intersections the bikes get a green light a few seconds before the cars. Or that at what used to be Denmark's most dangerous intersection, this 'pre-green light' system has reduced serious cyclist injuries from 15 a year to just one.
Most people know that there are a hell of a lot of cyclists on the main routes but they are surprised when they hear the numbers - 10,000 here, 25,000 there, 35,000 on Nørrebrogade, etc.
I figured that if we let Copenhageners know about the safety features and the positive statistics about cycling, people will respond more positively. Especially in light of the fear campaigns from Dansk Cycklist Forbund and the Danish Road Safety Council.
We pitched the idea to the City of Copenhagen's Bicycle Office and they, too, were positive about it. It is now integrated into their campaigns.
The tone of the Hej Cyklist campaign works well in Danish. It has two angles. The title - Hi, cyclist! - has a retro feel to it. Like something you'd hear back in the 1950's or 1960's. A kind of corny, cheerful tone. It is designed to appeal to both the older generation and younger at the same time.
The modern font - which is part of the Design Guide for the City - helps make it modern. The messages that will follow are designed to be positive and cheerful. Condescending behavourial campaigns rarely work. Nobody wants publics orgs looking down their nose at them.
The poster above, which was plastered all over town, reads:
"Hi cyclist! Copenhagen was voted Cycle City 2008 by Danish Cyclists Federation. You are one of the main reasons. CONGRATULATIONS! and thanks for cycling in Copenhagen."
There are many other texts in the works and there are plans to use the Hej Cyklist angle on stickers stuck on the bike lanes, like this one:
There are so many opportunities to make our citizens proud about cycling as well as sending out common sense safety messages without the wagging finger of a nanny state. Like the head of the Norwegian Cyclists' Federation once said, "Why don't we ever see headlines like '50 cyclists saved their lives this week BECAUSE they rode their bike to work'..."
It's exciting to see A. my idea in action and B. positive branding of cycling in Copenhagen. Kudos to the Bicycle Office for their passion for cycling in Copenhagen. | <urn:uuid:c72803a0-9e54-4770-8b7d-9ce843987197> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.copenhagenize.com/2008/10/hej-cyklist.html?showComment=1225537440000 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966926 | 746 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Reputation of Chinese want to build airships attacked alternative wartime intelligence network satellite
airship in combat diagram
Imagine a military airship Figure
American newspaper in the United States military airship
special correspondent Xie Zhao newspaper correspondent Roshan Love
after the United States in mid-May, after create the world’s largest airship, including China, States military airship research and development has become a dynamic object of media attention. United States, “Defense News” reported on May 31, the PLA is trying to use the airship to monitor Taiwan, and plans to attack the satellite suffered replaced with the airship. The article said that the next 10 years or 20 years, China will reach world-class airship technology.
war can replace the satellite
According to reports, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Intelligence Center recently released a report entitled “China’s high-altitude detection platform (airship ) of real and potential applications, “the report, which is published outside of China’s first military airship report. “Defense News” quoted the report said, China is working in intelligence and reconnaissance, surveillance, communications, command and control, special operations in large-scale application of airship technology, since these aircraft with vertical take off and land, long stay fixed air, carrying capacity, low noise, low power consumption, the production advantages of low difficulty, is cheap and military platforms. U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Intelligence Center that China airship and related “lighter than air aircraft” technology may in the 1910s or twenty years to reach the international advanced level.
Washington International Assessment and Strategy Center ? expert Richard Fisher said, the PLA Army has used balloons during the exercise, and actively expand the airships and balloons in a variety of military missions in the role of “People’s Liberation Army could deploy the radar at high altitude airship, do topographic mapping and air search mission.” Fisher stressed that China is currently limited to use only a small range and a high degree of airship, but the future will develop in the large m altitude airship operation, then the PLA can be monitored directly from the mainland to Taiwan every move.
Fisher said: “The PLA is trying to build a large airship constituted by the intelligence network, it can be done once a week, region-wide scan, deep in the East or the South China Sea regional implementation of surveillance, navigation, communication Following other tasks, its function is similar to the satellite system when the Chinese satellite was in outer space when the opponent attacks, the airship can maintain the smooth flow of the network command. “
U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Intelligence Center’s report also mentioned China is considering to establish a “high altitude airships early warning monitoring system”, and the AWACS early-warning network for the core support each other. According to speculation, these airships will be 1.5 meters of airspace surveillance and air incoming enemy missiles.
good perform monitoring tasks
public by gathering information in China, “Defense News” that the Chinese Air Force Engineering University, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing University of Aeronautics Aerospace University, Changsha University of Defense Technology and other institutions have engaged in airship design and development, some of which products have been put into use.
some of the manufacturers in their enthusiasm to sell a variety of sites for monitoring and special operations airships and balloons. Suzhou Ark model aircraft company claims its own “police or military security surveillance airship” Malaysian police have received military orders and Myanmar, Beijing, China to teach the company developed HJ-3000 airship was described as “to carry out remote monitoring, clearance and special operations high-altitude platform. ” Beijing Dragon St. aviation technology company also launched its own LS-900 airship, which can carry infrared thermal imaging, radar, signal relay, take remote monitoring tasks.
is worth mentioning that China Special Vehicle Institute of Development FKC-1 airship known as the “over the horizon” airship, that is still beyond the horizon beyond the control of the flight from the airship. This helium-filled airship practical manned flight ceiling of 1,000 meters, the army and the police can be used to perform surveillance tasks. Fisher said in the 2008 Zhuhai air show posters seen FKC-1 airship, when it was part of a network known as battlefield surveillance. He also said that China Special Vehicle Institute also released a more advanced FKC-2 airship images, but the specific performance data is not available.
airship value has been rediscovered
airship’s heyday was in the First World War, the German Count Zeppelin’s airship design and even called “the air carrier “the Germans bombed London into action. But with the emergence of faster and more mobile fighters, the military airship gradually exit the stage.
but the 21st century, the face of terrorist threats and illegal infiltration, countries began to re-recognize the value of the airship. Airship to lift and smooth flight, which carry high-tech equipment is essential. In the maritime surveillance, the military airship value even more impressive. For surface ships, the airship is quite fast, find targets, it can hover over the target for a long time, accurate and efficient detection. In 2008, suffering terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India Navy to Israel bought the airship equipped with synthetic aperture radar, to prevent terrorists from re-invasion from the sea. To experience the benefits of the airship, India in April this year once again to Britain, Israel, the United States, Russian aviation companies to issue invitations to tender, ready to purchase a number of deployment in the territorial waters of the airship, and the existing 3 AWACS airborne early warning command together constitute network. According to reports, the technical requirements of the airship is capable of carrying 2400 kg payload altitude of 10,000 meters to stay 28 days.
(“Global Times” June 10, 2010 No. 08 version)
“Global Times” copyright work without written authorization is forbidden and offenders will be held liable. | <urn:uuid:43fcca2e-2d68-433c-a528-cd8a1fd2d191> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.9abc.net/archives/22782 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937811 | 1,302 | 1.679688 | 2 |
- Dec 24, 2008 5:00 PM EST
- [num] Comments
Q: I am new to Windows Vista. Can you explain to me the significance on the little blue folders in Windows Explorer, such as Downloads and Documents? And can I change them? - John Staggs.
A: The label for that panel calls them Favorite Links, but that's a bit presumptuous - maybe they're not your favorites! The idea is that you'll use that panel for shortcuts to places you often want to look at in Windows Explorer. If you just don't want to see them, you can drag the divider at the bottom of the Favorite Links panel upward until it's out of sight.
But if you really want use it for your actual favorites, that's easy too. Click the Start orb, click your name, and open the Links folder. Each shortcut in this folder appears in Favorite Links. Delete any you don't want and add shortcuts to the folders you do want to access quickly. Easy! - Neil J. Rubenking. | <urn:uuid:170e64fb-d15d-421b-82ae-dce9eeb678f2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://appscout.pcmag.com/microsoft-windows/274008-favorite-links-in-vista | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943279 | 216 | 1.773438 | 2 |
Way Out of the Morass
Education has suffered a lot of decline in Nigeria but the situation is not irredeemable
Prospero, the major character in Shakespeare’s Tempest, made an apt statement that fittingly describes the current ineffective state of Nigerian educational sector. Alone on an island where he was banished with his daughter, Prospero tried to assuage his daughter’s unpleasant feeling about their loneliness by impressing on her how much he had endeavoured to bequeath her with a sound education. He told her: “And here have I, thy school master, made thee more profit than other princes can that have more time for vainer hours, and tutors not so careful.”
This scenario aptly captures the situation in Nigeria’s education sector. True, majority of Nigerian students in the primary, secondary and tertiary schools now have more time for “vainer hours” as they pass through the schools without the institutions going through them while their teachers “are not so careful” to teach and mentor them. Sam Egwu, former minister of Education, in a moment of despair over the fallen standard of education in the country, was constrained to declare publicly that Nigerian university graduates were unemployable.
Years ago, Niyi Osundare, professor of English, who recently retired from the University of Ibadan, described the falling standard in the education sector as the climax of a long-unfolding drama in our educational theatre. Every honest teacher, said Osundare, knew that whatever was left of our educational standard has simply collapsed over the decades. “When last did you meet a primary school leaver who can spell his/her name correctly, or a high school graduate who knows what part of the body the heart is located? Haven’t you yet run into an honours graduate of English who doesn’t know what metaphor is, or for whom a preposition is the name of a town not very far from Yokohama?” he asked rhetorically.
But how did the country’s educational system come to this sorry state? The country started getting it wrong during the military regime from the 1970s, after the civil war. Then, Yakubu Gowon, general and former military head of state, took away the schools from the missionaries and later abandoned them midway. From that time to today, the country’s schools began to experience a decline from which they have not recovered since then.
Today, the major problems hindering the progress of the education sector have been identified as lack of a focused and practical action plan, neglect of teachers’ training and welfare, inadequate funding and lack of political will to take the required steps to right the wrongs in the sector. The challenges of adequate funding also include leadership issues, accountability, inadequate budgetary allocation, inadequate funding of schools, poor management and utilisation of funds. All these factors account for the extent of decay that has eaten deep into the country’s education system. The result is that today, except for an occasional show of brilliance, Nigerian tertiary institutions are producing graduates that can barely read and write well even though they have the certificate to show that they have gone through the four walls of higher institutions of learning.
Several other factors, according to Iheanyichukwu Achumba, professor of marketing at the Redeemer’s University, Ogun State, and former head of department of Business Administration, University of Lagos, are responsible for the current parlous state of the education sector. They include frequent regime change via military coups, inappropriate curriculum and government interference. Other factors are inadequate staffing, indiscipline, defective educational policies and corruption within and outside the educational system. “Internally, our educational systems have the serious problem of corruption to cope with. It involves both students, lecturers, non-academic staff, parents and politicians. It takes different forms of compulsory fees, sale of handouts, poor research project conception and execution, giving and receiving bribes for grades and examination malpractices,” Achumba said.
This is why President Goodluck Jonathan should make revamping the education sector a priority. Revamping is not necessarily engaging in more policy summersault, which has been the bane of the sector but strengthening the structure for supervision and implementation of policies to achieve the desired result. The first place to start is to tackle the primary sector of the Nigerian education system which has shown a clear example of how defective educational policies can create unintended consequences that are capable of crippling the system.
This sector has been bed-wetting since the inception of the Universal Primary Education, UPE, in 1976, by the federal military government. The thrust of the scheme was to reduce illiteracy to the barest minimum but it soon became a farce. Although 36,000 classrooms and 59,500 teachers were estimated for a successful launch of the UPE programme, the massive turn out of 3,000,000 primary school pupils proved the estimate inadequate. There were not enough classrooms and even the crash teacher training schemes could not produce enough teachers to match the intake. It was confusion galore and the project failed.
Not even the rehash of the UPE programme, which was renamed the Universal Basic Education, UBE, in 2001, by former Prisident Olusegun Obasanjo, the man who launched the UPE programme in 1976, as the country’s military head of state, could remedy the situation. Out of 42.1million Nigerian children eligible for primary education, only 22.3million were registered in primary school. That is to say 19.8 million, that is 47 percent of such children, were not in school by December 2005. The same trend prevails in the secondary schools. Out of 33.9 million Nigerians eligible for secondary education, only 6.4 million were seen to be in secondary school let alone the high drop-out rate. If these groups of children do not attend secondary education, where lies the nation’s future.
Likewise, the 6-3-3-4 system of education, which was intended to encourage the study of technical and vocational education, could not fare better. Achumba pointed out that “in spite of the large gamut of changes it brought in the school curricula, our educational system looks more confused and unable to solve Nigerian educational crises.”
The university sector is also a victim of malaise. Abubakar Momoh, a lecturer in the Department of Political Science, University of Lagos, in admitting this fact, said that the problem in the education sector worsened when government decided to hands off funding of universities. According to him, that decision made many universities to begin to think of ways to generate funds, instead of focusing on promoting research and scholarship. This has led to the creation of all kinds of programmes, for the purpose of making money. As a result, “full- time programmes have become part-time and part-time programmes have become the area of attention for these teachers. So, people leave basic teaching of undergraduates which involves rigorous teaching to groom these students to appreciate what scholarship is all about.”
As far as Momoh is concerned, the “entire system is wrong and that’s why I don’t teach on any of these commercial programmes because I don’t believe in it. It’s all crap. That’s why we continue to produce these certificated illiterates people talk about.” He said some university administrators tend to justify the anomaly by pointing at government’s attitude to university education as reason but that, he said, is no justification to continue to produce half baked students for Nigeria.”
As the decline in the education sector continues unabated, the question on the lips of many Nigerians is how to turn the tide and bring the sector to its former glorious state? Cordelia Ogbumuo, an educationist and PhD holder in Applied Psychology, told Newswatch that the place to begin to fix the Nigerian Educational system is the primary school. It is the foundation that carries our educational super structure. Restoring the primary school system would also entail resurrecting the Teachers Training Colleges, TTC, that was closed due to an ill advised educational policy. “TTC is the foundation of sound education system and the Nigeria Teachers Institute is no adequate substitute for it. If this foundation is destroyed, then the Nigerian education system will be destroyed,” Ogbumuo said.
Achumba believes that Nigeria chose to toy with its educational system with the scrapping of teacher’s training colleges. “It is reported that about 23 percent of the over 400,000 teachers employed in the nations primary school did not possess the teacher’s Grade Two Certificate even when the NCE is the minimum educational requirement one should have. With such shortage and half baked teachers employed to teach in the nation’s schools, how could the primary school programmes be successful. For the standard of education to improve, the society needs to educate the educators, motivate them to discharge their duties.”
The second step toward the restoration of the country’s education sector is to improve teachers’ remuneration and condition of service. This would enable the sector to attract the right caliber of manpower. It would also end the era when the country’s best and the brightest shun teaching for more lucrative employments. Currently, first class university graduate rarely wish to be teachers.
The third step would be the revival of the education inspectors who would go round the schools to ensure that standards are maintained. This culture is no more or has become ineffective due to bribery and corruption. The return of the education inspectors would restore the observance of such teaching cultures like proper preparation of note of lessons, scheme of work, record of work and maintenance of register. “The inspectors would ensure that teachers apply such teaching techniques like set induction that enables teachers to capture and retain students’ attention while teaching,” Ogbumuo said.
Achumba advised the government to have clear ideas of what to do, what to teach and how to teach. Teachers should also be assisted with the right infrastructure to ensure high quality education within the set frame work. Also, the concept of private public sector partnership in the school system must be encouraged because the government may not have all the resources at its disposal. Under this arrangement, the public sector would provide the enabling environment and act as the regulatory agency that would harness the private sector business and efficiency instinct. Moreover, the private schools system could reduce the population pressure in public schools and promote the high standards that some of the public schools cannot meet. “Our tradesman in the society are either uneducated or at best possess a primary school education. In the new dispensation, they require formal education not only to succeed in their work place but also in the society,” Achumba said.
Reported by Anthony Akaeze and Victor Ugborgu | <urn:uuid:e3e8ccf7-5ab6-4bab-9309-17ec1ec9499f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nigeriadailynews.com/mobile/mobile/columnists/18897-way-out-of-the-morass.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967189 | 2,264 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Officials were monitoring the Mississippi River near Marrero for any signs of an oil spill from a tugboat that sank early Friday after hitting a piling. The incident was reported shortly after midnight near Mile Marker 100, according to the Coast Guard.
The Altro Donna was pushing eight empty barges downriver when it struck a piling on the tug's starboard side near Commodore Dock in Marrero. The boat began taking on water, but its three crew members were able to escape safely. The barges were secured, officials said.
By midday, Coast Guard officials reported a small fuel sheen near the tug. When an oil-spill response team arrived at the scene, crews noticed small pockets of oil or fuel near the vessel. Authorities suspect the sheen may have been caused by materials on the tug's deck when it sank and not the roughly 11,500 gallons of diesel fuel the Altro Donna was carrying, Petty Officer Steve Lehmann said. The vessel also had 52 gallons of lube oil on board.
The tug is owned by Octopus Towing in Jefferson. An operator at the company referred questions to the Coast Guard.
Lehmann said about 98 percent of the tug is submerged. The Coast Guard is managing maritime traffic near the site, and the area will be cordoned off if cleanup is necessary.
In addition to five pollution responders from Coast Guard Sector New Orleans, a response boat and personnel from E&H are also on the scene.
The Coast Guard is investigating the cause of the accident. | <urn:uuid:cfc572de-d175-492b-ad12-79699bae66bc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nola.com/traffic/index.ssf/2012/04/coast_guard_checking_for_signs.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976897 | 311 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Xbox can be hacked to obtain credit card information even after restoring an Xbox 360 console
Researcher says used Xboxes can be hacked for credit card information
Restoring an Xbox 360 console to factory settings doesn’t solve personal information problems because that isn’t enough to remove your personal information. The researcher Ashley Podhradsky of Drexel University said his team had successfully collected data from credit cards of Xbox modding which was restored using simple tools.
Podhradsky says Microsoft “does a great job in protecting their confidential information, but does so with the protection of user data” In particular, it highlights what it considers a long history of misleading information .
The software allowed access to files and folders console, allowing them to extract the information that had not been cleaned, even by the authorized dealer of Microsoft. The process was published in August 2011 Proceedings of the U.S. Conference of Information Systems.
“When you go and reformat your computer, like a Windows system, it tells you all of your data that will be erased. In actuality that’s not accurate – the data is still available. “ Fortunately, you can disinfect an Xbox hard drive by connecting to your computer and run a program like Darik’s Boot & Nuke . Podhradsky not seem to have published research on other consoles. | <urn:uuid:0f8511d7-9050-405c-b6cd-132c1461440f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://itinfoz.com/xbox-can-be-hacked-to-obtain-credit-card-information-even-after-restoring-an-xbox-360-console/2717/ | 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 | 0.935002 | 279 | 1.5625 | 2 |
03-Feb-2008 -- I have eyed this confluence for a number of years now as I go back and forth to eastern Niger, but have never had the opportunity to try it.
On February 3, 2008 I was on a solo trip west in a four-wheel drive vehicle and had gotten an early start from Birnin Konni, where I spent the night in a Tuareg courtyard batting mosquitoes, and where I was awakened at 4:30 by loud prayer calls from the neighboring mosques, so I decided to try to find 13N 3E. I had once tried to find it on Google Earth and remembered that although the resolution was not high, what looked like the easiest route passed through an area of buttes or flat-topped hills, so I reckoned that coming in from the east might be easier.
I found a track heading south from the main paved road just after the village of Tombo Keyna. For about a kilometer I was doing well; then I found that the track led only to a sandy powerline road. I looked for a bit for another track heading south and found a donkey-cart track heading in a southwesterly direction. This I took until it passed through a thicket that was too dense for my vehicle. I searched for a way around it and finally came out on the other side. February is dry season in Niger and all the bushes and shrubs carry a thick coating of grey dust, so the car was soon covered. I followed the cart track and its deep, sandy ruts until I was abreast of the Confluence at about 5 kilometers distance and was getting no closer.
The track seemed to head in the general direction of the village of Karra, which I had entered into my GPS from a map some years before. I then turned south once again and crossed a hard pan with a well-defined track which led me to a point just over 3 km from the Confluence. I could no longer make headway with the vehicle, so decided to leave it and hike the rest of the way. There were a few problems with this, however; my GPS battery is four years old and long dead, and normally doesn't last more than a few minutes away from its power supply. I was not sure if I had enough power to make it to the Confluence and back to the car, which was parked in some thick shrubs and not visible from a distance. In addition, I was not wearing appropriate footwear and I knew my thin-soled deck shoes would probably blister me on the hot ground. Neither did I have a hat with me, and my water supply was limited as well. But after considering for a bit I decided to go for it.
I set off at a fast pace through the bush. I would turn the GPS on periodically to get a fix on a taller tree or shrub and then turn it off again. The temperature was 32°C (which is really rather nice for Niger), but it was noon and the sun was quite strong. Abnormally for this area of the world, I saw no villages, and met only one person, a Fulani herdsman with his cows at about 300 metres distant. There were very few cultivated fields. I flushed a covey of partridges from a clump of bushes, which gave me a start. Finally I arrived at the Confluence and got a shot of the zeroes before photographing the area.
Unbeknownst to me, Mr. Helmut Resch had visited the Confluence just four days earlier, as I found when I got home and logged on, but I did not detect or notice any evidence of his presence. This was disappointing to me after all my effort, but I note that he has also visited at least one of my Confluences (17N 8E) subsequent to my visit.
I hiked back to the vehicle with blisters developing on the balls of my feet and was able to find the car without the aid of the GPS, as its chromed mirrors glinted through the bush. I drove back out to the sandy cart track and rather than retracing my steps I turned west and headed to the village of Karra, as the Garmin basemap has a road from there leading to the large town of Birnin Gaouré, on the main paved road. On the way I made a steep descent off one of the flat hills I had spotted in Google Earth, but the track was not bad. I was expecting an improved laterite road leading from Karra to the pavement, but it was little better than the cart track I had been on, although more traveled by motorized vehicles. Nine kilometers later I was in Birnin Gaouré and came out in the middle of the market to the main road, whereupon I turned northwest and headed in to Niamey (where I was to find that my visit was not the first one). Congratulations to Mr. Helmut Resch on his 57th confluence! I look forward to reading the account of how he reached the place. | <urn:uuid:3112c112-ef65-45af-8ca7-4a728f5f9f42> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.confluence.org/confluence.php?visitid=14709 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.989058 | 1,037 | 1.507813 | 2 |
For J. Robert Janes, World War II continues to ravage the face of Europe. Adolf Hitler remains in power in Berlin, still confident of creating a new German Empire. Allied bombers persist in menacing Axis strongholds across the continent. And France, occupied by German military forces since 1940 and with octogenarian Philippe Pétain as its head of state, has become a place of misfortune and desperation, compounding its own sorrows by collaborating with its attackers. For many French citizens, their homeland has become unrecognizable, a foreign country.
Even as they suffer through the great crime of war, though, the French must also endure more quotidian offenses—theft, assault, arson and homicide. And that’s where Janes’ unlikely pair of fictional detectives come in.
Read the last Rap Sheet on J.B. O’Sullivan’s ‘I Die Possessed.’
A Toronto, Canada-born former field geologist and petroleum engineer, Janes took up full-time writing in 1970, originally producing geology textbooks. He soon began composing novels, however, beginning with children’s mysteries and then moving into adult crime fiction. In 1992 his book Mayhem was published, introducing a middle-aged, pipe-smoking chief inspector of the French Sûreté, Jean-Louis St-Cyr, and his more bullish Bavarian partner, Detektiv Inspektor Hermann Kohler of the Nazi Gestapo. Over the course of 11 more suspenseful works—including Salamander, Stonekiller and Sandman—those two men, technically enemies, found common ground in solving sometimes shocking cases.
But then, after the publication in 2002 of Flykiller, Janes and his series protagonists just seemed to disappear.
Only now, a full decade later, have St-Cyr and Kohler returned in an enthralling, character-propelled new police procedural, Bellringer. The plot finds them probing suspicious deaths at a pair of resort hotels in northeastern France that have been converted into an internment camp for British and American women (and some Senegalese men) who didn’t flee the country before German forces marched in. Sex, séances, stolen mementoes and a 23-year-old mystery surrounding a husband’s demise all figure into the inquiry—one that will put Janes’ sleuths at odds with both the camp’s kommandant and their own Nazi superiors.
I recently asked 77-year-old Janes some questions about Bellringer as well as his series’ past and its still-uncertain future.
Your 12th World War II novel, Flykiller, was published in 2002. But then you dropped off the publishing map. What happened?
After nine books with [UK publisher] Constable, its sales people put thumbs down on the series…Mike Petty at [rival house] Victor Gollancz picked up and published Madrigal and bought Beekeeper, but then Gollancz was sold to Orion and Anthony Cheetham became its owner and my mentor. Then Cheetham sold Orion to Hachette, the big French publisher, and that was the end of me for them…
But I simply kept on writing every day, six days a week and sometimes seven. As a result, there are Carnival and Tapestry still to come, and it’s my sincere hope that [U.S. publisher] Mysterious Press will view them as kindly as it did Bellringer.
Bellringer takes place in the winter of 1943, at a pair of luxury hotels in Vittel, France, that have been turned into an internment camp. Can I assume those hotels actually existed?
Virtually everything used in Bellringer still exists. In addition, I was fortunate to be able to look over architectural diagrams and photos that gave me the past history of Vittel’s Parc Thermal where the camp was. Everyone who writes novels uses the bricks and mortar, if possible, and this is one terrific setting. There have been, as I note in the novel, substantial changes to the Parc Thermal, but it is still very much the grand international spa it was in the belle époque and before that.
What made you want to write this new novel?
Bellringer has a setting and topic which have been with me for well over 40 years. I’ve read widely, of course, and did so long before I ever took up writing full-time. Always someone like me is looking for those odd, out-of-the-usual things, and this was one that simply stayed with me—waiting, I guess, for St-Cyr and Kohler to come along.
Bellringer deals with a forgotten and overlooked piece of history that I felt should not be left that way. How it could have been forgotten is anyone’s guess, given that nearly 1,000 American women and a good 1,600 British were interred, side by side. Who were they, where had they come from, how were they different from one another, how did they keep from being absolutely driven out of their skulls by the lack of privacy, the lack of doing anything useful, the suspension of their careers, loves and lives—all such things? It offered immense potential and as a result I really enjoyed writing it.
The conditions you describe in those hotels are pitiful. Confined together, enduring wartime deprivations, the women became almost like a sorority, swapping gossip and engaging in petty arguments, and finding what fond companionship they could. Did you have a strong idea of what that insular society was like before you began writing, or did it only take full shape as you composed the book?
I knew beforehand what was in essence needed, though as I wrote each section in longhand first, things developed. I did have a very clear idea of what must have gone on. There are things that I could have emphasized a lot more but I chose not to in favor of the mystery. Nora [Arnarson, one of the prisioners], in a sense, has bits and pieces of myself, and when asked by St-Cyr if she had been looking into the mystery of Madame de Vernon’s husband, states, “Wouldn’t you, if you were bored out of your skull in a place like this?” I certainly would have been.
With so many very different women, the story could have gone in innumerable ways, and doubtless some readers will take themselves along those trajectories. But for me it offered, as a setting and topic, phenomenal potential, and I only hope others will find that I’ve lived up to that.
Having read a number of your St-Cyr/Kohler books, it seems to me that what you find most engaging isn’t just the time period and location of these tales, but seeing how war affected people left behind in Occupied France. Is that correct?
That is very correct, but let me add that what went on in German-occupied France during World War II could easily have happened elsewhere. Hence, we have, in a sense, a basic human dilemma and have to ask, How did people manage when even their neighbors could well rat on them or steal what they could?
I’ve eaten squirrels, so perhaps that helps. I also grew up during the Great Depression and that certainly helps, because I still think as we did back then. You simply didn’t ever waste anything, and things found uses that today most folks wouldn’t even consider. And yes, I remain very interested in how individuals managed and reacted. That’s a big part of the whole thing. But I am not, nor ever would be, anti-French because of what went on, and my mysteries clearly bring this out.
It must be tempting to include Nazi higher-ups and other historical figures in your yarns. Yet you’ve been very restrained in doing so, sometimes mentioning them but rarely inviting them onstage. Why?
I’ve used Klaus Barbie in Salamander; Karl Oberg, the Höherer SS und Polizeiführer of France, and his deputy, the Standartenführer Helmut Knochen in Carousel...Flykiller also focuses on Pétain and [his successor, Pierre] Laval, and Madame Pétain...But generally I try to focus on the ordinary, the day-to-day.
You said earlier that the next, as-yet-unsold novel in the St-Cyr/Kohler series is titled Carnival. Can you tell us about that book’s plot?
Carnival takes St-Cyr into what has now, again, become a foreign country to him, namely Alsace. It’s a wonderful story but it does have some very tough situations and things for my protagonists to work through. After writing that one, I took the two back to Paris in Tapestry for what became an outstanding portrayal of that city in February 1943. Five crimes in one night and all of them intertwined and linked. | <urn:uuid:eddec197-47ce-4329-9d19-5b078a03c13c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kirkusreviews.com/features/last-janes-wartime-sleuths-make-comeback/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975704 | 1,914 | 1.59375 | 2 |
There’s a condition spreading rather like wildfire in the gaming medium – and no, it’s not a strain of the influenza. The latest game to fall prey to this affliction is Obsidian’s Alpha Protocol:
“Michael Thornton is you. He’s been specifically designed as a blank canvas; a host for your own personality and playing style.”1
This is avataritis, or, the video game industry’s highly emotional, pandemic response to finding the easiest, most efficient solution to the very unique dilemma presented by its ever-widening player base. Leigh Alexander framed the problem appropriately – though in relation to difficulty – a mere week ago at Gamasutra: “the concept of ‘everything for everyone’ won’t help.”
Now, to offend half the blogosphere offhand: For the purpose of this article, we will consider avatar customization a convenient narrative cop-out. We shall also assume that no mechanisms are in place stopping developers from writing and designing heterogeneous yet fully structured, narrative-based computer games with carefully constructed and immutable, unchangeable characters.
Therefore, the current rat race for the best, most customizable avatar shall thus be perceived an abhorrent one, damaging to the maturing and growth of the narratives in video games. (Obviously, there are occasions wherein the “tabula rasa” scenario is a fully motivated one, either by its ludic or narrative function, but assuming this to be a default state to be aspired to seems ultimately misguided beyond the MMO.)
The remaining half, then, shall also be offended as we sequence into a discussion of the representation of ethnic (and other) minorities. I’m not going to discuss these themes directly, instead drawing attention to how egalitarian, census-oriented game criticism and research sometimes intentionally avoids the more literary functions and realities of video gaming narratives.
An example of the census critique model could be a story from the “self-proclaimed feminist”, Alex Raymond, whose article “Beyond Gender Choice: Mass Effect’s varied inclusiveness” recently discussed the gendered unbalances of Mass Effect. In the same vein, a recent virtual census study conducted by Dmitri Williams sought to reveal how “the mismatch between real-world and videogame populations could be excluding some groups of potential players from games”2 – another fine example of the sector. Williams has in fact published a great deal of work on the topic, including “Looking for gender (LFG): Gender roles and behaviors among online gamers”.
Proponents of ethnic diversification in video games often nevertheless perceive characterization to be an issue of representations motivated by percentages, ratios, census numbers, customer/player gender and the realities of the marketplace overall, choosing (perhaps rather wisely?) to ignore the narrative realities of the issue. What I mean by the word “wisely” is that obviously, one can’t not be apologetic to their research, and a tremendous discussion is to be had about the extending and diversifying experiential sphere of life of the post-modern gamer.
That being said, I was extremely pleased to discover a view very similar to mine in the brief article, “Facing White America from Minority Country“, in which Juan Letona responds to a Kotaku editorial3:
“For Hispanics/Latinos we have a great literature legacy to inspire us, from Cervantes to Borges to Bolano. What they have done for literature a new breed should apply their trade in game development, and I encourage all minorities to do the same.”4
In the response, Letona wholly circumvents the aforementioned dilemma by instead choosing to focus on the individual-authorial nature of writing, by selecting examples of writers known for their experiential fiction, authors that chose to write about their personal sphere of life, of their own cities, countries and fellow countrymen. A similar list of mine would perhaps include Dos Passos, DeLillo, the Beats, Spiegelman. Yours may be vastly different, obviously, just like mine is from Letona’s, but the core idea of the approach remains, namely, game fictions are no different from their other fictive counterparts in this manner, and thus inherently informed by their writers’ experiential continuums – whether we choose to acknowledge it or not.
Attempting to separate the author’s experience from the material (à la New Criticism and liberal humanist methodology) is a response to a pre-existing state. Therefore, in our inherent negative knee-jerk reaction to, say, the generic male whiteness of the current gaming landscape, we involuntarily and accidentally deny our current authors of their experiential wealth and resources, ultimately condemning – if not altogether depriving them of – their formative origins. No matter how slanted the picture is (and indeed, it is very slanted!), are we truly willing to risk the authenticity of our future fictions by, realistically speaking, ranking different life experiences by percentages and ratios?
In relation to this issue, Delayed Responsibility’s Alpha Protocol –rooted response to Raymond’s article contained the following quip:
“You can have gruff ladies who are not white! You can have gruff people who prefer not to be called ‘men’ and/or ‘ladies,’ regardless of what you think.”5
Utilizing anomalous characters like Ellen Ripley is theoretically a fine avenue for diversifying gaming characters, and the breaking-the-mold approach is indeed in perfect accord with the census approach outlined above; characters that seem improbable and less ordinary do generate an illusion of versatility. No, this article is in no way a defence of ham-fisted stereotypes, but we must acknowledge that Ellen Ripley is just as much a stereotype as her male counterparts – her anti-stereotypy remains, after all, effectively an inverse stereotype.
(An another angle to the issue at hand is, do you have to play Alpha Protocol if you find its experiential range to be in discord with yours? Do games have to be all-inclusive and appeal to the widest possible range of players? I asked this question in my earlier post, “Cherry-Picking Easy Targets“.)
To backtrack considerably, I should mention that only truly since August of last year have I really come to this more dogmatic approach towards the avatar. It all started when Leigh Alexander briefly returned to her GameSetWatch column, The Aberrant Gamer, with an article titled the “Uncanny Valley of the Dolls“. While the article mostly focused on the delightfully frivolous topic of character customization in Soul Calibur IV, it also brought up the concept of the uncanny, or “Das Unheimliche”, originated by Jentsch and later popularized by Freud – a very topical term indeed, thanks to viral videos like Meet Emily or The Normals (Sony’s Heavy Rain also springs to mind).
A great feeling of the uncanny indeed arose within me while reading the following:
“…with the distance graphical sophistication has come, we can practically play God and birth new, lifelike people every day if we so choose.”6
Beyond the hyperbole, I found myself perplexed by the very concept: All this time, I had assumed players to perceive character creation an act, a form of role play, also often altogether abandoning both, delegating the process to low-level gameplay functionality. I might have allowed myself to subscribe to the idea of “power fantasy”, but assumed not everyone sought these; a power fantasy, after all, would have to be supported both by the narrative as well as the character creation, ultimately becoming a daunting, harrowing process of guesstimating and trying to min-max a game before it even began. For the developer and the player.
After some considerable thought, then, I found my issue to be with Alexander’s use of the verb “birth”. I do fully understand the extended semantic transfer from the word “create”, which is indeed rather commonly used to describe the interface, over to the the verb “birth”. While we may commonly use the term “character creation” for the feature set of the aforementioned process, be as it may, these terms may not be the most appropriate ones: Yes, the act does resemble that of “creation” in that players apply their imagination to a restricted set of tools, much in the same way one would other forms of art, but a process of “birthing”, like Alexander calls it, it is not.
After all, the word “birth” is far removed from the tangible actuality of the interfaces to which our creativity is ultimately tied to. What’s more, the process is almost always transformative, not an originative one (here one might mention “monster” generators such as Spore, but I find them not at all applicable in terms of their narrative content).
My point is this: On the character creation screen of a character-based game, we do not give “birth” to a character much like a mother does not become her infant baby. In video games, then, we do become one with our character – at least as much as acting out a role in a play allows us to vicariously experience being an another being. This difference is both minuscule and semantic, but important nevertheless. Interestingly enough, a rare intransitive use of the verb, meaning “to have birth, be born” also exists. Had this archaic form entered daily use and survived to this day, Alexander’s use would not have puzzled me whatsoever!
So far, then, I have attempted to uncover troubling connotations in the terminology and methodology currently used for describing and discussing the generative processes of avatar customization – words like birth and create over adapt, or customize. I have also spent considerable effort on extolling the value of the experiential worth of a writer’s particular life sphere over the levelling of the authorial voice. But what does this all mean, for games, designers, players? Alexander’s article succeeds in vocalizing the phenomenon:
…audiences often demand protagonists to whom they can relate, whom they admire, to motivate gameplay and enhance immersion – so isn’t the best way to “get it right” to allow players to build their own.6
For designers, writers and ultimately companies to seek to “get it right” in this manner, from my narrative-obsessed standpoint, is what I mean by avataritis. As you probably have noticed, my decision to characterize the issue at hand with a pathological suffix stems from its contagiosity: The primary underlying problem is a simple yet distorted view concerning the level and capability of our understanding of human-like motivation. What follows is that in the current public discourse of avatars and non-player characters, there exists an insistent perception, a persistent need to equate understandable motivation and action with relatability.
Breaking this dichotomy down, relatability and understandability are, though conjoined phenomena in practice, two different features and processes. Successful exposition, suspension of disbelief and immersion therefore truly only require the latter. Features like the colour of one’s skin, facial features, speech and language, body shape and language, clothing – these are all concepts that help us to identify and relate depending on the degree of our experiential knowledge.
Yet the aforementioned aspects are externalized go-to signifiers, symbols, messages and markers. The profound mistake currently being made in the popular media – movies, TV series, games – is that it’s often more than enough to merely rely on these signals; once a shared, common terminology of relatability has been discovered, reaching beyond the surface is no longer needed or even preferred. What about Cervantes, Borges and Bolano? Surely their literary merits lie not in the externals, but the internals; yet their literature remains understandable to those not part of the Hispanic community.
We don’t have to be, want to be, or know how to be the characters we see on screen. All we need is characters that perform understandable actions and reactions. Relations. Emotions. Desires. Wants. Wishes, drives and urges. None of these ultimately have to do with ethnicity, gender, looks or otherwise. This is the dualistic fallacy of the avatar: Customization may seem to offer developers and players alike a chance to mask, to separate an avatar from its perfunctory position and move it closer to the player, bridging the gap between various players of different origins, but due to the avatar’s function as a literary element, a character never does become perfectly liberated from its original environs and place of creation.
Now; the confusion of these two features of understanding human action, relatability and understability, stems from this misconception being both widely promulgated and accepted. For instance, in response to Raymond’s previously mentioned article, Mass Effect writer Patrick Weekes chooses to corroborate this perception:
“We are unapologetically aiming for a wide audience — summer blockbuster, not art house movie. As a result, our men are usually going to be attractive or ugly-but-rugged, and our women are going to be attractive or distinguished. That’s what most people want.”7
Pay close attention to Weekes’ use of the word “want”; have not the critics mentioned above established, beyond any shadow of a doubt, the fallacy of this very statement – that a diverse horizon of expectations exists, and that the current landscape of game avatars is both slanted and distorted? Furthermore, in purporting the erroneous view, he also fails to take into account the very real dangers of the issue. Compare his view to last year’s “The Dark Knight”, or more importantly, one of its characters: The Joker. Is he like you or me in terms of his (psychological) make-up? Not very much so… Is he likable? I hope not! Is he nevertheless… understandable? Much of the power of the film indeed lies within the fact that the Joker’s position as a decidedly, utterly chaotic entity is made visible and clarified to the viewer throughout the film.
Finally. In summing up, this post has been an attempt to give a name to the distinct voices discussing the concept of the avatar as well as the actual issue at hand.
First, I attempted to illustrate how requesting diversification of characters based on a reality-based quota and stock does not always properly take into account the creative processes of writing a narrative-based video game. Until the ethnic make-up of the whole industry changes, we should not confine our writers to statistical rules for the sake of diversification – at least, not unless there is a clearly motivated narrative requirement for it.
Second, I wished to explain semantically the mistaken and clouded terminology currently used for describing the avatar and its related processes.
Third, I sought to explain how offering players avatar-based customization can lead to beautification, stereotyping, archetyping and the ongoing perpetration of an established discourse of the avatar that allows companies to purport and rely on the assumption that players (or viewers) only want to relate, desire, admire or be themselves. This common terminology of relatability subsequently results in a superficial set of markers, never producing the need for more in-depth exposition of human interaction in video game narratives.
…in short, when players can look at an avatar and say, “that’s me,” they can care about that digital self’s well-being enough that they want to stick around, see their creation strive, grow and thrive.6
Now, as much time as we spent on discussing the difference between birthing, creating and becoming a character earlier in this article, the exclamation point remains outside semantics, that player avatars in gaming narratives should have nothing whatsoever to do with players’ surficial relationships and expectation horizons with what avatars should be like. I beg us to disconnect the avatar from each of the aforementioned discourses, from whatever purported expectations and ultimately make sure that there will be no constricting rule sets for future writers of narratives in video games.
Weekes’ quote reveals to us the danger of allowing the muddled avatar discourse to go on. As long as the avatar is confined to the current customization-based framework, our narratives will remain superficial and designed for everyone and no-one instead of enriching us, on far more personal level, with the multitudinous continuum of human interaction that is not at all beyond our abilities as writers, designers and players.
- http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=223828 [↩]
- http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17819-video-games-need-a-more-diverse-cast-of-characters.html [↩]
- http://kotaku.com/5358562/minority-report-the-non+white-gamers-experience [↩]
- http://www.bitmob.com/index.php/mobfeed/facing-white-america-from-minority-country.html [↩]
- http://shouldntbegaming.wordpress.com/2009/09/24/alpha-protocol-play-as-a-blank-canvas/ [↩]
- http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2008/08/column_the_aberrant_gamer_unca.php [↩] [↩] [↩]
- http://whilenotfinished.theirisnetwork.org/2009/09/14/quick-hit-bioware-writer-responds-criticisms/ [↩] | <urn:uuid:2413ae7a-b97f-4d02-a9af-0ad25fb81e47> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.slowdown.vg/2009/10/16/avataritis/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944386 | 3,776 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Groundbreaking New Fitness and Nutrition Book Helps People Reach their Goals in Just 21 Days!
What if people could learn to exercise more effectively, eat more flavorfully and gain a better understanding about their bodies in just three short weeks? Oh, and by the way, they’d also lose weight and learn how to attain and maintain a healthy weight at the same time. Sounds like a good return on an investment of just 21 days, doesn’t it? Check out the new book, 21, 2 Experts 1 Goal, by Daniel Loigerot and Elina Kaminsky.
New York City, NY (PRWEB) June 12, 2012
What if people could learn to exercise more effectively, eat more flavorfully and gain a better understanding about their bodies in just three short weeks? Oh, and by the way, they’d also lose weight and learn how to attain and maintain a healthy weight at the same time. Sounds like a good return on an investment of just 21 days, doesn’t it?
That’s what a new, groundbreaking book called “21” is offering readers. Two of the nation’s foremost health and fitness gurus, celebrity trainer Daniel Loigerot and nutritional pharmacist Elina Kaminsky, have put their great minds together to deliver a revolutionary body-mind-life transformation method that will teach every reader how to become their own personal health expert. Their signature “21″-day body transformation will have readers looking and feeling like they’re 21 again in as little as 3 short weeks!
Abandoning the “cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all” approach of other exercise and nutrition books, “21” begins with an understanding that all bodies are not created equal. The book teaches readers about different body types and the specific needs of each type, as well as the different ways each type responds to exercise. Beginning with the information on nutrition, readers are taught how to strengthen their bodies from the inside, making smart dietary decisions that provide the body with the energy it needs to exercise more effectively and burn fat faster. More importantly, both the nutrition and exercise guidance are tailored to provide a lifetime of maintenance that’s simple enough for anyone to follow.
Unlike other books that rely on unrealistic exercise expectations or complicated dietary changes, “21” features easy-to-follow exercise guidelines and straightforward meal-planning tips to help anyone get fit and feel better – not just during the program, but throughout an entire lifetime. The book helps readers clearly establish the changes they need to make to lead healthier, happier lives through a better understanding of the body’s nutritional needs and the development of an exercise regimen using Pilates based techniques and Daniel’s signature moves to tone and build strength. This is Daniel’s second book since “The Pilates Edge” which worked with various bodies using strictly Pilates exercises to shape up. “21″ applies much more advanced thinking as it takes into consideration the whole person.
“21″ features never-before-seen exercises, superfoods and nutritional support supplements developed to help men and women of all body types look and feel great. Why spend extra time and money joining a gym or fitness center? Let the experts come to you! The book will be available in Nook, Kindle and other e-reader formats. More information about the book can be found at dlfit.com.
For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prwebfitness-nutrition-pilates/book-regimen-body-type/prweb9543149.htm | <urn:uuid:dbb024b8-b735-4ede-b3e8-11d5b6e604a1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/1112553368/groundbreaking_new_fitness_and_nutrition_book_helps_people_reach_their/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947767 | 762 | 1.796875 | 2 |
This will take a lot of persistence and work on your part. You must be stubborn and convince your child that he is NOT going to get to sleep anywhere but the crib.
Start putting the child to sleep by rocking on a chair or walking around with him. DO NOT put him to sleep in your bed. He might try to break free from your hold as he is crying - do not let go. Hold him tightly, and let him know that you love him and that he must sleep. Our daughter used to crib, call for the other parent, but be patient - sing songs - and believe that the suffering won't last long :)
Once he is asleep, put the child in his crib. (Some people prefer putting the child to sleep awake, but this works best for me.)
If he wakes up in 45 minutes crying, repeat the cycle. Take him to the rocking chair, and wait for him to fall asleep again. Back in the crib.
The first time you do this, it might be very frustrating so do it on a night where you don't have work the next day. (Friday night?) The important part is to convince your child that no matter what happens, he is NOT going on your bed.
The next night, should be easier, but might still be long. But within 3 days, he should get used to sleeping his crib. He should be convinced, that no matter how much he cries, kicks, or does, that he will eventually end up back in his crib - and only his crib. NEVER give in and put him in your bed with him.
Also, purchase a portable playpen. When we are visiting relatives or travelling, we put our children to sleep in their playpens. They are very compact when folded, and secure like a crib for sleeping. If you don't want to kid sleeping in your bed, you must never force it do so either. | <urn:uuid:3cb5ab01-6f32-465a-946b-2b9bba0bfabe> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://parenting.stackexchange.com/questions/3578/how-do-we-get-an-eight-month-old-back-to-sleeping-in-his-crib/3985 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982225 | 390 | 1.65625 | 2 |
I just installed my linux mint 13 and made my first python program on mint, but I am unable to open python scripts. I don't know why? I tried each and every possible way but still unable to open the stuff. Can you guys help me out solve the problem.?
I tried "./python.py" also added directory to the python console and also to the linux terminal but still unable to open up. | <urn:uuid:72e69f6d-41f2-433d-8bf9-f72e3f23f364> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=119007&p=658732 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958192 | 85 | 1.5 | 2 |
Shauna Gibby - May 23, 2011
Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Will ye also go away?” In my own mind I have answered that question many times: “Absolutely not! Not me! I will never leave Him! I am here forever!” I know you have answered the same way.Conference Talk:
For more information on this topic read “Never Leave Him,” by Elder Neil L. Andersen, Ensign, Nov 2010, 39.
Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Will ye also go away?” In my own mind I have answered that question many times: “Absolutely not! Not me! I will never leave Him! I am here forever!” I know you have answered the same way. (Elder Neil L. Andersen, “Never Leave Him,” Ensign, Nov 2010, 39.)
“How Firm a Foundation,” Hymns, #85.
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and
of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the
power of God. (2 Timothy 1:7-8)
Prior to family scripture study obtain a picture of Peter’s Denial (such as Gospel Art Kit, no. 229—available at lds.org). Also find a picture of a rooster. Display the two pictures and ask your family what they have to do with each other. Read John 13:37–38 to your family and ask, What prophecy did Jesus make about Peter? Read together John 18:15–18, 25–27. Ask:
• What questions were asked of Peter and how did he answer them?
• How was Jesus’ prophecy fulfilled?
• Looking at the picture of Peter’s Denial, how does the artist portray Peter’s feelings about what he had done?
• How do you think Peter felt when he heard the rooster crow the third time?
Invite your family to share ways people “deny” the Savior today. Discuss ways your family can avoid denying the Savior in their lives.
(Dennis H. Leavitt and Richard O. Christensen, Scripture Study for Latter-day Saint
Families: The New Testament, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2006], p. 139.)
by Joseph Fielding Smith
Some time in the spring of 1844 . . . , two young men, Robert Scott and Dennison L. Harris, were invited to attend a secret meeting of . . . conspirators [against the Prophet Joseph Smith]. Dennison L. Harris was the son of Emer Harris, brother of Martin Harris. . . . Robert Scott at the time of this incident was living at the home of William Law. It was on this account that he and his companion were invited to attend the secret meeting. . . . Young Harris was also asked to invite his father, Emer Harris.
These boys considered well this invitation and then consulted with Emer Harris, who concluded to take the matter to the Prophet Joseph Smith.
After hearing the story Joseph Smith instructed the father to stay away, but said he thought it would be well for the two boys to attend, but before going they were to receive some advice from him and follow his instructions carefully. Following the Prophet's instructions they attended the first two meetings, and each time made their report to the Prophet. The conspirators gave the time to abuse and falsehood concerning President Joseph Smith, and the discussion of their future plans. When the young men reported the second time their attendance the Prophet seemed to be in doubt as to the wisdom of the young men attending further meetings. He asked them to visit him again before the third meeting to which they were invited, which, like the others, was held on a Sunday. When the time came for the meeting these youths called for the Prophet's instruction. He had made it a matter of prayer and he said to them, "This will be the last time that they will admit you into their councils. They will come to some determination, but be sure that you make no covenant, nor enter into any obligations whatever with them." When they arrived at the place of meeting the young men were astonished to see it guarded by men with muskets, and after due scrutiny they were admitted. In the meeting the Prophet and his brother Hyrum and others were accused of the most wicked acts. They said that President Joseph Smith was a fallen prophet and his death was necessary to save the Church. An oath had been prepared which each of those present was asked to take. The candidates in turn would step up to the table where Francis M. Higbee, a justice of the peace, was stationed, and he would ask: "Are you ready?" Receiving from each a favorable reply he administered the following oath:
"You solemnly swear, before God and all holy angels, and these your brethren by whom you are surrounded that you will give your life, your liberty, your influence, your all, for the destruction of Joseph Smith and his party, so help you God!"
The person taking this oath would then say, "I do," after which he would lay down the Bible on which the oath was taken, and sign his name to a written copy of the oath in a book, which would then be acknowledged by the justice of the peace.
No doubt the amazed boys were frightened, and wondered how these men, formerly faithful members in the councils of the Church who had pledged their faith and their loyalty to the Prophet only a few months before, could stoop so low as they found them at these secret meetings. Like members of the Gadianton secret band these conspirators had lost all sense of honor. This oath was administered to each of those present, among them three women who were heavily veiled.
At the last the turn came for the two boys to take the pledge, but this they resolutely and manfully refused to do, stating that Joseph Smith had done them no harm and they were too young to understand these things. The anger of the leaders of this secret band was aroused. They first coaxed and then argued and when this failed, they threatened them with death. "Come, boys," they said, "do as we have done. You are young, and will not have anything to do in the affair, but we want you should keep it a secret, and act with us; that is all." "No," they replied, "we cannot take an oath like that against any man who has never done us any injury." They tried to pass out of the place, but were stopped by one of the guards who said, "No! not by a _____ _____! You know all our plans and arrangements, and we don't propose that you should leave in that style. You've got to take the oath, or you'll never leave here alive. They were then surrounded by these fiends of the bottomless pit, who with drawn swords and knives were determined to take their lives. The leaders finally concluded that the deed of blood could not be committed there, as the house was too near the street. So the young men were taken to the cellar and preparations were made for the execution. At this point someone called attention to the fact that the parents of the boys evidently knew where they were, and if they did not return a search would be put on foot that might prove to be very dangerous for the plotters. After some more arguing and consultation the conspirators reluctantly released the boys with a threat if they ever divulged the actions of these secret meetings, they would be killed. Under a guard they were escorted from the place. Wisely they took their departure leaving the impression that they would hold their tongues. They
immediately took their course towards the river in the opposite direction from their homes, conveying the impression to their enemies by word and act, that they would keep their secret. On the river bank they met the Prophet and an elder brother of Robert Scott, who were waiting for them. To the Prophet these two boys told their harrowing story.
(Jack M. Lyon, Linda Ririe Gundry, Jay A. Parry, Best-Loved Stories of the LDS People, Vol. 1, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1997].)
Place a large paper grocery sack in the center of the room with the top of the sack open.
Have each person take a turn to pick up the sack with his mouth. He may touch the floor only with his feet and may not use his hands. Those who are unsuccessful or fall over are eliminated.
For the next round, cut the top of the sack with scissors so that the sack is only half as tall. Let the remaining people take a turn to pick up the shorter sack with their teeth.
Continue the contest by cutting off half of the sack each time and eliminating those people who fail. The last person who remains is the champion ostrich.
(George and Jeane Chipman, Games! Games! Games!, [Salt Lake City: Shadow Mountain, 1983], p.183.)
1/2 cup water
1 cup honey
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Butter a baking sheet. Set aside. In a saucepan, combine water, honey, and sugar. Boil, stirring occasionally, until candy reaches hard-ball stage (about 260 degrees on candy thermometer). Remove from heat and add baking soda. Pour into buttered pan. Cool. Break into bite-size pieces. Makes 1 pound.
(Paula Julander and Joanne Milner, Utah State Fare, [Salt Lake City: Shadow Mountain, 1995], p. 200.)
*Cick here for a printable PDF.
© LDS Living 2011. | <urn:uuid:19516376-8982-443a-8e5f-26a8390e7a04> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ldsliving.com/story/64633-fhe-loyalty | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981856 | 2,052 | 1.5 | 2 |
Radiesse is calcium hydroxyappatite and is not the same as dental enamel. When injected into the soft tissues of the face it dissolves over a year or more. It does not feel hard like dental enamel to the touch when injected as a filler.
Radiesse is composed of calcium hydroxylapatite suspended in a gel. The product does completely dissipate. The gel is absorbed over time, while the CaHa crystals act as a scaffold for fibroblasts to deposit new collagen.
Eventually CaHa is broken down into calcium and phosphate ions which are absorbed by the body. | <urn:uuid:d33158a8-bc21-41f5-9e79-59df054f26b4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.realself.com/question/calcium-hydroxylapatite-totally-dissipate | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952804 | 128 | 1.5 | 2 |
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Surgeon heads wounds conference
10:00am Friday 15th March 2013 in News
A surgeon at Bradford Royal Infirmary has addressed a conference about the work of a new national research centre, based in eight areas of the country including Bradford, to develop pioneering treatments that could change the face of wound care.
The research is funded by the National Institute for Health Research, the NIHR Wound Prevention and Treatment Healthcare Technology Co-operative.
About 100 delegates, including business managers, technology developers, clinicians, academics and others attended the conference.
An overview of the new centres was given by Professor Peter Vowden (above), the clinical director of the NIHR Wound Prevention and Treatment HTC and a world-renowned woundcare expert. He is also consultant vascular surgeon at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Wound care treatments are costing the NHS in England about £3.1 billion a year and the aim is to develop innovations in treatment. | <urn:uuid:0f2442d1-aeff-4da0-9b59-bb64f9a5d1d7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/10291527.Surgeon_heads_wounds_conference/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944848 | 222 | 1.546875 | 2 |
A REPORTER AT LARGE about Brett Coleman Kimberlin, a convicted marijuana smuggler who says he sold marijuana to Dan Quayle in the early 1970s. Kimberlin is in prison for a series of bombings that occurred, at Indianapolis Speedway stores in '78--crimes he says he didn't commit. Kimberlin says he sold drugs to Quayle from '71-'73, when Quayle was enrolled at the Indiana University Law School branch in Indianapolis, and visiting friends at Bloomington. Tells about Kimberlin's large marijuana operations. He was charged with murder of a woman named Julia Scyphers, and with the bombings; he was convicted of the latter, and of various other crimes. In prison, he has become active as a paralegal. Many believe he did not receive a fair trial, including former Solicitor General Erwin Griswold. Kimberlin told his story about Quayle to Nina Totenberg of NPR and Norman Goren, then of "60 Minutes," but they didn't run it. His charges eventually gained publicity through Garry Trudeau's "Doonesbury" comic strip Tells how prison officials, apparently acting on orders from Bush-Quayle staffers, punished Kimberlin for telling his story, and prevented him from talking further with reporters. These charges will be heard by the U.S. Court of Appeals on Oct. 16.
A Reporter at Large
THE PRISONER AND THE POLITICIAN
by Mark Singer October 5, 1992
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To search for New Yorker cartoons and covers, visit the Cartoon Bank. | <urn:uuid:2ac1bbe0-6ccf-4584-9af4-6c5869174f21> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newyorker.com/archive/1992/10/05/1992_10_05_108_TNY_CARDS_000362184?currentPage=all | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964773 | 460 | 1.59375 | 2 |
He really was way ahead of his time, I always enjoyed his laid-back demeanor he displayed during his TV/Radio interviews. He even had a pirate radio station in 1940! One intelligent man – and – a h*ll of a guitar player.
Popular Science - July, 1940
Tenants Run Apartment Network
TO ENTERTAIN friends and neighbors in a New York apartment house, a group of professional radio performers operates a unique basement “broadcasting” station. Every Friday and Sunday evening, led by Les Paul and Earnie Newton, they go on the air from their homemade soundproof studio near the furnace room. Programs go to all the apartments through a two-wire ground and aerial system which had been built into the structure and previously never used. The control room is in a closet on the second floor. Frequently, “big-name” musicians drop in to lend a hand, and guest announcers whose voices are heard regularly on nation-wide hook-ups have fun taking turns at the basement microphone. Even “Static,” the apartment-house cat, occasionally goes on the air with amplified purrs and meows.
Heaven just got a little cooler – glad to see him finally reunite with his cat Static. | <urn:uuid:65558e0a-b3b3-408c-9352-3ab4ae1f2008> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ashandburn.com/main/?p=2153 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980593 | 258 | 1.8125 | 2 |
There are not many credit unions that service more than 5,000 mortgages, and therefore must comply with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s new servicing rules – 131 credit unions by CUNA’s count.
However, CUNA Chief Economist Bill Hampel said the rule may affect more credit union mortgages than the numbers suggest.
“I suspect most of those loans are actually serviced by subservicers, and since servicing is a scaled business, they most likely will be covered by the rule,” Hampel said.
However, that doesn’t mean credit unions that contract servicing out will be tasked with compliance. That burden will fall on the subservicer, Hampel said, who will have to change procedures and bear the brunt of costs to ramp up compliance.
Subservicers may increase prices to recover those costs, but Hampel said he doesn’t anticipate any potential rate hikes to be big ones. But consolidation among loan servicing firms could result from the new rules, he said.
One aspect of the rule that could affect credit unions is the requirement that servicers provide borrowers with all available options to avoid foreclosure, and that servicers hold off on foreclosure until those options are exhausted.
“That could delay the time from the initial expectation of need to the actual execution of the foreclosure,” he said, which could increase foreclosure costs and reduce recoveries.
Such a situation would probably be rare, Hampel added, and will become even more uncommon as the housing market returns to normal and foreclosures “fade back into being as rare as they once were for credit unions.”
Hampel said his methodology for determining 131 credit unions fall under the servicing rule includes counting 1st mortgages held in portfolio, 1st mortgages sold but still serviced, and closed-end 2nd mortgages, which are also subjected to the rule. Those 131 credit unions represent just 2.6% of those that offer mortgage loans; however, they service 56% of total industry mortgages, $231 billion out of an industry total of $414 billion, he said. –[email protected] | <urn:uuid:ff09d4b7-0133-4da2-ada7-d2875e20a8fa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cutimes.com/2013/01/18/hampel-cfpbs-servicing-rule-will-hit-subserviced-c?t=washingtontdebit-atm-shared-branchingtdebit-atm-sh | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975143 | 440 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Several of my friends enjoyed the unique experience of maternity this year. In each of the visits to meet & greet the newborns I would invariably find a couple of bewildered and tired adults who now found themselves living the new and challenging roles of mother and father.
In one of the visits the newly mother was commenting with one of our friends – a doctor – about a particular condition she was facing. When our doctor friend recommended some helpful daily exercises the mother just said “I’m sure I’ll forget all about it in a few days”. The doctor recommended she would try to build that into a routine and naturally just said “look, there’s an app that will help you, I’ll show you” while picking up her Android phone.
While the newly father looked up the app on his iPad and they chatted about how to build a routine, I contemplated the scene astonished by the fact that, well, there was an app for that also!
I use apps on my smartphone and tablet all the time. I’m used to seeing the effect of apps on my runner friends, “competing” against the goals they set or against other friends or run enthusiasts. And I’m curious to see how the world of apps will make its way into the enterprise. But somehow that particular scene led me to acknowledge a new range of use cases and possibilities for apps.
And in fact, according to an article that I stumbled upon recently on that serendipity machine called Twitter, it seems that apps are coming fast to the health care sector:
“Simple apps that track users’ personal fitness goals have already gained wide traction. Now medical professionals and entrepreneurs want to use similar approaches to dealing with chronic ailments like diabetes or heart disease.”
It seems it’s an app world out there after all. | <urn:uuid:ff33f1b5-e704-468e-929f-ec00e9bfba4c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://artlifework.wordpress.com/2012/08/25/its-an-app-world-after-all/ | 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 | 0.96822 | 387 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Tom Ross' column appears Tuesdays and Saturdays in Steamboat Today. Contact him at 970-871-4205 or [email protected].
Find more columns by Tom here.
Steamboat Springs I don’t want to take your guns away, but as a gun owner, I’d like to talk about them.
Ever since the tragedy in Tucson, Ariz., all of the TV news pundits want to talk about “a more civil discourse.” However, no one wants to talk about finding ways to tighten gun laws without denying the rights of responsible Americans to own guns.
Can we agree that there is no justification for allowing a troubled man like Jared Loughner to purchase a Glock and quickly accessorize it with a magazine extender that expanded his lethality to 31 rounds of ammunition?
I can figure out that the original reason for designing a magazine extender for the Austrian-made handgun was for a military application. Give me a serious reason why an upstanding citizen who purchases a Glock needs the ability to fire 31 shots (with one chambered round) without pausing to reload. There isn’t one. And don’t tell me it makes it easier to exterminate gophers.
Until six years ago, we had a law that prohibited the sale and manufacture of ammo magazines holding more than 10 rounds. It expired in 2004, and Loughner subsequently was able to purchase an add-on magazine for his Glock.
According to media accounts, Loughner was reaching for a second expanded clip when a female bystander grabbed it and struggled with him. Two male bystanders then physically subdued him.
It’s ironic that in Arizona, where concealed weapons laws are liberal (no permit required), none of those three heroes pulled their own weapon to subdue the accused murderer.
It’s also ironic that the border states of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, where people clamor for secure borders, are substantial sources of the illegally obtained assault weapons being used by Mexican drug cartels to murder thousands of people annually.
A report published by Mayors Against Illegal Guns in September 2010 found that 90 percent of the guns recovered and traced from Mexican crime scenes originated from gun dealers in the U.S. And of the 4,449 U.S. guns recovered from Mexican crime scenes, 4,057 came from the border states.
The Obama administration has proposed, through the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, to require about 8,500 gun dealers in border states to increase reporting on the sale of high-power rifles. Specifically, they would be required to report the sale of two or more such weapons to the same customer in a five-day period. You can read the entire report at www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org.
The National Rifle Association contends that Mayor Michael Bloomberg, of New York City, and Mayor Thomas Menino, of Boston, are the driving forces behind MAIG and that they actually want to ban all guns. The NRA says Mayors Against Illegal Guns supports restrictions on gun shows that could drive them out of business.
You can read the NRA’s take on Mayors Against Illegal Guns at www.nraila.org/maig. It includes the following quote:
“MAIG has strongly pushed for legislation to prohibit any person listed on the secret ‘terror watch list’ from buying a firearm. This is a serious threat to Second Amendment rights.”
That’s particularly interesting because a poll by Republican pollster Fred Luntz concludes that the large majority of American gun owners, NRA members and gun owners who don’t send dues checks to the NRA, think strongly or to some degree that people listed on the terror watch list shouldn’t be able to purchase guns. Of the polled NRA members, 61 percent felt strongly in favor of that position.
Luntz surveyed 832 gun owners, 401 of them NRA members and 431 who aren’t. Fewer than 20 percent of the 832 think more can be done to keep guns out of the hands of criminals while also protecting the rights of citizens to own them.
Finally, I need to come clean. I am a gun owner, but I keep my grandfather’s old lever-action Winchester in a closet. And I’ve never owned a box of cartridges for it.
The last time I fired a gun, I was shooting at .22-caliber rifle from the prone position at a supervised range and hit five targets. I’m pretty proud of that, and I’d look forward to another session of target shooting.
So, let’s adhere to civil discourse — it can’t hurt — and let’s agree to tighten gun laws in America wherever we have a chance to reduce the carnage and can do so without abridging your rights.
I think we can. | <urn:uuid:4f3df7c7-69e5-42d3-8555-cc0f087437aa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.steamboattoday.com/news/2011/jan/18/tom-ross-turn-back-glock/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954822 | 1,029 | 1.585938 | 2 |
For the 10th year in a row, San Diego will step onto the international stage when it celebrates three world-class innovators at the 2011 Kyoto Prize Symposium on Monday through Wednesday. This annual event has become a global showcase of San Diego’s innovation culture. And it has taught this community a lot about our standing as a center of intellectual discovery.
The Kyoto Prize ranks among the world’s most prestigious honors. The three scholars who receive them each year have made landmark contributions in basic sciences, advanced technology, and arts and philosophy. The awards, bestowed annually at a November ceremony in Kyoto, were established by Japanese entrepreneur Kazuo Inamori, a visionary philanthropist who has had a long association with San Diego.
As in years past, the 2011 Kyoto Prize Symposium will remind us that extraordinary ideas have extraordinary impact. That is the story behind each Laureate’s lifetime achievements. And it is the story behind San Diego’s ascendancy as a global innovation hub.
The discoveries of each 2011 Kyoto Laureate have a special resonance in San Diego.
Dr. Shinya Yamanaka of Japan, speaking at San Diego State University on Tuesday, developed a technology to generate induced pluripotent stem cells without using embryos, thus advancing the field of stem cell research that is so central to our biomedical sector.
Dr. László Lovász of Hungary, speaking at UC San Diego on Wednesday, has created mathematical tools of enormous value to the computer sciences that fuel our high-tech industries.
South African William Kentridge, speaking at the University of San Diego on Wednesday, is a renowned multimedia artist whose first solo exhibition in the United States was at the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego.
When Dr. Inamori decided to open a U.S. headquarters for his Kyocera Corp. in 1984, any region in the country would have welcomed him. He chose San Diego because, like many entrepreneurs before and since, he saw vast opportunity here. He put down roots when he found that our region shared his passion for knowledge and ingenuity.
A lifelong champion of higher education, Inamori took a keen interest in San Diego’s outstanding universities. In 2002, his nonprofit Inamori Foundation responded to USD’s request to bring that year’s Kyoto Prize Laureates to speak on campus. In subsequent years, the event expanded to include SDSU and UCSD.
Our three institutions have taken great pride in staging the Symposium every spring. We are gratified that distinguished guests travel to San Diego from around the country and the globe to participate. The three-day celebration is free to the public. (Registration is available at
kyotoprize.org.) Our faculty and students have been inspired by their interactions with the Laureates. And our region has gained worldwide visibility as the host of this esteemed gathering.
Our universities also share Inamori’s core belief that society should honor the innovators of today and nurture the innovators of tomorrow. Each year, the Kyoto Prize Scholarships support nearly 30 incoming college undergraduates in this region, including three from San Diego and three from Tijuana who each receive the top scholarship valued at up to $10,000. The recipients will be announced at the 2011 Benefit Gala on Monday, a dazzling festivity that introduces the visiting Laureates to the greater San Diego community. | <urn:uuid:d6f0455d-d496-4390-82c2-5ab1ebffc798> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2011/apr/01/science-innovation-and-san-diegos-kyoto-symposium/ | 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 | 0.949769 | 696 | 1.75 | 2 |
WTH is PBRWCC?
Well, that's very easy. Pbrwcc stands for Peanut Butter Rosemary White Chocolate Chunks, how come you didn't guess that?
When I was at Pastry School I was presented to strange combo flavours that I had never tried before. Combos like white chocolate and black olives (very good by the way) became normal to me. Not only I've became very open minded to new flavours but I can imagine them in my head before I actually taste them.
I knew (or I hoped) before tasting these cookies that they would be good. When searching for a flavour to add to the leftover rosemary powder in a cookie, somehow peanut butter just seamed so right. And white chocolate too. Problem solved, I've used both.
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup peanut butter butter
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 cups (170 gr/ 6oz) flour
- 1 cup white chocolate chunks
- 3 1/2 tsp rosemary powder
- sugar, for rolling
Preheat oven to 180ºC (350ºF). Cream the butter and both sugars. Beat in the peanut butter and egg. Scrape sides of bowl and beat in the salt, baking soda, rosemary powder and vanilla. When well blended, add flour and stir until it is blended. Finally stir in the chocolate chunks. Shape dough into 1-inch balls, roll each ball into sugar and place on cookie sheets about 5 cm (2 inchs) apart. Flatten balls with the bottom of a flat glass and bake for 10-12 minutes or until slightly browned around the edges.
Would you look at those crunchy sugary edges?! Everybody loved them and I'm sure you will too!
And don't worry, I'm not going to use rosemary for a while! | <urn:uuid:d1c84054-a64c-46b9-a0b5-d59f84813935> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://clumbsycookie.blogspot.com/2009/03/pbrwcc-cookies.html?showComment=1238042940000 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943936 | 421 | 1.5 | 2 |
You can trust iOSphere rumors emerging from China, because that's where the iPhone is manufactured. Just ask anyone. And since it's China, there are a lot of people to ask.
This week, we celebrate presence technology, which will let the iPhone 6 detect your heartbeat, paint you with infrared rays, sense your skin tone, hear you breathing, and probably even smell you.
You won't have to wait long. Those loquacious Chinese and History itself reveal Apple is about to start trial production runs of the Next iPhone. And you know what that means: It will be announced in the spring of 2013. Unless it's announced at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June of 2013.
You read it here second.
"Forget the iPhone 5, Apple's seventh-generation iPhone is already in development, according to the latest rumors out of China where the device is manufactured." -- a "staff reporter" for International Design Times, consigning iPhone 5 to the dustbin of history almost two months to the day after it was announced.
iPhone 6 will have "presence technology" like radar and carbon dioxide sensing
The Patently Apple website, which "celebrates" Apple's Spirit of Innovation, is in high celebratory mode following the publication of an Apple patent application for "presence technology."
You may not be aware of the trend in advancing presence technology, or PT for short. But it's all about the device, in this case, the iPhone, detecting that Someone is drawing nigh, or perhaps, exiting stage left, and doing stuff that would be important, like activating the screen or switching off power.
Or, as Patently Apple helpfully explains, "Generally, Apple's invention is directed to user presence determination and related computing device functionality."
There are various ways in which this invention might be "embodied," according to the website. For example, "power saving and/or power efficiency may be realized" or the device may "provide an operating state based on the presence and/or absence of the user." Patently Apple has a tendency to say the same thing over and again, as here: "In response to a positive determination that the user is present or upon achieving a threshold probability that the user is present, the device may power up, exit a sleep mode, and/or provide some feedback to the user."
Heady stuff. Especially this part: "Bayesian optimal thresholds may be implemented that achieve desired performance." If you're not au courant with Bayesian probability theory you can check out what Wikipedia has to say about it.
So, the invention uses sensors to detect presence or absence, and the iPhone responds. What kind of sensors, you ask. A radar sensor to "detect and/or locate a heartbeat in the room." A depth sensor using a whole flock of infrared-based techniques like "active IR time of flight" or "passive IR (motion detector)" or "passive IR thermal imaging (2D)," not to mention "stereo vision" and "polarization techniques."
There could even be a ... skin tone detection sensor. "The method includes capturing an image using an image sensor and computing at least one of the following from the captured image: a skin tone detection parameter, a face detection parameter, a body detection parameter and a movement detection parameter."
To its credit, Patently Apple never implies that a patent application means that the invention will appear in the next iteration of the iPhone. The presence technology invention here is attributed in part to Myra Haggerty, who is listed in LinkedIn as senior director, Mac technology software.
But the iOSphere is even more celebratory than Patently Apple. Andrea Weidlemeyer, writing at a site called Press Blue, was the first to boldly go where many more will follow: "Apple has applied for a new patent which may offer an insight into one of the most advanced features the iPhone 6 or iPhone 5S may carry upon its eventual release."
What's the Bayesian optimal threshold for that?
iPhone 6, or 5S, whatever, starts trial production run in December
The ever vigilant DigiTimes, in a brief post, says that the Chinese-language Commercial Times says that "Apple is expected to begin trial production of a new version of its iPhone 6, or iPhone 5S, in December with initial production volumes likely to top 50,000-100,000 units."
They should have stopped there. But the post continued, "while the speculated iPhone 5S is expected to enter volume production in the first quarter of 2013, Apple is also likely to release a new version of iPad a quarter later than the iPhone 5S, since the display resolution of its latest version of iPad has come out lower than expected, the [Commercial Times] paper added."
The timeline is confusing, freely mixing manufacturing, announcement and release schedules. And it makes it sound as if Apple was taken by surprise at the new iPad's display resolution -- apparently referring to the iPad mini, which has a lower resolution compared to the full-size iPad -- and tried to make a silk purse from a sow's ear.
But apparently it wasn't confusing for International Design Times, which leaped to the Obvious Conclusion faster than an LTE iPhone.
"Forget the iPhone 5, Apple's seventh-generation iPhone is already in development, according to the latest rumors out of China where the device is manufactured," a "staff reporter" posted. "Wether it's called the iPhone 5S, iPhone 6 or something else, it looks like Apple's redesigned smartphone could hit stores early next year."
RegHardware.com, a website of U.K.-based The Register, dug a little deeper, linking to a money.chinatimes.com post, which may or not be the original Commercial Times rumor, and attempted to translate it.
The result was a bit...odd.
Here's the Google Translate rendering of the opening of the China Times rumor: "Apple against Samsung quietly trial production, December edition iPhone (rumored iPhone5S) of 5 to 10 million units in the first trial production point of view, forecast massive shipment of the first quarter of next year. The industry pointed out that Apple's new machine together, the new version of the iPhone, iPad and iTV in the first half of next year will be launched, including in low-priced products are also expected to debut, breaking Apple over the years, the practice of the year a new machine."
The very obscurity of the rumor lends it that certain "je ne sais quoi," that air of tantalizing mystery, a seedbed of speculation.
Which brings us to the next rumor, based upon this rumor ...
iPhone 6 will be launched at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference June 2013
In the iOSphere, rumors beget rumors. The true iLluminati are those who can discern the mysterious connections and implications, invisible to the uninitiated.
And Alan Ng, writing at Product-Reviews.net, didn't shy away from connecting the dots between the large-scale manufacturing rumors mentioned above and product announcement dates.
"Whispers coming out of Asia this week have speculated that Apple are planning to put the iPhone 5S into the first production trials in December, with a view to full production starting during the first quarter of 2013," Ng writes. "If this is confirmed to be legitimate information, then we may see the iPhone 5S at WWDC [Worldwide Developers Conference] 2013 in June, after Apple has used the first quarter of 2013 to produce as many new iPhones as possible."
"History tells us that the iPhone 5S will be next and it could happen at WWDC 2013 instead next year, rather than in Fall 2013 as we've seen with the last two iPhone launches," according to Ng.
So that's where all these leaks come from: History.
John Cox covers wireless networking and mobile computing for Network World. Twitter: http://twitter.com/johnwcoxnww Email: [email protected]
Read more about anti-malware in Network World's Anti-malware section. | <urn:uuid:b4381794-68ad-4796-9322-af33b921f351> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/mobile-phone/3411604/iphone-6-rumor-rollup-for-week-ending-nov-16/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942373 | 1,669 | 1.695313 | 2 |
"I specialize in regular and special ed. math and science tutoring"
...I have been teaching and working with children of all ages with Asberger's for quite some time, but for the last 6 years I have been doing more intense work with these types of students as a specialist in the schools. Linear Algebra deals with the aspect of equations of the first degree (hence "line" in the word linear) being graphed on the coordinate...
10+ subjects, including MCAT | <urn:uuid:207d3ca7-13fa-4604-aae7-f152bcf6af5b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wyzant.com/Milford_DE_mcat_tutors.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970127 | 101 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Alumnus Ironman teaches a lesson about persistence
“I want to prove that I can,” he says. “I want to prove that there’s nothing that can’t be overcome with a little persistence.”
Jekogian suffers from dyslexia and a processing disability. When he reads, letters appear to flip and change order. He struggled through school, and chose McDaniel for its close-knit community and for the relationships forged between students and professors.
“I worked with the professors very closely,” he says. “I explained my situation and they were very willing to help.”
At Westminster High, Jekogian works with students on a broad spectrum of learning differences from mild to severe. He holds himself up as an example.
“I can truthfully say that I know where you’re coming from. I’ve been there. And I say there’s no reason you can’t get past it, can’t go to college, and can’t do what you want.”
Jekogian, who has completed one triathlon and too many marathons to count, trains for 20 hours each week. He is hoping to qualify for the world championships, by completing the 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run within 10 hours.
As in education, so in athletics. Jekogian says he’s up for the challenge.
“It’s not an option to give up. I stick with it until it’s done.”
Pictured : Jekogian with his son at the finish line. | <urn:uuid:a964f5a9-763d-46be-8dde-c634304760c9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mcdaniel.edu/information/headlines/news-at-mcdaniel/archive/alumnus-ironman-teaches-a-lesson-about-persistence | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958387 | 364 | 1.632813 | 2 |
“One solution, bringing in something called langers, these are apes that scare away the monkeys has had only limited success.”
“For the convenience of pilgrims at the Yatri Niwas, points like development of shopping arcade, private shopping line, organizing of havans, langers, jagratas, establishment of police units, signage erections by R&B, strengthening of Medical Aid Centre and police assistance were also discussed threadbare.”
“Dharamarth Trust and other Social organizations had organized free langers at Sudhmahadev during mela days which attracted a huge crowd during first two-days i.e. on Jayeshta Choudash and Purnima.”
“And then, after singing "langers and godders" (Auld Lang Syne and God Save the King) the meeting broke up and the members dispersed darkly in various directions to avoid the proctors.”
“A few months ago I found myself seated at a bump-supper next to a cheerful youth who, towards the close, suggested thoughtfully, as I arose to make a speech, that, the bonfire (which of course he called the bonner) being due at nine-thirty oclock, there was little more than bare time left for langers and godders.”
“ It cost me, who think slowly, some seconds to interpret that by langers he meant Auld Lang Syne and by godders God Save the King.”
“Cork City today to celebrate Paddy's Day and see masses of Irish get langers on green beer and trash the city streets celebrate the patron saint of Ireland (even though he was actually British), St Patrick, who is said to have banished all snakes from Ireland.”
“Sad to see so many langers who can't do without drink for one solemn day of the year.”
“For as any parent or adult amongst us (& nobody has ever suggested we are either a family or prepubescent website) will surely know, menstruation is an issue for the older girly langers at any Cork national school as it is for any wee girly anywhere.”
“The General’s in liquor, he’s langers, twisted, stocious, blue moldy and cursing for soda.”
These user-created lists contain the word ‘langers’.
notanotherjazzpoet had a very promising list which appears to have petered out. Yes, tosspots: descriptions of being drunk. Walk five metres on the white line then leave your suggestions right here.
Looking for tweets for langers. | <urn:uuid:b1e58f6c-36fc-4554-ba82-8fee95cf8a12> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wordnik.com/words/langers | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962255 | 566 | 1.539063 | 2 |
The following words are not mine, though I wish they were. My wife found this brief piece, accompanying a picture of the Palins [gag-retch!] picking up their order at Chick-fil-A. I thought the person making this observation did a better than average job of showing off some of the hidden and not-so-hidden things we're supporting when we take ANY action, let alone make a run to the local fast-food joint.
That said, submitted for your approval:
It's funny how people support more pro-gay companies by trying to show their support for a single anti-gay company.
Google, Apple, and Microsoft likely designed the O/S on the smartphone used to take pictures at Chick-fil-A today.
These pictures were likely uploaded (using an Apple, Google, or Microsoft product) to the major social networks, Facebook and Twitter, over one of the major cellular networks, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, or AT&T.
The Customers probably purchased a beverage with their meal, which was provided by Coca-Cola, the only beverage products available at Chick-fil-A.
If they used a credit/debit card to purchase their meal, they more than likely used a Visa, MasterCard, or American Express card.
If they drove there, there is a high probability they used a car produced by Chrysler, Ford, General Motors or Toyota.
What do all these companies, besides, Chick-fil-A have in common? They are all PRO-GAY. So if you want to support the anti-gay bigots, you're better off staying at home doing absolutely nothing. But make sure you aren't using a computer to share your opinions, as the father of computer science and artificial intelligence, Alan Turing, was a homosexual. | <urn:uuid:beeff8a2-106b-4f2c-859a-d18ca165a76a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.atheistnexus.org/forum/topics/meditation-on-supporting-pro-or-anti-gay-companies?groupUrl=gayatheists&xg_source=activity&groupId=2182797%3AGroup%3A31277&id=2182797%3ATopic%3A2018905&page=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956078 | 373 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Stemming from my motivational chat with a friend and a few other conversations I purchased StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath and completed the Clifton test to see what my strengths are. Similar to knowing what motivates you, it is important to understand what your strengths are. After taking the test, the book provides great description of how you operate day to day due to your strengths, and how to leverage them in your favor.
I enjoyed how in the beginning of the book Rath talks about Rudy Ruettiger’s story, which you may be familiar with from the movie “Rudy.” He points out that although Rudy succeeded in playing football for Notre Dame (and he did so due to his focus and persistence), there is only so far you can go without talent. It is like a multiplier:
Talent (a natural way of thinking, feeling, or behaving)
Investment (time spent practicing, developing your skills, and building a knowledge base)
Strength (the ability to consistently provide near-perfect performance)
So if Rudy only had on a scale of 5 a talent of 2, even with his investment of 5 he only gets a strength of 10. Athletic greats we admire such as Micheal Jordan and Joe Montana have a talent of 5 and investment of 5 resulting in a strength of 25. What Rath is getting across is that these people leveraged their strengths in their favor. I will also note, this is one of the few math problems I truly grasped right away the first time. I therefore, will not be seeking a job including much mathematics (my score would probably be a 10 like Rudy).
So What I Learned About My Top 5 Strengths:
(The book goes into much further detail, but I do not want to spoil the fun so you will have to pick up the book yourself.)
I take charge which leads me to having presence. I take a stance on things. Once my opinion is formed about something, I feel the need to share it with others and similarly, once I set a goal I am restless until I have aligned with others around me. I am not frightened by confrontation, because I know that confrontation is the first step towards resolution.
I am in constant need of achievement – it is what explains my drive. I feel as if each day I start off at zero and I must achieve something tangible at the end of the day to feel good about myself (and each day truly means “everyday”). Similarly, my high school lacrosse coach once told me that each day you only get either better or worse, that appealed to my achiever mentality.
I am constantly thinking about where I am headed. I need a clear destination or I get frustrated. This is a good thing because I am constantly making goals and instinctively evaluating events as positive or negative towards these goals. I am very impatient with delays, obstacles, or even tangents which is good to stay on task.
I am intrigued by the unique qualities of individuals. I instinctively observe other’s style and motivations as well as how they think and build relationships. I love the unique stories each person has about their life. This trait helps me build productive teams by looking at what makes each person special for whatever cause. In short, I am a people person.
My world needs to have order and planning; I need to be in control. I break long-term projects into smaller series and work through them diligently. I feel best when in a routine, there is a timeline, and structure. I am not necessarily neat and clean, but demand precision. I am very detail-oriented. I stay productive in the name of progress. Like my Dad once joked about in regards to his father, “he enjoys spontaneity when it is planned ahead of time.” | <urn:uuid:6c0f8fda-abd1-4b08-ab2d-25d7acd12925> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://benshua.com/tag/rudy-ruettiger/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970272 | 784 | 1.546875 | 2 |
By Kerry Miller Share Del.icio.us
It’s been five years since Molokai-born author Lois-Ann Yamanaka has graced book stores with a new title, and eight since being on
MidWeek’s cover in June 1998. Now, in 2006, she has released a new novel, and she’s also looking forward to her “other” life as a teacher.
Yamanaka’s newest historical fiction tale, Behold The Many, is the story of three sisters stricken with tuberculosis who are sent to stay at an orphanage in Kalihi Valley to recover, only to be abandoned, beaten and berated. The two youngest die, leaving the eldest, Anah, all alone.
“She (Anah) lives her life with the regret of not being able to save her sisters,” says the 45-year-old author/mom. “The long and short of it is they were trapped here (Hawaii) by mistake. They don’t understand. They’re waiting to be taken home.”
The inspiration for this new novel comes from Yamanaka’s own life. Since 1992, she’s lived with her husband and autistic son in Kalihi Valley, two blocks from the site of the orphanage depicted in her book.
“Our house got haunted,” she reveals. “They (the ghosts of the children) were looking for their home. That’s how we met.”
It was her son, Yamanaka says, who could feel a presence in their house, which turned out to be the spirits of the children.
“He (son John) kind of has a sixth sense,” she says. “I think he attracted them.”
Having lived through that somewhat surreal experience, the Yamanakas are very happy in their home. Prior to 2001, much of her days were spent on the road promoting her books, so she truly appreciates any time she gets to spend at home these days.
“My books used to come out once a year. I used to never unpack my suitcase,” Yamanaka recalls.
While she leaves her mornings open for writing, the author devotes the latter part of her days to teaching young students at her school, Na’au: A Place of Learning and Healing, located in downtown Honolulu. Oddly enough, Yamanaka says, she complains about teaching at times, saying that it “takes a lot of emotional energy,” but reveals that something keeps tugging at her to stick with it, and she is awfully proud of her students.
“The school is a way of giving back. I’m working with a lot of young people, writers on different kinds of projects. The kids are really doing well ... writing their hearts out,” she says.
As for her writing, well, Yamanaka is enjoying the rest of her tour promoting Behold The Many, which has brought her much joy.
“I feel gratitude and feel fortunate that my publisher still believes in putting me out there,” she tells MidWeek.
For now, Yamanaka is hopeful her fans will embrace Behold The Many, and also hopes to release another novel sometime in the future - but she’s leaving that up to fate.
“I’m not sure as to what project is going to happen next,” she admits with a laugh. “I’m kind of waiting for a sign.”
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If you've ever been caught scratching your head, wondering why your company is stuck, why it won't grow, why it can't take that next big step, it might be because you have a "manager" running your company.
Managers, generally, are masters of operations. They are critical to the success of any company. They do a great job of making sure the boat stays above water, that the doors get opened and closed every day and they're great at putting out small fires.
On the other hand, when a manager runs a company, you can't expect "officer" level benefits. Officers play a different role. CEOs, CFOs, CMOs, etc. These folks are not managers and they solve a different category of problems in a company.
In small companies, the challenge is often to wear both hats. Companies that make it to the heights of success have had at least one individual, at one time, that could wear both hats perfectly, who have perfected both rolls, a person who understands corporate structure, integrated business models, cohesive branding, etc., while they also understand day-to-day operations, are passionate about products, love to tinker, can manage people, lead small groups and put out small fires.
A company that is run by a manager will only get so far before it gets stuck. A company that is run by an officer type, without a manager or managers will get no where, because that company is not on the ground. If the objective of a company is to be as successful as it can be, regardless of what the titles might be, every successful company needs someone to fill each of these roles. | <urn:uuid:cef7f0d5-9f12-414d-b418-1a54e4787ce0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thegilmancompany.typepad.com/the_gilman_company_blog/2010/06/when-managers-run-companies.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976891 | 341 | 1.710938 | 2 |
When Mark Zuckerberg decided to move to Silicon Valley for the summer to see how the start-up Mecca could help his fledgling company, Dustin Moskovitz came with him, Eduardo Saverin did not.
As Facebook continued to grow, Moskovitz stayed a part of the company; Saverin did not.
And next week when Facebook finally goes public, Moskovitz will become a very rich man because he spent every waking moment of those years helping build Facebook. Saverin will become a very rich man because he spent years in a court room.
Saverin was a major character in the “Accidental Billionaires” — the highly fictionalized book that “The Social Network” was based on — because he went and complained to Ben Mezrich about his perceived injustice at the hands of Zuckerberg. Moskovitz was depicted as the nondescript guy coding in the background of the whole story, because he did not.
And now that the big payoff is finally here, you appropriately see a different attitude towards what to do with that money. Saverin has decided to renounce his US citizenship to avoid taxes, which our ace contributor Farhad Manjoo took issue with earlier today calling it ungrateful.
The people who disagree (and there are many) argue that Saverin is merely making a savvy business move, and he doesn’t “owe” America anything. I can see that logic. But let’s take away the issue of what’s “owed” to anyone. The telling thing to me is what it says about what drives Saverin. It’s just more evidence that he isn’t an entrepreneur at heart.
It’s the same reason he wanted to shove in interstitial ads in users’ faces once Facebook had some success, the same reason he didn’t drop out and move to Silicon Valley with the rest of the team, and the same reason he didn’t shut up and build something great afterwards. He’s not a creator or a builder. He’s a financial manager. A shrewd and successful opportunist.
This is why people obsess about character when it comes to entrepreneurship. Character in our context doesn’t mean they go to church or help old ladies across the street. It doesn’t even mean they’re great friends or great spouses. Plenty of entrepreneurs we hold up as role models are ruthless, selfish, and dangerous in their personal lives.
What matters in the Valley context of character is what motivates them. Saverin is a person who is motivated by saving every penny on taxes or extracting every penny he feels he was owed by a company through lawsuits — even though he made the decision not to relocate and work at it along with the other co-founders.
Contrast that to Moskovitz. As coincidence would have it, someone asked him at last month’s PandoMonthly why he doesn’t just relocate to Nevada and avoid taxes. Frankly, most people in the room looked puzzled at the question. Of course he wouldn’t leave the Valley just for taxes. If that were the prevailing logic, Tony Hsieh wouldn’t have to invest $350 million of his own money attracting talent and startups to downtown Vegas. It was unremarkable enough of a question and answer that we didn’t write it up and no one else did either. But in contrast to Saverin, it takes on new meaning. His answer is below:
Ultimately it comes down to what you want to do with the money. Moskovitz obviously wants to build another company. And as he says above, the talent pool in the Valley is too good to move for taxes. As he says earlier in the video, he worries more about how to give away all of his money to charity in his lifetime than he is about saving $600 million. Saverin on the other hand is telegraphing that this was his ship, it came in and he’s not giving Uncle Sam a joy ride.
You may disagree that Saverin is doing something unseemly with his dodgy citizenship move, and I can see that argument. But there’s a reason other arch libertarians in the Valley don’t do this. They may applaud the move in spirit. I mean, who likes taxes? But at the end of the day avoiding taxes just isn’t important enough to actually do it. It’s more of the same mindset as to why Saverin will likely never actually build a multi-billion dollar company. | <urn:uuid:cd09f30b-ddf7-4870-8282-8491323fa1c1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://pandodaily.com/2012/05/12/dustin-moskovitz-i-couldnt-imagine-moving-to-optimize-for-taxes/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975229 | 961 | 1.6875 | 2 |
At Katoka, we understand the importance of giving back and have committed to giving 2.5% of the profit of each client engagement to selected charities.
Who we support
Alliance for Youth Development (Ghana)
Janeece Keller, founder of Katoka, spent three months of 2011 in Africa, one month of which was in Ghana. While there, Janeece saw the work that the Alliance for Youth Development (AYD) does and spent time with AYD’s founder Elvis Donkoh.
AYDs Free School Project aims to give orphans and other vulnerable children living in the Cape Coast area of Ghana, the opportunity to go to school for free. At Katoka we believe strongly in everyone’s right to education and believe that it is the key to unlocking communities from poverty.
The Free School Project will teach children valuable tools so they are better equipped once they leave school. The AYD will also provide these children with food, so they have a balanced diet.
The first stage of the Free School Project involves the construction of the school building. During 2011, Katoka has helped the AYD and their ‘Free School Project’ by contributing much-needed funds for school tables and chairs.
The aim of the Alliance for Youth Development is to “make sure the project reaches the most disadvantaged, vulnerable children so they have equal access to schooling and to provide hope and choices to children who otherwise would not have the opportunity”.
Cure Cancer Australia
Katoka’s founder Janeece Keller is passionate about supporting research into different forms of cancer because “it’s too hard to just choose one cancer research to support,” she said.
Amongst the Katoka team we’ve lost friends and family to a range of cancers and we’re proud to support Cure Cancer Australia as they fund young researchers across a range of different types of cancer. This way we feel like we’re supporting the fight against cancer as a disease and not just one specific type of cancer.
The other great thing about Cure Cancer is that you know where your money goes:
- $50 funds one hour
- $1,900 funds one week
- $7,500 funds one month
- $90,000 funds one year of vital cancer research
You too can help in the fight against cancer by donating directly to Cure Cancer here: | <urn:uuid:5f944109-9fdb-4c4f-ae78-24ff180b3c15> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.katoka.com.au/about/giving-back/ | 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 | 0.949092 | 494 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Whenever I start a campaign I ask myself a simple question - what does this mean to the man in the pub? The sense that a cause must be made relevant to others is often somehow lost by the policy wonks of Westminster. The latest casualty of this phenomenon is Clegg's latest crusade on Lords reform.
The man in the pub wants to know how this will make a difference to him.
First of all it means laws in this country are more likely to approach want he as an individual wants. When you give people more power at the ballot box you give them more power in government. Denying that privilege to citizens poisons our democracy.
It also means prime ministers can't rig the jury when a new government takes office. Cameron in his first year appointed over a 100 new peers. Considering that only around 400 people sit in the House of Commons in an average session he's making his life immediately much easier. The prime minister is in effect making sure the bills only get the scrutiny he wants. Welfare reform may have still exploded in his face but this is despite a back-room system of appointments not because of it.
For the man in the pub it means less power to the PM and more power to him.
The tired argument wheeled out at this stage is that this would fill the lords with professional politicians. Ironically that is exactly what you get right now - Lord Lamont and Baroness Warsi are both failed politicians. Despite the electorate kicking them out how did the political establishment respond? It gave them both jobs for life.
For the man in the pub it means the abolition of a jobs-for-mates culture in Westminster and more of what he likes and less of what he doesn't in government.
Another argument wheeled out is the high level of knowledge and expertise of the upper house. The reality is a less-than-inspiring selection of so-called experts, many of whom, very pointedly, have made significant contributions to the party coffers. The rest of the procession are retired MPs; civil servants for whom a peerage is part of the pension package and a rather nasty gaggle of hereditaries. For every Robert Winston there are nearly a 100 people there because of a family name. For every Lord Sugar at least 200 whose only exclusive knowledge is knowing the right names in Whitehall.
For the man in the pub this means an end to closed-shop politics and end to the scandal of Westminster's in-house pension racket.
To the man in the pub it would mean the political establishment would be put on trial. Detractors argue Lords reform doesn't engage the public. Let's see the 90 hereditary peers argue the divine right of kings, let failed politicians proclaim that elections give people less of a say and lets see if the Lords and Ladies of the realm can argue in favour of unearned privilege.
Because I think the man in the pub would crucify them.
Follow Shaughan Dolan on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@dolansphere | <urn:uuid:b157347b-6830-4e10-bd8a-e5333ba70499> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/shaughan-dolan/lords-reform-why-the-man-_b_1323221.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965107 | 616 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Wiki vs. Wikipedia
Posted 15 July 2007 - 02:35 AM
Posted 15 July 2007 - 06:28 PM
Plus, even with the WikiMedia network of wikis (Wikipedia, Wiktionary, etc), there isn't even a unified logon, making it even more annoying trying to edit them all.
At any rate, I think the Game Programming Wiki and the DevMaster Wiki should merge.
Posted 20 July 2007 - 11:16 AM
Generally, sometimes slightly skewed information does sneak into those editable Wiki’s even if a lot of effort is put into keeping them correct.
Posted 20 July 2007 - 11:20 AM
Posted 20 July 2007 - 11:43 AM
Posted 20 July 2007 - 02:16 PM
The Dev Master, Game Programming, and other game development wikis don't need to waste articles explaining concepts when Wikipedia does a far better job. Instead, such topic-specific wikis can focus on "how-to" tutorials/guides, unreferenced original research, and deleted content from Wikipedia that is still relevant (like my "action (gaming)" article, despite having sources).
I'm experimenting with a wiki for my 3D Game Comparison and it will link extensively to Wikipedia for general info about games, companies, game features, etc (as the non-wiki site currently does). However, site-specific "articles" (more like categories and the comparison table) can stay on my separate wiki (for now; I'd rather have a single wiki for everything--including dictionary entries--but WikiMedia doesn't agree, unfortunately). I'm going to try using the Semantic MediaWiki extension (which isn't installed on Wikipedia, as far as I can tell) to get a more database-like system that auto-generates tables without actually having to deal with database design (at least as far as I understand what a semantic wiki is thus far--having only been exposed to it for a few hours now).
1 user(s) are reading this topic
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On today's front page (3/1/11), USA Today alleges that public workers in Wisconsin earn more than private sector employees--a finding at odds with much of the research on public/private compensation.
Under the headline "In Wisconsin, Private Sector Pays Less," reporter Dennis Cauchon argues that "Wisconsin is one of 41 states where public employees earn higher average pay and benefits than private workers in the same state."
This "USA Today analysis" suffers from the same fundamental error as Cauchon's previous attempts (Extra!, 1/11) to paint public workers as overpaid: the failure to control for factors like the type of work performed, experience and education. The paper does not try to hide this; as Cauchon writes, "The analysis included full and part-time workers and did not adjust for specific jobs, age, education or experience." But this failure to distinguish between different types of work renders the comparison entirely meaningless--unless you think that teachers and fast-food clerks ought to get exactly the same pay.
Near the end of his article, Cauchon quotes a critic:
The Economic Policy Institute research on this (2/10/11) found "that Wisconsin public employees earn 4.8 percent less in total compensation per hour than comparable full-time employees in Wisconsin’s private sector." Other research on private/public compensation reaches similar conclusions (Center for Economic and Policy Research, 5/10/10). Other newspapers, like the New York Times (2/26/11), offer a range of studies, many of which support the conclusion that public workers earn less than their private-sector counterparts.
Given the headline and thrust of the article, USA Today and Cauchon are sending a clear message: Economists don't know how to evaluate compensation as well as we do. But they give readers no reason to believe that they're right. What they do offer is a valuable boost to Republican governors like Wisconsin's Scott Walker.
Please let USA Today know it is meaningless to compare compensation without adjusting for the type of work performed, as well as for factors like education and experience. | <urn:uuid:cbd768a9-b75c-4965-8511-d36405b42899> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://fair.org/take-action/action-alerts/why-does-usa-today-hate-public-workers/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943023 | 439 | 1.5 | 2 |
News Brief – April 4, 2007
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday that the 15 British sailors and marines would be freed.
The move was described as a "gift" to Britain by the Iranian president. However, he rebuked Britain for not being "brave enough" to admit they had made a mistake and strayed into Iranian waters.
The surprise announcement came at the end of a lengthy news conference, where President Ahmadinejad also awarded medals to the naval commanders who captured the 15 in the northern Gulf on March 23.
He said the captives would be released immediately after the news conference. Oil prices fell more than 50 cents after the announcement and Tony Blair later welcomed their release.
"They are free after this meeting and can go back to their families," Ahmadinejad told the news conference broadcast live to many countries.
After the press conference, President Ahmadinejad met up with the fifteen sailors and marines, joking to one: "How are you? So you came on a mandatory vacation?"
Jokes aside however, there has been speculation that a deal had been agreed behind the scenes after, Jalal Sharafi, an Iranian diplomat who had been abducted in Iraq was freed and repatriated
to Iran on Tuesday.
Men allegedly wearing Iraqi army uniforms abducted the diplomat in February.
Observers have commentated that the timing of announcement, coming so soon after Jalal Sharafi’s release might indicate that a trade-off had taken place and that Sharafi may have been abducted and held on the orders of Coalition forces, not renegade insurgents as the mainstream media has suggested.
Iranian and British officials had both moderated their positions on the captured Britins after the issue had blown into a crisis.
The mainstream media has not yet described the two events as a "trade-off" and very few media outlets have even connected Sharafi's release with that of the Britons.
Last updated 05/04/2007 | <urn:uuid:65051e2d-6150-4d9b-80a5-0a9361102b32> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/oldsite/article.asp?ID=6305 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983416 | 402 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Miggi & Ilene, Los Angeles, California
Melanie, & Sadie Rain, New York, New York
Norma & Eyenga
Minneapolis Minnesota (from the Domestic Series)
Melissa & Lake,
Durham North Carolina (from the Domestic series),
1998. Chromogenic print
In 1998, Opie traveled cross-country in her motor home for two months in order to photograph lesbian couples. This series, called Domestic—of which Melissa & Lake, Durham, North Carolina is an example—presents these couples involved in everyday, household activities: relaxing in their backyard, hanging out in their kitchen, playing with their children. There is no sensationalism here. Much like the formal studio portraits before them, these intimate photographs speak both to Opie’s identification with her subjects and to the overwhelming absence of such images in mainstream representations.
Nudo Femminile Su
Italy, circa 1900.
FLASHBACK FRIDAY! every Friday we take a break from contemporary art to bring you some queer art from the past.
This weeks installment:
Guglielmo Plüschow (born Wilhelm Plüschow; August 18, 1852 – January 3, 1930), was A German photographer who moved to Italy and became known for his nude photos of local youths, predominantly males (but also females). Being the cousin of Wilhelm von Gloeden, who, despite taking up nude photography later than Plüschow, soon overshadowed him, Plüschow was several times at odds with the law and charged with corruption of minors. Today, his photography is recognized for its artistic merits, even though it is generally considered somewhat inferior to von Gloeden’s on account of his less graceful handling of lighting and the sometimes strangely stilted poses of his models.
Glenn Ligon’s “One Black Day” is part of his Neon show at Luhring Augustine right now. It will only be turned on election day of this year. Of the piece Ligon says, “Well, it’s a pun.” | <urn:uuid:3256537f-d69a-42c3-ad42-b09e340fcd3c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://queercontemporaryart.tumblr.com/mobile | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945078 | 435 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Workout Finisher: The Metabolic Fat Burner
Boost your workout's fat-burning potential with a quick metabolic conditioning circuit.
Trying to shed of some extra fat? Of course you are, who isn't? Workout finishers are sets added to the end of a workout that can be used as a replacement to HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) to provide a metabolic boost to your training. They can also be used to burn out a muscle group using higher reps or combined sets typically done at lower weights. Here are three versions of a metabolic finisher for fat loss as a replacement to cardio that you can add to any workout.
The Metabolic Finisher
With each metabolic finisher we're going to focus on full body exercises done at high intensity, rotating from a lower body exercise to an upper body exercise. This will result in more calories being burned as your blood has to travel from the lower body to the upper body, and so forth. The intensity of each finisher will have a metabolic effect much like HIIT, boosting your metabolism for up to 24 hours after you've finished training. When to do them: After a weight training session. Benefits: Takes less time and provides a greater metabolic effect than traditional cardio. Warning: Don't go all out your first few times, you must prepare your body for this type of work load after a workout. Listen to your body and proceed with caution. It's also a wise decision to not perform these finishers after every workout. Set-up: Complete each exercise consecutively, with rest only coming after the set is finished. Repeat for three sets with a 60-second rest in between each set.
Lunge jumps (20 reps) Heavy bag punches (40 reps) Frog jumps (or squat jumps) (20 reps) Heavy bag punches (40 reps)
Push-ups (20 reps) Step-ups (alternating legs) (20 reps) Heavy bag punches (40 reps) Mountain climbers (20 reps)
Walk outs with a push-up (20 reps) Frog jumps (20 reps) Push-ups (20 reps) High knee sprints (count to 20) | <urn:uuid:b22e906e-b8d4-4ab4-985f-3b3c83fa3c29> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mensfitness.com/training/lose-weight/workout-finisher-the-metabolic-fat-burner | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939812 | 443 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Vary the Baits
A variety of live baits work on sailfish, including goggle-eyes, blue runners, threadfin herring, cigar minnows, large pilchards and speedos. If you can obtain more than one type of live bait, do so. The small- to medium-size goggle-eyes, runners and speedos are best for sailfish.
When we have more than one kind of bait, we’ll dispatch them in the spread. The hardier baits — goggle-eyes, runners and speedos — are excellent kite baits, as are large threadfins. Sometimes sailfish prefer smaller baits, such as threadfins, cigar minnows and pilchards, and these do very well on the flat and deep lines. If a pattern develops where a specific bait is getting the bites, we’ll switch to more of those.
Lively baits are key. Change them out when they slow down. Even though they appear fine, it’s often the fresh, energetic, panic vibrations emitted by fresh bait that gets the bites. Keep a pitch bait ready on a spinning rod. Should you spot a sailfish tailing or cruising within casting range, or if one follows a hooked fish to the boat, you’ll be set to capitalize on the opportunity.
Bridle a Must
Bridling even the smallest live bait makes good sense. I was hardheaded in this area early on, opting to simply run a hook in front of a bait’s dorsal fin, through its nostrils, or in front of its anal fin. After having hooks turn back into baits and dropping too many fish for my satisfaction, I converted to bridling.
Bridling serves two purposes: It creates a gap between the circle hook and bait so nothing interferes with it turning, catching and setting in a fish’s jaw. Second, the bridle prevents the hook point from turning back into bait.
With large kite baits, bridle in front of the dorsal fin, which lets them “dig” down. Ditto with slow-trolling them. With smaller baits for drifting and slow-trolling, like pilchards and herring, opt for a nostril bridle.
Fine-Tune Terminal Tackle
Sailfish are an ideal light-tackle fish, with 20-pound-class tackle a sporty choice, and 30-pound the norm. It’s great for the angler because they’ll enjoy a spirited fight. It’s good for the fish because 30-pound is heavy enough to bring the fish in quickly.
The key to baiting sailfish is to employ as small a hook and as light a fluorocarbon leader as you can get by with and still catch them. We use 7/0 and 6/0 in-line circle hooks on larger baits, and 4/0 and 5/0 circles on smaller baits. I don’t go heavier than a 50-pound leader, and when a bite is hard to come by, I’ll drop to 30-pound-test on the larger baits and 20-pound on the smaller baits. Before deploying a rig, I’ll first attach the hook to a camel-back strap on the boat, and pull to straighten the leader. This allows for a better presentation. I’ll then bridle the bait and send it into position.
With lighter leaders, loosen the drag a bit and try to get to the fish as soon as you can. Loosening the drag alleviates some tension and leader chafing should it rub against the fish’s bill. Getting to that leader fast ensures you’ll have a legal release and not a lost fish. | <urn:uuid:5e63b1b4-3c38-48c0-8686-0467a111794b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.saltwatersportsman.com/species/fish-species/top-tips-sailfish-fishing?page=0,1&quicktabs_most_popular=2&quicktabs_community_side_bar=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932383 | 796 | 1.570313 | 2 |
1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Transformal Phaeton
Coachwork by Hibbard & Darrin
Chassis no. S317KP
Engine no. 20178
Body no. 767
*7,668cc inline six-cylinder engine
*A gift to 20th Century film icon Marlene Dietrich
*One of two Transformal Phaetons
*Subject of a $500,000 restoration
*Prominently featured in Tom Cotter's book The Cobra in the Barn
Newly restored and never shown, this magnificent 1930 Rolls-Royce Torpedo Transformal Phaeton by Hibbard & Darrin is documented to have been delivered new to Marlene Dietrich, one of the greatest film icons of Hollywood's golden age.
Born near Berlin in 1901, Dietrich became an international film star with her role in 1929's The Blue Angel, directed by Josef Von Sternberg. Shot with both German and English soundtracks, the film was the first major sound motion picture made in Berlin, a global center of Avant garde film production at the time. Dietrich sang what would become her signature song, "Falling in Love Again," in the movie.
On April 14, 1930, Marlene Dietrich arrived in Hollywood, to continue making films with von Sternberg, who had left Germany a few months earlier to work for Paramount Studios. In a letter written that evening, Dietrich mentioned that von Sternberg had greeted her at the train with two welcoming gifts from Paramount...a bouquet of flowers and a green Rolls-Royce.
That green Rolls-Royce is the very car offered here.
Dietrich and von Sternberg immediately set to work on the Paramount production, Morocco, with Gary Cooper and Adolphe Menjou co-starring. Remarkably, Dietrich's Rolls-Royce appears prominently in the movie's final scene. The big car was moved around on location in the California desert on an enormous sled, drug by a huge Caterpillar tractor.
Rolls-Royce factory records show that ownership of Springfield Phantom I chassis S317KP, with coachwork by Hibbard & Darrin, was formally transferred from Josef von Sternberg/Paramount Studios to Marlene Dietrich on November 26, 1930. A few days later, Morocco opened in movie theaters. Dietrich would receive an Oscar nomination for her performance in the film.
Dietrich was photographed several times with her sleek uber-luxury car for publicity purposes. Some of the resulting pictures are still frequently published today. Dietrich's daughter, Maria Riva, reminisces about the Rolls-Royce in her 1992 memoir, Marlene Dietrich. Maria recalls the big green carand its fascinating sculpted radiator ornamentwhen she, at age 6, joined her mother in California during 1931. Other childhood memories of the Rolls include shopping trips to Bullocks on Wilshire and runs to the beachalways with her mother's liveried chauffer, Harry, at the wheel.
Dietrich had a long career in film and, later, as a live entertainer. In 1939, the year she became an American citizen, Dietrich played a memorably comedic role in Destry Rides Again, a film co-starring Jimmy Stewart.
During World War II, Dietrich toured extensively with the USO, entertaining Allied troops in both European and Pacific theaters. In the 1950s, Dietrich chummed with Frank Sinatra and the "Rat Pack" in Las Vegas. She opened at the Sahara Hotel in 1953, receiving a then unprecedented $30,000 a week to perform. Poor health finally sidetracked one of the entertainment world's most enduring and unique personalities in the mid-1970s. Marlene Dietrich died at age 90 in 1992.
Documented ownership by an iconic movie star aside, S317KP carries an especially attractive and important example of a patented convertible design by Parisian coachbuilders Hibbard & Darrin. Between 1923 and 1931, "Carosserie Hibbard et Darrin" was operated by expat American partners Thomas L. Hibbard and Howard "Dutch" Darrin. The duo designed and built bodies for the finest automotive chassis available and served a clientele that included royalty, tycoons and celebrities.
Even as they consulted with other prestige automakers on design matters, Hibbard & Darrin represented Rolls-Royce in Paris during the late 1920s and their shop was the preferred coachbuilder for the automaker's cars sold there. Rolls-Royce records indicate Hibbard & Darrin built 35 bodies, of varying styles, for the American-built Rolls-Royce Springfield Phantom I chassis. These bodies were built to order in Paris and shipped "in the white" to America, where they were painted and trimmed by a Rolls-Royce approved coachbuilder (usually Brewster) before being installed.
"Dutch" Darrin personally designed, and held a patent for, the Torpedo Transformal Phaeton's distinctive convertible top treatment and trapezoidal-shaped side windows. With the top up, an inverted triangle-shaped flap fills the area between the retractable glass side windows, creating a weather-tight body with an elegant, intimate appearance. With top and side windows down, the style is that of a sporting dual-cowl phaeton.
The Torpedo Transformal body construction is also unusual. All major body elements are aluminum alloyconventional custom bodies of the period were typically fabricated with metal panels over a wood framework. The Transformal's doors are single-piece aluminum alloy castings. Hibbard & Darrin marketed their innovative rattle-resistant and light-weight aluminum body structure under the trade name Sylentlite (silent-light).
Most Hibbard & Darrin commissions were for formal town cars and it is thought only one additional long-wheelbase Torpedo Transformal was built. The sporty two-piece Vee-windshield design appearing on the Dietrich car is, however, thought to be unique to the car.
Several coachbuilders were licensed by Hibbard & Darrin to build a very few bodies in the Torpedo Transformal style, including Derham in the U.S., Castagna in Italy, and T.H. Gill in England.
According to Maria Riva's book, Marlene Dietrich eventually supplanted her green Rolls-Royce with a Cadillac V-16 town car, custom equipped with a large trunk in preparation for a European tour. The year that she actually gave up ownership of her cherished Rolls is not known.
By the 1940s, the ex-Dietrich Rolls-Royce had come into the possession of Colorado rancher and pioneer car collector J. R. "Bob" Creighton, who subsequently became the car's second owner of record in the Roll-Royce files.
In 1960, Bob Creighton's then 16-year old niece successfully took her driver's test at the wheel of the Dietrich caran occasion that generated local press coverage. The young woman had learned to drive the massive car on her uncle's ranch. At that time, the car's odometer read 64,000 miles.
The Rolls-Royce was inherited by Bob Creighton's daughter in the mid-1970s. A family member commenced a restoration attempt, an initiative that never got beyond stripping the body down to bare metal, rechroming some parts and painting the chassis. The partially disassembled car then languished in storage for two decades.
In 1995, a noted mid-western collector learned of the car's continuing existence and was able to obtain it from the Creighton family heirs. The full story of this amazing, truly once-in-a-lifetime "barn find" is told in Tom Cotter's book, The Cobra in the Barn.
In 2007, the still unrestored Dietrich Rolls-Royce was sold to the late mega-collector John O'Quinn. The sale agreement allocated $500,000 to a total "turn-key" restoration that restore the car to the as-new condition and appearance it evidence on the day Marlene Dietrich first set eyes on it in 1930.
Restorer Rick Hamlin's Classic Body Works agreed to take on the extensive project. The body was completely disassembled, revealing fascinating details of the Hibbard & Darrin aluminum construction. Paint chips found beneath the windshield frame correlated period reports that the body was originally finished in a medium green that had tiny flecks of gold mixed in, a step that gave the paint a rich sparkle in bright sunlight. The special paint was recreated for the restoration.
Remnants of the original interior were a guide for authenticity inside the car. The car's exquisite book-matched wood veneers were expertly reconditioned. The unusual original rearview mirror was missing and was painstakingly recreated.
The Rolls-Royce Phantom I six-cylinder 468-cid (7.6L) engine and attendant mechanical and chassis systems were dismantled, cleaned and rebuilt/repaired as necessary.
Work on the restoration was at last completed in 2010 and the Dietrich Rolls-Royce is here offered in its freshly restored state by the O'Quinn estate collection. Never shown, fully authenticated and marvelously restored, the Marlene Dietrich Rolls-Royce Phantom I is certain to be welcomed to the world's most prestigious Concours d'Elegance shows.
The golden age of film-making and the classic era of automotive design are uniquely intertwined in the well-documented provenance of this magnificent and historically important car, which has never heretofore been offered publically.
Here is an automobile loaded with genuine star power. It will be a delight to own and is sure to be a 'show stopper' whenever and wherever it might appear.
Auction terms and conditions | <urn:uuid:b99127da-e252-48f3-b361-7f4f013b0bed> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/19680/lot/320/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951928 | 2,048 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Is it good or is it bad? Time will tell...
I was thinkiing this morning, of a relatively trivial matter, but then realised, as I do often, that in many trivial matters are less than trivial lessons to be learned.
My thoughts, to be more specific, were to do with smartphones and especially the latest trend, with the new iPhone and most other newer smartphones, for larger screens.
This is obviously because what we're using these devices for these days is completely different types of activities; 10 years ago we weren't watching video, surfing the net or playing with "apps" on our phones. We were, quite simply, calling and texting people!
Accordingly, not that long ago, the smaller the phone the better. Now, the larger the screen the better!
Now again, I know there are all sorts of reasons for this but the bottom line is that what was considered great not that long ago (i.e. a small handset) is no longer so great and what's considered great and desirable now (i.e. a larger handset with larger screen) was not in demand back then.
Can we learn something from this regarding happiness?
I think so; I think many situations and events in life that seem bad at the time might not turn out to be bad later on; and vice versa! I think we've all experienced this when we look back on a range of events we can see that what was positive is now not so positive and what we thought to be negative might not actually be bad and might possibly even be good!
This is important because if we can remenber this at the time we might be able to minimise the distress associated with seemingly negative life events by withholding judgement, by delaying our assessment of events and/or by allowing ourselves and situations time to unfold.
It's also worth noting that this approach might minimise the positive emotion attached to seemingly positive events but overall, we can decide to make the most of positive events if we like and "manage" negative events if it seems more helpful.
And ultimately, maybe this is what happiness is all about...doing what we can to minimise or get through tough times while enjoying the good times as best we can.
What do you think? I'd love to hear/read your thoughts so take a minute to post your comments HERE on The Happiness Institute's Facebook Page. Thanks in advance... : )
We'd love you to comment on this, and other blog postings so please join in our happiness community and discussions on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/thehappinessinstitute | <urn:uuid:d43571be-e24a-4420-925e-1d789e21be8a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thehappinessinstitute.com/blog/article.aspx?c=3&a=3323 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965182 | 535 | 1.765625 | 2 |
expert advice MORE
Dad Is Overprotective of Daughter
Q: My husband doesn't want boys calling our 13-year-old daughter on the phone at all. He will allow her to email back and forth with boys, since we will be able to read their messages to see if they are inappropriate. I think he's being too overprotective about the telephone use, and my daughter does also, even though she has accepted the rule and not broken it. Do you think it is appropriate for boys and girls to talk on the telephone at this age?
A: Everybody -- especially teenagers -- need and require privacy and space. By reading her email, you are invading her privacy and space without any good reason except a suspicion. It is through her interaction with others -- boys or girls -- that your daughter learns about her self and how to relate to others. If we as parents want our children to be trustworthy, we have to trust them until they disprove our expectations. It is normal and appropriate for boys and girls to talk on the phone and email each other.
Parents can and should regulate when calls can be received, how long they can last, etc. If you keep the lines of communication between you and your daughter open, she will tell you if a caller is being inappropriate and if she can't handle it. If she has trouble handling a situation, then you can offer suggestions from your own experiences, but you want her to learn and practice these skills on her own as much as possible.
My experience with teens tells me that if you read your child's email and her diary and listen to all her calls, she will withdraw from you and find a way around your rules. I know you don't want that, so I urge you to set your expectations and trust her to behave responsibly. Stay out of her email. Give her some space to grow.
More on: Expert Advice
Connie Collins, professional school counselor, worked for 35 years in public education as a teacher and counselor at the middle school and secondary levels. Collins worked daily with the parents of the students in her various schools, and has facilitated several parenting groups. | <urn:uuid:3911e141-84c9-4021-ae1c-4b3e09698cc5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://school.familyeducation.com/teen/dating/40867.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981568 | 435 | 1.78125 | 2 |
|Photo Source: Salt Lake Tribune|
The fees to park will likely keep away certain patrons, but overall this appears to be a change with a lot of upside.
The city's cost to cover the tab for holiday shopping has been significant. I'd have to take a look to see what precise numbers are involved, but the gift of free parking easily came at an annual cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars. The idea was to make that money back on sales tax while growing the economy at the same time, making the downtown area attractive to merchants.
However, the landscape of downtown Salt Lake is not what it once was. Temple Square remains an attractive tourist location, but the presence of The Gateway and the new City Creek Center provides most customers with incentive enough to make the trip. The mass transit system only makes things easier, even for those who drive and park but then take a TRAX train in between the two malls. It is unlikely most vendors will have serious complaints about a lack of traffic.
What makes this fantastic is that almost everybody wins. The only real loser I can think of at this point are those customers who would really like to shop downtown, but for any number of reasons see the parking fees as a deal-breaker.
The store-owners are likely to do well.
Customers will have access to an array of increasingly impressive goods.
And the city can turn around and put the parking revenue right back into downtown transportation line items. | <urn:uuid:100032cb-7c28-44c0-8572-95d7359a22ac> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kurtsperspective.blogspot.com/2012/11/will-salt-lake-citys-jingle-bus-lead-to.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969827 | 297 | 1.539063 | 2 |
A fascinating simulation of the brief flight of an Airbus airliner from takeoff on Runway 4 at LaGuardia International to "landing" southbound minutes later in the ice-cold Hudson River on January 15, 2009. Complete with ATC radio transmissions and subtitles.
This is a testament to the U.S. Air Force and professional airline pilots. Long before flying commercially, Captain Sullenberger had cut his teeth flying military jets. Only the best pilots get to fly those babies, because they are very expensive. The U.S. Air Force trained Sullenberger well, and promoted him to the rank of captain (O-3).
After leaving the military in 1980, US Airways snatched him up. Boy did they pick themselves a good one. As an instrument rated private pilot myself I can truly appreciate the skill and professionalism Captain Sullenberger exhibited in command of Flight 1549. When the plane struck the birds, both pilots were startled but quickly regained their composure. First Officer Skiles was flying the plane at the time when Sullenberger, the senior of the two, took over announcing "my aircraft" in the terse language of aviation. Skiles acknowledged, "your aircraft" and immediately went about trying to get the engines restarted.
No doubt Sullenberger was multitasking, flying the airplane and imagining scenarios and how to respond, especially in the worst case should he never get thrust back. Meanwhile, Skiles was busy at work following a checklist to restart the engines. Sullenberger concluded wisely that without engine thrust Teterboro was too big a risk to take. He couldn't land anywhere but on a runway because the densely populated NYC metro area didn't afford enough distance anywhere else.
Except for the river. Sullenberger pulled a rabbit out of his hat and executed a textbook water landing in a large jet airliner that was never meant to do so, keeping the aircraft intact and upright, and his crew and passengers alive. Passengers responded to his leadership and followed his directions to exit the plane. Not one soul aboard died.
In the days to follow, people hailed Captain Sullenberger as a hero. That's one word I've dropped from my lexicon because its meaning has been diluted to the point where it now means "someone who did something good for someone else". Captain Sullenberger is far more than that. I praise him a consummate professional, skilled at his job and resourceful and calm under pressure. He is also a role model for aviators everywhere, both armed forces and civilians.
I cannot find the words to express my own admiration here, so I will settle for saluting Captain Sullenberger with these words:
"You delivered an exemplary performance as pilot in command on that fateful day, Captain. Our nation is proud of you."
Hopefully to him they would mean far more than "You're a hero." | <urn:uuid:1f176bcb-b0fa-47aa-868b-ea924337040c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://rickace.newsvine.com/_news/2010/02/11/3882303-3d-reconstruction-of-flight-1549-ditching-into-hudson-river | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977539 | 595 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Have the dangers of oil rig jobs prevented you from considering this highly lucrative field? That’s not the case for some. Many are trading in their low paying jobs or no jobs for greater opportunities.
We just past the one year date that marks the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. No doubt this incident sent shock through the offshore drilling community.
The government tightened regulations last fall after the Deep Horizons incident, but since has issued six new permits for oil drilling projects. Along with dealing with all the cleanup, regulations have been tightened on safety. Offshore oil drilling companies are mandating specialized training to combat the dangers of oil rig jobs.
If you are ready to launch your career in the oil industry?…Then click on Oil Rig Jobs to learn about how to get started in this career. | <urn:uuid:72cd2b42-a878-43d2-a614-61bef0c909ba> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://oilrigjobsnoexperience.net/rig-news/dangers-of-oil-rig-jobs/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951617 | 165 | 1.773438 | 2 |
by Jarek Skonieczny
Here is a fun little project that anyone can do with their kids.
Start off with a "Tetra Pak" juice box and some household arts and crafts items. Acrylic craft paint works best as it will flex and not chip off.
Start by cutting out the doors (approximately the centre 1/3 portion of the length and 1/2 the depth) then cut across the top at the rear of the door openings. Fold the windshield up and trim to size. Cut along the back of the fender wells and fold up the back. Use the existing straw hole as a headlight and cut out a second to match. Cut holes near the floor for axles.
Wheels can be cut out of corrugated cardboard to give them some thickness. Two straws, trimmed not to extend past the wheels, will be needed per jeep.
Two coats of paint may be needed to stop the juice box text from showing through. The back portion can be the same height as the windshield if you want a top on the jeep, or trim it down to simulate a rear seat. I was after an army look for my Juice Jeep while my son Jacob wanted a Fire Jeep. Cut the star out of white paper or paint the hood text on like my son's "FD".
Cardboard made a good top for the fire jeep, and popsicle sticks were used for ladders. A couple of army guys were recruited to the "red" side with a coat of acrylic. Hours of play with many cardboard box buildings saved by the miniature fire department make this a worthy family project.
The original instructions for this project (12K GIF) were published as part of a booklet by the Tetra Pak Corporation, manufacturers of the juice boxes.
Thanks to Jarek and Jacob for documenting a great project. -- Derek Redmond
For another project, see Pasta Jeeps.
Return to the Toy Jeeps Pages on The CJ3B Page.
CJ3B Home | Site Map | Search | Movies | Bulletin Board | <urn:uuid:b9a22860-97a3-4471-82de-e33f98d92091> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.film.queensu.ca/cj3B/Toys/JuiceJeep.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945156 | 427 | 1.78125 | 2 |
Miss the elephants?
Summer 2010 saw a herd of 260 brightly painted elephants pushed their way into London life when they took up residence in neighbourhoods and landmarks over the capital. Tourists and city dwellers become gripped by elephant fever which swept across London’s schools and business community.
For two glorious months the exhibition mopped up over 500 press articles, 10 hours of TV and radio air time and reached an audience of 25 million people. The event was made possible by the genius of several hundred artists and the creative vision of over 100 business sponsors. An astonishing £4.1m was raised at the auction – double the target! This is great news for Asian elephants, whose numbers have fallen by 90% in the last 100 years. | <urn:uuid:83c1668e-5c2a-4dc6-82cf-04f279bed0c3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.elephantparadelondon.org/ | 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 | 0.969319 | 149 | 1.726563 | 2 |
Women and Money
Why you need to take control now. The good news: More than a third of American women are now the family breadwinner (look at that!). The bad news: We still tend to pass the buck on important money matters, such as investing and retirement. Ready to take charge of your financial future? Start right here.
Financial Barrier No. 1: We Lack Confidence
Odd, isn’t it? So many women radiate competence and authority on a daily basis (brilliant doctors, strong managers, cool and collected stay-at-home mothers). But when it comes to this one particular subject, not so much. Take Amy, a 42-year-old senior manager based in New York City. “Money information just bounces off my brain,” she says. “It’s like I have a force field that won’t let it in.” She’s not alone. With the exception of women who work, say, on Wall Street or in accounting, even some of the most capable among us can become champion self-doubters when we have to talk about our money.
Experts say this is an understandable reaction to the relative inaccessibility of the male-dominated financial world. Take a peek at any mutual-fund prospectus and you’ll find tons of abstruse language: 12b-1 fee, market capitalization, front-load, back-load, no-load. Some men may savor the jargon and feel a sense of pride when they master it, whereas women tend to see it and shut down, explains Galia Gichon, the founder of the women-focused financial-education firm Down-to-Earth Finance, in Westport, Connecticut.
Gichon recalls working with a successful single mother in her 40s who didn’t have any long-term savings and refused to start planning for retirement. “The concept felt so overwhelming that she thought, Why bother? As a result, she ignored her big-picture finances completely,” says Gichon.
That desire to flee from financial planning means we aren’t always as well-informed as we should be. “Many women think that since they don’t know the language, they can’t ask questions—or they worry that their questions sound dumb,” says O’Connor.
Those fears may be reinforced by frustrating encounters with the financial-services industry. For every helpful and plainspoken adviser or planner, there’s another who can be intimidating or condescending. “Women tell me that their adviser talked about things they didn’t understand or spent the entire appointment speaking to their husband,” says O’Connor.
If money discussions make you feel nervous or clueless, you have to start talking about your finances more, not less. “To eliminate the intimidation factor, include topics of spending and saving in your regular conversation with your spouse or a trusted friend,” says New York City–based financial therapist Amanda Clayman.
It also helps to have an adviser you can depend on, even if you contact her only once a year. Make sure your money pro speaks clearly, without excessive use of jargon or acronyms, and that you feel 100 percent comfortable talking to her.
The other thing that will give you more confidence in money matters? Knowledge. For starters, review your financial statements on a monthly basis so you know where you stand. Then consider picking up a personal-finance book or visiting a money-information website to school yourself in any concepts that are eluding you. | <urn:uuid:91d88df0-d72b-41a5-9f70-9e41952b2cc0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/money/planning/womenandmoney-00100000086161/page2.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9491 | 752 | 1.75 | 2 |
The Headteacher must ensure that parents are given reasonable notice of the costs of educational and off-site activities. The Headteacher must establish secure procedures for the management of associated income and expenditure. All transactions are subject to the financial standards of administration detailed in the Financial Regulations and Standing Orders for Schools.
All correspondence relating to an event / trip / activity must be sent out via the school’s official channels and a copy retained on the school’s file.
The school should also ensure that the financing of school trips and any guidance or advice given to parents is consistent with the school’s charging policy.
Charges for School Activities
Aspects of education for which charges may not be made are laid down by statute. The following key principles may be considered to apply with particular respect to off-site activities:
- Education provided wholly or mainly during schools hours is free
- Parents can be asked to make a voluntary contribution towards the cost of residential visits for their child(ren). In the last resort, if the total voluntary contributions offered does not cover the cost and other sources of funding cannot be identified, this may lead to school activities being cancelled. Parents should be made aware at the planning stage if a trip will be cancelled without financial assistance from them.
Charges can be made for board and lodging on residential visits as well as full costs when a visit is deemed to be an optional extra. e.g.
- It falls wholly or mainly outside school hours
- Does not form part of the National Curriculum
- Is not part of a syllabus towards an exam
- Is not part of statutory religious education.
See also DfES circular 2189 Ed Reform Act 1988 Charges to School Activities (external link).
Parents must be made aware of any circumstances when remission of charges would apply. The school’s Charging Policy should have reference to remission of charges. See correspondence A139/05 Aug 2005 & A167/05 Sept 2005.
Charges to teachers supervising journeys or visits must be given careful consideration. Where the visit is of purely educational nature e.g. a trip to a theatre as part of an examination course, or of a type purely for children e.g. puppet show, it may be reasonable for the supervising teachers to be paid for. Where, however, the visit is of a recreational nature e.g. a skiing holiday, it may appear reasonable for the supervising teachers to pay, at least, part of their costs. If the family or friends of supervising teachers are permitted on journeys or visits they must be charged not less than the charge to pupils.
The organiser of every trip / event / activity must complete a pro-forma, submit details of all persons going on the holiday free of charge and obtain the Headteacher’s consent/ approval.
Before giving approval to a journey or visit taking place the Headteacher must be aware of the following recommendations:
- Overseas holidays must only be arranged through reputable and bonded tour operators
- When selecting a particular trip / travel company the principles of best value must be applied to this process e.g:
- How does the cost compare to similar companies/trips?
- Is the school getting the best deal?
- Does the company’s trip meet the aims and objectives of the school visit originally agreed?
- Is the final price competitive when compared to other providers?
- How does the school ensure it received the most economic, efficient and effective service from those who provides it?
- Records must be retained of all quotations received in connection with the trip/ event/ activity.
When Headteachers authorise a journey or visit they must retain a copy of that authorisation and endorse it accordingly. The teacher in charge of the journey or visit must be familiar with the school’s internal arrangements for financial accountability and utilise a school account for this purpose.
Immediately firm prices are received for the major elements of the trip / event / activity, e.g. accommodation and travel costs, parents should be notified of the overall cost per person. It should be made clear to parents what the price charged covers. If spending money is to be included in the cost it should be itemised separately in the notification to parents. The pro-forma referred to above should be updated at this stage.
The school should record details of any floats required if expenditure is to be incurred during the visit.
Invoices must be obtained for all trips / visits / activities and receipts must be obtained for any additional costs that may be incurred by an individual on the day(s) that the trips/ visits/ activities take place. The checking of invoices, approval for payment and the signing of cheques must be undertaken in accordance with the Financial Regulations and Standing Orders of the Council. The account must be reconciled on a regular basis.
All payments should as far as possible be made by cheque.
All expenditure and income will be paid / received through a specific account, ie delegated budget, school fund or, under exceptional circumstances, a subsidiary account of the school fund specifically opened for the trip / visit / activity. The delegated budget should only be used for Educational Visits
Bank Accounts can only be opened on the express approval of the Headteacher in consultation with Internal Audit and must bear the name of the school in the title. Bank Statements must be addressed to the Headteacher of the school, not the name of the Headteacher or any other member of staff. Bank accounts set up for a specific trip / visit / activity must be closed as soon as possible after the end of trip / visit / activity, and records retained.
Cheques must require the signature of a minimum of two people from a nominated list; one of these must be preferably the Headteacher or deputy Headteacher / Manager. No blank cheques can be signed. The account must not be overdrawn. Cash must be banked on the day received wherever possible.
Income. The following procedure must be adopted where cash is collected, in respect of the charge for the journey or visit from pupils and teachers.
A receipt must be given to each person making a payment. If the charge is paid in one payment an individual receipt must be issued, if it is paid by instalments a payment card must be issued on which the individual payments can be receipted. Either form of receipt must contain the date, the amount and the signature of the teacher receiving payment.
The teacher or member of staff collecting the payments must keep a record of all the amounts received from individual pupils. The teacher or member of staff collecting payments from pupils must bank the income into the school trip bank account on the day it is received, or hand it to the Bursar for safe keeping until the next banking day. It is suggested that a paying in book is used for this purpose.
Pupils must be encouraged to bring money to school on a particular day. All payments must be recorded with the date and the amounts received from pupils. A receipt acknowledging payment must be issued to pupils on the day of payment.
Where pocket money is issued to pupils a documentary record must be made and the pupil’s signature obtained. At the end of the holiday the organiser should retain the records.
In respect of major journeys, the Headteacher must arrange for the financial position to be monitored periodically before departure.
At the end of the trip / event / activity a reconciliation form should be produced by the organiser showing the final cost of the trip/ event/ activity with a comparison made against budget costs. Any material differences must be reported to the Headteacher immediately so that corrective action can be taken.
Once all transactions relating to the trip / event / activity have been completed, a statement of income and expenditure must be prepared. It must be certified by the organising teacher and the Headteacher.
All expenditure receipts, invoices and supporting vouchers, bank statements, cheque books, paying in books, income records, including copy receipts issued, spending money records, quotations and correspondence must be retained for six years after the end of the financial year in which the trip/ visit/ activity occurred. The records need to be retained for possible future inspection and audit.
Value Added Tax
Educational school trips and holidays provided to students and pupils by the Council can be treated as a non-business activity, provided that the provision is made as part of an agreed curriculum.
Although it is likely that most school trips and holidays will be non-business, if it does not form part of an agreed curriculum then the provision of such a holiday or trip will fall within the provisions and terms of the Tour Operators’ Margin Scheme and any VAT incurred will not be recoverable. It is the Headteachers’ responsibility to decide if the trip or holiday is made as part of the agreed curriculum and therefore non-business.
The VAT is only recoverable if the invoice is processed via the delegated budget. | <urn:uuid:358cefd8-84d2-4c95-8e1a-8468dd2bb1b7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wigan.gov.uk/WiganCouncilCMS/Templates/GeneralTwoColumn.aspx?NRMODE=Published&NRNODEGUID=%7BFDA0C23E-D87D-4F7C-9BCC-F9B0A168DA92%7D&NRORIGINALURL=%2FServices%2FEducationLearning%2FSchools%2FSchoolTrips%2FGuidance%2FFinance.htm&NRCACHEHINT=NoModifyGuest&TextSize=L | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952117 | 1,845 | 1.757813 | 2 |
[lit blog wars...or some such thing]
"In remarks at last month's National Book Critics Circle Awards — when his family memoir The Lost was honored as best autobiography — Daniel Mendelsohn said that he was especially proud to receive recognition "in an era in which anyone who owns a Dell laptop is a published critic." The NBCC prize, he said, comes from "people who know what they're talking about." Mendelsohn was quickly denounced by one popular blogger (presumably using a Dell laptop) as one of the "elitist fogies who just don't get it." But Mendelsohn has an apparent ally in the pages of the upstart literary journal n+1. The current issue carries a short but potent attack — titled "The Blog Reflex" — in which the n+1 editors dismiss blogs about books and literature as little more than a publicity tool of the big publishing houses. This broadside has set off a sometimes cranky discussion about the purpose of blogs and the amateurization of literary criticism."
"The Blog Reflex"
Imagine a grandfather clock that strikes at random intervals. You can't tell time by it and yet you begin to live in constant anticipation of the next random chime.
Number Five, Winter 2007.
Excerpt from "The Blog Reflex" from Long Sunday:
"The accident waiting to happen to bloggers was most visible when they turned their attention to literature and ideas. The hope had been to democratize the intellectual sphere. Freedom of the press is for those who own one. But now all you needed was a laptop and some time on your hands. The idea was especially attractive in light of the consolidation of media holdings and the destruction of intellectual life in the '80s and '90s, when people began to work longer and harder for less, available public spaces and quiet cafes dried up, and argument in the academies gave way to 'respect'.
The blogs salved this ennui and created nourishing microcommunities. Yet criticism as an art didn't survive. People might have used their blogs to post the best they could think and say. The could have posted 5,000-word critiques of their favorite books and records. Some polymath might even have shown, on-line, how an acute and well-stocked sensibility responds to the streaming world in real time. But those things didn't happen, at least not often enough. In practice, blogs reveal how much we are unwitting stenographers of hip talk and marketing speak, and how secondhand and often ugly our unconscious impulses still are. The need for speed encourages, as a willed style, the intemperate, the unconsidered, the undigested. (Not for nothing is the word blog evocative of vomit.) "So hot right now," the bloggers say. Or: "Jumped the shark." The language is supposed to mimic the way people speak on the street or the college quad, the phatic emotive growl and purr of exhibitionistic consumer satisfaction - "The Divine Comedy is SOOO GOOOD!" - or displeasure - "I shit on Dante!" So man hands on information to man."
Mary Dell offers her opinion on "The Blog Reflex"
n+1 vs. Lit-Bloggers; or, on with the Resipiscence, already - Scott Eric Kaufman
See the comments on Gareth Risk Hallberg’s post
A Response by Edward Champion
The editors of n+1 talk about the theme of their new issue, and why the world needs their work.
The Literary Saloon reminds Keith Gessen (one of the editors of n+1) that not all bloggers are alike.
Daniel Green on Blogging Sensibilities | <urn:uuid:2a03936e-91aa-40fd-956b-6ec3a877f060> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jesslaccetti.co.uk/2007/04/lit-blog-warsor-some-such-thing.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962747 | 763 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Sandra HodgeBasketball Player, 1980-87
University of New Orleans/Harlem Globetrotters
Sandra Hodge, a native of Clinton, Miss., played basketball for the Buc-kettes from 1980-84 and holds virtually every school scoring record. She also ranks in the top five on UNO’s career lists for rebounds, assists and steals.
Her 26.7 career scoring average is second in Division I women’s history since the NCAA began compiling official statistics in the 1981-82 season, behind Patricia Hoskins of Mississippi Valley State (28.4). Entering the 2009 season, Hodge's 2,860 career points ranks 11th all-time in Division I history.
The 5-foot-9 forward-guard led UNO to an 88-29 record in four seasons, winning 20 games every year. To date, Hodge ranks first in field goals (1,179), second in rebounds (948), second in steals (239) and second in free throw percentage (81 percent).
Hodge would later become one of the few women to ever play for the previously all-male Harlem Globetrotters. Additionally, she had her number retired on February 23, 1989. | <urn:uuid:bee84719-047e-4723-a109-cadea054e518> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.allstatesugarbowl.org/site267.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96189 | 254 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Saint Paul is one of Dominica's 10 administrative parishes. It is bordered by St. Joseph to the north, St. David to the east, and St. George to the south. It has an area of 67.4 km² (26.02 mi²), and a population of 8,397.
The largest settlements are Canefield (where the island's second airport is located) and Mahaut. Another village in the parish, Massacre, is so-called because of the historic massacre of Dominica's indigenous people by European settlers. Cochrane, Springfield Estate and Pont Cassé (home of the island's central roundabout) are located in the interior.
The parish is also the site of a factory at Belfast Estate, where Dominica Coconut Products (renamed a few years ago to reflect its ownership under Colgate-Palmolive) operates.
External links | <urn:uuid:891ee2eb-e2ea-4fa6-96ba-d40eda318ff9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Paul_Parish,_Dominica | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953755 | 182 | 1.6875 | 2 |
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration plans a rule change to help reduce the time illegal immigrant spouses and children are separated from citizen relatives while they try to win legal status in the United States, a senior administration official said Thursday.
Currently, illegal immigrants must leave the country before they can ask the government to waive a three- to 10-year ban on legally coming back to the U.S. The length of the ban depends on how long they have lived in the U.S. without permission.
The official said the new rule would let children and spouses of citizens ask the government to decide on the waiver request before the illegal immigrant heads to his or her home country to apply for a visa. The illegal immigrants still must go home to finish the visa process to come back to the U.S., but getting the waiver ahead of time could reduce the time an illegal immigrant is out of the country.
The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the proposed policy change had not been made public.
The waiver shift is the latest move by President Barack Obama to make changes to immigration policy without congressional action. Congressional Republicans repeatedly have criticized the administration for policy changes they describe as providing "backdoor amnesty" to illegal immigrants.
Immigrants who do not have criminal records and who have only violated immigration laws can win a waiver if they can prove that their absence would cause an "extreme hardship" for their citizen spouse or parent. The government received about 23,000 hardship applications in 2011 and more than 70 percent were approved, the official said.
Applications for the waiver can take as long as six months to be acted upon, the official said. The new rule is expected to reduce that processing time to just days or weeks, the official added.
"This would streamline the process (and) reduce the time of separation between family members," the official said.
The proposal will be published in the Federal Register on Friday. The official said the administration hopes to change the rule later this year.
Immigration has become a difficult issue for Obama ahead of the November election. As a presidential candidate, he pledged to change what many consider to be a broken immigration system.
To that end, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced plans last year to review some 300,000 pending deportation cases in an effort to target criminal illegal immigrants, repeat immigration law violators and those who pose a national security or public safety threat. Napolitano said the DHS would delay indefinitely the cases of many illegal immigrants who have no criminal record and those who have been arrested for only minor traffic violations or other misdemeanors.
A pilot program to review about 12,000 cases pending in immigration court in Baltimore and Denver was launched in November and ends next week. The review is expected to expand to other jurisdictions later this year.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton also issued a memo in June outlining how immigration authorities could use discretion in deciding which illegal immigrants to arrest and put into deportation proceedings. Morton wrote in the memo that discretion could be used in a variety of cases, including for people with no criminal record and young people brought to the country illegally as children.
Congressional Republicans have decried the policy changes, arguing that the Obama administration is circumventing Congress to essentially provide amnesty to countless illegal immigrants.
Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, has been among the most vocal critics and has accused Obama repeatedly of not enforcing immigration law.
Several attempts at an immigration law overhaul have failed in recent years, including the so-called DREAM Act, which would have allowed for some young illegal immigrants brought to the U.S. as children to earn legal status if they went to college or joined the military. | <urn:uuid:d30c39f6-c4fd-4398-9b8c-66cd5cc91f7d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://onlineathens.com/national-news/2012-01-06/ap-source-admin-plans-change-immigration-rule | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971287 | 753 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Organic produce has become the fastest-growing product segment for Wegmans Food Markets Inc. The company is looking to continue the development of its organic research farm in Canandaigua to meet an increased demand for organic goods.
Wegmans tills organic surge
Rochester Business Journal
August 17, 2012
The farm is on 50 acres near the shores of Canandaigua Lake. Approximately 10 of those acres are dedicated to growing. The farm grows a variety of produce, herbs and flowers and includes space for chickens and a meadow for bees.
It began its first growing season in 2007 with the mission of developing practices and techniques that could extend the growing season while finding more cost-effective ways to grow organic produce.
"Our learning curve has been absolutely amazing," said CEO Danny Wegman during an open house at the farm last week. "The goal is to make great-tasting produce so people will consume more of it, which will make them healthier so they can live longer."
Company officials said the sale of Weg-mans organic produce has had double-digit growth in each of the last five years.
That growth is in line with the national organic-food retail industry. A survey conducted by the Organic Trade Association last year showed U.S. sales of organic food and beverages grew from just $1 billion in 1990 to $26.7 billion in 2010.
The survey also showed that customers committed to buying organic products were willing to spend as much as 20 percent more than for non-organic products.
Chicago-based analyst Neil Stern, a senior partner for retail consultancy firm McMillanDoolittle LLP, said the nation's leading retailer of organic products in terms of revenue is Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Stern said the industry leader among retailers that emphasize natural and organic foods is Whole Foods Markets.
Because the organic food market always has been price-sensitive, a grocery chain's success lies in its ability to price effectively, Stern said.
"The key to organics has always been getting the price differential between organic and regular foods right so that people will make the jump," he said.
"Some recent research studies suggest that 15 percent of customers will go out of their way to buy organic food. That's a relatively small number. However, there are 20 to 30 percent more people who say they consider buying organic. Those are the people who are price-sensitive and are making an economic decision."
Wegman said his grocery chain prices its organic goods at the same margins, in terms of cents but not percentage, as its regular items. So a non-organic product that costs Wegmans $1 would be marked up 10 percent, or 10 cents. An organic version that costs Wegmans $2 would be sold for $2.10, or a 5 percent markup.
Research like the kind being done on Wegmans' organic farm could lead to lowering the cost of organic produce in the next five years.
Wegmans has worked with organic experts such as Eliot Coleman of Four Season Farm in Maine to develop practices that have led to better soil and the elimination of artificial fertilizers and pesticides.
One of the most important techniques Wegmans learned from Coleman, who specializes in growing year-round, was the use of hoop houses. A hoop house is a plastic-covered structure used as a greenhouse that provides higher temperatures during colder seasons while also protecting crops from intense heat or bad weather.
Jamie Robinson, the Wegmans farm manager, said the hoop houses enable Wegmans to stretch its growing season, planting earlier and harvesting later.
When Wegmans launched the research farm, the plan was to develop growing practices for organic food and share them with more than 540 local growers that the company partners with. However, Wegman said that plan may be changing.
"Our view of organic produce keeps evolving," he said. "The plan was to focus on regional growth and working with smaller farms. But we have to ask ourselves, 'Can they handle it?'
"I'm not sure some larger farms in the area using automation that we are learning about ourselves might not be a more customer-friendly approach," he said. "It has to be affordable or it's a waste of time. We don't just want to serve the elite."
McMillanDoolittle's Stern said Wegmans has taken steps with its research farm that have put the company in line for future growth in the organic market.
"It's consistent with Wegmans' customer base," he said. "Like Whole Foods, Wegmans has customers that are much more receptive to organic. The other thing that they have done with their farm is emphasize local growing, which has surpassed organic as a buzzword with customers. If you can be local and organic, that's a double win.
8/17/12 (c) 2012 Rochester Business Journal. To obtain permission to reprint this article, call 585-546-8303 or email [email protected]. | <urn:uuid:5683c350-f0c3-49cf-8965-f826ef735ef7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rbj.net/article.asp?size=3&aID=192271 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971438 | 1,029 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Moisture under LCD? could it be?
Iv got a weird problem with my Kaiser and i cant quite pin point it, so i was hoping someone might be able to. Every now and then i get a sort of ''pattern'' under the LCD. When i push on it i can 'slide' it accross but when i take my finger off it moves back to the middle/original position.
The 'pattern' is always in the very middle of the screen and it varies in rectangular size. 90% of the time this rectangle is visiable, the screen more or less doesnt work.
This pattern can only be seen when the screen is off, and even then it needs to be tilted slightly.
The pattern ONLY seems to appear when the temperature chnages, ie if its been sitting on my desk all day i wont see anythign & it will work fine. But, if i put it in my pocket and walka roudn for 30+mins and take it out of my pocket the pattern will be there 7 the screen wont work. Once again, i have to put it on the side and leave it for 30+mins and the pattern eventually disappears and the screen works again.
Asking a few mates, they recon it could be a moisture under the screen, and its only aroudn whent he temperature chnages due to it condensing etc. Once the temperature has stablised it evaporates off. Do you think this could be correct?
And as for fixing it, would a hair dryer on it work 2 try and evaporate the water for good, or is it a LCD replacement job?
Many thanks all | <urn:uuid:73abd866-cd18-4392-ac70-9cf3afcab620> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=478485 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948906 | 344 | 1.554688 | 2 |
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.
Like Prairie Summer (2001) and Lessons (2005), this third novel is based on Geisert's own childhood on a South Dakota farm in the 1950s. Now in sixth grade, Rachel loves school, but she hates farmwork. After a giant snowstorm, she is excited when she and her two older sisters are moved into town so that they can continue to attend school, and she is thrilled not to have chores. Still, she worries about how her parents and younger siblings are coping. The brutal winter is the drama here, and so is the honest view of leaving home.--Rochman, Hazel Copyright 2009 Booklist
School Library Journal
(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Gr 4-6-In this sequel to Prairie Summer (2002) and Lessons (2005, both Houghton), sixth-grader Rachel is once again the narrator. She and her sisters contend with ordinary concerns-friends, promises, chores-and with the challenges of a brutal 1955-'56 winter on the Great Plains. Rachel loves school, dislikes farm work, and does not look forward to snow days. Yet snow it does, and as it continues to block the highways, the Johnson girls are flown into town and housed at the local hotel for weeks so that they may attend school. Lack of a phone keeps them from knowing whether or not their parents and younger siblings are safe. The sisters grow in their ability to cooperate, and Rachel gets a more realistic look at town life. This is a heartwarming glimpse at a dimming past.-Kathryn Kosiorek, formerly at Cuyahoga County Public Library, Brooklyn, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. | <urn:uuid:11ba05e9-d550-4f09-a428-69baf8cec443> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ls2content.tlcdelivers.com/content.html?customerid=735&requesttype=text-review&button=false&isbn=9780618685882&upc= | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952299 | 388 | 1.710938 | 2 |
IU's Kelley School of Business remembers William Fry
April 7, 2009
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University and its Kelley School of Business today are remembering Indianapolis-area businessman and philanthropist William R. Fry with expressions of condolences and appreciation for his support of IU and his desire to help people who were less fortunate.
Fry, who died Sunday (April 5) at the age of 72, has been a longtime supporter of the university. The Carmel, Ind., resident most recently gave $15 million to the Kelley School for a new, life-changing undergraduate scholarship program for financially challenged students from underrepresented areas of society.
"Mr. Fry represented all that we value at the Kelley School," said Dan Smith, dean of the Kelley School. "He was an inspirational entrepreneur, a person of great vision and integrity and a man who generously gave back to help others who were less fortunate. He will be missed greatly, but his spirit will live forever through all the lives that he will change as a result of his support of our students."
"The remarkable thing I remember most about Mr. Fry is how humble and down to earth he was. He had a clear vision of why and how he could support talented students who otherwise would have no means to attend college," added M.A. Venkataramanan, chair of Kelley's undergraduate program. "He wanted to make a profound impact on the Kelley School of Business. I am confident his generosity will alter the landscape of the our school and IU for the better."
The scholarship program, made possible through Fry's gift, will help the Kelley School pursue a major initiative toward increased inclusiveness. As with the Bloomington campus, the school has set ambitious objectives for increased faculty hiring and enrollment of people from underrepresented populations.
Fry, a native of Winamac, Ind., has made a number of significant contributions to improve life in communities where he lived, but he said last fall that he especially liked the impact that his Kelley School gift would have on young minds, and also that it will spark success among people from financially challenged environments.
He said that he simply hoped his gift will help students who "have the drive and the intelligence, but have not had the opportunity ... I'm oriented toward trying to make the world a better place."
Fry attended IU and was president of his senior class in 1958, president of his fraternity, Sigma Chi, and a member of the campus' ROTC program.
After graduation, he served for five years in the U.S. Army in South Carolina and in South Korea. Afterwards, he he joined American Fletcher National Bank. After a five-year stint as a stockbroker with Merrill Lynch, Fry returned to AFNB where he remained until 1983 and ultimately became senior vice president and chief investment officer of its trust department.
After AFNB, Fry started an investment management firm, Progressive United Corp., in Indianapolis. Seven years later, he began a successful career in radio. He eventually owned five stations in Shreveport, La. After selling the radio stations in 1999, he managed his investments while living in Las Vegas, Nev., before returning to Indiana last year.
In lieu of flowers, his family suggests that donations can be made in Fry's honor to the IU Simon Cancer Center's Multiple Myeloma research efforts. Checks can be made payable to "IUF Myeloma Research Fund," Simon Cancer Center, care of the IU Foundation, P.O. Box 660245, Indianapolis, Ind, 46266-0245. | <urn:uuid:107778f8-a75a-43ad-bfe6-e4c949af4f0c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kelley.iu.edu/News/List/page38118.cfm?itemurl=/cms/include/newsmedia/items/10485.html.xml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978812 | 725 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Many workers cannot afford to retire, actuaries warn
Many workers may discover that they cannot afford to retire, a firm of actuaries has warned.
The firm, LCP, says this is because the decline of final-salary pension schemes is likely to continue.
Its report also says UK employers will save £73bn as a result of some adopting the consumer prices index (CPI) rather than the retail prices index (RPI) to protect pensions from inflation
But this will solely benefit employers rather than their staff, LCP says.Downgrading
LCP's report, an annual review of the financial position of the pension schemes of the FTSE 100 companies, is gloomy about the future.
It points out that very few big employers now offer a traditional final-salary pension scheme for new recruits. Increasing numbers have been shutting them even to current staff.
The actuaries predict that the trend will continue.
"From 2012, as companies face the cost and administrative complexity of auto‑enrolment, further downgrading of existing schemes is likely," LCP says.
"In the short term, this may help the companies' finances but, in the longer term, many people could find that they simply cannot afford to retire."
Auto-enrolment is the impending requirement for all but the smallest employers to provide their staff with a pension scheme, or to enrol them in the government's own forthcoming top-up pension scheme called NEST.Big savings
LCP describes the past year as "benign" for most schemes.
In the 12 months to the end of June 2011, the combined deficit of the pensions schemes of FTSE 100 companies fell, from £51bn a year ago to £19bn.
The report highlights the beneficial effect for employers of being able, in some cases, to adopt the slower moving CPI, rather than the traditional RPI measure, for inflation proofing.
The move was prompted by a change in government policy towards public sector pension schemes in July 2010.
Not all companies have disclosed if their pension rules allow them to make a similar change as well, but where it has taken place there has been a dramatic windfall for employers.
In the past year, BT has saved £3.5bn, BA £770m, BAE Systems £348m and Tesco £270m, LCP said.
"Of course, where companies are seeing a significant reduction in their obligations to current and former employees, pension scheme members are losing out through lower expected future benefits," LCP points out.
"If CPI were to average 0.75% per annum (pa) less than RPI, a pensioner retiring at age 60 on £10,000 pa would see their benefit eroded by nearly £1,200 pa in today's terms by the time they reach age 75.
"The difference is even greater for a deferred pensioner whose pension has yet to come into payment; a 45 year old expecting RPI linkage up to retirement and in payment could lose around a quarter of the value of their pension," the report adds.'Small print lottery'
So far, only 20 of the top 100 companies have disclosed that they have been able to adopt such a change for their schemes, though more are expected to do so in the course of this financial year.
Not all will be able to adopt CPI in any case, as it will depend entirely on the precise wording of their own pension schemes' rules, which may have been written decades ago.
LCP describes this as a "small print lottery" but one which will have huge long-term impact for some employees.
"The most common impact has been for pension increases in payment to be unaffected but for deferred pension revaluation to move to a CPI base," the report says.
"In its revised July 2011 impact assessment, the government has estimated that, across all UK pension schemes, the change to CPI will reduce the current value of members' benefits by £73bn." | <urn:uuid:8c897317-95f4-4e18-bed4-6dd7d5b9293f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14370452 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972209 | 819 | 1.578125 | 2 |
The government has said that a committee will be set up to examine allegations that US retail giant Wal-Mart indulged in lobbying activities in India to gain entry to the country's market.
The one-man commission will be given three months to complete its enquiry. The report will be shared with Parliament.
In September last year, the government sanctioned the entry of foreign super-chains like Wal-Mart by allowing 51% Foreign Direct Investment or FDI in multi-brand retail.
The Opposition has been demanding an investigation since November when Wal-Mart, in a disclosure filing in the United States, said that it had spent Rs. 125 crore in the last four years to lobby for "enhanced access" to markets in India and other countries.
Both Wal-Mart and the United States government maintain that the money on lobbying was spent in America, and not in India, where lobbying is illegal.
In November, Wal-Mart informed the US Securities and Exchange Commission that it was investigating potential violations of the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in Brazil, China and India, among other markets. The company's joint venture in India - Bharti Wal-Mart - suspended several employees including its Chief Financial Officer as part of an internal corruption investigation. | <urn:uuid:d62eeb97-6264-4ed5-93fe-a3d27388a22d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/government-clears-committee-to-investigate-alleged-lobbying-by-wal-mart-321868?pfrom=home-otherstories | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963684 | 253 | 1.78125 | 2 |
I’ve been regularly donating blood to the Red Cross yearly
This time around I’m also doing it for a friend as a birthday gift
When Gaygay Llido-Velasquez posted about her “Blood, Life.” program — I immediately signed up
I also knew that my body was super-ready — my dieting made sure of that
But I super-hate needles — I dread the thought of being pricked
So when it was time to be tested for my hemoglobin I actually considered backing out
Not only was it painful — it was darn irksome too
But survived it I did — I didn’t even noticed it was all over
The best thing that happened was being photographed with the other donors
A team of police officers in their blue sports attire were all-smiles
We all made a difference that day — the blood we donated could save lives
I was smiling from ear to ear myself — there was just so many men… so little time!
If you still haven’t done this — think about it — just do it
Donating blood is also good for you — your body is resuscitated as new blood is “churned-out”
You may have to be courageous but it’s all about having SINCERE commitment to help
What’s a little prick to worry about? You can save a life.
Please rate this post!
Did you enjoy reading this blog post? Aminin! Subscribe now! | <urn:uuid:0fad5595-d529-48cc-9206-8c7a276e66a2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://gandaeversomuch.com/2012/04/ganda-ever/making-a-difference-by-donating-blood/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978538 | 314 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Designed by Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill and completed in 2009, the Trump International Hotel and Tower Chicago stands 1,362 feet (415 m) over the Chicago river at 401 North Wabash Avenue in Chicago. The building was named after the owner and real estate developer Donald Trump. It stands at North Wabash Avenue and the Chicago river. The building received publicity when the winner of the first season of The Apprentice television show, Bill Rancic, chose to manage the construction of the tower. The building was originaly designed as the worlds tallest building but redesigned after the 9/11 atacks in New York. | <urn:uuid:64f2ab5d-e2e4-4b84-9a2c-7306e8bd4edd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=a93c06210d9231294b554348332acda4&revision=7&revstate=accepted | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96519 | 129 | 1.546875 | 2 |
As an appetizer, please enjoy this great link to a PVC Noir Cartoon from the Grassroots Recycling Network.
Polyvinyl chloride, or vinyl is one of the most dangerous substances ever made according to the Center for Health, Environment and Justice. You know how sometimes you can have a friend or a co-worker who is really cool & nice in the beginning, and she does all these really great things for you? And you're like, "OMG! This co-worker is so fantastic and does all these really great things for me!" And then, as time goes by she totally stabs you in the back by giving you cancer. That's like PVC.
As a disclaimer, I'm not even attempting to be objective about PVC. We need some serious reflection & rethinking on this material. I applaud the mantra of "do no harm", but I have higher expectations for my species. We should look at every material with a "do good" mantra. Does PVC do good?
We got a new heating system this week and as I was working on last week's post, something foul wafted up through the basement. I later found out that it was likely PVC cement. I gather this is not something I want to spread on my morning multi-grain toast. I went downstairs and saw the familiar white 4 inch pipes weaving through the other dark spaghetti of pipes that float overhead. It's so hard to imagine something so benign-looking and apparently indispensable to modern heating & plumbing can be so harmful. Last year, the humans of the world used about 35 million metric tons of PVC (the rough equivalent of about 250,000 blue whales).
When I think of PVC, the white pipe always comes to mind, but we have basically surrounded ourselves with PVC. Here is a list of some potentially vinylicious products:
- shower curtains (my co-worker is frowning right now...I can feel it.)
- ceiling tiles
- carpet backing
- upholstery fabric
- window treatments
- children's clothing (Greenpeace study on Disney clothing)
- inflatable pools
- fake leather bags
- garden hoses
- blood bags, medical tubing and a variety of other medical supplies
- home siding, flooring, roofing & windows
- electrical wire
- cable insulation
- credit cards
- records (ancestor of the iPod)
- commercial signage (trade show banners, car magnets, decals, lettering...)
- Barbie, Ken & Skipper too.
- Jelly Glitter Bell Boots...for horses. I'm not kidding.
- Jump ropes (did you know there is a Jump Rope Institute?)
"Vinyl is the global plastic of choice for infrastructure and diverse applications."Is that a vision or a command?
Anyway, the VI "is a U.S. trade association representing the leading manufacturers of vinyl, vinyl chloride monomer, vinyl additives and modifiers, and vinyl packaging materials." According to the VI, vinyl saves lives and is the backbone of modern medicine. They also have a very organized and vague list which comprises their commitment to health, safety & the environment. But the question remains: how can you have ANY commitment to the environment when the core product you promote contains and emits harmful byproducts throughout its entire life cycle? Once again, is there a way to make PVC good for the earth?
PVC is a tireless giver. It freely donates to earth, water, and air: mercury, phthalates, and dioxins or more simply translated into "brain fry", "likely cancer", and "cancer." This is our entree for the evening. I like to call it the "death kabob."
Mercury. What a fantastically mesmerizing element. It's a car, it's a god, it's a surf apparel brand, and it's a wicked cute planet. If you are looking for a reliable and permanent neurotoxin, mercury is the drug of choice. Also, I just discovered something disturbing. Although many cosmetic companies are phasing out the input of mercury in their products, it still happens. Minnesota is the only state in the US to ban mercury-containing cosmetics (namely mascara). I really want to open the cosmetics-ingredients-labels can-o-worms, but I refrain. I'm already on a tangent. Maybe that will be my next blog. But ladies, thespians, clowns, and cross-dressers, please check out this link--it's awesome.
Phthalates (THAL-8's). I'm going to call them "8's" for short. There are 21 different types of commonly used 8's and 90% of all 8's are funneled into the making of PVC. It's a plasticizer, which is like yoga for vinyl, making it nice & flexible (think barbie heads). Can we assume a direct relationship between phthalates and phlexibility? For instance, does vinyl siding have a higher 8 content than the pipes underneath your sink? I'm not certain. According to the Phthalates Information Center, 8's "make our lives better and safer...and they make our homes more decorative..." The PIC also attempts to reassure us that "many independent reviews have declared them to be safe as used in toys and cosmetics." Phew, because I can't imagine what I would do if they banned the ingredient that makes my nail polish resistant to chipping. I might die. The Phthalates Info Center doesn't state outright that 8's are not harmful, and they repeat the idea throughout their site that 8's are innocent until proven guilty...all 21 of them I guess.
Dioxins. DIE...oxins. Heck of a name. Dioxins show up when the PVC is burned accidentally during manufacture or in the disposal process. If it's got chlorine in it, it's going to have dioxins coming out of it. Dioxins, also referred to as PBT's (persistent bioaccumulative toxicants)--sounds yummy, doesn't it? Mmmmm, toxicants...Not to sound too morbid, but you have dioxins swimming around in you right now. Prove me wrong--please...I really want to be wrong on this one. I think this equation sums it up nicely:
Take home message? Don't stand around staring at house & car fires like those folks on the 10 O'Clock news. House fires suck--don't make it worse by inhaling your toilet plumbing or glove compartment. Run Forest, run.
According to ICIS (please tell me what the acronym stands for--I couldn't find it on their website), "...Sears Holding, the parent corporation of retail giants Sears and Kmart, announced it would be joining Target, Wal-Mart, Microsoft and several other large retail-oriented companies in phasing out PVC." The US Green Building Council has also given PVC two thumbs down citing it as one of the most hazardous materials on the market. FOX News however, loves PVC and believes that Love Canal was a bunch of hype.
There are 4 major companies that manufacture PVC in the US.
- Formosa Plastics is out of Taiwan and just last Wednesday, the company made the news because they were fined over $100,000 for repeated environmental violations at one of their plants in Point Comfort, TX. This is chump change for a $5 billion a year business.
- Shintech, a subsidiary of a Japanese based company is the largest producer of PVC in the US and they are located in Plaquemine, LA...yet another southern state and another landmark on "Cancer Alley's" sightseeing tour. 10 years earlier, Shintech's plans to build the plant were smothered by citizen protests of environmental racism.
- OxyChem/Occidental, headquartered in Dallas, TX also claims that they are the leading manufacturer of PVC in the US. Al Gore has an interesting old connection with Oxy, aside from being a shareholder. In 1996, he apparently brokered the deal for Occidental to buy traditional lands from the Kitanemuk in Southern California, but that's another tangent.
- Georgia Gulf is headquartered in Atlanta, GA and they specialize in chlorovinyl and aromatics production. They are neighbors with Shintech in Plaquemine, LA and Formosa in southeast Texas.
PVC RECYCLING: In Cooper City, FL National Recycling can recycle pretty much any kind of plastic (including PVC), but I'm not clear on whether or not they would take a bucket full of pipes if I walked up to their security gate. I found an interesting bit from a Recycling Today article about a subsidiary of Georgia-Gulf, Royal Group Technologies, Ltd., a PVC manufacturer in Ontario, Canada who bought an Italian-designed "regrinder" to process their own PVC scrap as well as their customers' scrap. It's a closed-loop system and wouldn't you know? It saves them money. Alas, most of the PVC waste in the US, Europe & Australia is shoved off on "all those other countries" to deal with, and wouldn't you know? Many of those countries just happen to have less restrictions on materials disposal. I was only able to find 2 stats on the percentage of PVC that is actually recycled and both estimated a whopping 0.5%.
I feel like I can just keep going with this one. There is a TON of information to sift through regarding this material. If you take anything away from this post (other than a great site to buy glitter boots for horses), know that PVC #3 is a questionable material and a contaminant in your recycling bin AT BEST.
What kind of relationship do you have with PVC?
What PVC items can you phase out of your life?
Closing Haiku about PVC:
PVC and me
Do I really need this crap?
Does it give me life? | <urn:uuid:449fe558-3069-410c-9e3b-4bde6bee73b7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://knowplastic.blogspot.com/2008/11/week-10-pvc-3.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961608 | 2,058 | 1.84375 | 2 |
By Mark Boriek, Principal Fisheries Biologist
In March 2010, a total of 830 licensed anglers participated in a telephone survey to assess fishing participation and satisfaction. The survey was conducted by Responsive Management, a nationally recognized research firm specializing in public opinion on natural resources, fish and wildlife and outdoor recreation issues. All of the anglers polled had purchased a New Jersey freshwater fishing license during 2009. The survey covered topics including, but not limited to, the angler’s participation in various types of fishing, the species for which they fish, their satisfaction with fishing in New Jersey and their opinions on regulations. The last survey of New Jersey freshwater anglers was conducted in 2003.
The recent study reveals valuable data regarding our angling public’s level of satisfaction with the opportunities offered in New Jersey, and highlighted priorities for increasing angler satisfaction.
Consistent with New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife’s marked fishing license sales increase in recent years, the 2009 survey indicates that anglers are purchasing a license more reliably. In 2005, 55 percent of anglers had purchased a license; in 2008, 72 percent had, and when this survey was conducted in the spring of 2010, 88 percent of anglers surveyed had already purchased their 2010 fishing license.
Although half of New Jersey’s anglers have been devoted to the sport long-term—having fished for more than 20 years—there appears to be a slight increase in newcomers to the sport compared with the 2003 study results. We learned that 18 percent of anglers have been freshwater fishing for five years or less versus 10 percent of anglers in 2003. The survey also indicates that every year more and more anglers purchase a trout stamp with their license; 30 percent did so in 2005 and 53 purchased a trout stamp in 2009.
Resident anglers fished for an average of 28 days; non-residents fished for 16 days in Garden State waters. Of the anglers surveyed, 37 percent fished for ten days or less in 2010.
Overall, 70 percent of licensed freshwater anglers polled rated their freshwater fishing experience in New Jersey as excellent or good.
Quality of Fishing
Overall, 70 percent of licensed freshwater anglers polled rated their freshwater fishing experience in New Jersey as excellent or good. A greater percentage of anglers (27 percent) thought the overall quality of fishing had improved than thought it had declined (12 percent) in the past five years. The most popular answer was that it had remained about the same (43 percent). That was also true in 2003, when anglers generally felt that freshwater fishing had improved or remained about the same over the past 10 years.
In 2009, satisfaction (72 percent) far exceeds dissatisfaction (10 percent) among all anglers regarding New Jersey’s enforcement of freshwater fishing regulations; the remainder gave a neutral answer. An overwhelming majority of anglers (86 percent) also found New Jersey’s fishing regulations clear and easy to understand, while only 10 percent disagreed. However, 78 percent of the anglers were not aware of recent regulation changes such as the three rod-limit for shoreline anglers, although 72 percent did support that limit. It is apparent that a greater agency effort is necessary to alert anglers when regulations change.
Targeted Species and Most Popular Waterbodies
As with the freshwater angler survey in 2003, largemouth bass, trout and smallmouth bass were the most popular freshwater species sought by New Jersey anglers. Specifically, in 2009, 61 percent fished for largemouth bass; brook, brown or rainbow trout (41 percent) and smallmouth bass (40 percent). Following those were catfish/bullhead (19 percent), crappie (13 percent), pickerel (10 percent), northern pike (9 percent), hybrid striped bass (7 percent), walleye (4 percent) and muskellunge (1 percent). Excluding fishing tournaments, 5 percent of largemouth bass anglers kept at least some of the largemouth bass they caught in New Jersey in 2009. In 2003, 13 percent kept some of their largemouth bass catch.
In contrast to the 2003 survey where anglers were asked to rate their general satisfaction with stocking programs for species such as muskellunge, walleye, and hybrid striped bass, anglers who indicated they targeted these species were asked to identify the specific waterbodies they fished for these species. Although this greatly lengthened the overall survey, the data provided Fish and Wildlife with more precise information about the success of specific stocking programs.
Lake Assunpink was the most popular of the state’s four Lunker Bass Lakes (lakes Assunpink, Parvin and Delaware plus Splitrock Reservoir), with 28 percent of the bass anglers having fished there.
Of the state’s nine waterbodies stocked with northern pike, Spruce Run Reservoir, Budd Lake and Cranberry Lake were the most popular.
Lake Hopatcong, Echo Lake Reservoir and Monksville Reservoir were the overwhelming favorites among muskie anglers with over 70 percent of anglers fishing at least one of these waterbodies.
Lake Hopatcong, in addition to the Delaware River, also rated highly among walleye anglers.
Spring remains the most popular season for trout fishing in New Jersey with 79 percent of trout anglers participating then. Summer and fall are equally popular among anglers with 37 percent of trout anglers fishing each of those seasons. Trout anglers who generally fish in the winter were asked to indicate in which winter month they fish for trout the most. March is the most popular month from November through March.
Nearly half of the trout anglers (49 percent) released all the trout they caught. This is slightly less than reported in the 2003 survey (53 percent). In contrast, 11 percent of trout anglers keep all the trout they catch; about one third (35 percent) keep some and release some.
Trout anglers were asked if they would support or oppose a youth-only trout fishing day prior to opening day of the season, even if slightly fewer trout would be available in the waters for regular opening day. Supportive anglers (68 percent) far exceed those opposed (19 percent). The remainder gave a neutral answer.
And finally, the survey asked fall trout anglers if they support or oppose closing streams to fishing from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the day streams are stocked as is done for spring stocking. Supporters (58 percent) exceed those opposed (33 percent). The remaining anglers gave a neutral answer. A reduced creel limit for fall trout fishing due to larger trout being stocked gained the support of 47 percent of fall trout anglers.
Fish and Wildlife’s Bureau of Freshwater Fisheries appreciates the time anglers took to complete the survey. We value your input about the quality of your fishing experience in New Jersey. | <urn:uuid:86995ef6-10df-4ceb-84c8-4f7dd7dbb517> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.eregulations.com/newjersey/fishing/freshwater201/are-you-a-satisfied-angler/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96262 | 1,425 | 1.734375 | 2 |
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Just as every smart phone claiming to be an "iPhone killer" has failed to dethrone Apple's iPhone, every so-called "iTunes killer" has so far fallen short of expectations.
But a new music service from Europe might be the first legitimate iTunes contender. And it's coming soon to the United States.
Spotify, based in the U.K. and available in a handful of European countries, looks just like iTunes at first glance. Both allow users to buy music from a library songs (8 million for Spotify, 11 million for iTunes), make playlists, store music on their computers, and sync that music with their iPods, smart phones or other MP3 players.
But unlike Apple's (AAPL, Fortune 500) iTunes, Spotify gives users total control over their music -- with a Facebook tie-in. Users can listen to any of Spotify's 8 million tracks online for free, if they're willing to endure the occasional advertisement, or pay $15 per month for ad-free access. They can also upload their existing music to get access to their personal libraries over the Internet.
So while using iTunes across several computers -- say, home and work, plus phone -- can be aggravating, Spotify allows you anytime-anywhere access to your music.
Of course, with Spotify, you don't technically own all of the music. You're just accessing tracks from the library. Which raises the question: What do you do when you don't have an Internet connection?
Premium users can download up to 3,333 songs on their iPhones or Android smart phones so the music is available when they're offline if they're going to be away from a wireless connection.
Last week, Spotify launched a new version of its software that integrates its service with Facebook. Now, users can share music on Facebook with other Spotify users, see what their friends are listening to, and access their friends' playlists and libraries.
Sound better than iTunes? It does to many analysts.
"Be in no doubt, Spotify has stolen a march on Apple," said Mark Mulligan, analyst at Forrester Research. "Spotify has long, and wrongly, been positioned as an 'iTunes killer'. The comparison was inappropriate, until now."
Rumors have swirled around for months that Apple would soon launch its own subscription-based music service. In December, Apple bought Lala, a tiny subscription-based service. But on Friday, Apple announced it would shut down Lala at the end of May.
"If Apple wasn't planning on doing something similar with the Lala acquisition, it will be now, especially when Spotify comes to the U.S.," Mulligan said.
Though many subscription-based services, like Rhapsody, Napster and Mog, are available in the United States and offer many of those features, none incorporates all of Spotify's offerings.
A spokeswoman from Spotify said the company is planning to launch in the United States by the end of the year, though news reports have suggested the service could come across the pond as early as this summer.
Spotify may have beat iTunes to the punch in the European market, and as they're presently constructed, Spotify may be the better music service of the two, say a number of analysts. But underestimating Apple's ability to create a worthwhile competitor may be a mistake.
"Apple realizes it has to bring a subscription-based iTunes to the market," said Matt Anderson, partner at Booz & Co.'s consumer, media and technology practice. "Using iTunes across multiple PCs is terrible right now, but no one really knows where this thing is fully going yet."
Even if a subscription-based iTunes doesn't incorporate all of Spotify's features, Apple's name alone gives it a leg up over the competition.
"Customers want a simple experience endorsed by a big company," said Anderson. "People are overwhelmed with choice now, and they know iTunes. Very few people are saying, 'iTunes does only 80% of what I want, so I'm going to look for some shareware replacement.'"
Cost may prove to be an issue for consumers as well. One of Lala's features was the ability to access your iTunes library from any computer with an Internet connection. Industry experts say providing the ability to access music that users already own costs significantly less than licensing millions of songs for users to access on demand. That's why on-demand music services either place ads between songs or cost users an average of $10 a month.
"Historically, the challenge for services that offer on-demand music is that they have very onerous costs from a licensing standpoint, which means they need to charge a lot for the service," said Tim Westergren, founder of Internet radio service Pandora. "But if you're talking about just giving you access to music you already own, that's a very different animal."
Subscription-based services have also had a bit of a tormented past. Imeem and Lala were bought by MySpace and Apple, and were both eventually shut down. Subscribers who set up their playlists and paid a monthly fee to access their music had to start all over again with another service once those were shuttered.
As a result, analysts said Spotify will need to build up a level of trust with users before it catches the United States by storm -- a trust that they say Apple has earned over the years.
"I don't think it will be a case of Spotify comes to the United States and everyone's going to stop buying music on iTunes," said Sonal Gandhi, music media analyst at Forrester. "Not everyone wants to pay $10 a month. This will be limited to mostly big music fans to start."
Tesla Motors announced Wednesday that it has repaid a $465 million loan from the government nearly a decade before it was scheduled to do so. More
Home sales and home prices continue to show strength of housing recovery in latest reading. More
The tornado that struck the Moore, Okla., area Monday afternoon left an almost 2-mile wide path of destruction, flattening homes and businesses and taking at least 24 lives. More | <urn:uuid:8882c59b-b29a-494f-a409-faaa3f524ec2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://money.cnn.com/2010/05/04/technology/apple_itunes_spotify/index.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963372 | 1,273 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Theater Consolidation and Shipping Point-Europe opens.The Defense Distribution Depot Europe (DDDE DDDE Defense Distribution Depot Europe (US Department of Defense) ) in Germersheim, Germany, opened its newest distribution facility, the Theater Consolidation and Shipping Point-Europe (TCSP--E), on 2 October. The TCSP--E acts as the primary conduit for sustainment materiel entering the European theater. As such, it rapidly consolidates and segregates shipments from multiple sources and prepares them for onward shipment to customers.
"We are honored that DDDE was chosen for this important mission," said Lieutenant Colonel Lance Koenig, DDDE Commander. "Our promise to the European Command (EUCOM EUCOM European Command (USEUCOM)
EUCOM European Union Forces ) warfighter is that we will carry out the breakbulk distribution mission with the same professionalism and high standards that we have achieved while conducting DLA's [Defense Logistics Agency's] distribution mission."
As part of the Army's transformation in Europe, personnel strength in Europe was reduced and the focus shifted to warfighting functions. The transformation plan included the divesture of all noncore distribution functions, including the transfer of the Theater Distribution Center (TDC), which had been operated by the 21st Theater Support Command in Panzer Kaserne. A joint task force composed of action officers from the U.S. European Command, U.S. Transportation Command, U.S. Army Europe, U.S. Air Forces in Europe, DLA, and DDC See VESA DDC. recommended that the mission be moved from the TDC to the DDDE.
DDDE assumed responsibility for breakbulk surface and ocean containers in August, and, in early September, commercial air lines of communication "Lines of Communication" is an episode from the fourth season of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5. Synopsis
Franklin and Marcus attempt to persuade the Mars resistance to assist Sheridan in opposing President Clark. (ALOC) pallets were transferred. Later that month, DDDE began receiving military ALOC pallets. The TCSP was fully operational by the end of October. | <urn:uuid:c2e404da-2e43-408a-b2f7-ecf5e19b0f8b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Theater+Consolidation+and+Shipping+Point-Europe+opens.-a0158681760 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933568 | 443 | 1.804688 | 2 |
A high quality 18.5x13 colour photo print the infamous RMS Titanic which has been hand signed by the late Millvina Dean. The photo print is available on its own or as a framed presentation, at an additional cost. Dean has autographed the print clearly on the left hand side of the print in black marker.
Millvina Dean was the youngest survivor from the sinking of the Titanic and was also its last survivor. Dean, her mother, and brother were placed in Lifeboat 10 and were among the first steerage passengers to escape the sinking oceanliner. Her father, however, did not survive, and his body, if recovered, was never identified. Millvina passed away aged 97 in May 2009. Titanic Autographs were the last people to do a commercial signing with her.
Choose a currency below to display product prices in the selected currency. | <urn:uuid:69823fff-f5e3-4e88-ae7f-9aa5c8aae701> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.titanicautographs.com/products.php?product=Original-Titanic-Millvina-Dean-Signed-Photo-Print&setCurrencyId=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985058 | 177 | 1.539063 | 2 |
When I get to thinking of the global warming and energy crisis, I can’t help but feel that it’s nothing short of irresponsible for energy innovation not to be on the agenda of every large corporation in the world.
O’Reilly, trend-setters in the realm of innovative conferences (O’Reilly Emerging Technology, O’Reilly Emergying Telephony, Web 2.0 Summit and Expo, and more), would seem to agree. They are at it again, this time – for the first time – with the O’Reilly Energy Innovation Conference, coming to San Francisco in August this year.
Some highlights of the planned event, which “grows at the intersection of technology and energy,” are, and I quote:
- High profile keynote presentations with big players and up-and-coming innovators
- Concrete, qualitative discussions helping to focus on what is viable now and in the coming, critical decade
- Launch Pad, an introduction to cool startups, applications, and products
- Energy Innovation Fair, an evening event that brings together projects, tools, apps, and other innovative technology being created in garages, workshops, and university labs that offer insight into what the future of power and energy will hold
- Emerging technologies, ranging from smart buildings and plug-in hybrid vehicles to superconductors and enormous wind turbines, are shaping a transformation in our economy and our lives
- Radical new tools for increasing supplies and mitigating environmental impacts
Sayeth O’Reilly himself of the event:
“Power is going to be a major focus of thought and investment, and it’s going to touch everything. So pulling together people from all these overlapping fields, who would normally hang with their own birds but not those of a similar feather, suddenly make sense.”
Co-chairs include an engineering manager and engineering director from Google:
- Alec Proudfoot seems to be an alternate-fuel vehicle visionary of sorts. He created the prototype for what became “the first modern high power AC induction electric vehicle,” and does stuff with Google Book Search and Google Maps – as well as advises Google.org on energy and transportation issues “in his 20% time.”
- Chris Uhlik’s career has covered robotics, electronics, software, power systems, and automotive controls – as well as Gmail and Google Book Search.
So why would my company, SAP, take notice?
- If O’Reilly’s got it on its radar, I take notice.
- Google’s got it on its radar, anyway…
- Doesn’t SAP have an interest in the global supply chain?
- A different kind of regreening: energy issues will change the world’s economy
- Not to mention – energy issues will change the world
- Innovation comes from everywhere …
- Couldn’t the sharpest minds at SAP help engage in “increasing supplies and mitigating environmental impacts”?
And on that last point, I got to thinking about knives.
While on my couch attempting to beat a cold yesterday, I read an article in the March/April 2007 edition of Cook’s Illustrated on the latest innovations in knives. It caught my eye for two reasons:
1) In thinking about innovation for work, I seem to notice that innovation is key now in every industry (even – maybe especially – in the fast food arena – witness Taco Bell: “Think outside the bun”) – and knife making is no exception. Think about the size of blade – who knew that a blade that is more narrow on the top (non-sharp) part has therefore a more narrow profile overall, and instead of “wedging” the food apart and perhaps tearing it, simply slices cleanly through? And what about the shape and material of the handle, and where your thumb is going to sit? Think about how you rock your wrist during cutting – ergonomics, and whether the handle will slip out of your hands when your hands are wet or greasy. And how often have you been irked by the carrots or potatoes sticking to the blade as you chop – and did you know that this can be mitigated with coating or indents on the blades?
Tons of innovation there – who knew? And – how did they know?
2) Who’s one of the current knife innovators? Porsche. While its knife is not ranked very high by the staff at Cook’s, it is interesting to note instances of a company innovating outside its best-known product. Perhaps they had a lot of leftover chrome.
But – sharp minds and puns aside – I do get to thinking – what in fact DOES the regreening of the globe have to do with SAP, and – more relevantly – what will SAP have to do with it?
- SAP does have a strong emphasis on sustainability in the meanwhile
- O’Reilly never did produce that conference, it seems. Wonder why not. | <urn:uuid:22d38e7f-91dc-427a-9c5b-9f8f3beb5dd8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://moyawatson.com/2007/02/07/on-sharp-minds-and-the-regreening-of-the-globe/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94974 | 1,043 | 1.695313 | 2 |
In 1996, a twenty-three-year-old soldier in the British Army was flying over an African desert on a routine parachute jump. He had a lot to look forward to-a long career ahead of him in the army, a beautiful girlfriend back home. But those dreams were cut short when his parachute failed to open at eleven thousand feet. He had cracked three vertebrae and come within a fraction of severing his spinal cord. A grueling eight months of physical therapy followed. Bear had to retrain his muscles to do all of the things we take for granted-how to sit, stand, walk, even breathe. Eighteen months after his accident he overcame incredible odds to reach the peak of Everest. THE KID WHO CLIMBED EVEREST is a tale of courage and determination. Bear's quest for funding for his expedition, his seventy days on Everest's southeast face, and a narrow brush with death after a fall into a crevasse at nineteen thousand feet, make the story an essential read for anyone who's ever had a dream and made it come true.
Collect Fly Buys when you purchase this title | <urn:uuid:874b6c35-d573-41fd-848e-12037d715229> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.paperplus.co.nz/book/Kid-Who-Climbed-Everest?i=9781592284931 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981403 | 230 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Today, Microsoft unveiled a 10-city, nationwide survey that explores how businesses are using cloud-based technologies. Although cloud computing is a term that is widely used in both professional and personal settings, many people are not aware of how often they use these technologies.
Through this "Cloud as an Engine of Growth Survey," commissioned by Microsoft, the company offers insight into how IT decision-makers use cloud-based technology solutions to grow revenue, launch new lines of business, hire staff and innovate.
Los Angeles was one of the ten cities that participated in the survey. The others were New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Francisco, Boston, Atlanta, Washington D.C. and Detroit. Some key trends were apparent from Los Angeles and Orange County area respondents:
We look forward to seeing Los Angeles continue to turn to the cloud, as businesses and consequently the local economy, further innovate and grow. Check out Microsoft's cloud website for more information on how to use the cloud to power your own business. | <urn:uuid:c11fa9bb-16a5-4b7e-b1bb-bdc58838cad9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.technet.com/b/los_angeles/archive/2011/01/12/los-angeles-weather-report-cloudy-with-the-promise-of-innovation.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959061 | 204 | 1.828125 | 2 |
Responsible Business - Let's take responsibility
Taking responsibility for the environment and local community has been an important part of the broader commitment of the Rezidor Hotel Group to sustainable development for many years. In 2001, this commitment was fortified and placed within the scope of a programme called Responsible Business (RB). Each hotel has a unique RB Action Plan covering areas such as community outreach, environmental improvement, employee well-being and health and safety. To read more about the RB programme, visit the RB website.
Radisson Blu hotels are engaged with both local charity groups and the selected corporate international charity organisation of the Rezidor Hotel Group, the World Childhood Foundation. The mission of the World Childhood Foundation is to defend the rights of the child and to promote better living conditions for vulnerable and exploited children at risk all over the world. | <urn:uuid:67564036-38e2-4465-8331-16ea430f16aa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.radissonblu.de/hotel-rostock/kontaktinformationen/responsible-business | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948576 | 168 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Hopes raised for transitional housing
Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan expressing support for a transitional housing facility in the city is a very positive step forward, say local advocates for the homeless.
In a recent interview for a column by NewsLeader editor Chris Bryan, Corrigan reiterated his opposition to emergency shelters, saying people who use them should be getting help elsewhere, such as addictions treatment, an institution like Riverview for the extremely mentally ill, or group homes.
The remainder could then be accommodated in transitional housing facilities, where social workers would refer them to support services and help them on their way to a more stable lifestyle. It's a model of housing Corrigan said he would be willing to accept in Burnaby.
"Shelter is one part of a larger continuum, all are important and transitional housing is approved by the city," said Wanda Mulholland of the Burnaby Task Force on Homelessness. "That's very positive."
Mulholland noted that when it was considering a proposal last year to turn the 401 Motor Inn on Boundary Road into transitional housing, Burnaby city hall developed a template on what would be needed for such a facility to be approved.
While the 401 Motor Inn plan was not given the go-ahead due to a lack of BC Housing funding, council decided the template could be used in other cases as it sets out requirements, the roles of different levels of government and the necessary processes for community consultation and rezoning.
The challenge, as always, is to find a site, she said.
"I have people talking to me about their concerns about housing all the time, daily," Mulholland said, noting homelessness is part of community concerns about the affordability of housing in general.
Emergency shelters generally provide overnight or short-term stays for people who are homeless and include staff that can refer them to resources in the community.
Transitional housing provides longer-term housing for two to three years, and staff who can assist them in making the transition to the next step. That next step can vary by person, from permanent housing to long-term housing where they still need support services.
The target group for transitional housing is those who may still be living "a life of chaos" with no money or health services, people who "just need a longer time to get their feet underneath them before they can look at permanent housing," said Karen O'Shannacery, executive director of the Lookout Emergency Aid Society, which operates Burnaby's extreme weather shelter.
But can a city have transitional housing without an emergency shelter as a point of entry first?
"Absolutely you can, but you're not going to resolve all the problems around the homeless," said O'Shannacery. "From our perspective you need a homeless plan that's actually going to address all the pieces if we're truly going to solve homelessness in Burnaby."
O'Shannacery said shelters also act as emergency centres for people who suddenly find themselves homeless, such as a senior who can't return to their two-storey home until they recover from a broken leg.
And without them as a place where homeless people can come to seek help, outreach workers, such as those from Progressive Housing Society in Burnaby, shoulder most of the burden of finding homeless people and getting them help. Without such a facility in Burnaby, currently the outreach workers try to convince such clients to go to emergency shelters in New Westminster or Vancouver, but often find they don't want to leave their own community where they have their own support network.
Having to go out and find homeless people is "very much a hit-or-miss situation and that's not beneficial for the people that are homeless, that's for sure," O'Shannacery said. "But it is a step in the right direction and a homeless plan for Burnaby includes a number of different types of services and solutions so Mayor Corrigan giving his full support and backing to filling one of the gaps, the transitional housing, that's very good and I applaud him for it."
Lookout continues to work with the province to find an appropriate site for a transitional housing facility in Burnaby and "we'll keep plugging away at it," she said.
"Solving homelessness involves everybody. The mayor is dead on talking about how the federal government has to be re-engaged with housing. Everybody is part of the solution." | <urn:uuid:f37b767c-ae51-4f36-96cd-53733085e910> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.burnabynewsleader.com/news/193912321.html?c=y&curSection=/&curTitle=BC+News&bc09=true | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975106 | 907 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Letter to a Young Psychiatrist
Letter to a Young Psychiatrist
It’s easy to give advice, hard to receive it, harder still to live it. The privilege of youth is action; of age, experience. Nature resists combining both. Experience is a comb you get when you’re bald.
I teach ignorance. Four years of medical school; and 4 more years of residency. Tens of thousands of dollars of debt, and years of minimum wage labor. You must think you have bought something with those funds and that toil; you must finally know something special. You graduate, and you get to work in this bewildering business. People pay you—and so you must know something. If decades pass and you keep getting paid and you don’t pause to reflect, you may end your life thinking that you know much. In fact, as newer generations come up, they see what you don’t.
I teach we don’t know; I teach that knowledge only increases our ignorance. This is what knowledge is: knowing what we know and, just as importantly, knowing what we don’t know.
Knowledge is 2-edged: it illuminates a fact or a part of experience. Usually, in so doing, it shows that what previously seemed sunlit truth is now utter darkness. As you learn something, you realize that much of what you “knew” was actually false. You become more ignorant as you become more wise.
Young psychiatrists need to learn, foremost, that they are ignorant. And they need to learn that their elders are even more ignorant, sometimes because they are wise—because the more you know, the more ignorant you are—sometimes because they are blind.
There is a beneficial and a baleful ignorance. The harmful kind is the ignorance of he who thinks he knows—end of story. This fellow doesn’t know and is simply “mind-blind.”2 He is not wisely ignorant: he doesn’t know that what seemed “true” is false; he just thinks it’s true. Most of your teachers are of this variety, and most of your patients, and most of your colleagues—and, most likely, you.
Look for the dogma. Whatever is believed by most, is likely to be untrue. The truth is not a matter of popular vote; it tends to prefer solitary homes.
Live on the sunny side of doubt. Some doubt darkly: they disbelieve everything and everyone; the truth saunters in front of them and is treated like a vagrant. Take a naive, childlike attitude toward ideas: accept everything—initially, then think on it and reject what seems wrong. Most of your colleagues do the reverse: they reject everything immediately, so as not to disrupt the feeble furniture of their minds; rarely, and with great languidity, do they ever come to accept a new idea.
Reject a superficial worldly skepticism: don’t read The New York Times as your main supply of psychiatric discourse. Read the old books and the journals—not the new books2 and the newspapers. Why do we all wrangle about the disputations in The New York Times and ignore the quiet facts of Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica? One article in the Times is sent to an entire department e-mail list; the poor Acta meta-analysis sits ignored, except by an occasional half-dozen–member journal club. | <urn:uuid:dca8530e-2694-44f4-b8c0-a299d8be7ba6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/articles/letter-young-psychiatrist | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959833 | 716 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Between the two world wars German produced some of the greatest films in the history of the medium, and nurtured several incredibly talented directors. Hollywood just couldn't compete artistically with the German studios. Subscribing to the old adage "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em" Hollywood imported the cream of German directors. Fritz Lang worked for MGM starting in 1934, F.W. Murnau went to Fox in 1926, and Ernst Lubitsch was hired by Mary Pickford in 1922. One other notable director was also brought to America at this time; Paul Leni. He was hired by Universal in 1926, and though his movies are just as strong as the other prestigious German directors, today he is largely forgotten. Much of this has to do with his limited output. He only made for films in America, and tragically died of blood poisoning in 1929.
The Cat and the Canary was Leni's first American movie, and this expressionist influenced film shows Leni at his height as an artist, creating striking visuals and creating a spooky atmosphere, while also putting in some comedy that actually works quite well. The film was released on DVD by Image in 2005. That disc featured a restoration by David Shepard and Film Preservation Associates that looked excellent. Now Kino has released this classic film with an image restored by England's Photoplay Productions. This new disc looks just as good as the first with a clear, detailed image and a new orchestral soundtrack.
Twenty years after Cyrus West's death, his relatives gather late at night in his old mansion to hear the reading of his will. Cyrus' lawyer reveals that Annabelle West (Laura La Plante) inherits the fortune, but only if she can pass a psychological examination that night to prove that she is sane. If not, another of the jealous group is to get the estate.
Strange things start happening almost immediately. The lawyer disappears while talking to Annabelle and a guard from the local asylum announces that he's tracked an escaped lunatic to the West house's grounds. With a madman on the loose, can Annabelle survive the night, much less stay sane?
With bodies falling out of closets, secret passages, and disappearing corpses this movie contains all the elements of haunted house movies that will eventually become clichés. They don't seem trite in this movie however; they are used to great effect. Leni was a master at creating atmosphere, he started out as a set designer, and he works his magic with this film. The images of curtains billowing the length of a deserted hall or the shadow of a maniac's hand passing over the face of a young girl all serve to give the film a chilling aspect.
The movie is not all eerie stalkings though; it would be hard to keep the tension up for the whole length of a feature. To break up the suspenseful elements, Leni incorporates a fair amount of humor in the movie. The scene where a man is hiding under a bed, only to discover that it belongs to a woman and her daughter who then proceed to bar the doors against entry, is light yet fits in well with the plot. The humorous aspects of the film don't detract from the serious parts. Something that is very hard to accomplish.
Leni's Expressionist background serves him well in this film. There are a lot of images that have that German touch. Near the beginning of the film, a silhouette of Cyrus West's mansion dissolves into a series of medicine bottles: illustrating what the old man's world had become. Leni also uses a hand held camera to illustrate what the intruder who is loose in the building sees, a very modern looking set of shots. The director also pays tribute to his German roots with an inside joke: The doctor who comes to examine Annabelle looks very much like Dr. Caligari.
This influential film which set the tone for haunted mansion stories for decades to come (not to mention at least half of all the episodes of Scooby Doo) holds up to the test of time very well. The acting is solid without being overdone and the story, though not as surprising as it must have been in 1927, is still interesting. A very well made film from an excellent director.
This disc comes with an orchestral score composed by Neil Brand and performed by the City of Prague Philharmonic. I always enjoy full orchestrations and this one is very good. The only real complaint I have is that the Theremin (an early electronic instrument) was overused in parts. It's a small complaint however. Being a recent recording there are no audio defects.
This is one of the relatively few silent movies that had a score composed for it, and I was disappointed to find that the original music, penned by James Bradford for the 1927 release, wasn't present.
This movie has been restored by Photoplay Productions from original nitrate prints. I have yet to be disappointed in one of their projects and this is no exception. The movie looks great. The sepia tones image has a wonderful amount of detail and great contrast. The picture is sharp and the blacks are solid. There is some print damage present, a few scratches and some dirt, but these weren't a distraction. That's the good news. The bad news it that this appears to be a PAL to NTSC transfer, and there is some slight ghosting in a few scenes and the film runs 4% faster because of it. It's a shame because it mars an otherwise beautiful restoration.
The only extra included on this disc is a photo gallery of production stills and advertising for the film. There are 16 images altogether.
Which is better; this Kino edition or the previous Image release?:
The two releases of this movie both look very good. They represent
two different restorations and they are just about equal in quality.
The Image version features a restoration by David Shepard and Film Preservation
Associates and it has a bit more grain in the picture than this Kino version,
and is slightly darker in places. The Shepard restoration is tinted
however, and the image is just a tad sharper than the Photoplay release.
The Image release also has more information at the top of the picture.
If it wasn't for the PAL to NTSC conversion on this Kino disc and the flaws
related to that, I'd say that the two discs were of similar quality.
As far as the scores go, I have to give the advantage to the Image release. It includes the original score as well as a modern composition by Frank Stover and performed by the Mont Alto Orchestra. Both are very good and enjoyed the Stover score a bit more than Neil Brand's on this disc.
In the extra category the Image disc also comes out ahead. While the few behind the scenes production shots included with the Kino disc are nice, the Image disc comes with the Harold Lloyd two-reeler, Haunted Spooks.
Though it has no bearing on which disc has the better presentation, one interesting thing to note is the back cover copy on this new Kino disc. To be polite, I'll say that it borrows heavily from the liner notes written by Richard Peterson for Image's 2005 release. Some excerpts:
Image (2005): The Cat And The Canary is so clever and stylish that it would appear to be the wellspring of all "old dark house" mysteries. But when it was filmed by Universal in 1927, John Willard's play was already a theatrical warhorse, along with other popular melodramas such as The Bat, The Monster and The Gorilla.
Kino (2007): So clever and stylish that it would appear to be the wellspring of all "old dark house" mysteries, THE CAT AND THE CANARY was in 1927 already a theatrical chestnut among similar popular melodramas.
Image: Even so, The Cat And the Canary was a milestone of the American horror film, thanks to the ingenuity of its German director, Paul Leni. One of the first of several film artists imported from Germany by Hollywood, Leni invigorated this stage-bound genre with expressionist flair, transforming conventional material into a visual feast.
Kino: Even so, THE CAT is a milestone of the American horror film, thanks to the ingenuity of its director, Paul Leni. One of the first film artists imported from Germany by Hollywood, Leni invigorated this stage-bound genre with expressionist flair, transforming conventional material into a visual feast.
Another rather strange thing about the cover copy is the legal warning on the back. It reads in part: "The program in this videocassette is licensed only for private home use." Kino's actually been using that wording on most (all?) of their DVD releases since they started putting out video discs. Isn't it about time to update the warning?
This film is a great example of Leni's work, a director who is all but
forgotten today. He created a creepy film that was so effective and
impressive that aspects of it have been copied countless times. While
this disc does not surpass the version that Image released a couple of
years ago, that doesn't make it any less impressive. Recommended. | <urn:uuid:a48b0abf-5deb-40b6-9d32-21d1b6791a3b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/print.php?ID=30508 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970842 | 1,902 | 1.625 | 2 |
You can count the truly innovative leaps in recreational boating without using all your fingers: the modern propeller, fiberglass, outboard power, diesel inboard, loran, GPS, electronic chart plotting. Each of these has generated an increase in the number of recreational boaters and their comfort levels. Most other technology qualifies as incremental improvement.
Since the late 1990s, a propulsion system previously seen only on tugboats and cruise ships has been introduced to recreational boating. Pod (short for "azipod") drives feature two or more "pods" sticking straight down from the hull that possess the ability to turn independently. With this system, you can maneuver your boat in any direction you wish without the benefit of bow or stern thrusters.
Currently, three companies produce azipod propulsion systems for recreational vessels: Cummins MerCruiser Diesel (CMD) has Zeus for inboard and Axius for stern drives; Volvo Penta makes IPS (Inboard Performance System); and ZF has its Pod Drive System. All three utilize dual propellers turning in opposite directions on each pod. Also in common, they all use four-blade inner propellers and three-blade outer props.
Volvo Penta places the props on the forward end of the pod, pulling the vessel, while CMD and ZF mount the props on the after side to push. The advantages of dual, counter-rotating props include the elimination of rotational losses and lateral forces as well as greatly reduced cavitation. Increased blade area also allows higher gear ratios for even greater efficiency. Boats track straighter in both forward and reverse.
CMD's Zeus and ZF's pods both have built-in trim tabs. Zeus drives can now be paired with a number of other manufacturers' engines, such as Caterpillar and Yanmar. Expect more engine companies to come on board as pod acceptance grows. Zeus accommodates up to 600 hp engines and utilizes Mercury Marine's proven DTS (electronic) controls that include remarkable engine and systems monitoring. Zeus comes with the most features included as standard, including dynamic positioning and auto-trim.
ZF - a transmission company at heart - supplies only the pods to match with virtually any engine you choose, be it gas, diesel or diesel electric. Its pods accommodate up to 1,200 hp. ZF also offers a propulsion system (called JMS) for standard prop-and-shaft vessels that affords the same joystick-maneuvering abilities as IPS and Zeus, but with only standard propulsion and a bow thruster.
Volvo Penta's IPS system works only with Volvo power. Currently, it can be paired with engines up to 900 hp. Volvo Penta charges extra for many of its features such as dynamic positioning and auto-trim (though, unlike Zeus, trim tabs are an un-integrated separate system on boats with IPS). IPS also comes with Sport Fish mode, a high-speed, fish-fighting maneuvering function. | <urn:uuid:286201d6-3480-4921-abc1-9b6d83708a3a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sportfishingmag.com/boats/boating-skills/pods-or-props?quicktabs_most_popular=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942984 | 611 | 1.703125 | 2 |
The federal-state Unemployment Insurance (UI) system was established in 1935 as a safeguard for individuals against distress for a short period of time after they become unemployed. Today, North Carolinas UI system is facing a $2.4 billion debt crisis and is failing those who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own.
This has been categorized as North Carolinas own fiscal cliff. The North Carolina Chamber could not agree more. The states UI system is broke and broken and this is the single biggest storm cloud hovering over the states economy, which is why the N.C. Chamber has made this its top priority going into the 2013 legislative session. The business community recognizes the need for a comprehensive solution to return North Carolinas UI Trust Fund to a position of solvency and strength for the future.
When the Trust Fund was solvent in good economic times, there was a reduction in UI taxes while at the same time benefits were being expanded. The combination of these factors resulted in an unsustainable system that was ultimately not prepared for the severity of the recession. Neither the tax rates nor the benefit structure single-handedly led to the debt crisis and, similarly, fixing just one of these factors is not a viable solution to creating a solvent and effective UI system for the future. In order to fix this problem, everyone will have to share in the pain.
The responsibility to repay this debt falls squarely on North Carolina employers, as they are the only taxpayers paying into the fund. Employees do not pay UI taxes. Under current federal guidelines, and given the states outstanding loan balance, North Carolina employers will repay approximately $2.4 billion in principal and more than $500 million in interest from 2011 to 2019 to extinguish the states loan. On Nov. 10, North Carolina missed another deadline to repay the federal UI loan, which leads to additional taxes on businesses. As was the case in 2011, employers will face an additional Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) tax of 0.3 percent. This translates into a tax increase on every job from $63 to $84 per employee, and will continue to rise annually until the debt is paid. A boost in the cost of N.C. jobs, especially at a time our unemployment rate is higher than the national average, is certainly not an ideal solution for this serious problem.
While tax adjustments are an appropriate part of a comprehensive solution, it would be irresponsible not to address the problem as a whole, which includes ensuring that employer investments into the fund are managed efficiently and inserting accountability measures into the system. A lack of fiduciary responsibility and effective leadership in the past helped add to the debt significantly. The business community recognizes that the states UI system faces significant issues in addition to the $2.4 billion debt and has responded by calling for a balanced solution that addresses solvency, affordability, integrity and reemployment and workforce training.
The most integral piece of the solution is that we must be able to shift the focus of the system from unemployment to re-employment. The system should improve alignment of workforce training and education programs through streamlined and increased use of technology among agencies. A robust worker retraining and placement program is essential to establishing and maintaining a stable UI trust fund.
Ultimately, the North Carolina Chamber is advocating for balanced recommendations that address all parts of the UI system. Anything less than making the comprehensive reforms will only produce marginal results. The North Carolina Chamber is fully committed to working toward a comprehensive plan that solves our states UI crisis and protects the jobs we have, as well as our ability to create and attract more jobs in order to get North Carolinians back to work. | <urn:uuid:594c9b25-2641-490a-a733-974a8022dc25> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/12/04/3706068/whats-fix-for-nc-jobless-benefits.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966878 | 734 | 1.664063 | 2 |
One irony of Mitt Romney’s leaked criticism of the 47% of Americans who don’t pay income tax is that Romney may be a member of the club himself since he pays almost no income tax relative to his vast wealth.
Don’t believe it? Ask Mitt Romney. In a January debate, Romney criticized a proposal by Newt Gingrich to eliminate capital gains taxes because ultra-wealthy investors like Romney would pay virtually no taxes at all in such a scenario. That’s because Romney’s estimated $250 million fortune comes almost entirely from investment income that isn’t covered by income tax.
“Under that plan, I’d have paid no taxes in the last two years,” Romney said at the time.
He may have overestimated the effect on his taxes, but not by much. In 2010, he would have paid a 0.82% tax rate. The issue gained renewed attention in August, because his running mate Paul Ryan had also proposed eliminating capital gains taxes.
But 2010 may have been an unusual year. Romney published a bestselling book and made some money on the speaking circuit, generating $593,996 in traditional income. Hardly chump change, but a tiny proportion of his $21 million income that year overall.
It’s possible that in other years, without these sources of revenue, Romney made far less, perhaps next to nothing, in earned income subject to income taxes. There’s no way to know because Romney has refused to release any of his earlier tax returns. By his own account, however, Romney seems to think that without capital gains he’d hit “no taxes.” So if he hasn’t been a member of the 47% at one point in his career, he’s certainly scraped close to the border relative to his income.
Benjy Sarlin is a reporter for Talking Points Memo and co-writes the campaign blog, TPM2012. He previously reported for The Daily Beast/Newsweek as their Washington Correspondent and covered local politics for the New York Sun. | <urn:uuid:4d9a86eb-b47e-4f0b-b6e1-5bab1298e476> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/09/mitt-romney-is-the-47-according-to-mitt-romney.php?ref=fpb | 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 | 0.982006 | 435 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Suppose that $G$ is a finite group, acting via homeomorphisms on $B^n$, the closed $n$-dimensional ball. Does $G$ have a fixed point?
A fixed point for $G$ is a point $p \in B^n$ where for all $g \in G$ we have $g\cdot p = p$. Notice that the answer is "yes" if $G$ is cyclic, by the Brouwer fixed point theorem. Notice that the answer is "not necessarily" if $G$ is infinite. If it helps, in my application I have that the action is piecewise linear.
First I thought this was obvious, then I googled around, then I read about Smith theory, and now I'm posting here. | <urn:uuid:ab868d98-3c7c-49d8-a60f-c952a8df9677> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mathoverflow.net/questions/78501/do-finite-groups-acting-on-a-ball-have-a-fixed-point/78504 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958696 | 166 | 1.539063 | 2 |
LONDON—Britain's Court of Appeal on Tuesday backed a bid by more than 100 Iraqi civilians to force a public inquiry into claims they were abused by British troops.
Three appeals judges ordered the government to reconsider its decision not to hold public hearings into allegations of torture and degrading treatment by British soldiers and interrogators in southern Iraq.
The 128 claimants assert they were subjected to beatings, sleep deprivation and other ill-treatment between March 2003 and December 2008 in British-controlled detention facilities.
The judges said the body set up by the British government to investigate claims of wrongdoing, the Iraq Historic Allegations Team, "suffers from a lack of practical independence" because it includes members of the Royal Military Police, who may themselves be accused of wrongdoing.
The Ministry of Defense said it would "examine the judgment very carefully and consider next steps." It has until Nov. 30 to decide whether to try to challenge the ruling at the Supreme Court.
Britain's six-year military presence in southern Iraq, which ended in 2009, has spawned multiple allegations of torture and abuse. In the most notorious case, 26-year-old hotel receptionist Baha Mousa died while in custody at a British base after being detained in a raid in Basra in September 2003.
Britain's defense ministry later apologized for the mistreatment of Mousa and nine other Iraqis and paid a $4.8 million (3 million pound) settlement. Six soldiers were cleared of wrongdoing at a court martial, while a seventh pleaded guilty and served a year in jail.
The government says abuse was committed by only a few soldiers, but lawyers for the alleged victims say it was systemic.
Redress, a group that campaigns for torture victims, said the court had made the right decision.
"We now call on the government to set up a process which is sufficiently comprehensive and impartial to instill public confidence and to finally get to the bottom of the many allegations of abuse," said director Carla Ferstman. | <urn:uuid:4c54fdb4-22b2-41ba-b84e-a6c9d18dcc3d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2011/11/22/uk_court_backs_iraqis_bid_for_inquiry_into_abuse/?camp=pm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977902 | 403 | 1.6875 | 2 |
"As any had need"
A friend of mine realized that she only had one friend who went to church. As someone who cares deeply about the church, she wondered why it was. And so she began to ask them, “Why don’t you go to church?”
The answers startled her. It wasn’t what she was expecting at all. The number one answer that she received was, “I can’t afford it.”
Another young women echoed another sentiment to me recently. She said, “I was like most people in their twenties. Even though I loved church, the budget always seemed to be going to their dilapidated building or mission work that I didn’t care about.”
Another person confided his personal budget to me. “I have my salary. Thirty percent of it goes to taxes. Sixty percent of it goes to paying rent. Ten percent of it goes to paying student loans. I don’t even know how I’m living, much less how I’m going to give to the church.”
Long before the economic crisis hit the stock market and the real estate market, it was creeping into the realities of young adults. Men and women in their twenties and thirties were feeling the crushing load of student loans, high rents, temporary employment, stagnant salaries, quick lay-offs, and uncovered medical expenses. Men and women who did everything “right” in their careers and budgets still found themselves with jobs that were not able to pay off the loans. They ended up juggling bills, figuring out which ones to pay each month, and praying that they never had any medical issues.
Congregations often want to reach younger members because (let’s be honest) churches need them for the bottom line. When men and women are in the midst of a personal financial crisis, and they walk into a church with a bigger financial crisis, it can be difficult for them to keep attending. When we want some shelter from the storm, some hope in the midst of our despair, it is hard to walk into a church and have the stress hit an even higher level, along with the expectation that you will be able to save the situation. Since there is not much cultural expectation for young adults to attend church (in fact, there’s more of an expectation that they will not attend), then it’s easy for them to go grocery shopping instead of walking into another financially stressful environment.
New congregations have responded to this in various ways (I don’t advocate all of these practices. I’m pointing them out, in the hopes of stimulating more ideas.):
•Rethinking the gathering space. Rent is often cheaper than maintenance. A few innovative churches have cut down their expenses dramatically by shedding the need for a building. They can often be found nesting in the basement of a church, a livingroom, a gallery space, a coffeehouse, or a pub.
•Changing the giving traditions. A few gatherings quit passing the plate during the service, and they have “joy boxes” near the door. People can place the money in the box on their way out. Some gatherings have extensive podcast or videocast ministries, so much of their income comes from around the world, as men and women give through the paypal button on the website.
•Encouraging tentmaking pastors and gatherings. Pastors are often encouraged to be bi-vocational. Or, the church itself is bi-vocational. For instance, the gathering might also serve as a coffeehouse, a winery, or an art gallery. If a person cannot give money to the church, they might be able to give their time serving coffee, or their talents in the form of an art donation, or expertise in website design.
•Creating a culture of giving and receiving. New congregations are often small, and they tend to respond to each other’s personal needs. When someone loses his or her job, the community often knows and they give to one another. So they are able to practice something an aspect of stewardship that has been missing in many of our established congregations: the act of receiving.
Of course, these innovative communities haven’t solved our economic concerns. But they are responding with creativity, imagination, and love. In many ways, there is a new economy arising in some churches. Where “stewardship” moves beyond the tiny pre-printed envelopes dropped into a shallow plate at 11:45 on Sunday morning. Instead, we are beginning too see how each can give to each other, in our needs and our abundance.
There are less radical ideas that would help in these situations as well. Having younger members as part of the process to carefully choose the mission projects and articulate them clearly. Making sure that people know that we don’t have a church tax. And, of course, always understanding that our ministry to and with all people, is not so that it can make our income line higher, but so that we can do God’s work.
What else have you seen? What other faithful responses to our economic crisis have you noticed? | <urn:uuid:abf6eb74-c813-4d4d-bc36-02ba9c402ec5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.christiancentury.org/blogs/archive/2010-10/any-had-need | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979392 | 1,077 | 1.65625 | 2 |
December 13, 2007
Labor Zionist ideals live on at Gilboa
In real life, Leo Goldberg doesn't dance and sing. |
But at Camp Gilboa, where he's spent summers for the past 9 years, Leo Goldberg dances. And he sings. A lot -- and loudly.
"There's this emphasis on everyone being able to express themselves, and in not being limited to the way you express yourself at home, so it leads to people who are normally shy being outgoing, and kids who wouldn't get along at home becoming good friends," says Goldberg, a freshman at Williams College, who started attending Gilboa at around age 11 and now works as a counselor there. "It's a really tight-knit, intimate community."
With 140 kids at a rented facility in the mountains near Redlands, Camp Gilboa is the smallest of Southern California's Jewish residential camps. One of seven camps in North America affiliated with the Labor Zionist movement's Habonim Dror youth arm, the camp is dedicated to social justice, cultural Judaism, Israel -- and socialism.
While the political socialism of the movement's founding is no longer pushed, the idea of communal living and mutual responsibility is still central to the camp's unusual identity.
Campers help prepare meals, wait and bus their own tables and clean the bathrooms -- really clean, because there are no janitors to pick up after them. All care packages are pooled and divided, and rather than a canteen with parent-backed tabs for soda and candy, kids put their money into a general fund that is democratically administered for things like replenishing toiletries, bunk parties, or charity.
The camp is culturally Jewish -- the kitchen uses kosher meat and doesn't mix meat and dairy, and Shabbat is marked by Israeli dancing and discussion of the weekly Torah portion. Daily activities include Hebrew hour and educational interaction, and while there is a rock-climbing wall and unheated pool, there are no basketball courts. Counselors are in charge of all activities from wake up through lights out -- there are no specialists -- and despite getting paid a pittance, they come back, summer after summer.
"I love camp. It's what I look forward to all year, and then I look forward to doing it again," says Zak Greenwald, a student at UC Santa Cruz who has been a counselor for three summers.
Not long ago, it wasn't clear if the camp would survive.
Founded in the 1936 in Saugus by American socialist Zionists energized by the budding Jewish state, Camp Gilboa mimicked Kibbutz communal living. The camp flourished on its own site in Idyllwild through the 1960s and into the '70s, when, like many other Zionist youth movement camps, it began to decline. The New York Habonim camp closed in 1984; in California, camps affiliated with the Zionist youth movements B'nei Akiva, HaShomer Hatzair and Young Judea didn't make it through the 1990s. Camp Gilboa was sold and shuttered in 1982.
"The fact is the role of Israel in American Jewish life declined, and didn't have the emotional pull," said Bea Chenkin, the volunteer executive director of Ameinu, formerly the Labor Zionist Alliance, which along with Naamat USA supports the camp. Chenkin, who worked in Jewish education for more than 50 years, has been involved with the Labor Zionist movement since she was a child in Chicago, and her five kids went to Camp Gilboa.
"If we said to people, 'Send your kids to camp and it's like sending them to a Kibbutz,' it didn't resonate with a lot of people in the same way it did when we were building and creating a state," said Chenkin.
In 1995, a group of Gilboa alumni, who couldn't stand the thought of their children not having the same life-changing summers they'd had, got the people and the funds together to rent a site and reopen the camp. With no teenage alumni to tap as counselors, it was a slow, but passionate start.
Today, most of the staff -- including the head counselor and the executive director -- are alumni of the reborn Gilboa.
In the past two years, enrollment has grown by 30 percent, thanks to Gilboa's increasingly prominent alumni presence in the community, word of mouth marketing and an enviable retention rate. Organizers are looking toward purchasing a new site within the next five years.
"There is a group of kids and parents who love Israel and are interested in expressing their Judaism culturally and having a strong Jewish identity and connection with Israel. And they find us, and we find them," said executive director Rachael Sevilla.
Sevilla is the only paid administrator at the camp; a volunteer shaliach (emissary) from Israel has a living stipend paid by the Jewish Agency. A camp committee of parents and alumni take on tasks such as recruitment, registration and fundraising, and work with Sevilla to plan the summer. The youths themselves run monthly year-round activities.
The entire budget of the camp and other programming is about $200,000, which is covered primarily through tuition, with some fundraising.
Part of the camp's success has been its ability to repackage itself for 21st century needs, while retaining the core values that created the loyalty in the first place -- a love for Israel and Judaism, and the communal and egalitarian standards of socialist philosophy.
During the year, for instance, a weekend retreat in New York will cost the same for a Californian and Midwesterner, because the price is set to cover travel costs equally for everyone. In the yearlong pre-college Israel program, kids live in a co-op style arrangement with a joint fund and work with underprivileged populations.
At camp, those ideals are reflected in the work kids do around the campus, from gardening to scrubbing toilets to building bookshelves, and in their depositing their weekly allowance into a kuppah, a general fund that a bunk decides how to spend.
The approach gives kids a sense of ownership and community. "What makes it so unique is everyone feels that Gilboa belongs to them, and that is why everyone wants to put more effort into it and make it a great thing," said Yair Castel, Habonim's shaliach.
That translates to the home environment, as well.
"It brings out this sense of responsibility to everybody," says Judith Landau, whose three kids are products of Camp Gilboa.
Her daughter found a love for Judaism through camp and is now an officer in the Israeli Air Force, working on environmental policy and living an Orthodox life.
Her youngest son, previously somewhat reserved and isolated, discovered he was a comedian and a poet.
Her middle son, Itamar, tapped into his leadership potential. For the past two summers he has served as rosh machane, head of camp, and after graduating UC Berkeley last year, went to work as a counselor at Habonim Dror's post-high school program in Israel.
Passionate idealism like his, and the drive to see it actualized, is what has sparked a revival of Habonim Dror in America, and its Israeli counterpart, HaNoar HaOved VeHalomed (Youth Who Work and Teach), which has reframed the kibbutz socialism on which Israel was founded. Now, a growing number of youths live in urban kibbutzim -- cooperative living arrangements where young people pool their stipends and dedicate themselves to education.
That is the spirit that infuses Camp Gilboa, as well.
"I think in this very cynical world, we're a camp that teaches hope and idealism and making the world a better place. What a fabulous thing that is for our kids," said Julia Greenwald, chair of Habonim Dror's camp committee. "At the end of last summer, I looked around and I said to the kids, 'In 10 years I want to know all of you, because you are the people who are going to make this world a better place.' And I really believe that."
To learn more about Habonim Dror North America, visit http://www.habonimdror.org/.
To learn more about Camp Gilboa, http://www.campgilboa.org/. | <urn:uuid:67316acf-c87c-4302-99bd-a61d1f977a74> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jewishjournal.com/articles/print/labor_zionist_ideals_live_on_at_gilboa_20071214 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970526 | 1,733 | 1.648438 | 2 |
The Excluded Middle
There are certain behaviours and certain tropes that I find myself hard-pressed to defend or accept in people I call friends and allies, and I will call them out on these behaviours in hopes of either swaying them to my position, or of exposing the irrationalities behind our differences. I have attempted to teach myself to look for and to compensate for the Halo Effect, where you unintentionally give extra leeway to someone who’s done something else you agree with. That doesn’t mean being especially harsh with them — it means being consistent with your values and where your lines are drawn.
And yet I am, to borrow a phrase from JT Eberhard, more than willing to employ toilet paper in a divisive manner. We divide ourselves from the religious and call ourselves atheists instead of theists or “agnostic” in order to play nice with theists. I am willing to cleave whole communities in twain to divide from people whose core values are so diametrically opposed to my own. I have heard their arguments and found them wanting — and in the same way that we divide ourselves from the religious, with whom the fundamental difference is our belief in deities, I will divide from the people with whom I have irreconcileable political differences.
Lucky for me, the people on the other sides of these divides are more than happy to oblige. Even if they do blame us disproportionately for the division.
Some people see divisiveness as the greatest sin, as though it’s problematic that we ever signal in-group or out-group status to one another, as though it’s problematic to use appropriate labels as communicative shorthand when everyone with any sense already knows that the reality of any person’s philosophy goes well beyond their mere label and that’s just a starting point. But some people are perfectly okay with divisiveness — they just aren’t okay with the stigma, so they do what they can to drive the Deep Rifts and try to foist off the blame onto the other side. But I’m okay with a certain measure of divisiveness — the fewer people whose philosophies I find wanting and problematic in our community, the less time we spend on in-fighting. And really, do you want the atheist community to be filled with atheist astrologers, atheist antivax loons, atheist global warming denialists, or atheist bigots of any stripe? What kind of community do you think you’ll get, if not a fractious one?
You see, you and I might find common ground in fighting against religious oppression, but if you, for instance, simultaneously think that vaccines are evil, then in my view you’re no skeptic and I find myself at odds with you on too fundamental a point to overlook. If you think that self-centred capitalism is the ultimate moral code and the only way to achieve any sort of happiness in this universe for yourself or anyone else, then we find ourselves at odds again. If you think social conservativism, fiscal austerity and endless war are political virtues, then we are at odds. If you think feminism is an attempt by women to subjugate mankind, then we are at odds. If you think that your feminism entitles you to hatred of trans* folk or gays, then we are at odds. If you think that because you’re gay you can’t possibly be bigoted, then we are at odds. If you think gay marriage is wrong because you are personally squicked by imagining anything besides penis-in-vagina, then we are at odds. If you think global warming isn’t happening because you believe the science is less than ironclad on it, then we are at odds.
Any of these issues are dealbreakers for whether or not you and I would get along beyond any superficial and casual relationship or fleeting alliance to achieve some specific goal.
I can say with some certainty that the same goes for every one of you. Especially those of you who already think that FtB is a pack of bullies, or that Atheism Plus is a religion, or that feminism is unskeptical misandry. Every one of you — especially the anti-FtB, anti-A+, anti-feminism crowd — has lines you’ve drawn, across which no ally may step without you coming into conflict. You might have a hair trigger on these lines; or you might simply disagree philosophically on these points and amicably agree to disagree. You might shut down trolls as soon as possible, or you might give them as much rope as they desire to prove themselves as arguing in bad faith. Everyone’s different. We’re all allowed to disagree on things. We’re all allowed to disagree on tactics.
But if you and I are at odds in the ways I’ve mentioned above, then there already exists a rift between us that cannot be bridged by our commonalities on religion alone — and you telling me to hold my tongue on those matters for the purpose of maintaining the community… well, put bluntly, that’s shit. When it comes to all the things each person marks as important for making real friends and allies in your community, it’s amazing we find so many human beings willing to come together to do anything, to be quite frank.
And yet we do. Somehow, we form our communities and coalesce around topics like social justice advocacy and science and gender identity. We coalesce around the top two or three philosophical labels we self-apply, and we form groups and unions and break bread with our peers. We strive to avoid fractioning infinitely, and we stress and fret when we find irreconcileable differences that necessitates a splintering. There’s a balance to be had between what you’re willing to compromise on to form a community, so you are not a community of one, and what you’re willing to accept just to be able to say you have a big tent. You do not have to settle for one extreme or the other when the excluded middle is so vast.
Not every issue is as fundamental to a person’s identity or convictions as every other. In my case — these words might be heresy to utter around these parts — atheism isn’t an especially important one. Atheism merely informs my philosophy and buttresses the other, more central issues. It does not comprise my philosophy’s entirety; and in fact, it cannot. I am not interested in fellowship with atheists just because they’re atheists — atheism is not a granfaloon. Or at least, it shouldn’t be.
Atheism is not the most important part of my identity. It makes the top ten, or I probably wouldn’t be writing on this blog on the topic of atheism at all; but because my country is not nearly as religious as America, I’m about as privileged in religious autonomy as I am in race, gender, sex, and any other aspect of privilege you’d care to discuss. Even still, here I am, talking about atheism. (And race, and gender, and sex, and privilege in general.) And I’m willing to make my ideological stands on other topics dependent on my atheism, so it’s absolutely one of the more important labels for self-identity even where the fight is not as urgent in my world as it might be in yours.
Atheism is good. It is a good start. It is laudable, it is necessary, and it’s even worth fighting for. Freeing yourself from the idea that a higher power wants you to act in a particular way, as described in a book written by a small consensus of people thousands of years ago — that’s the equivalent of shaking off a terrible yoke. It’s an achievement for which you should be proud.
But there are so many more yokes yet to be removed, on your neck and on others’. Keep going. Don’t stop at atheism — you’re nowhere near done yet. And if you’re staking ideological territory on grounds other than atheism, don’t expect to find fellowship with every other atheist you meet, because the answer to a single existential question is no foundation for a community. | <urn:uuid:e64fca63-d671-4945-a8fb-6b51ce64e1a5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://freethoughtblogs.com/lousycanuck/2012/12/11/atheism-is-not-enough-pt-3/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953842 | 1,729 | 1.59375 | 2 |
5 Nov 2012
Tomorrow, millions of Americans will head to the polls to decide which politicians will make the laws that, for better or worse, we will live under in the coming years. While there are many reasons to vote and many issues to consider, we hope you’ll keep your cigar rights in mind when you decide who to support.
Unfortunately, enjoying a cigar is under attack from legislation and regulation at all levels of government. Who is elected tomorrow could well make the difference when it comes to which cigars we enjoy, and where we are free to enjoy them in the future.
When it comes to presidential candidates, the stances of the major candidates on cigars comes down to a known and an unknown. One of President Obama’s first acts in office was signing into law the largest tax increase on cigars in American history. Not long later he signed into law the bill to regulate tobacco under the FDA, which includes authorization for the FDA to regulate cigars without any further act from Congress, a bill which could in the long run be far more damaging to the cigar industry and the choices cigar smokers have. When cigar smokers petitioned the White House for an official answer about its plans to regulate cigars under the FDA, their calls were answered with a deafening silence.
Obama’s Republican opponent, Mitt Romney, doesn’t have much of a record on theses issues. But considering Obama’s positions and that Romney has been attacked for his criticisms of SCHIP (the tax hike on cigars that Obama signed into law), it’s hard to think he could be much worse. If you’re having trouble pulling the lever for either major party candidate, you also might consider Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson, former Governor of New Mexico, whose philosophical beliefs make him the most likely to keep government’s hands off cigars, even if he has zero chance of getting elected.
But while most of the attention is likely to be paid to the top of the ticket, the races further down the ticket are more likely to have an impact on cigar rights in the years to come. After all, it is Congress that makes the laws, and only Congress has the power to fully repeal the FDA’s authority to regulate cigars.
When it comes to House and Senate races, Cigar Rights of America has a voter guide that every cigar smoker should take a look at before heading to the polls. In a few races, like the Florida and Nevada Senate races, both candidates are co-sponsors of the bill to stop the FDA from regulating (and devastating) the cigar industry. In most races, only one candidate is on record in favor of cigar rights. (In a few races, like Arizona Senate candidate Jeff Flake vs. former Surgeon General Richard Carmona, CRA has gone out of its way to endorse the pro-cigar candidate. In that race, it’s Flake.)
When it comes to local and state races, you’ll need to do your own investigations. But please take the time to do so, since when it comes to smoking bans and state tax rates, these local races make all the difference. And, of course, know if there are referendums on your ballot that would increase taxes or smoking bans.
Ultimately, we’re not going to tell you how to vote because we think you’re smart enough to make that decision for yourself. Just remember that the decisions you make in the voting booth have consequences, and the future of cigar rights (smoking bans, taxes, and anti-cigar regulations) could depend on who is elected tomorrow.
photo credit: N/A | <urn:uuid:1a4b7a24-b71d-4ee7-a77d-4a20d968b52a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.stogieguys.com/2012/11/11052012-commentary-vote-pro-cigar.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968654 | 742 | 1.53125 | 2 |
The Literature of Leisure and Chinese Modernity
By Charles Laughlin
Reviewed by John A. Crespi
MCLC Resource Center Publication (Copyright February 2012)
Charles Laughlin. The Literature of Leisure and Chinese Modernity. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2008. pp. 242. ISBN: 9780824831257 (Cloth); ISBN-10: 082483125X; ISBN-13: 978-0-8248-3125-7
The Literature of Leisure and Chinese Modernity explores xiaopin wen, or "little prose pieces," a diverse genre of short, essayistic writing, rooted in Chinese literary history, and revived during the 1920s and 1930s, the period on which this book focuses. If you have read Laughlin's Chinese Reportage: The Aesthetics of Historical Experience, you will recognize a certain unity of purpose in these two books. This is because both examine genres of non-fiction prose that, while influential during the Republican period, have been relegated to the fringes of the modern Chinese literary canon for failing to meet standards of what passes for literary art. The problem with reportage literature (baogao wenxue) is that it has been perceived as too immediately engaged with the rough-and-tumble of Chinese historical reality to say anything of profound (that is, literary) import to contemporary readers. The modern xiaopin wen, by contrast, has been marginalized for being too disengaged from the modern Chinese historical predicament, dooming it to second-class literary status when judged according to the criteria of the May Fourth tradition of literary activism, which has had little time for this "literature of leisure."
As Laughlin himself has indicated elsewhere, reportage and modern xiaopin wen stand in a certain relationship of opposition, with the former representing the mainstream of literary non-fiction on the left, and the latter favored by writers who preferred to develop artistic prose while keeping political concerns at arm's length. Literature of Leisure, however, invites us to think of xiaopin wen within a larger literary context; namely, as a dynamic alternative to a canonical mainstream of "serious" writing--and in particular, realist fiction--that draws readers' attention to China's modern national dilemma. Laughlin argues in the Introduction that as an alternative literary discourse, modern xiaopin wen influenced the literary field in several distinct ways. For one, its proponents' conscious affiliation with the leisure literature of the past, most notably the impressionistic, self-expressive literary writing of the late-Ming dynasty, contravened New Culture mandates that modern literature be new in form and spirit. Also, through humor and irony, xiaopin wen of the 1920s and 1930s often critiqued progress and modernity in ways akin to European modernism, thus setting this genre apart from the progress-centered narrative C. T. Hsia and others have identified with modern Chinese writing. But most important to this book's structure and argument is the idea that the modern xiaopin wen genre inherited and extended older practices of generating literary community, especially communities of writers and readers interested in critiquing orthodox Confucian morality through their attitudes toward leisure pursuits.
Most of the book is organized around literary communities in the form of groups of writers who "particularly cared about the modern Chinese essay and wanted it to make a mark on literary history" (23). The first chapter sets the stage by describing the reception during the early 1930s of premodern "literature of leisure" (xianqing wenxue), a capacious category including classical-language xiaopin wen, vernacular fiction, diaries, and memoir, originating mainly in the late-imperial era, and endorsing attitudes of intimacy, individuality, and cultural sophistication. Laughlin finds this attention to tradition embodied in the writings of Zhou Zuoren, in collections of late-Ming xiaopin wen edited by the likes of Shi Zhecun, Shen Qiwu, and Zhu Jianmang, as well as in journals devoted to the essay form, such as Threads of Conversation (Yusi), This Human World (Renjian shi), The Analects Fortnightly (Lunyu banyuekan), and Cosmic Wind (Yuzhou feng). The point made here is that this interest in tradition was not, as one might think, a retreat from the modern. Rather, the revival of late-imperial leisure literature represented a positive trend quite modern in itself. In part this was because the revival responded to the demands of readers and the market, but also because the promotion of these za, or "leftover categories" of literary writing, implicitly critiqued the monolithic intellectual aspirations of the New Literature movement and the revolutionary literature that grew out of it.
The substance of the book lies in chapters two through five, which selectively and in roughly chronological order guide the reader through the work of four groups of xiaopin wen writers. Now, at 181 pages (minus endnotes and other back matter), Literature of Leisure is not an especially long book. The challenge, then, is how to represent, legibly and meaningfully, what Laughlin quite frankly describes as the "vast and indistinct corpus" of modern xiaopin wen. His solution balances socio-historical considerations (membership in salons and societies, affiliation by publication, division by period, association by geography, etc.) and aesthetic features, all with an eye toward how these multiple factors variously intersected to produce identifiable cohorts of xiaopin wen writers between the years 1924 and 1937. This blend of history and aesthetics is reflected in the titles of chapters two through five, each of which matches a literary group with a word that captures a shared group style.
For instance, to locate prototypical examples of modern xiaopin wen from the 1920s, Chapter Two identifies a "Threads of Conversation" group centered on the journal of that name, and then explores how writers in this group helped set the terms for the modern xiaopin wen by variously deploying the trope of "wandering." Thus we see Zhou Zuoren's essays digressing in an idiosyncratic web of intertextual references, Yu Pingbo generating a sense of the ineffable in his impressionistic wanderings by boat on Hangzhou's West Lake, Fei Ming wending through culture and topography in excerpts from his lyrical novel Bridge (Qiao), and the woman writers Lu Jingqing, Chen Xuezhao, and Shi Pingmei inventing styles of "emotional wandering" against the traumatic backdrop of political violence directed at Beijing's students. Laughlin's goal is not to force all these writers into a single stylistic rubric, but to show how each author contributed a distinctive, personally expressive voice to their authorial community.
Where "wandering" sets the tone for the Threads of Conversation group, "learning" is what unifies the styles of essayists whose relationship was defined professionally and geographically: the "White Horse Lake" group, a collection of writer-educators imprinted by the experience of teaching at the progressive Chunhui Middle School on the shores of White Horse Lake in rural Zhejiang province during the first half of the 1920s. Among these writers--including Xia Mianzun, Feng Zikai, and Zhu Ziqing--Laughlin identifies a tension between didacticism and aesthetics, morality and sensuality. He finds that these essayists, while not immune to the attractions of leisure and pleasure, placed greatest value on the utilitarian aspect of essay writing: its socially constructive function within the realm of education.
Chapter Four, the epicenter of the book, examines the xiaopin wen of the Analects group, who lifted the genre to its peak of popularity during the 1930s. The name Analects is borrowed from Lin Yutang's The Analects Fortnightly, the leading magazine in Lin's ambitious publishing enterprise, which encompassed the journals This Human World and Cosmic Wind. Labeled "enjoying," this chapter might well have been called "smoking," for that is the hedonistic pleasure Laughlin singles out as most representative of the trans-cultural, anti-utilitarian position expressed in the Analects group's essays. Here Laughlin comments on how remarkable it is that Lin Yutang and his cohort of multilingual, cosmopolitan sophisticates did not link tobacco smoking to the imperialist scourge of the Chinese nation, opium, even though both were referred to as yan. Instead, this group's irreverent, often humorous essayistic discourse on smoking becomes a vehicle for, on the one hand, asserting a contrarian attitude of non-conformist enjoyment and, on the other hand, sporting an intellectual and spiritual connection to American and British educational culture, and in particular that of Oxford University where, as these writers would have it, learning takes place in a sophisticated pall of tobacco smoke. This kind of learning, however, has little or nothing to do with that defined by the White Horse Lake group. Whereas those authors grounded their work in the didactic mission of the modern essay, the Analects group self-consciously departed from the practice of writing for moral, social, or political purposes.
As one would expect, writers on the left saw the large audience for Analects group xiaopin wen as a threat to their vision for modern literature. Chapter Four thus ends with a brief discussion of this leftist response as it emerged in the pages of the magazine Taibai and the 1935 essay collection Xiaopin Wen and Cartoons (Xiaopin wen he manhua). Laughlin in this instance observes how, despite their aversion to the politically detached road xiaopin wen had embarked on under Lin Yutang, the very popularity of the form drove these leftist writers to counter the Analects group with xiaopin wen of their own, in effect diversifying the short essay form even as they opposed it.
The fifth chapter describes in depth another, quite different response to the Analects group: the appeal to high aestheticism led by He Qifang and Li Guangtian, members of the "Beijing school" authors who, while sharing the Analects group's belief in the political autonomy of writing, had no interest in promoting attitudes of humor and irreverence. After cautiously describing this school's emergence through Xu Zhimo and the Crescent Moon group, Laughlin works through the trope of "dreaming" to show how He and Li adapted the xiaopin wen form to their own artistic priorities. In principle this meant appealing to the idea of a pure literature that stressed "values of beauty, timelessness, and human truth" (157). In practice, He and Li created lyrical, fragmentary, dream-like essays that departed from existing xiaopin wen for their appeals to narrativity, but remain linked to that genre through their "mode of play, role reversal, and discursive fragmentation and reconnection" (166).
The book's Conclusion itself aims at a certain reconnection by lightly tracing the legacy of the xiaopin wen from the 1940s to the 1990s. The woman writers Su Qing and Zhang Ailing, both prominent in the 1940s, are described as inheritors of the modern xiaopin wen style, as is the male socialist-era writer Yang Shuo, known for essays steeped in revolutionary lyricism. Lastly, Laughlin mentions a re-emergence of Republican-era xiaopin wen's "unassuming yet sophisticated and fluent discourse" in essays by writers of different generations in the 1990s.
As Laughlin candidly admits, there is much more to be said about the modern Chinese xiaopin wen. But with its carefully structured balance between sociohistorical and aesthetic concerns, and its thoughtful consideration of the multiple stylistic responses this genre inspired within the field of Republican-era writing, Literature of Leisure will remain a touchstone and a guide for future work. I found intriguing the close relationship between the Analects group's xiaopin wen and cartoons (manhua), whose popularity peaked simultaneously in the mid-1930s and in some of the very same magazines, suggesting a community of artists whose penchant for humor, irony, and political autonomy overlapped both written and visual genres. Other individual readers will surely be prompted to other insights. The broader significance of Literature of Leisure lies in how the book promises to intervene in the way modern Chinese literature often ends up being taught: as a dead serious examination of China's modern historical dilemmas. That approach is probably with us to stay. But given Laughlin's groundbreaking contribution to understanding xiaopin wen, as well as recent and much-needed translations of the genre, like Tam King-fai's A Garden of One's Own, the door has opened even wider to understanding the diversity of expression that animates modern Chinese literature as a whole.
John A. Crespi
Laughlin, Charles A. Chinese Reportage: The Aesthetics of Historical Experience. Durham: Duke University Press, 2002.
Pollard, David, tr. and ed. The Chinese Essay [Ku chin san wen Ying yi chi]. New York: Columbia University Press, 2000.
Tam King-fai, tr. and ed. A Garden of One's Own: Modern Chinese Essays, 1919-1949. Hong Kong: Chinese University Press, 2011.
A review of Chinese Reportage can be found on this site: http://mclc.osu.edu/rc/pubs/reviews/daruvala.htm.
See Laughlin's review of David Pollard's The Chinese Essay: http://mclc.osu.edu/rc/pubs/reviews/pollard.htm. This review may also be read as a pointed summary of some of the issues he addresses at length in Literature of Leisure. | <urn:uuid:e16b53da-f515-4822-9695-198db6595d39> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mclc.osu.edu/rc/pubs/reviews/crespi.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941199 | 2,940 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Posted at: 09/25/2012 6:40 PM
By: Katie Eldred
National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims
(ABC 6 NEWS) -- Last year in Minnesota, 73 people were murdered across the state. Tuesday was National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims.
The southeast Minnesota chapter of Parents of Murdered Children was out at University Square all day Tuesday. They were there to not only honor those killed, but offer support for anyone who has lost a loved one to murder.
While most people go on with their day to day life.
"We're still up in the air and it'll be 13 years this October," said Sonia Holbrook.
There isn't a day Holbrook doesn't think about the death of her son Joel.
"It happens to other people or you hear about it on the news, but not about your loved ones," said Holbrook.
Joel Holbrook was murdered in his Kansas City apartment back in 1999. The case is still unsolved.
"I can't imagine anything worse," said Holbrook.
Holbrook, along with the other members of the southeast Minnesota Parents of Murdered Children, spent the day at University Square, honoring those whose lives have been taken.
"You don't always hear too much about the victims, we want to remember the victims because they are the ones that suffered the most," said Connie Sheely.
They also wanted to let other families know they're here for support.
"People you know have sympathy for you, but they don't really understand where others who've had the same experience can understand," said Sheely.
While many may walk by their booth without so much as a glance, Holbrook and the others hope at least a few will take notice of the faces on the board and the stories behind them.
“I hope they become a little more aware that today is a National Day of Remembrance, because most people have never heard of it," said Holbrook.
Because they remember every day.
"You never get over it," said Sheely.
"I keep wondering who did it and why would they do it, at this point I've given up hope of ever knowing," said Holbrook.
The southeast Minnesota Parents of Murdered Children meet the fourth Tuesday of every month. Membership is open to anyone who has suffered the loss of a loved one to homicide. | <urn:uuid:49de24a4-5c45-485f-948f-a9058d15f9e4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kaaltv.com/article/stories/s2778454.shtml?cat=10151 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985985 | 494 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.
Throwim' Way Leg: Tree-Kangaroos, Possums, and Penis Gourds (1999)
by Tim Flannery
References to this work on external resources.
Wikipedia in English (1)
Amazon.com Amazon.com Review (ISBN 0802136656, Paperback)In Throwim Way Leg, Australia-based mammologist-raconteur Tim Flannery recalls scientific expeditions in the wilds of New Guinea that convey both the thrill of discovery and the negotiations necessary to bridge huge clashes of cultures. A world expert on New Guinea's fauna, Flannery has discovered 20 new species during his two decades of research. Yet his ability to convey unalloyed adventure in his taletelling makes these scientific expeditions read more like hair-raising, funky Redmond O'Hanlon-style travels than disciplined, scholarly field trips. Energy and danger run high.
Terrific thunderstorms and aircraft mishaps rattle Flannery during his travels. Yet the most memorable quality of Throwim Way Leg is Flannery's incorporation of humans into the natural world he writes about, often contrasting the jungled New Guinea denizens with stark modern technologies. He writes rich profiles of those he has met, and his images are memorable and meaningful: crowds of people gaping at a single television set; the remote landscape of Mt. Albert Edward dotted with cattle, Swiss chalets, and the smoky fires of the Goilala people; the malnourished Yapsiei greeting him reeking of the "sweet, sickly smell" of grile, a form of ringworm.
Ultimately, Flannery looks ahead and sees that the age of discovery is not at all complete in New Guinea, as so much remains unknown. But, in an often-told tale, modern political forces are at work, reshaping those unique natural and cultural environments that Throwim Way Leg explores with such vigor. --Byron Ricks
(retrieved from Amazon Thu, 14 Feb 2013 13:46:12 -0500)
Tim Flannery is a scientist of international standing, a world expert on the fauna of New Guinea with twenty new species and seven books to his credit. In Throwim Way Leg, he takes us into the field and on an unforgettable journey into the heart of this mysterious and uncharted country. Flannery's scientific voyage leads him to places he never dreamed of: he camps among cannibals and befriends Femsep, a legendary warrior who led the slaughter of colonial whites decades before. He enters caves full of skeletons of long-extinct giant marsupials, scales mountains previously untouched by Europeans, and is nearly killed when tribespeople decide to take revenge for their prior mistreatment by his "clan" (wildlife scientists). And Flannery writes movingly of the fate of indigenous people in collision with the high-tech world of late-twentieth-century industry. In New Guinea pidgin, throwim way leg means to thrust out your leg on the first step of a long journey. Full of adventure, wit, and natural wonders, Flannery's narrative is just such a spectacular trip.
An edition of this book was published by Penguin Australia.
Is this you?
Become a LibraryThing Author. | <urn:uuid:f61ad1dc-65cf-4255-8059-363a89c06475> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.librarything.com/work/51960 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93779 | 685 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Alrighty. Wait. There's a problem. This font is sooo BORING! We need to add some PIZZAZ! There we go! Let's get this show on the road, shall we? So, this challenge is pretty darn simple. We are going to go over the rules, requirements, information ect. ect.
First off. You need to give me a number from 1-10! If your number is 5 or 6 you will get THREE words. 7, 8, 9 or 10 you will get FIVE words. Anything lower than five you get nothing. HA. I hope that's not too confusing. I just woke up so my brain isn't exactly thinking right at the moment.
Alrighty time for you to learn the actual challenge! I am going to give you a song. If you haven't heard the song TOO BAD! Look it up and LISTEN TO IT! Then you have to write a poem that's based off the song. Of course, the poem has to use all of the words I gave you. You HAVE to make sure that your poems storyline follows the story line of the song. This is important.
ONE LAST THING. I will also tell you who's point of view you have to write this poem in. The character WILL be someone in the song, don't worry. So now...will you take the challenge? It's pretty simple, so don't get worried or nothing mmk? Ok. | <urn:uuid:7328a385-d827-47fe-9cee-600b714e52a0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.booksie.com/other/miscellaneous/hugs_and_kisses/coolness-i-have-a-challenge | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959467 | 302 | 1.84375 | 2 |
Promoting effective HIV/AIDS strategies to executives - a touchy subject?
Most of the interventions pertaining to HIV/AIDS have been aimed at the worker and the intent has been to try and convince people to make life style changes in order to avoid infection. Many companies embarked on training interventions and information sessions in an effort to make a difference. Very little information was given to managers on the effective management of HIV/AIDS.
25 Jan 2005 08:54
"Fire behind the Mountain" was originally conceived as an information tool aimed specifically at the motor industry.
With assistance from InWent, a non-profit German company, The Learning Theatre performed "Fire behind the Mountain" to companies in Gauteng, Durban and the Eastern Cape. The show was even staged for Germany's ambassador to South Africa. It soon became clear however, that managers in all areas of the South African economy were struggling with the same issues.
The Learning Theatre intends performing this hard hitting and informative play to many more audiences around the country during 2005. For more information contact The Learning Theatre via e-mail: or call Theo Potgieter on 083 2699 699. | <urn:uuid:9b34de68-de39-4e39-afcb-bf3ec8562dcc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bizcommunity.com/PressOffice/PressRelease.aspx?i=353&ai=5570 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96381 | 237 | 1.789063 | 2 |
EU officials failed on Tuesday to resolve important details of a plan to cut the cost of making and receiving cell phone calls abroad, a lawmaker said.
Representatives of the European Parliament, the European Commission and European Union countries tried to agree the levels of price caps and whether consumers should be automatically switched to the regulated rates.
"I think the two main problems are the limits of the caps and the 'opt in, opt out' question," said Paul Ruebig, one of two lawmakers steering the regulation through the assembly.
A second round of meetings are expected to start on May 2.
The executive European Commission has promised Europeans the new rates by this summer, but the three EU bodies, heavily lobbied by industry and consumer groups, are split over the details and time is running short.
The European Parliament wants what it calls a more consumer-friendly version of the rules -- with caps that would automatically apply to all at 40 euro cents ($0.54) a minute for making phone calls abroad and 15 euro cents for receiving them.
The European Commission supports this approach.
Member states have taken a softer approach, recommending caps of 60 and 30 euro cents respectively which consumers would have to seek out themselves, a detail critics say would take the bite out of the rules as users may not be aware of the new rate.
Parliament and member states will have to engage in intense wrangling if they are to hammer out a compromise in time to have the regulation in place by the summer.
Parliamentarians are due to vote on the regulation in two weeks time, but if the version of the text does not reflect a possible compromise with member states, the rules will have to go to a second parliamentary vote.
Cell phone companies have opposed the planned rules, saying caps would crush investment in infrastructure and that prices are coming down in any case. | <urn:uuid:f3802ac3-c775-4266-a6d0-5ff89d04e26f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News/Details.aspx?NewsId=20290 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958396 | 373 | 1.710938 | 2 |
INDONESIA: No justice for victims of Semanggi I tragedy 13 years on
An interview with Maria Katarina Sumarsih published by the Asian Human Rights Commission
BACKGROUND: After the fall of Soeharto in May 1998, Indonesia has seen little improvement in its political and human rights situation. A large-scale student demonstration demanding total governmental reform and better handling of the country’s financial crisis on 12 May 1998 resulted in four students being shot dead by the military. The demonstration continued on 8-14 November 1998, when the students rejected the Special Session of People's Consultative Assembly (Sidang Istimewa Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat/MPR) for its unconstitutional nature, and demanded the president address the financial crisis. This saw the death of 18 students, with hundreds more injured.
Maria Katarina Sumarsih is the mother of BR. Norma Irmawan (also known as Wawan), a student of Atmajaya Catholic University, Jakarta, who was one of the students shot dead by the military on 13 November 1998. The House of Representative (DPR RI) rejected this case to be taken up by the ad hoc human rights court since Semanggi I is not categorized as a gross human rights violation. This interview was conducted to commemorate 13 years since the tragedy.
1. Could you tell us about the incident that happened to you?
On 13 November 1998, my child Wawan, a student of Atmajaya Catholic University, active in campus and society, took part in a peaceful protest demanding the rejection of the special assembly of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), since the MPR needed to be reformed first. Before the protest, the students had held public discussions and other activities in order to open space for dialogue and prevent a recurrence of the Trisakti tragedy. According to the Human Rights Violations Investigation Commission (KPP HAM) Report by the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), at 10am local time, in front of Atmajaya Catholic University, Wawan and his six friends were trying to neutralize the air from tear gas by spraying water hydrant. When one of his friends was shot, Wawan asked permission from one military officer to help his friend. After permission was given, Wawan raised a white flag as a sign to help his friend. However, when Wawan went to lift his friend, he was shot. According to the autopsy result, Wawan was shot with a standard military bullet.
2. How did this incident impact you?
At that time, I cried and prayed. The atmosphere at the house was quiet. I just cried and prayed. My husband read and wrote. My other child, Irma, studied. Everybody just did their own business. Housework was not done by me, but my husband. Every time I smiled, there was a sense of sadness. However, after a long process and many people’s support, I can live as usual; I can even speak out regarding human rights violations now.
3. Could you tell us what you have done to fight for this case?
For the first three months, I just sat in silence and read the newspaper at Wawan's grave. Then, I wished to get a copy of Wawan's autopsy result and met the military police. The chief of the investigation section (Kasidik) stated that the political pressure was very strong. Even though Wawan and I were right, we would be considered as wrong. He also asked me to bring witnesses regarding this case. I had proposed five witnesses, but the military police never called them.
I also met KontraS, Tim Relawan Kemanusiaan (TRK), students and others. After I heard a sermon at church about Wawan, I decided to fight. When I heard there was to be a peaceful protest at Hotel Indonesia traffic circle (Bundaran HI) held by women activists, I joined it, and met many activists. I also then became active in many human rights activities, such as dialogues, seminars, gatherings and others.
Together with NGO’s and other victims, I also did lobbying and took part in hearings with relevant institutions. The House of Representative then established a special committee (Pansus) to investigate this case. The result was that three factions agreed that Semanggi I was a gross human rights violation, while seven disagreed.
After Law No. 26/2000 concerning the Human Rights court was enacted, the Supreme Court asked us to urge Komnas HAM to investigate this case.
Two years later, Komnas HAM conducted an investigation into the tragedies of Trisakti and Semanggi I & II. Komnas HAM declared the tragedies to be gross human rights violations. However, the result of the report went back and forth from the attorney general. Once, the attorney general even stated that the result was lost. As of now, the report is still with the attorney general, and he still rejects to investigate and submit the case to the ad hoc human rights court for baseless reasons, such as nebis in idem (the principle that no legal action can be constituted twice for the same cause), when in fact there has been no previous trial for Semanggi I.
In 2008, we met Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. He promised that he would establish the ad hoc human rights court and punished all perpetrators. In 2011, we also met the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Djoko Suyanto. He made the same promises as the president. Until now however, there is no action at all from the government. The case still has to wait for action from the attorney general.
4. In your opinion, what are the current possibilities for you to get justice? What obstacles do you face?
While I am waiting for the settlement of the case at the attorney general’s side, I always participate in the silent protest every Thursday in front of the Presidential Palace. I also cooperate with the Indonesian History Teacher Association (Asosiasi Guru Sejarah Indonesia/AGSI) to tell the truth about the Semanggi tragedy to students. I also made a book based on victim testimonies. I want to say that we cannot be silent even though the government neglects our case for years. I always participate in the silent protest, yet I will never be silenced. I and other victims even sent a letter to the president, without caring whether our letter will be read or not. We will do everything that we can. Regarding our letter, some of our letters were replied, yet the answer is normative; just stating that our case should be settled in accordance with the law.
The obstacle I face is impunity--the law enforcement not performing their function, and political obstacles. While the House of Representative passed a law regarding the human rights court, some articles did not give justice to the victims, such as provisions regarding amnesty for the perpetrators and so on. The government also did not implement the law; for instance it did not establish the ad hoc human rights court. Moreover, while the president promised us to prevent the recurrence of such tragedies, he appointed people allegedly responsible for human rights violations as state officials.
5. The Semanggi I case has been going on for 13 years. In your opinion, how is the condition of the other victims? Are they still fighting?
Some of them are in despair, such as Yap Yun Hap's mother. She stated that she felt like screaming in her room, “The one and only person to hear me is myself. The government is not listening.” The other victims have died or are sick, so they cannot participate in the fight. I think that must be understood, since every person has their own limits. Fortunately, I have to thank God because until this day, God has given me good health.
6. Have you ever felt tired and thought about quitting?
I feel tired actually. However, like a candle which is never suppressed and a narrow alley which has no dead-end, my spirit won't go in difficult times. I will not stop fighting. As long as Wawan is in my soul, I won't stop.
7. What is your motivation to keep fighting?
My motivation is my love for Wawan. He always supports me. My sorrow has been transformed into love for humans, whether they are victims or not.
8. In your opinion, who is the most responsible in your case?
The president at that time, B.J. Habibie and the top person of the army, Wiranto, are the most responsible persons in my son’s case because the command system in the military is very disciplined. Nothing is done without orders from superiors.
9. What is your hope and demand?
I hope the government urges the attorney general to investigate all human rights violations, such as the tragedies of Semanggi I and II and other cases. The right or wrong must be declared in court. The House of Representative must make the recommendation to the President to establish the ad hoc human rights court. If there is an argument that this case cannot be brought to the court because there is no proof, that is absolutely a mistake.
10. What is your message to the international community?
I hope that the international community urges the Indonesian government to solve the human rights violations in the country. I am aware that without any support from the international community, our case will never be heard by the government, like the Munir case. Even though the main perpetrator was not found, Munir's case would never have been submitted to the court without international support. I also hope that the international community voices its concern for all cases of human rights violations in Indonesia.
The views shared in this article do not necessarily reflect those of the AHRC, and the AHRC takes no responsibility for them.
# # #
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There's a lot of great information in this post and I encourage you to read through it ... however, if you don't have the time right now, you might find the following quick links helpful:
In April of 2009, I did some posts about road blocks and asked readers to share their biggest obstacles to living an Eco-conscious life. At that time, the reasons were personal ... things like forgetting to bring a reusable bag to the store or not really knowing how to start. Last week we revisited our road blocks. Things have certainly changed in three years. Our challenges today seem to include the world outside of our homes ... things like trying to live green in a country that isn't concerned about the environment or how to buy electronics which aren't manufactured in countries with human rights issues. While we still deal with the day-to-day trials, we are also looking outward. And that's important because we can't find solutions until we identify the problems.
The Honor Society are those people who help us spread the "green" word by writing a post about our challenges and/or leaving pertinent comments. Let's see what they had to say this week:
Brenna took on this challenge and while this POST wasn't written for #CTWW, I think it speaks to it. She identifies one of the largest obstacles we all face and offers solutions.
Happy Belated Birthday to EcoGrrl! We hope your special day was fabulous!! EcoGrrl has set a goal for herself to recycle less. What?? Yep, as she has shared with us before, recycling is great but having less to recycle is even better. Her main concern is plastic which is never actually recycled but rather downcycled. So how does one avoid buying items in plastic? Anyone have ideas? Hopefully EcoGrrl will give us an update as she works through this challenge.
In Confessions of a Green Goddess, Mrs. Green shares her road blocks. They are very personal and while she isn't really looking for solutions, I believe that telling her story will help others who find themselves in a similar situation.
Jacqueline, aka The Organic Blonde, faces road blocks which most of us will never experience. In this ARTICLE she talks about the unique challenges she faces living in Doha, Qatar (one of several locations which she and her husband call home). She also shares her solutions to those challenges.
The Accessory Lady has moved into a new home and now has the room to compost. Her only road block is getting a bin which she hopes to pick up soon. So AL ... did you get a bin and start the composting process? We'd love to hear about it!
Ilhami Uyar stopped by and offered his support. As he says, "we havent another wörld ...". And that, basically, is the heart of green living.
Argentum Vulgaris has a unique ability to filter through all the "Eco-Crap" and get to the heart of things. In this POST he identifies what, in his opinion, is the biggest road block of all ... ourselves. In a great line he says, "We need to stop ‘wanting’ and start ‘giving.’ We need to stop ‘taking’ and start ‘doing.’"
Nicole B. wants to compost and really doesn't know why she hasn't started. Sometimes taking that first step is the hardest. What's her solution for this obstacle? "I just need to DO IT".
Kathryn Grace brought up a very interesting obstacle ... one that most of us probably don't think about ... electronics. Here's her COMMENT. She is right ... this road block is as big as a mountain. Anyone have thoughts, ideas and/or solutions?
What happens when one has the knowledge and tools to live green but simply can't get started? In this ARTICLE Rewinn employes some "Emotional Intelligence" to solve the problem.
Betty Manousos stopped by. So nice to see you, Betty!
Andrea, aka Frugally Sustainable on Facebook, posted a simple question on her wall: What are your most common road blocks to "green" living?. When I last popped in, she had over 70 responses. Wowee! People listed things like landlords not agreeing with their tenant's green practices, convenience, the amount of energy required to go green and, the number one obstacle, cost. There are way too many comments for me to list but I encourage you to hop over and read through the list and then ... I'd really like to know your thoughts. Thanks, Andrea, for opening up the discussion ... it gave me a lot to think about.
Donna M. McDine is a brand new visitor. Thanks for stopping by, Donna ... we hope to see you again!
Katie has several speed bumps ... paper, heat and water. Hm ... doesn't that sound interesting! Find out why they are speed bumps and learn about her solutions HERE.
Kristina identified an interesting road block ... the perceptions of other people. In Struggles with Going Green she talks about being "that person", exposing ourselves to criticism and whether writing a blog is enough.
Nicole M. dropped by our Monday Meet & Greet and left an interesting comment about Change The World Wednesday. You can read it HERE. Isn't that great! Thanks, so much, Nicole!
In Speed Bumps Jen talks about her obstacles. I particularly like #4 ... I think it resonates with many of us. What do you think?
Kris' greatest road block is buying local. She feels strongly about it, though, and is working it out. Curious about how? Find out in this POST.
Two papers picked up some of your posts this week ... was yours listed? Find out in the Shopping Charity and The Artists Daily.
Some of our twitter friends commented on this challenge. Here's what they had to say:
-We have no facility for recycling plastics, other than milk jugs & pop bottles. We repurpose containers & cut back plastic use
-Even if you have limited space, you can still adopt odor free kitchen composting bit.ly/yUHrjm #CTWW
-One way to get back to our eco roots is to get back to basics & learn from those who lived during simpler times. Talk to a senior
-Small adjustments to a greener lifestyle can add up to savings. Use those savings towards your next eco project. One step at a time
-Hello! Roadblocks. I'd like to compost but my garden is too small to use the compost (forgot the hashtag last time!)
-I am thinking green roadblocks in my area. We live a place known for being eco-friendly, but still I know plenty!
-road blocks: money, time, storage in a nutshell
The #CTWW Gang are those folks who share our challenges on twitter using the hashtag #CTWW. If you're a Twitter member, I highly recommend following them ... they have a lot of great things to say. Let's meet them:
My Final Thoughts: Erich Fromm said, "As long as anyone believes that his ideal and purpose is outside him, that it is above the clouds, in the past or in the future, he will go outside himself and seek fulfillment where it cannot be found. He will look for solutions and answers at every point except where they can be found--in himself." I think his words sum up this challenge nicely!
Thanks, everyone! If you wrote an article, I have Stumbled, Tweeted, Facebooked and posted it on Google +. You can help spread the "green" word by using the share feature at the bottom of this post.
This Week's Challenge:
This week's challenge comes from our friend Joanne. I think it's especially appropriate now, after the holidays, when many of us added new "stuff" to our lives. Here you go:
This week, begin creating a list of unneeded household items to donate to nonprofits. Perhaps you have clothing, pillows, books or sports equipment which could be given to men's and women's shelters. Animal shelters are always in need of towels and food containers. So look around your home and see what could be offered. Donating keeps stuff out of landfills & supports local nonprofits that need all the help they can get.
If you've already cleaned out your closets, please share other ideas on how we can keep "stuff" out of landfills.
Thanks, Joanne ... I think this is going to be a great activity!
If you have a challenge for us, please send it to me HERE.
Until next time ...
WE'RE CHANGING THE WORLD ... ONE CHALLENGE AT A TIME! | <urn:uuid:83f476d6-bc08-4fc0-949d-d27b2dd6af75> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com/2012/01/change-world-wednesday-ctww_25.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970855 | 1,826 | 1.78125 | 2 |
The health care debate is a great example of why Americans hate politics.
Both Republicans and Democrats pursue their plans with ideological zeal and reckless disregard for the truth in hopes of winning 51 percent of the vote. Voters hold their nose and choose but would rather have their leaders search for consensus. That would require taking a little bit from the president's plan, a little bit from the Republicans and a lot from what voters think should be done.
Within the past decade, I've written columns titled "Deception 101," "Stubborn Ignorance" and "Exploiting Public Ignorance," all explaining which branch of the federal government has taxing and spending authority. So here it is again: The first clause of Article 1, Section 7 of the U.S. Constitution, generally known as the "origination clause," reads: "All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills." Constitutionally and by precedent, the House of Representatives has the exclusive prerogative to originate bills to appropriate money, as well as to raise revenues. The president is constitutionally permitted to propose tax and spending measures or veto them. Congress has the authority to ignore the president's proposals and override his vetoes.
There is little intellectually challenging about the fact that the Constitution gave Congress ultimate taxing and spending authority. My question is this: How can academics, politicians, news media people and ordinary citizens continually make and get away with statements such as "Reagan's budget deficits," "Clinton's budget surplus," "Bush's tax cuts" and "Obama's spending binge"? I know that the nation's law schools teach little about Framer intent, but I wonder whether they tell students that it's the executive branch of government that holds taxing and spending authority. Maybe it's simply incurable ignorance, willful deception, sloppy thinking or just plain stupidity. If there's an explanation that I've missed, I'd surely like to hear it.
When President Obama intervened in Libya last year, he claimed that "it's in our national interest to act" to remove a tyrant who -- in response to Bush's invasion of Iraq -- had just given up his weapons of mass destruction and pledged to be America's BFF.
Apparently Gadhafi neglected to also tell Obama, "I've got your back."
The November elections are a Republican landslide begging to materialize, but will the GOP make it happen? I believe so. I'm not buying these negative polls, but to increase our chances, let's sharpen the message, not dilute it.
A recent Fox News story reports that Romney and Ryan are both beginning to emphasize a bipartisan message rather than sharpen the contrasts between Obama's manifest failures and their plan for America. They must not follow this suicidal path.
I believe freedom is worth fighting for. I am committed to protecting the freedoms our forefathers guaranteed to us in our Constitution. There are many politicians who disagree with me, although they are loath to admit it, but their true colors show in voting records on critical legislation. And part of what makes America great is that every two years, we, too, cast our votes, rendering judgment on whether lawmakers have fulfilled their promises. And every four years, as in 2012, our opportunity extends to the highest office in the land.
Less than 60 days remains before Election Day. I don't need to tell you how important this election is to the future of our country. The stakes are high, and that's why I proudly serve as honorary chairman of Trigger The Vote, the National Rifle Association's nonpartisan campaign to register voters who support the Second Amendment. As a proud gun owner and defender of our Constitution, I am working within the system to make sure my voice is heard in Washington.
Originally syndicated September 6 | At this Democratic National Convention, I am going to be particularly interested in the crowds on the floor. Who cares about what Bill Clinton says? He does not mean it anyway. In the 1990s, he governed like a Republican after saying that "the age of Big Government is over." Incidentally, he governed pretty well. He would have made a good moderate Republican, so long as he had good conservative majorities in the House and the Senate to keep him — you will excuse the word — honest. Now, of course, he has committed another of his episodic tergiversations, writing a book in praise of behemoth government, as though the 1990s never happened.
The same can be said for Senator Jean-Francois Kerry. In 2004 he accepted his party's presidential nomination and continued his fiction that he was a war hero, ludicrously saluting the throng at the convention with "I'm John Kerry, and I am reporting for duty." As though the rest of the nation had forgotten that he came home from the Vietnam War, protesting it, and appeared before a taped congressional inquiry to incriminate his fellow servicemen with lies. Then he flew off to France to be used as a pawn by the Communist Vietnamese — war hero indeed. Possibly Senator Harry Reid could be interesting if he would only tell us what he knows about that cow he has been rumored to canoodle with, and, to be sure, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi is always good for a few laughs.
The political press will keep buzzing over whether Clint Eastwood's unconventional speech helped or hurt Mitt Romney and whether the snafu over Israel and God in the Democratic platform will do any lasting damage to President Obama. Republican reporters will think former President Clinton talked too long, and Democrats will note that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie talked more about himself than about Romney.
Let's pretend that we have the political guts to expand economic opportunities for people at the lower end of the economic spectrum. What vested interests should be attacked, and what economic regulations should be targeted for elimination?
It doesn't take a lot of money to become a taxi owner-operator and earn more than $40,000 a year. One needs a car, an insurance policy and ancillary interior equipment to make a car a taxi. In New York City, to be a taxi owner you'd have to purchase a license -- called a medallion -- that in June 2012 cost $704,000. New York's Taxi and Limousine Commission restrictions that generate such a license price outlaw taxi ownership by people who don't have access to a $704,000 loan. By contrast, in Washington, D.C., the annual fee for a license to own a taxi is $125. I'll let you guess which city has more taxis per capita, cheaper fares and more black taxi ownership.
How little we know about holy Islam! When those poor wretches who were imprisoned at Abu Ghraib were pictured for all the world to see naked with underpants on their heads, we were told that the naked male Islamic body must never be seen in public. Yet we have been seeing naked male Islamic bodies for years — often with their hands tied behind their backs and their heads chopped off. Their assailants were devotees of Islam, often very zealous. Few Westerners committed these atrocities, and if they were caught, they were punished. Then too we were told that mosques were revered places of worship by Islam, and they must not be subject to attack or used in acts of violence. Alas, for years, mosques have been blown up. Their inhabitants have been gunned down, even impaled on sharp blades. These were not the acts of unbelievers or of warriors from the Godless West. Rather, they were the acts of the faithful, often members of the same sect or tribe.
Just this weekend in Libya — now freshly liberated from Moammar Gadhafi, his body perforce treated roughly — ancient and venerated shrines of the majority Sufi persuasion were destroyed. In Tripoli at the crack of dawn on Saturday, the centuries-old Sidi Al-Sha'ab shrine was flattened by bulldozers. Two separate government security forces idly stood by. The day before in the city of Zlitan, Libya's most revered Sufi mosque was vandalized, and an adjoining library had its priceless collection of theological treatises torched. The attackers were fellow Libyans. No Westerner was in sight.
Political junkies get excited about the Republican and Democratic national conventions, but for many Americans they provide a stark reminder of how out of touch our political system has become. The strange rituals and bad jokes seem oddly out of place in the 21st century, almost as strange as seeing an engineer use a slide rule rather than an iPad to perform some complex calculation.
While partisan activists tune in when their team's big show is on the air, most unaffiliated voters view the conventions as a waste of time and money. For the past week or so, everyone I know in the political world has been talking about the latest convention buzz. But I live far from Washington, and most people I talk to aren't wrapped up in politics. Among that group, the most common response to mentioning the convention was something along the lines of, "Oh, yeah, I forgot that was going on now."
Poor Mickey Kaus. He's the liberal intellectual (not an oxymoron -- he's the last known living "liberal intellectual") lefties on TV are usually stealing from, but now that this welfare reform maven has concluded that Romney's welfare ad is basically correct, liberals refuse to acknowledge his existence.
The non-Fox media have formed a solid front in denouncing Romney's welfare ad for daring to point out that Obama has gutted the work requirements of the 1996 welfare reform bill.
If you listen to America's political hacks, mainstream media talking heads and their socialist allies, you can't help but reach the conclusion that the nation's tax burden is borne by the poor and middleclass while the rich get off scot-free.
Stephen Moore, senior economics writer for The Wall Street Journal, and I'm proud to say former GMU economics student, wrote "The U.S. Tax System: Who Really Pays?" in the Manhattan Institute's Issue 2012 (8/12). Let's see whether the rich are paying their "fair" share.
While all eyes were on the Republican National Convention in Tampa and Hurricane Isaac on the Gulf Coast, the White House was quietly jacking up the price of automobiles and putting future drivers at risk.
Yes, the same cast of fable-tellers who falsely accused GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney of murdering a steelworker's cancer-stricken wife is now directly imposing a draconian environmental regulation that will cost untold American lives.
TAMPA, Fla. -- This week when Mitt Romney strides to center stage to deliver his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, he might draw inspiration from an unlikely source: the song "I Am What I Am" from the musical "La Cage Aux Folles."
One of the chief complaints from voters about politicians is that they too often package themselves disingenuously to get elected, only to reveal their real agenda after they've won. That is what President Obama did in the 2008 campaign when he styled himself as a unifier who wanted to bridge the partisan divide by saying, "...we are not a collection of red states and blue states. We are the United States of America." He then governed more like he was in Soviet America with redistribution of income and more centralized power in Washington.
President Obama's casting of Mitt Romney as extreme is one of the most glaring incidents of political projection in the modern era. Romney doesn't approach extremism in substance, style or disposition. Obama swims in it.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Obama said Romney has locked himself into "extreme positions" on economic and social issues and would implement them if in office.
In 2010, President Barack Obama confessed to ABC News' Diane Sawyer, "I'd rather be a really good one-term president than a mediocre two-term president." But what if Obama's one term was not good but bad for the country?
The past two weeks, I've given the first eight reasons not to re-elect President Obama. Though I would encourage readers to read the details in each of those points, here they are in summary:
It has been a very rough patch for Our President, and I do believe it is going to get rougher still. Do not be surprised, as the month goes on and August runs into September, that his campaign budget becomes tighter. President Barack Obama is spending more money than he is raising. It will get worse. A president who mismanages the federal budget the way Obama does cannot be expected to manage his campaign budget much better. Lavish spending, it turns out, is a way of life for the community organizer who became our 44th president. Lavish spending on Campaign 2012 will be looked back on and seen as one of the campaign's greatest weaknesses. He can spend the money, but my guess is he will not be able to raise it.
Yet this week he had other headaches too. This week, "Politico" finally reported the dissension and backbiting that have been rumored for weeks within the campaign. You will be hearing a lot about this in the weeks ahead. The magical team that David Axelrod and David Plouffe put together in 2008 is falling apart.
The New York Times reported, "With waning approval ratings and a stagnant economy, the possibility that Mr. Obama will not be re-elected has entered the political bloodstream." It's more than entered; it's flowing strong.
Last week in Part 1, I began to list my Top 10 reasons not to re-elect President Obama. Though I would encourage readers to read the details of each of those points, here they are in summary:
Relying on Todd Akin's sense of decency has not worked. Within hours of his idiotic comments about "legitimate rape," Karl Rove's Crossroads GPS pulled out millions of dollars in funding for the Missouri Senate race. Akin didn't get the hint.
Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, withdrew all funding from the Missouri race. Akin still refused to quit.
Can we stop calling the hosts of the presidential debates "moderators"? They're left-erators. It's time for the old media godfathers to end the pretense that they're fair and neutral observers of the American political scene. And it's time for the GOP to stop perpetuating these rigged exercises in futility.
Last week, the Commission on Presidential Debates announced the names of 2012's chosen referees: CNN's Candy Crowley, PBS's Jim Lehrer and CBS's Bob Schieffer will preside over the three presidential debates; ABC's Martha Raddatz will host the sole vice presidential debate. While the debate panel trumpeted the gender diversity of its picks, the chromosomal diversity is far outweighed by the political uniformity, class conformity and geographical homogeneity of the group. | <urn:uuid:50c1833c-24e2-439f-a4f3-db9291ade488> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://newsbusters.org/nb-columns?page=10 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974045 | 3,057 | 1.648438 | 2 |
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Jimmy Williams (williji01)
From BR Bullpen
Note: This page links to major league infielder Jimmy Williams. For other players with similar names, click here.
James Thomas Williams
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 9", Weight 175 lb.
- Debut April 15, 1899
- Final Game October 3, 1909
- Born December 20, 1876 in St. Louis, MO USA
- Died January 16, 1965 in St. Petersburg, FL USA
Biographical Information
Jimmy Williams was a second baseman with an 11-year major league career who led the league in triples three times around the turn of the 20th century.
He was a sensation as a rookie in 1899, hitting 28 triples and 28 doubles and 9 home runs and hitting .355. He was third in the league in quite a few categories: slugging percentage, hits, total bases, home runs, and RBI.
However, he slumped in 1900 and then jumped in 1901 to the new American League. He led the 1901 Baltimore Orioles in slugging percentage, beating out John McGraw and Roger Bresnahan. The next year he slugged .500, by far the highest on the team. In both 1901 and 1902 he was in the top ten in the league in slugging. On June 18, 1901, he hit an inside-the-park grand slam.
The Orioles became the New York Highlanders in 1903, and he played with them from 1903 to 1908. While not as good as he had been in previous years, he led the Highlanders in slugging percentage in 1903. He was in the top ten in the league in home runs in 1905-1906, and in RBI in 1903-1904 and 1906-1907.
In 1904, there is bad blood between the Highlanders and umpire Silk O'Loughlin. Police escorted Williams and manager Clark Griffith off the field during one game, and they received suspensions. The Highlanders' owner threatened to bar O'Loughlin from entering the park in New York where the Highlanders played.
On September 3, 1906, Williams hit a ball toward third, and third baseman John Knight of the Philadelphia Athletics stepped into the path of baserunner Willie Keeler to get the ball. Amidst the confusion, Keeler fell down, and the ball rolled into the outfield. Keeler then scored. Philadelphia players argued angrily enough with the umpire (again Silk O'Loughlin) that O'Loughlin called a forfeit in favor of the Highlanders.
He finished out his major league career in 1908-1909 with the St. Louis Browns.
From 1910-1915 he played for the Minneapolis Millers, hitting over .300 twice.
Records Held
- Triples, rookie, season, 27, 1899
Notable Achievements
- 3-time League Triples Leader (1899/NL & 1901-1902/AL)
- 200 Hits Seasons: 1 (1899)
- 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 2 (1899 & 1901)
- 100 RBI Seasons: 1 (1899) | <urn:uuid:8f8bee40-65d6-4829-864b-6f9bfa5f991f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Jimmy%20Williams%20(williji01) | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952749 | 697 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Buyer Beware: Roline's $10 cable can cause $1100 in damage
8/13/2009 by: Theo Valich
In my 19 years of experience with personal computers and 10 years of being a hardware reviewer, I have never experienced that a cable would cause the death of two connecting components. But as they say, there is always a first.
This cable (note the buldge on the SAS port) fried two precious components of our testing setup
This time around, the honor of killing a 600GB Cheetah 15.7K SAS drive and Intel's DX58SO "Smackover" motherboard goes to Roline's "SAS to Dual SATA" adapter. We had two Seagate Cheetahs and decided to connect them to a SATA-equipped motherboard to check if RAID0 and RAID1 would be possible on a dual-SATA connector, e.g. enjoying the full speed of these SAS drives on a SATA motherboard.
According to numbers achieved on an SAS motherboard, we expected to comfortably bottleneck the ICH10R Southbridge chip in the same manner two Solid State Drives would [Intel's Southbridge chip is capped at around 450MB/s].
But thanks to Roline's 11.03.1065R cable, we were unable to do that. Roline is a brand of Rotronic AG, a Swiss-based company with a tag-line "Designed for Professionals" using manufacturing facilities in China. Sadly, this time around Roline designed and manufactured a quite expensive [$11] cable that burned over $1000 of equipment and pushed our reviewing schedule back. The 600GB version of the Seagate Cheetah 15.7K is called the fastest hard drive in the world, and seeing it in action - we sorta agree to these claims, since it can even challenge Solid State Drives at a higher capacity. But with the price of 820 dollars, seeing this drive going in flames with Intel's DX58SO motherboard (around $240) meant that we are down by almost 1100 USD.
At first, it started off ideally - we purchased two Roline SAS to Dual SATA Cables, connected two drives into the DX58SO motherboard and turned the system on. The moment we booted the system, the temperature in the cable sparked through the roof and we felt a heatwave going around the system. Even though we switched off the power supply within two seconds after the boot, the damage was done. SAS Cable
During our analysis, we concluded that Rotronic AG miss-manufactured this cable, and the power from the Molex cable was routed directly onto the second SATA cable, where it made a burst and melted the plastic on the connector itself, SATA cable on the Roline cable, and melted power and data connectors on the Cheetah 15.7K, and fried a SATA port on the motherboard, rendering it useless. This small manufacturing mistake resulted in quite unfortunate damage and a loss of our testing data [we were in RAID0 part of testing]. We are waiting on new components to continue the testing, and you will see the first article coming next week.
But seriously, we did not expect that a cable is going to be miss-manufactured in a way that power would route from the Molex connector to the SATA port and fry everything up. The other drive, thanks heavens - works perfectly with Roline's SAS to Dual SATA adapter.
Roline's 11.03.1065R, Roline SAS to Dual SATA cable, Seagate Cheetah 15.7K, Intel DX58SO, Rotronic, Rotronic AG, Roline, Designed for Professionals, Seagate, Seagate Cheetah 15.7K, Cheetah, Cheetah 15.7K, Intel, Intel Corporation,
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