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LONDON, England (CNN) -- When Michael Phelps lost his first major individual competition in four years at the World Championships in Rome it was a defeat which could help define the sport for decades to come.
Michael Phelps ponders his second-placed finish behind Paul Biedermann at the World Championships in Rome.
Paul Biedermann finished ahead of Phelps, who won eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympic Games, with a new world record in the 200-meter freestyle - but the win was marred with controversy.
Biedermann was wearing the Arena X-Glide polyurethane suit, considered faster than Phelps' Speedo LZR Racer, which gave him an extra advantage in the race.
Biedermann was not only able to finish ahead of Phelps, he also smashed Australian Ian Thorpe's seven-year-old world record in the 400m freestyle in an earlier race.
Indeed, since the introduction of polyurethane suits in 2008 a drastic improvement in times has been possible and world records have fallen at regular intervals.
So how have these swimsuits been able to give some competitors the edge?
The high-tech, full-length swimsuits are coated in neoprene, polyurethane or a thin layer of bio rubber which gives added buoyancy.
The riblets on the surface of the main fabric trap microscopic water molecules, creating an effect of water moving over water that reduces the drag and keeps water friction close to zero.
Modern suits are also form-fitting and are exceptionally light yet compressive so swimmers have been able to knock large chunks off record times.
At least 150 world records have been lowered since February 2008 when Speedo launched the LZR Racer which revolutionized the sport.
Although, they have found their 50 percent polyurethane suit overtaken by the 100 percent polyurethane wear such as the Arena X-Glide worn by Biedermann.
One of the major problems faced by swimmers with regards to the suits is that they may have existing sponsorship agreements which prevent them from using the suit of a rival company.
The knock-on effect is that as soon as fresh technological breakthrough is made by one firm the opposition are blown out of the water.
So, by using in Speedo's LZR Racer, Phelps is effectively swimming in yesterday's suit - at least until they are able to come up with technology to match the developments by their rivals.
The suits have divided opinion in the swimming world with calls for performance-enhancing equipment to be banned.
Among the critics is Phelps' coach Bob Bowman who hinted after the defeat in Rome that he may withhold his man from international meets until the playing field is a level one.
FINA - the sport's governing body - have made clear their plans in response to the criticism with a return to common textile in suits defined by a group of scientific experts led by Professor Jan-Anders Manson, from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne.
There will be uniform permeability, no modification for individual swimmers who will only be able to wear one suit with no taping allowed while thickness and buoyancy are also to be reduced.
Also FINA reduced the area of the body which the suit will be able to cover. For men, it will not extend above the navel nor below the knee, and for women, shall not cover the neck, extend past the shoulder, nor extend below the knee.
Ultimately the back-to-basics approach from FINA means the excitement of a world record being broken is likely to become less-common phenomena, but it will see a welcome return to competitive and fair races.
Although, it will not be implemented until April or May 2010 to allow manufacturers time to make the transition - and some unbreakable records to be set.
|Most Viewed||Most Emailed||Top Searches|
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ELF Activist Daniel McGowan Released After 7 Years in “Little Guantanamo”
Earth Liberation Front activist Daniel McGowan, who was the subject of last year’s Oscar-nominated documentary “If A Tree Falls,” has been released from federal prison after seven years.
McGowan was one of a dozen underground environmental and animal rights activists with the ELF and its sister movement, the Animal Liberation Front, who were swept up in a two year, multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional investigation called ‘Operation Backfire,’ which culminated in a series of high-profile arrests and prosecutions at the end of 2005 and beginning of 2006. (Two weeks ago, Rebecca Rubin, one of the three remaining fugitives in the investigation, turned herself in at the U.S.-Canada border.) The activists were charged with committing a series of arsons and other property crimes against numerous targets that they deemed to be agents of environmental destruction and animal exploitation, including U.S. Forest Service ranger stations, a horse slaughterhouse, a dairy farm, lumber company facilities, SUV dealerships, wild horse corrals, a university horticultural research center, a meat company, and, most famously, the Vail Ski Resort.
Though none of the crimes targeted people nor resulted in human death or injury, the Justice Department wasted little time in publicly declaring the arrestees “terrorists.” At a 2006 press conference announcing the defendants’ indictments, FBI Director Robert Mueller referred to perpetrators of environmental and animal rights-related crimes as one of the agency’s “highest domestic terrorism priorities.” Congress passed legislation that year specifically singling out animal rights activists for enhanced criminal penalties, classifying property crimes against industries that exploit animals and even, in some contexts, First Amendment activities directed at agents of those industries, as “terrorism.” No such special legislation has ever been passed to selectively brand white supremacists, anti-abortion extremists, anti-immigrant vigilantes and right-wing militias — all of which have targeted, injured and killed humans — as terrorists.
McGowan was detained in two different prisons, both of them belonging to a category of new experimental facilities called “Communications Management Units,” or CMUs (he also spent a brief period of his incarceration in general population). CMUs were built to contain low-level terrorists rounded up in the War on Terror; most of their prisoners are alleged to be connected to Islamic networks. They are designed to severely restrict and control the amount and nature of inmates’ communications with the outside world, earning them the nickname among inmates and prison staff of “Little Guantanamo,” according to journalist Will Potter. For several years, their existence was kept secret. There are only two CMUs in the United States, in Illinois and Indiana; McGowan served time in both.
For the next six months, McGowan will be living in a halfway house in New York City, and then be under supervised release for three years.
ELF and ALF activists have been demonized by prosecutors, politicians, law enforcement officers and the media as terrorists, sociopaths, ordinary criminals hiding behind an ideology or, at best, naïve kids with overly romantic notions of what it means to fight for a cause. However, a more disinterested, less agenda-driven observer might recognize the near inevitability of their movement’s dialectical emergence out of a prevailing political culture that has stubbornly refused to even begin to address some of the most dire and vexing problems facing every living thing on the planet. When mainstream political institutions fail to rise to the scale and urgency of epochal crises like global warming, deforestation or massive species extinction —in some cases, even failing to acknowledge their reality — among those who understand what’s at stake, there will be some who are driven to desperate acts.
The ELF and ALF could never be the solution to the problems they point to, but neither are they merely incidental to them: radical movements tend to be harbingers of the struggles to come when ossified political systems bury their heads in the sand rather than measure up to the profound challenges they face and to their own internal contradictions. Rather than vilify McGowan as a terrorist or mythologize him as a martyr for the earth, we should consider his story for what it tells us about a civilization so blind to its circumstances that it provokes individuals to engage in extreme political acts and risk serving years in Little Guantanamos in order to do something to stem an unfolding catastrophe.
Photos: NYC Anarchist Black Cross (with permission)
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Here's a tip on how to look like Mrs. Frizzle of the Magic School Bus without having to spend a lot of money on your wardrobe. Cut out designs in felt (like trees showing the four seasons, the water cycle, life cycle of a frog, etc.) and spray bonding glue on the backs. Let the glue set up for at least five minutes. Apply the designs to an old apron and voila, you're Mrs. Frizzle! The designs can be removed and stored on waxed paper so one apron is sufficient for all your science units. The children will love it and will be able to guess what you'll be teaching next.
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Philosophy and Objectives of the Music Department:
Manhattanville's music programs offer broad opportunities both for the music major and liberal arts student. It is in pursuing that dual purpose, to train future professionals and to serve the aesthetic needs of the liberal arts major, that the core philosophy of the Music Department is most apparent. We enthusiastically seek to provide a performance experience for non-majors and to encourage our majors to explore broader intellectual horizons by enrolling in a wide variety of diverse courses.
Our music curriculum allows for a strong emphasis on creativity and individual expression without sacrificing the full development of necessary skills and self-discipline. Courses are available for all Manhattanville students in specialized areas of musical performance, music history, music theory, composition, music education, musical theatre, music management, music technology, and jazz studies. Opportunities exist for public performances, both on and off campus, through membership in a variety of performing organizations. It is not uncommon to find the major and non-major performing side by side. The Music Department also offers a flexible minor in music to address the diverse interests of students wishing to pursue music as a supplementary subject area.
Manhattanville College offers several degree programs in music. Music majors may pursue either the Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Music, the Bachelor of Arts degree in music with a concentration in Music Management , Musical Theatre, Music Technology, or a Bachelor of Music degree with a major in Music Education.
Graduate students, with the proper prerequisite training, can pursue the Master of Arts in Teaching in music education. This program requires a combination of 40 graduate credits in music, psychology and education. Students who have already completed a master's degree in music can take courses in the Post-masters Certification Program (see School of Education Graduate Catalogue). Since fall 2005, we have offered a combined degree honors program with the School of Education to allow an accelerated Bachelor of Music in Music Education and a Master of Arts in Teaching degree. The combined degree program allows students to double count 15 credits towards both degrees. Successful completion of any graduate program results in permanent teaching certification for New York State.
For all of our degree programs, a primary objective of the Music Department is to provide the means and environment to equip our graduates to take their place in the world of music outside the campus walls. We take very seriously our role to encourage in students the responsibility to use their individual talents in ways that will benefit and serve the community-at-large. Ultimately, we aim to provide an environment where music study at Manhattanville College will inspire young men and women to pursue life-long learning and pleasure in music.
Francis Brancaleone, Ph.D. Chair, Department of Music
Manhattanville College is located in Purchase, New York on a beautiful 100-acre suburban campus, 10 minutes from downtown White Plains and just 30 miles from New York City. It has an amazingly diverse mix of students from more than 30 states and 50 countries. The College has 1,700 undergraduates and 1,000 graduate students.
- Executive & Continuing Education
- News & Events
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Tickets and Information
WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
Lynch Play offers an unvarnished depiction of race relations in America through the eyes of an opinionated, self-important, and self-anointed historian named Willie D. To the audience, he is a minstrel. In reality, he is the wounded spirit of a people who through periods of time were terrorized. Willie D's commentary is without regard for political correctness and his antics universally offensive: his stage make-up is blackface. There are no shows on April 8, 9, or 10.
24 Bond St
New York, NY 10012
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recommend, approve and/or guarantee such events, or any facts, views, advice and/or information contained therein.
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The Haggin Museum, an art and history museum, has been referred to by Sunset magazine as “one of the undersung gems of California.” Its art collection features works by such noted 19th-century painters as Albert Bierstadt, Rosa Bonheur, and William-Adolphe Bouguereau, as well as many other American and European artists. Great local and regional history too. Featuring late night Thursday events every 1st and 3rd Thursday with Wine and food and hands-on activities for children ages 5-12 every 2nd Saturday of the month. Don't forget to make a stop by the museum store!
The Haggin Museum and Museum Store are open Wednesday through Friday 1:30 – 5:00 pm, Saturday and Sunday noon to 5:00 pm and every 1st and 3rd Thursday from 1:30 to 9pm (check their events page for special programming on these late night openings). The museum and museum store are closed Mondays, Tuesdays, and select holidays.
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CAMP PENDLETON When Bryan Shibley graduates this year from San Diego State University, he’ll be thanking the
How to Apply
Go to the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation's website mcsf.org.
Applications available Jan. 1.
Due date March 1.
Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation for helping foot the bill for his education. The 23-year old aerospace engineering major almost didn’t apply for the scholarship and now he’s urging other children of Camp Pendleton troops to fill out an application.
Last year 100 scholarships were given to students from Camp Pendleton and surrounding areas within a radius of 50 miles.
Shibley is one of 1,900 children of Marines and Navy corpsmen receiving a total of $6 million in scholarships from the foundation for the 2012-2013 year. The average award was $3,182.
“We want to honor the service of Marines and their families by helping educate their children,” said Margaret Davis, the scholarship foundation’s president and chief executive officer.
Application filing opened this month with a deadline of March 1.
Davis advises students to submite their applications early and be prepared to tell what their parents’ Marine Corps service has meant in their lives.
For Shibley, his father’s 26 years in the Marines shaped his aspirations. Shibley traces his interest in aerospace engineering to trips with his father, Master Gunnery Sgt. Josiah Shibley, to the airfield at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, where he watched planes take off.
During recent summers, Shibley volunteered at Marine Corps Community Service events, such as races, and worked side by side with volunteers from the military. “My interaction with Marines made me want to be part to the Corps,” Shibley said.
Shibley plans to join the Corps after graduation with the goal of becoming a helicopter pilot. He hopes someday to be based at Camp Pendleton where his family lived for six years.
Joining the Marines is not a requirement for the scholarship. The foundation does pay special attention to college-bound children of wounded service members and those killed in combat.
Currently, close to a 100 students are receiving Heroes Tribute for Children of the Wounded Scholarships and more than a dozen are recipients of the Heroes Tribute for Children of the Fallen Scholarships.
Applicants do not need to attend a four-year college to qualify. The scholarships are open to students in technical and vocational programs and those attending community colleges, Davis said.
The privately funded nonprofit foundation has given out more than 30,000 scholarships valued at more $70 million since it was established in 1962, according to Davis.
Recently, former Padre Trevor Hoffman and his wife. Tracy, established an endowed fund at the scholarship foundation to provide funding for children of Marines in Southern California. Both their fathers served in the Marine Corps.
As the application deadline, draws closer, Shibley recommends that students apply now. “My advice is don’t hesitate, give it a try.”
For application information, go to mcsf.org.
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There are now just over 80 equine masseurs registered in Britain, with therapists required to first complete a massage course for humans before treating horses.
Once in the profession it's no easy ride, as each therapist requires permission from a vet before starting work.
As an equine masseur, it's essential to know the inner workings of an animal unable to vocalize what it is feeling -- making the anatomy paintings an important point of reference.
But the fine art of painting horses isn't all science based -- Rossa also decorates thoroughbreds purely for aesthetic value.
Earlier this month she painted a racehorse from neck to hoof in an intricate Christmas jumper, as part of The Jockey Club's online advent calendar.
For the photoshoot, 17-time champion jockey, Tony ''AP" McCoy donned a matching festive jumper as the pair leaped over a golden hedge laden with presents.
It wasn't the first time Rossa had used a horse as canvas, also painting a thoroughbred in the Union Jack as part of a special shoot for July's Barbury International Horse Trials in Britain.
Eventing competitor Laura Collett was pictured riding the remarkable painted horse jumping over a mini Stonehenge obstacle course.
It took Rossa more than five hours to paint the gray horse, using brown sticky tape to create the straight lines of the flag. "The horses seemed to quite enjoy it -- some just love the attention and being paraded around," she said.
With their insides vividly on display, these thoroughbreds are no oil paintings. But their eye-catching outfits may have proven picture perfect for training therapists the fine art of massage.
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More on Commuting in America
The Census Bureau is working through the latest American Community Survey, and this week my colleague Rob Perks covered some of what's been released regarding that remarkably large subset of commuters who have super-long trips to work. Before analyzing and discussing this more, it's worth keeping in mind that commuting is just 27.7 percent of our daily travel, according to another survey tool (the National Household Travel Survey). This has dropped gradually since 1969, when it was about 33.7 percent. So while commuting matters a great deal, the majority of our daily travel is for other purposes.
Back to those 10.8 million Americans who travel an hour or more to work each way. Where are they? I used data from surveys from 2006-2011 available courtesy of public radio station WNYC to rank the 42 counties with zip codes where the average commute is an hour or more:
As a Marylander, I see some familiar counties and notice that neighboring West Virginia not only has the bottom as well as several other spots but also the distinction of a county appearing more than once (meaning that the county spans more than one zip and both rank near the bottom).
Even more cool is a map WNYC staff put together, which is really impressive and worth exploring:
Just scroll over it and you can check out average commute times for counties across the U.S., and tighten the lens to take a closer look at zips in your metro region, town or county.
Rob and I will doubtless be writing more about these survey tools, as I know other bloggers will too.
And to bookend this short entry, let's look at those of us who have the shortest commute, from one room to another in our house (I'm sitting in my home office right now, in fact). There's been a 46 percent jump in the number of people who work from home at least one day a week since 1997, meaning 13.4 million now opt to telework regularly. These workers are diverse in age, education and location, although they tend to have a bachelor's degree or higher and live out west. Census has developed a terrific infographic describing the characteristics of this growing pool of workers here (pdf).
Comments are closed for this post.
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The Affirmative Civil Enforcement ("ACE") program at the U.S. Attorney's Office brings civil actions on behalf of the United States. Many ACE cases involve suits under the False Claims Act (31 U.S.C. § 3729 et seq.) against individuals or entities that defrauded the United States. Under the False Claims Act, the United States may recover treble damages and additional penalties from those who use false claims or statements to obtain money from the federal government. The ACE program investigates and pursues those who commit health care fraud, defense procurement fraud or who fraudulently obtained benefits under various federal programs. In recent years, the ACE program has pursued claims against individuals and entities who defrauded the federal Medicare and Medicaid programs, the Social Security Administration, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Veterans' Affairs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and variety of other federal agencies.
In addition to pursuing cases under the False Claims Act, the ACE program litigates a variety of other regulatory enforcement actions on behalf of the United States. For example, the ACE program has brought legal actions to enforce the Packers and Stockyards Act, require compliance with OSHA inspection warrants, and require compliance with the Drug Enforcement Administration's regulatory requirements.
Civil rights enforcement is also an important part of the ACE program. In particular, our ACE program has a very vigorous program seeking to enforce the Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA"). Attorneys in the ACE program have pursued legal actions to ensure that individuals with disabilities are able to fully enjoy their rights as citizens. The office has obtained settlement agreements to ensure that deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals are provided with interpreters and other auxiliary aids and services when seeking medical care at hospitals, worked to ensure that businesses, such as theaters and restaurants, have appropriate parking and restrooms for individuals with mobility impairments, and have ensured that businesses do not discriminate against individuals who use service animals. In addition to ADA enforcement actions, the ACE Program has pursued other civil rights actions, including actions to enforce the Fair Housing Act.
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German customs officials said on April 2 that they have halted a shipment to Iran of a general anesthetic drug that also is used to execute people by lethal injection.
The shipment of 2.5 kilograms of sodium thiopental had not received export clearance as required by law.
Sodium thiopental is the first of three components used on death-row convicts to induce coma and death.
The European Union, which opposes the death penalty, has restricted its export.
Amnesty International has reported a sharp rise in executions in Iran during 2011.
More than 600 reported executions there last year included nearly 300 credible reports of "secret" executions.
Iranian opposition leaders say the regime has increased executions to intimidate and silence the opposition from taking to the streets as they had done during the 2009 and 2010 Iranian election protests.
With reporting by Dpa, Europe online; haber monitor, and Amnesty International
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Walmart Announces Plan to Help Americans Eat Better -- Are We Doomed or Saved?
Stay up to date with the latest headlines via email.
Last week, Walmart announced (with the help of the Michelle Obama megaphone) that it was embarking on a five-year plan to help America eat healthier.
The plan involves reducing the amounts of sodium, transfats, and sugar in its Great Value line of goods, pushing its suppliers to do the same, lowering the prices on fresh fruits and vegetables to make them more affordable, and building more stores in under-served communities.
The optimist on my right shoulder says, “With the incredible power Walmart has to influence the supply chain, this could have a real impact on the way America eats. If Walmart can get Kraft and other big food manufacturers to reformulate their products, then everyone will benefit, even the 10 people who don’t shop at Walmart.” If people are going to eat packaged food (which they are) shouldn’t it be healthier?” And, “Isn’t a low-paying grocery job coming to your neighborhood better than no job at all?”
Those are the same things a realist would say. Because, well, Walmart isn’t going away anytime soon and until Congress starts doing its job to ensure healthy food and equal opportunity for all of our nation’s citizens, we’ll just have to take what we can get.
The first lady is a realist. She mentioned in her remarks during the press conference that almost half the population of the U.S shops at Walmart each week. Why not go where you can have the greatest possible impact? The first lady is trying to get something done here. Who can blame her for going where the real power is?
Corporations have become citizens and our lawmakers are more interested in blocking the proposals of the other party than in actually enacting policies that will improve the dismal state of our nation’s collective health. This means people who care about such things are put in the position of praising Walmart for taking measures that the company wouldn’t do if it didn’t, in the end, serve their bottom line.
The cynic on my left shoulder thinks there is something terribly wrong with this.
When we leave it up to packaged food companies and retailers to determine what is “healthier,” we’re in trouble. Just this week, it was reported by Marion Nestle that packaged food companies are developing yet another new label that not only lists calories, fats, sodium, etc. but also “positives.” It’s obvious that any industry-led healthier food initiative is going to become another marketing tactic.
Marketing isn’t education and education is what the public needs.
In my ideal world, there would be a giant public education campaign around healthy whole foods, information about how to shop for, store and prepare them, and family-friendly employment policies that will leave people with the time to cook real food. Oh and the farm bill would have to be written so that it doesn’t subsidize the kind of crap that sits on the interior shelves of our supermarkets in favor of healthy whole foods.
I know. I’m dreaming.
The part of the initiative that sounds the most interesting is Walmart’s pledge to drop the prices of fruits and vegetables. Ever sensitive to charges that it squeezes its suppliers to get its prices so low, making it hard for farmers to break even, Walmart execs promise that it will cut into its own profits, not farmers’. The company hopes to do this through supply chain tweaks and make up for lower prices in higher sales volume. If Walmart is so eager to cut its own profits for the nation’s health, why can’t they pay their employees a living wage that will allow them to buy real food, instead of relying on taxpayers to foot the bill? It’s been well-documented that employees of Walmart and other retail chains often make so little money that they qualify for taxpayer-funded food stamps and public assistance.
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http://www.alternet.org/story/149718/walmart_announces_plan_to_help_americans_eat_better_--_are_we_doomed_or_saved
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16 May 2008
The public finances will be left in increasing disarray next year as a result of Chancellor Alistair Darling's May 13 decision to borrow £2.7bn to fund a tax cut for low- and middle-income households, senior economists have said.
As Bank of England governor Mervyn King warned that inflation was set to worsen markedly, economic experts said Darling would be faced with the unenviable choice of cutting spending or raising taxes in next year's Budget if fiscal rules are to be met.
They agreed that the decision to borrow – taken to compensate households set to lose out from the abolition of the 10p tax rate – just keeps the government within its self-imposed borrowing rule, but leaves the chancellor with little room for manoeuvre.
The 2008 Budget forecast that debt would peak at 39.8% of national income in 2010/11 – within a hair's breadth of the government's 40% borrowing rule. The £2.8bn represented by the remaining 0.2% has been virtually used up by Darling's decision to raise the personal allowance threshold for this year by £600, giving £120 to all basic rate taxpayers.
Martin Weale, director of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, said that Darling was left with a narrow palette of options if he wished to get back on track next year. 'He'll be getting close to a general election, so putting up taxes in the Budget won't look terribly appealing, so I think the fiscal position will just be allowed to get worse,' Weale told Public Finance.
He added that he expected both the 40% borrowing rule and the 'golden rule' would be broken. 'It becomes harder for [Darling] to identify the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow that is going to get him out of that. His options are to cut spending or put up taxes.'
Mike Brewer, senior research economist at the independent Institute for Fiscal Studies, said: '[Darling] has technically not yet broken the rule but he has used up all the gap. If nothing changes, the Treasury will meet the net debt rule in 2010/11… [But] if there's a deterioration in the public finances they need to find extra revenue somehow, either through tax rises or reduced spending.'
He added that the higher personal allowance was likely to remain a permanent feature of the tax system.
'The problem the chancellor has is if this measure is only for one year and nothing replaces it, then not only will he get back the 4 million losers he got rid of [on May 13], but also there's the 13 million families who got a windfall of £120 a year… who might begrudge it being taken off them again,' he told PF.
'The Pre-Budget Report is likely to announce a different way of compensating the losers, but even that requires money and he doesn't have any wiggle room. I don't envy the people in the Treasury trying to come up with a package in the PBR; it all looks very difficult.'
In Darling's statement to MPs, he acknowledged that a one-off rebate or changes to the tax credit system would be costly and take time to set up, whereas increasing the tax allowance was the quickest, fairest and most efficient way of getting money to people.
'It retains the benefit of a simpler tax system and also allows basic rate taxpayers to see the benefits as soon as possible, and for the whole of this financial year,' Darling said.
'My proposal will also provide additional support for individuals and families for this year, including those on middle incomes… We are providing support at a time when they are facing additional costs.'
But the Conservatives claimed the package was a short-term political fix made by a panicking government facing defeat in the Crewe & Nantwich by-election on May 22.
Shadow chancellor George Osborne said: 'This is a panic emergency Budget from a divided, dithering and disintegrating government that has completely lost control of events.'
Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman Vince Cable welcomed the move to lift the tax threshold, but queried how it would affect future fiscal decisions. 'If over the next two years there are regular crises in the housing market, in energy and food, what will they do? Will they simply spend more? Do more borrowing?' he asked.
After being legislated for in the Finance Bill, currently progressing through Parliament, the changes will reach basic rate taxpayers in September in the form of a £60 addition to their pay packets and an extra £10 each following month.
The Treasury also confirmed that adjustments to the tax credit system, minimum wage and winter fuel allowance, suggested as means of compensation last month, were also still being considered and could reappear in the Pre-Budget Report.
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It seems the Obama campaign catchphrase of the month is “trickle-down tax cut fairy dust.”
President Obama has used the term to describe Mitt Romney’s economic policy in five speeches over the past week.
“Look, Orlando, we know better. They have tried to sell us this trickle-down tax cut fairy dust before,” Obama said at a Rollins College event in Winter Park, Fla., on Aug. 2. “And guess what — it didn’t work then; it will not work now.”
“We know better than this. They have been trying to sell us this trickle-down, tax cut fairy dust before. We’ve seen this before. And guess what — every single time, it doesn’t work,” he said later that day to a crowd at Loudon County High School in Leesburg, Va.
“So there were all kinds of different gymnastics being performed by the Romney campaign last week. They have tried to sell us this trickle-down, tax cut fairy dust before. And guess what — it does not work,” Obama said Monday in Stamford, Conn.
“So they were twisting and they were turning and doing backflips, and trying to say, well, this is a biased report — despite the fact that the head of this nonpartisan center used to work for President Bush,” he said yesterday in Grand Junction, Colo. “But it’s not surprising that he was trying to scramble a little bit, because they’ve tried to sell this old, trickle-down tax cut fairy dust before.”
And today at an event in Pueblo, Colo.: “Now, you know what, they have tried to sell us this trickle-down tax cut fairy dust before. It did not work. It did not work then. It is not going to work now.”
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The digital revolution is about intelligent trade-offs, according to Rory Sutherland, vice chairman of Ogilvy UK, at South Africa's first Ogilvy Verge Digital Conference held in Johannesburg and Cape Town in April.
Instead of the mass media reach of the early days of TV, digital is a tradeoff with audience size for self-selectiveness, content for context, best customer for brand advocates, must-haves for personal taste, and monopoly for choice. In turn, consumers are responding with extreme tradeoffs - low-cost airlines and extravagant accommodation or cheap cigarettes and expensive coffee - calling traditional demographic metrics into question.
Sutherland concluded that the trick is to ask if one can define the audience in a different way; and Patou Nuytemans, EAME digital director of OgilvyOne Worldwide, picked up right there. "How can that audience be engaged in a different way?" she added.
When the consumer is control, it is much harder to reach them, Nuytemans reemphasised. With push marketing making way for engagement marketing, websites have become a brand's central manifestation in offering compelling, useful and pleasurable content; facilitating community and interaction; and, above all, generating word-of-mouth. "There is one mass media left... and that's the consumer," she concluded.
After all, engagement is the end-goal, digital is only the facilitator, as the Nike+iPod case study, presented by Michael Tchao, general manager of Nike Techlab, exemplified. The Nike + iPod Sport Kit acts as a personal coach that tracks and stores distance, pace and calorie data from workouts. Set to go down in the marketing halls of fame, this unprecedented case study has created a digital community that manifests in physical activity with over 85-million kilometers that have been run since its launch - it's a running revolution!
And for those local sceptics, digital media is vibrant in SA and not just used by elitist techies, confirmed Sello Leshope, Ogilvy SA's strategic planning director. "If one looks at the recent local phenomenon of Vernon Koekemoer, it speaks for itself. It was just a normal guy spotted at party that has become immortalised in cyberspace through emails, Facebook and local blog sites. Although our fixed broadband penetration is actually decreasing due to infrastructural issues, we have reached 1 million broadband users. Consumers are just hungry for local and relevant content," he explained.
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Being critical of others not only destroys our relationships but also blinds us to our own weaknesses.
Much torment comes to people's lives because of judgmental attitudes, criticism and suspicion. Multitudes of relationships are destroyed by these enemies.
In the area of judgment, the mind is the battlefield. Thoughts--just "I think"--can be the tool the devil uses to keep a person lonely. People do not enjoy being around someone who needs to voice an opinion about everything.
Being judgmental, opinionated and critical are three sure ways to see relationships dissolve. Satan, of course, wants you and me to be lonely and rejected, so he attacks our minds in these areas.
JUDGING DEFINED According to Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, one of the Greek words translated "judge" is partially defined as "to form an opinion" and is cross-referenced to the word "sentence." God is the only One who has the right to condemn or sentence; therefore, when we pass judgment on another, we are, in a certain sense, setting ourselves up as God in his life. That puts a little "godly fear" in me. I have a lot of nerve, but I am not interested in trying to be God!
These areas were once a major problem in my personality. I was critical because I always seemed to see what was wrong instead of what was right.
Some personalities are more given to this fault than others. Some of the more jovial personality types do not want to see anything but the "happy" or "fun" things in life, so they really don't pay much attention to the things that could spoil their enjoyment.
The more melancholy personality or the controlling personality often sees what is wrong first; generally, people with this type of personality are generous in sharing their negative opinions and outlook with others.
Thousands of things we encounter every day are neither right nor wrong but are simply personal choices--choices that people have a right to make on their own without outside interference.
My husband and I are extremely different in our approach to many things. How to decorate a house would be one of those things.
If we go out to shop for household things together, it seems Dave always likes one thing, and I like something else. His opinion is just as good as mine, and mine is just as good as his; they are simply different.
It took me years to understand that there wasn't something wrong with Dave just because he did not agree with me. Of course, I usually let him know that I thought there was something wrong with him. Obviously, my attitude caused much friction between us and hurt our relationship.
THE PROBLEM IS PRIDE Judgment and criticism are actually the fruit of a deeper problem--pride. The Bible repeatedly warns us about being high-minded (see Rom.12:3).
Whenever we excel in an area, it is only because God has given us a gift of grace for it. If we have an exaggerated opinion of ourselves, it causes us to look down on others and value them as "less than" we are.
This type of attitude or thinking is detestable to the Lord, and it opens many doors for the enemy in our lives. We must have a holy fear of pride and be very careful of judging others or of being critical of them (see Gal. 6:1-3).
Each of us belongs to God, and even if we have weaknesses, He is able to make us stand and to justify us. We answer to God, not to each other; therefore, we are not to judge one another in a critical way (see Rom. 14:4).
The devil stays very busy assigning demons to place judgmental, critical thoughts in people's minds. I can remember when it was entertaining for me to sit in the park or the shopping mall and simply watch all the people go by as I formed a mental opinion of each of them--their clothing, hairstyles, companions and so on.
We cannot always prevent ourselves from having opinions, but we do not have to express them. I believe we can even grow to the point where we do not have so many opinions, and those we do have are not of a critical nature.
I frequently tell myself, "Joyce, it's none of your business." A major problem is brewing in your mind when you ponder your opinion until it becomes a judgment.
The problem grows bigger the more you think about it until you begin to express it to others or even to the one you're judging. It has then become explosive and has the ability to do a great deal of harm in the realm of relationship as well as in the spiritual realm. You may be able to save yourself future problems by simply learning to say, "This is none of my business."
Judgment and criticism were rampant in my family, so I "grew up with them," so to speak. I wanted to do things God's way, but I couldn't. It took many years of misery before I learned about the strongholds in my mind that had to be dealt with before my behavior could change.
Matthew 7:1-5 are some of the classic Scriptures on the subject of judgment and criticism. When you are having trouble with your mind in this area, use these Scriptures and others as weapons against the devil who is attempting to build a stronghold in your mind. He may be operating out of a stronghold that has already been there for many years.
SOWING AND REAPING The Scriptures plainly tell us that we will reap what we sow (see Matt. 7:1-2; Gal. 6:7). This also applies to the mental realm.
We can sow and reap an attitude as well as a crop or an investment. Many times we are reaping in our lives what we have previously sown into the life of another.
The devil loves to keep us busy, mentally judging the faults of others. That way, we never see or deal with what is wrong with us!
We cannot change others; only God can. We cannot change ourselves either, but we can cooperate with the Holy Spirit and allow Him to do the work.
When we have our thoughts and conversation on what is wrong with everyone else, we are usually being deceived about our own conduct. Therefore, Jesus commanded that we not concern ourselves with what is wrong with others when we have so much wrong with ourselves (see Matt. 7:3-5). Allow God to deal with you first, and then you will learn the scriptural way of helping your brother grow in his Christian walk.
Besides reaping judgment ourselves when we criticize others, the Scriptures tell us that we ourselves do the same things for which we criticize others (see Rom. 2:1). The Lord gave me a good example once to help me understand this principle.
I was pondering why we would do something ourselves and think it was perfectly all right but judge someone else who does it. The Lord said, "Joyce, you look at yourself through rose-colored glasses, but you look at everyone else through a magnifying glass."
We make excuses for our own behavior, but when someone else does the same thing we do, we are often merciless. Doing unto others as we want them to do to us (see Matt. 7:12) is a good life principle that will prevent a lot of judgment and criticism, if followed.
A judgmental mind is an offshoot of a negative mind--thinking about what is wrong with an individual instead of what is right. Being positive and not negative will benefit others, but you will benefit more than anyone.
BE SUSPICIOUS OF SUSPICION First Corinthians 13:7 reads: "Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person" (The Amplified Bible).
I can honestly say that obedience to this Scripture has always been a challenge for me. I was brought up to be suspicious and to distrust everyone. In addition, I had several very disappointing experiences with people, not only before I became an active Christian but afterward as well. Meditating on the components of love and realizing that love always believes the best has helped me greatly to develop a new mind-set.
When your mind has been poisoned or when Satan has gained strongholds in your mind, it has to be renewed according to God's Word. You renew it by learning the Word and meditating on it--pondering, muttering to yourself and thinking on it (Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary).
We have the wonderful Holy Spirit in us to remind us when our thoughts are going in the wrong direction. God does this for me when I am having suspicious thoughts instead of loving thoughts.
The natural man thinks, "If I trust people, I'll be taken advantage of." Perhaps, but the benefits will far outweigh any negative experiences.
Trust and faith bring joy to life and help relationships grow to their maximum potential. Suspicion cripples a relationship and usually destroys it.
God condemns judgment, criticism and suspicion, and so should we. Love what God loves, and hate what He hates. Allow what He allows, and disallow what He disallows.
A balanced attitude is always the best policy. That doesn't mean we are not to use wisdom and discernment in our dealings with others. We don't have to throw open our lives to everyone we meet, giving every person we encounter a chance to crush us. On the other hand, we don't have to look at everyone with a negative, suspicious eye, always expecting to be taken advantage of by others.
One time after I had been involved in a disappointing church situation, God brought John 2:23-25 to my attention. It speaks of Jesus' relationship with His disciples.
It plainly says that Jesus did not trust Himself to them. It does not say that He was suspicious of them or that He had no trust in them; it explains that because He understood human nature, He did not trust Himself to them in an unbalanced way.
I had been hurt badly in the situation at church because I had become too involved with a group of ladies and had gotten out of balance. I had been leaning on the ladies in this group and placing in them a trust that belongs only to God.
We can go only so far in any human relationship. If we go beyond wisdom, trouble will brew, and we will be hurt.
Some people think they have discernment when actually they are just suspicious. Suspicion comes out of the unrenewed mind; discernment comes out of the renewed spirit.
True spiritual discernment will provoke prayer, not gossip. If a genuine problem is being discerned by a genuine gift, it will follow the scriptural pattern for dealing with it, not fleshly ways that only spread and compound the problem.
PLEASANT WORDS ARE SWEET "The mind of the wise instructs his mouth, and adds learning and persuasiveness to his lips. Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the mind and healing to the body" (Prov. 16:23-24).
Words and thoughts are like bone and marrow--so close, it is hard to divide them (see Heb. 4:12).
Our thoughts are silent words that only we and the Lord hear, but those words affect our inner man, our health, our joy and our attitude. The things we think on often come out of our mouths and sometimes make us look foolish.
Judgment, criticism and suspicion never bring joy. Jesus said that He came in order that we might have and enjoy life (see John 10:10). Begin to operate in the mind of Christ, and you will step into a whole new realm of living.
Joyce Meyer is a Bible teacher and conference host who travels extensively conducting conferences and speaking at local churches with her ministry, Life In The Word, Inc. She also ministers regularly via "Life in the Word" radio and television broadcasts.
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Recently quitting my job and diving full time into entrepreneurship has allowed me time to step back and think about what is actually going on in the current tech space. It's interesting times to say the least, but what I am about to say may not be what you expected.
A concerning trend is starting to bubble from within and I feel it is necessary to bring it to light. Reviewing the web’s latest news we see more companies going public, constant talk of Groupon’s massive growth and community destruction, Facebook tempting us (and current employees) with an inevitable IPO, Twitter’s ubiquity becoming every politicians nightmare and Google’s latest and always awkward attempt at the social web. Seems like just another month in the frothy web market.
But take a close look at this infographic detailing Q1 investment dollars broken down into categories. It is from an article a few weeks ago on GigaOm. Click for a larger view.
So let me get this straight: If this information is correct, most of our capital resources and engineering talent are hard at work figuring out how to help people buy massages for 50% off?
Disclosure: my startup – Loyaltize Inc.- was initially focused on local commerce with our first version and it remains to be seen what we build out next but my mind is buzzing with new perspectives as of late. So I am also talking to myself here.
While trying to figure out what this infographic actually means let me just state the obvious – taken on the surface it tells a lot about what we value as a society. Or what we don’t value. Namely Health Care, Education, Security, and “all the others.” This has massive future implications and should be a cause for worry - that is if you are American.
Social Commerce attracted 22% of all investment dollars so far in 2011. Advertising, sales and marketing took home another 14%. and social apps saw 7% of VC money. That is almost 1/2 of startup investment dollars focused on improving how we socialize and spend money! (note: take away the amount invested in the Groupon bubble and the picture changes a bit, but hyperbole is needed here to provoke some deeper thought.) The amount of money invested in “all other areas” of technology equaled the amount invested in Groupon and the like-clones. You have got to be kidding me.
No wonder the United States of Idiocracy America is at record levels of consumer and national debt. An old maxim comes to mind: show me where your money goes and I’ll show you what you value. I will also offer another maxim: Show me today what you are investing in and your future I will show you.
The sad truth is we value selling products over our children's future well being and education. We value buying stuff right now over investing in a better future. We value gluttony over governance. With this current trend in investments, these "American" values won’t be changing anytime soon. There is no fighting or arguing this statement. It’s all right there.
This whole Groupon thing has gotten out of control. We are falling farther behind the world in education, yet we seem to excel in creating new ways to spend money quicker and eat cupcakes faster. The biggest and most anticipated IPO this year is going to be a site where mass consumers can purchase things at mass discounts? Sometimes I think I am hallucinating that Groupon is the major story of innovation on the web in 2011.
Is this the best we can do Silicon Valley? Chicago? New York or Seattle? Or is this just what investors think will make them the fastest dollar? That is one part ridiculous and another part sad.
This baffles me: Why are the largest issues of the past 4 years and the focus of the current political landscape - things that are paramount to the future of our country - receiving almost no private investment attention?
What about using some brain power and engineering talent to rework the healthcare system, a system which is in more dire straights than our shopping experiences? How about transforming education so children understand the world is full of information and it’s all right at their finger tips? They just need the access, be taught how to use and deploy it to their advantage all the while learning how to critically think. And if I was sitting across from the table from you and asked what is more important: 1) buying something from your mobile phone or 2) your personal security, I think most of you would admittedly choose the latter.
Hundreds, maybe thousands of companies have determined the best use of their time and intelligence is to copy Groupon and put out another daily deals site. Numerous talented engineers are inventing new ways for us to share pictures from our iPhone and scores of startups have been working on new methods of messaging groups of people.
Although all those ideas are interesting in their own way, it is the equivalent of Barry Bonds stepping up to the plate and bunting. Wha? Yeah, I ask myself the same question every day as I read another $5 million was just invested in a Series A round for another picture sharing/messaging iPhone application.
You guys are the best of the best... remember?
The reason I wrote in-depth about technology cycles was because it became clear to me the web will very quickly infiltrate every part of our life. I cannot wait till the internet of things starts to power everything we use, from our toothbrushes (transmit data to help us maintain our oral health) to our shoes (real time data about how many steps we have taken, informing us when we need new shoes or the current state of our metabolic systems, etc) to the lamp I am using right now (instantly search and learn the history of this exact product to know if it was created Carbon neutral). I can't wait for stuff like that.
I am not here to rant, I am here to inspire better.
Founders: odds are you went to Stanford, have an MBA, or you came from a benefited family – and your company slings mass discount group coupons online? Why are you wasting your talent and intelligence? I believe you are better than this.
And VC’s: that $5 million could have helped an entrepreneur who has a vision to transform your children’s’ future education? Or maybe help lower your monthly health care costs? Doesn't that sound like a better future?
I honestly think these are valid questions to ask in today’s investment and entrepreneurial communities.
I am not saying I disagree with venture capital and the inherent goal of “invest X and receive a 10X return“, I understand the system has to return something and feed itself. I just hope we don’t grind ourselves into the dumbest, fattest, most uneducated, quickest to buy a 50% off dinner using our mobile device from our couch society. Because the path we are currently heading down is indeed pointing us in that direction. I hope we (investors, entrepreneurs, consumers) can see there are a hell of a lot more important areas of our society that need fixing.
I believe true entrepreneurship is about changing the world, not taking advantage of the world. We need more entrepreneurs like Dr. Samir Qamar. Please someone… anyone… answer my call and help turn things around. The country needs you. The world needs you. You will forever be referred to as a hero.
Image courtesy of Flick user Roger Smith.
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Originally published in the Colorado Real Estate Journal, November 16, 2011 - December 1, 2011.
It is no secret that Colorado’s budget crisis has immobilized transportation funding, as is the case nationally. The state’s vast but unmet and unfunded transportation needs, including safe highway service and efficient rapid transit alternatives, far exceed its limited budget. The Colorado Department of Transportation has identified a long list of roads, highways and bridges that are in need of repair or construction. Yet, due to an acute lack of funds, the schedules for completion of those projects have been extended indefinitely. Traditional means of financing and constructing infrastructure improvements are simply not adequate to meet the demands of today’s transportation needs.
The Boston Consulting Group calculates that, at best, governments will be able to pay only one-half of the bill for necessary infrastructure improvements as a result of mounting public debt and sluggish economic conditions. To fill this gap, many governments, including Colorado’s, have turned to the private sector. Private companies can add both funding and efficiency to transportation projects. In turn, the opportunities for stable, secure investments should be attractive to the private sector.
Please see full article below for more information.
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Britain's Prince Philip was hospitalised overnight with a repeat of the bladder infection that made him miss part of his wife Queen Elizabeth II's jubilee celebrations in June, Buckingham Palace said.
The 91-year-old was likely to spend several days in hospital after his third health scare in the space of eight months, having also suffered a blocked coronary artery over Christmas last year.
Buckingham Palace said the Duke of Edinburgh, as he is formally known, was taken by ambulance to the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in northeast Scotland from Balmoral Castle about 60 kilometres away.
"The Duke of Edinburgh has had a recurrence of the bladder infection that he had in the summer and has been admitted to hospital for investigation and treatment," a palace spokesman said.
"His royal highness is likely to remain there for the next few days."
Buckingham Palace earlier said it was a "precautionary measure." It said he and the queen had been staying at Balmoral.
The outspoken prince had visited the Isle of Wight off southern England on Monday and appeared to be in good health as he carried out several public engagements.
He had also watched several events at the London Olympics in the last fortnight, including the Olympic debut of his granddaughter Zara Phillips, who eventually won a silver medal.
Philip was hospitalised with a bladder infection for five nights in June, forcing him to miss the end of the huge diamond jubilee celebrations marking his wife's 60th year on the throne.
The infection came after he and the rest of the royal family spent several hours standing on a royal barge in the pouring rain as part of a jubilee pageant on the River Thames in London.
On the night he was taken ill, hundreds of thousands of revellers chanted his name to wish him well at a star-studded jubilee concert outside Buckingham Palace.
He also spent four days in hospital at Christmastime in December after undergoing a surgical procedure for a blocked coronary artery.
Greek-born Philip is the longest-serving royal consort in British history, and has been a constant fixture by the queen's side throughout her reign.
He is famous for his politically-incorrect jokes, but behind the scenes is said to be a key source of support for the queen.
Born Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark, Philip fled politically unstable Greece with his family when he was just 18 months old.
A respected officer in Britain's Royal Navy during World War II, he had met Princess Elizabeth in 1939, but the couple did not marry until 1947.
He had to give up his titles as prince of Greece and Denmark and join the Church of England in order to marry the future queen.
He was placed in command of a ship after the wedding, but his career was cut short by the death of king George VI in 1952, which brought Elizabeth to the throne.
He once admitted the curtailment of his career was "disappointing", but said that "being married to the queen, it seemed to me that my first duty was to serve her in the best way I could".
They have four children, including heir to the throne Prince Charles.
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| 0.989299 | 652 | 1.773438 | 2 |
In my kitchen window is an African violet my mom grew for me from a single leaf. She took the leaf from her own African violet, which she had grown from a leaf.
If it had been I who'd found the snapped-off leaf in the back of my car, I probably would've tossed it in the trash or left it to crisp in the trunk.
Not Mom. She has this curiosity about her, this Let's see what happens thing going. She gave that dying leaf a chance, and it showed her what it could do. That plant is now one of the most beautiful African violets I've ever seen, with white blooms on one side and purple on the other.
I've never been the most conscientious person with plants. In fact, my reputation as a plant-torturer preceded me so profoundly that when I'd walk though a greenhouse, schefflera would shudder, trumpet vine trees would tremble, and prayer plants would start their Hail Marys. But even though Mom was aware of my history with plants, she still entrusted me with this special violet.
Let's see what happens.
My mom has been doing that sort of thing all my life, planting - and actually growing - what most people would just throw away. She took the lopped off top of a pineapple and grew it into a plant, kept the seed from avocados and grew them, as well.
I know that African violet in my kitchen window isn't Mom, but in a way, it is. I look at it and see her. Because I've been determined to keep that violet alive, my other plants are now thriving. (Probably because they're now being watered more often than once or twice every quarter.)
A few months ago, my friend Sue and I were talking about gardens, and she offered to give me some slips of her plants. Slips was a term I hadn't heard before.
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.wvgazette.com/Life/KarinFuller/200809180857
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en
| 0.989486 | 395 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Low Carb Book: Life Without Bread
Life Without Bread: For both overweight and underweight people
One astonishing aspect about Low Carb Living I learned recently is that it benefits not only those who are obese, or want to shed those last 10lbs, but also those that are painfully THIN.
That’s what I discovered after reading Life Without Bread (How a low-carbohydrate diet can save your life), from authors Christian Allan, PHD, and Wolfgang Lutz, MD.
This book is comprehensive and quite amazing, actually – I find myself referencing it for quick tidbits of information often.
It covers how a low-carb diet can prevent, and even cure various diseases (heart, G/I, diabetes, even cancer!), the history of low-carb diets, and many scientific explanations as to what happens in your body when you ingest too many carbohydrates. And did you know that meats actually contain more vitamins than the fruits and veggies everyone is clamoring about?
It’s a very quick and easy read without being repetitive.
One of my favorite references is about the two doctors who subjected themselves to a one-year, all meat diet in the 1920′s, and while the scientific community stood by expecting them to fall ill, get scurvy and what not – these men lost weight, gained energy and felt better than ever.
Another is how one man, who was lanky and over THIN, quite disgusting actually (sunken cheeks, bad teeth & skin). Switching to the low-carb way of eating “filled” the man out to a normal, robust level. So low carb actually works both ways!
A recommended book for your low-carb reference shelf!Hoboken NJ
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://hoboken411.com/archives/75514
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en
| 0.94599 | 357 | 1.570313 | 2 |
November 13, 2011
Trapping the way it is in NHL
By Eric Francis, QMI Agency
One month into the season, no one was complaining about goal scoring in the NHL.
Nor was there any whining about the sort of age-old traps designed to stifle offence.
Up until Wednesday, that is.
Enter Philadelphia Flyers head coach Peter Laviolette, who instructed his players to do the hockey equivalent of taking their ball and going home.
In grade school, we called it “sucking out.”
The more polite term suggests it was a protest against a defence-first system that has been in place for decades.
In response to the Tampa Bay Lightning’s system that had no forwards in Philadelphia’s zone to pressure a breakout, the defencemen simply waited. And waited. And waited.
The game came to a comical standstill.
It happened several times thereafter, with officials unsure what to do.
It was bad for the game, and no one wanted to see it.
And because of it, endless number of critics suggest the league needs to do something to prevent it from happening again.
That’s one of the problems with society today – everybody throws up knee-jerk reactions, and now, there are endless critics who want rules changed.
It isn’t going to happen.
Nor should it.
Yes, the league has looked at it closely and had discussions that will continue on into Tuesday’s GM meetings. Waste of time.
Colin Campbell, who has looked into trying to limit the trap before, cautioned against the type of over-the-top reactions written across the continent and said he’s hesitant to try telling coaches how to coach.
“One thing I’ve learned over the years is that if you put one rule in, it affects seven others,” he said, pointing out implementing new rules is a big decision not taken lightly. (It also requires approval from the Competition Committee.)
Brian Burke said that when he was with the league, he and a screening committee comprised of Lou Lamoriello, Glen Sather, Harry Sinden, Craig Patrick and David Poile tried to do something about the trap in 1995, but after exhaustive efforts, determined it could not be done.
Sadly, he’s right.
Instituting a rule demanding teams send in a certain number of forecheckers or pressuring teams to clear the zone via a clock of some sort is ridiculous.
The game doesn’t need or want it.
As much as fans have every reason to despise any system that limits scoring, we need to stop trying to address every little issue with rash responses.
It’s worth noting Laviolette was not contacted by the league or asked to stop his stance, although obviously, everyone is hoping his notable protest won’t be repeated
After all, in more than two decades of trap-like tactics, this is the first such mockery made of it.
The worst thing about the whole story is that the Lightning won the game, proving once again the trap is an effective way for coaches to mask their teams’ lack of talent and preserve their jobs.
Lindy Ruff suggested probably half the teams in the league employ some sort of trap, so as one GM said, “just get the lead and then you don’t have to deal with it.”
Ironically, it was Ken Hitchcock’s St. Louis Blues who played Tampa Saturday night. When reached before the game he told me he had no plans to pull the same stunt Philly did against Tampa.
“Saw that movie once – it was a flop. Let’s move on.”
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<urn:uuid:5c34c844-b1fb-4660-9ead-10c1db093af3>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/2011/11/13/pf-18961326.html
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| 0.974935 | 777 | 1.507813 | 2 |
The Waboba Extreme water ball will be this summer's hottest water game for the beach, pool, lake or pond. Seriously, throwing a tennis ball or a frisbee while standing in water isn't all that fun. So why not invent something that bounces on water, like a skipping stone that you can catch? And if that is possible, why not invent a game that is fun and challenging but can be played with just the ball, no goals, nothing extra - just the ball? The Waboba Extreme water ball is the answer to those questions. The Waboba Ball is made of polymere gel and has a elastan coating. The mix of different gels makes the ball bounce and float on water. The Waboba water ball is made to endure some rough handling, but do not bounce it on the ground or on walls etc.
*Not recommended for children 3 and under, not suitable for any pets or animals
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<urn:uuid:0fde2c9f-a487-4e98-a0c5-462cf691f140>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://store.kittyhawk.com/Waboba-Extreme-Water-Ball-Toy-P1152.aspx
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en
| 0.944744 | 192 | 1.804688 | 2 |
'Did you hear...'
The Law of More
. Last week, we mentioned the April 19, 1965, issue of Electronics Magazine quoting Gordon Moore, who went on to co-found Intel Corp. and become famous for formulating Moore's Law. Since then, a British engineer and pack rat dug out a copy of the magazine and collected the $10,000 Intel had offered on eBay for a copy in good condition. Intel's bounty also adhered to the law of unintended consequences, as university librarians had to hustle to corral their copies before someone could take one for the reward money. The librarians failed to find the matter amusing. Domain game
. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger assumed the title Pope Benedict XVI, but a layman beat him to the Web site www.benedictXVI.com
. Roger Cadenhead, who before the new pope's selection had registered the domain along with those of other prospective papal names, said he intends to keep content on the site respectful. And it's unlikely the new pope would have used it anyway'the Vatican has its own site. Well, how about the Brooklyn Bridge?
An American businessman thought he'd recently bought himself some nice office digs in New Delhi, India, after paying $802,600 for a house for sale through a Web site, the Hindustan Times reported. He received the title in the mail and traveled to New Delhi to take possession'and then found out the house belongs to Prime Minister Mammohan Singh, who isn't planning on moving. Got any good leads? Move them to [email protected]
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<urn:uuid:fcc0fc41-d3d1-4341-8829-f0c899497134>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://gcn.com/articles/2005/04/29/did-you-hear.aspx
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en
| 0.970332 | 333 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Thursday March 31, 2005 9:51 am
Hypersonic Sound Will Change The Way We Listen Forever
USA Today says, “Rarely is an invention so unique, so visceral and so simple that in 15 seconds most people who experience it realize it could alter everyday life.” I have yet to experience this HSS (Hypersonic Sound), but it does sound truly incredible. American Technology Corp (ATC) has given a demonstration of HSS in it’s back parking lot and it’s being said that this invention does for sound what the laser did for light. Imagine standing 100 yards away from someone and they point this device at you, which allows you to perfectly hear either what the person is saying or any pre-recorded material being broadcast. You step out of the line-of-sight and hear nothing. Step back in and you hear it perfectly again. Someone else could hear something completely separate in a different line-of-sight sent from an additional source. Interesting technology with some profound uses in safety, criminal justice, medicine, automotives, and sound systems. This is one that we’re likely to hear lots more about, as in 2002 Popular Science magazine awarded HSS the grand prize for inventions. The Segway personal transporter took second.
Read More | USA Today
- Related Tags:
© Gear Live Inc. – User-posted content, unless source is quoted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Public Domain License. Gear Live graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, videos, articles, blogs, forums, scripts and other service names are the trademarks of Gear Live Inc.
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http://www.gearlive.com/news/article/hypersonic_sound_will_change_way_we_listen_03280751/
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| 0.93253 | 336 | 1.796875 | 2 |
The Mapping Unit interacts with numerous towns each month to assist with the mapping and addressing process. Utilizing global positioning, data control personnel collect and verify address and location data for use in creating maps. Our cartographers create and maintain detailed maps which assist towns in developing addressing schemes conforming to NENA standards. This information is also used to accurately display addressing information when a call comes in to 9-1-1.
New Hampshire Statewide Mapping Progress Map
To view the status of your town’s mapping, select the county in which you live:
Maintenance - A town in which all roads and addresses have been collected by NHBEC. After the collection and town approval process, maps are created and kept up to date with the active participation of the town. Control sheets are given to the subject town for their completion as new structures are built. This notifies the bureau that there is a new structure which needs to be collected and addressed. This information is added to NHBEC data and provides for timely and accurate representation of said town.
Awaiting acceptance - A town in which NHBEC has collected roads and/or addresses. The collected data is brought to the town for their review and approval. Acceptance is signified by a letter signed by the selectmen and received by NHBEC.
Collection Scheduled - NHBEC has received a letter from the municipality requesting assistance from the Bureau. Collection of roads, addressing, and other pertinent information by NHBEC will take place in the near future. Keep in touch with your local officials for updated information as it becomes available.
Collection required - Collection of roads, addressing, and other pertinent information from the community that needs to be completed by NHBEC. This will eventually take place even though the municipality has not requested assistance from NHBEC in order to achieve accurate location and addressing information.
Why did my address change?
Many residents of the state have undergone addressing changes resulting in a change of street name, street number, or both. In supporting the goal of a quick, efficient, and safe response to emergency scenes, NENA addressing guidelines recommend the elimination of vague or like-sound addressing. A town having a "forest ridge road" and a "forest bridge road" could result in confusion to callers, call takers, dispatchers, or even the responding emergency units. An Addressing Standards Guide written by Bureau staff further enhances and supports the NENA guidelines.
Why isn't my address showing up correctly in Google or Bing maps?
When you have a newly assigned address or it has been changed to conform to NENA Addressing Standards, the changes are not immediately available for viewing on web-based mapping sites. However, you can submit an update or change to the appropriate vendor by using the following links.
Questions regarding address changes or the mapping process in general may be directed to Tim Scott, Mapping/Database Manager, at (603) 271-6911.
Adobe Acrobat Reader format. You can download a free reader from Adobe.
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http://www.nh.gov/safety/divisions/emergservices/nh911/911mapping.html
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en
| 0.94827 | 623 | 1.773438 | 2 |
Call me a stick in the mud, but part of my skepticism disagrees with the concept of True Love/Soul Mates. It is all a fantasy, a wish. I hope this discussion will either help me feel better about feeling this way, or change my mind. Go for it.
My college students all believe that everyone has a soul mate, one person who is absolutely the one you are meant to be with. Damned lucky, I think, that so many of them go to the same high school. What are the odds?
I agree. If we each have one special soulmate, what are the odds of finding them among the billions of people on Earth, not to mention throughout history? (Unless you believe in a God to arrange such a meeting for you - then it seems inevitable!) The fact that people find "true love" generally with someone in their own high school, college, home town, or even country suggests that each of us has many such compatible mates bouncing around out there. I think what makes a romantic bond special is time spent together building up a history of shared experience. That history makes each relationship unique and special.
Studies show that relationships go through phases. The "magical" romantic physical attraction that characterizes the beginning of a relationship naturally wears off over time. Then it takes devotion, commitment, communication - effort! - to keep a relationship happy and healthy and rewarding for both parties. Love is a verb! True love is something you do, not something that just happens to you.
"effort" implies forcing something to be a certain way.No, it doesn't. Effort means consciously working toward a certain end. In the case of maintaining a long-term relationship, effort means tending to your partner's needs. This could be as simple as doing your share of the chores, spending time together on "date night," remembering an anniversary, avoiding infidelity, etc. Those things don't happen by magic, and when they don't happen, the relationship suffers. Sure you can't force emotions, but you do have to put in the effort to continually earn your partner's love, respect, and devotion; your partner won't "force" those emotions on your behalf if you continually neglect the relationship. And if it feels effortless to you to tend to these relationship needs, then you are a better person than I! Sometimes you have to honor your obligations even when you aren't "feeling the love." Living with any other human 24/7 is a challenge, no matter how naturally compatible you are. Oh, and P.S. - it becomes ten times the challenge when kids are involved!
you tend to their needs because you want to, not because you're trying to "work towards a certain end" or "maintain a long-term relationship". feelings are about the present and the present only, the idea of "obligation" makes the whole thing seem dishonest.
also, i don't see the connection between having a sexual relationship with a person and living with them or raising children with them, these things can all be done separately. the religious idea of the family unit is not the only way to exist anymore than the idea of a soul mate is the only way to feel for someone.
awesome feedback, much appreciated. makes me feel better about how I feel, but also a kick in the butt to take responsibility for it my feelings as well. this is much more effective (and cheaper) than marriage counselling ;)
I think we all probably agree on what a soul mate is... the idea that one person is destined for another, which I think we all agree is hogwash. But perhaps we should define what "true love" is, as I think my idea might not be the same as others.
I equate true with being real. To me, a true love does not imply that there is only one person out there that I will fall in love with, but rather that once I do, it will be enjoyable because it was based on a good mixture of attraction, compatibility, and so on. Though, quite honestly, I never before considered using the term "true love" to describe my relationship, I do think it fits. And if, for some reason, I separate from or divorce my spouse, I don't think that takes away from the "true love" we had while together.
Well said GBM Harper. Though, through my own experience, that "magical romantic physical attraction that characterizes the beginning of a relationship" does not necessarily wear off, but rather ebbs and flows. There are times when we will be more in sync with our lovers, and times when we feel more distant. Waiting out and talking through those times when we are not in sync is beneficial, at least if your desire is to have a long term relationship.
I don't think "true love" is anything magical. I think it is the result of two people who fall in love working together to make a relationship last. I've just recently passed the threshold of living with my husband for more years than I lived without him. We are opposites in many ways, but we both value the same things. By being opposites, we both bring something interesting and novel to the other in a conversation, but because we have many of the same ideals, we have enough to rally together.
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.atheistnexus.org/forum/topics/can-you-be-an-atheist-and?groupUrl=parentinglittleheathens&xg_source=activity&groupId=2182797%3AGroup%3A5777&id=2182797%3ATopic%3A1485234&page=1
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en
| 0.972034 | 1,091 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Perhaps the most contentious issue among congressional negotiators and interest groups in Washington, DC (and elsewhere) is the so-called public option. The idea is that the government would create a new health-insurance program (modeled to one degree or another on Medicare, the government insurance program for seniors) that people could join. Proponents argue that, by having it compete with private insurers, the public option would help control costs. Opponents, on the other hand, see the public option as yet another government intrusion into an area they feel should be left to the private market.
Where does the public seem to stand? Not surprisingly, the public option has been widely polled, and we shall focus exclusively on it today. As seen in the diagram below (which you can click on to enlarge), levels of support for the public option vary widely according to different polls, despite the relative consistency of question wording (all the survey items refer in some fashion to the public option being a government health-insurance program that would compete with private insurance companies). The predominant trend, I would say, is that a majority of respondents supports a public option, with five of the eight polls showing between 52-66 percent in favor.
Still, though, two other polls show support in the mid-40s and one poll (Rasmussen) has support way down at 35%. What to make of this? Let's start with Rasmussen. Whereas Rasmussen's presidential-election polling has tended to be highly accurate (relative to the actual results), other types of polls from this outfit appear to have had a Republican slant. Here are some examples:
*Whereas most polls tended to have George W. Bush's job-approval ratings during the waning months of his administration in the low-30s or even the 20s, Rasmussen consistently had it around 35%.
*Whereas virtually every pollster other than Rasmussen has shown a majority of voters to prefer the Democrats (at this early point) in next year's U.S. House elections, Rasmussen has been showing the Republicans in the lead (albeit with large percentages undecided).
Polling analysts refer to systematic differences in the results (on the same basic issue) between different survey firms (or survey "houses") as house effects. These may stem from different firms' practices regarding question-wording, sample weighting, etc. On health care reform and other issues, it looks to me as though Rasmussen has a substantial house effect.
There's one other aspect of the public-option polling I'd like to point out. As can be seen in the diagram above, I have highlighted in red the words "option" and "offering" in the wording of some of the survey items. It appears that wordings stressing the voluntariness of the public option (i.e., that it is an "option," or something "offered" to the consumer) tend to elicit higher support than wordings that don't highlight voluntariness as much. This is just a hunch. If anyone has other explanations for the large variation in support between the polls, please share them in the comments section.
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<urn:uuid:baf92c50-339d-4a81-9575-156bd5442aff>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://healthcarepolls.blogspot.com/2009/08/public-option-811.html
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en
| 0.968193 | 635 | 1.671875 | 2 |
SEOUL: Kim Jong-Il's teenage grandson has labelled his uncle, North Korea's new leader Kim Jong-Un, a "dictator" in an interview that offers a rare glimpse into the world's most secretive ruling dynasty.
During the interview, conducted at the school in Bosnia where he studies, Kim Han-Sol, 17, spoke of his desire to "make things better" for the Korean people.
Sporting wide, black-frame glasses, two studs in his left ear and a fashionable haircut, Kim also talked of his close friendships with South Korean and US students and his hopes for the Korean peninsula's reunification.
Born in Pyongyang in 1995, Kim described a lonely early childhood, spent mostly in the home of his mother's family -- isolated from the grandfather he never actually met and who died in December last year.
"I always wanted to meet him, because I just wanted to know what kind of person he is," Kim said in the interview, which aired on Finnish television and was posted on YouTube.
"I was actually waiting for him... until he passed away, hoping he would come find me, because I really didn't know if he knew that I existed," he said.
Kim, now 17, is the son of Kim Jong-Il's eldest son Kim Jong-Nam, who fell out of favour with his father following a botched attempt in 2001 to secretly enter Japan using a fake passport and visit Disneyland.
The family has since lived in virtual exile, mainly in the Chinese territory of Macau.
"My dad was not really interested in politics," Kim said, when asked why his father was passed over for the dynastic succession in North Korea in favour of his younger brother.
"I don't really know why he became a dictator," Kim said of his uncle Kim Jung-Un. "It was between him and my grandfather."
The interview was conducted in English by Elisabeth Rehn, a former UN under secretary general and special rapporteur for Human Rights in Bosnia-Hercegovina, and first broadcast on Monday.
"1995, the year Han-Sol was born, was a dark year in North Korea history. Millions of people starved to death," ran a caption displayed on the screen during the broadcast
"When I was growing up in North Korea, I wasn't really aware of what was going on there," Kim said.
"I've always dreamed that one day I would go back and make things better and make it easier for the people there," he added.
Kim enrolled in the United World College in Mostar last year, arousing intense media interest, which he did his best to avoid.
He gave no indication as to why he had chosen to speak out now, or whether the interview had been sanctioned either by his own family or by Pyongyang.
Speaking of his overseas studies, both in Macau and Bosnia, Kim recalled how it was "kind of awkward" when he first met students from South Korea as well as the United States.
"But then, little by little, we started understanding each other," he said. "Now, we are really close friends and we travel together, and it's such a wonderful feeling.
"It's really sad I can't go to the other side (South Korea)," he added. "But we can, if we put in a little effort, step-by-step, come to a conclusion and unite."
He offered no direct insight into the current relations between his immediate family and the regime led by his uncle in Pyongyang.
In an email exchange with a Japanese journalist published in February, Kim's father, Kim Jong-Nam, had spoken disparagingly of Kim Jong-Un lacking "any sense of duty or seriousness" and warned that bribery and corruption would lead to North Korea's eventual collapse.
Kim Han-Sol revealed that he had a Libyan roommate in Mostar who had been an avid supporter of the revolution that toppled Moamer Kadhafi.
"When it happened he was really enthusiastic about it, and he was telling me many stories... how he went home and saw a different Libya... It was really interesting," Kim said.
After finishing school, Kim said he envisioned himself getting involved in voluntary and humanitarian work aimed at "building world peace".
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<urn:uuid:d4aa1853-0dbf-4bc8-8f29-a9ca66b69999>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/International/2012/Oct-19/191989-n-korean-leaders-nephew-labels-him-a-dictator.ashx
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en
| 0.991244 | 879 | 1.71875 | 2 |
“By all means,” he answered. “Only, you know, I can’t very well let you cut your feet to pieces on these cruel stones, so I am just going to carry you up over the Bar”—
“No—no—I can perfectly well walk. I mean to walk—see,” she cried.
And started courageously up the rough ascent, only to slip, after a few paces, and to stagger. For as soon as she attempted to move, she felt herself not only weak, but oddly faint and giddy. She lurched forward, and to avoid falling instinctively clutched at her companion’s outstretched hand. Exactly what passed between the young man and young girl in that hand-clasp—the first contact they had had of one another—it might seem far-reached and fantastic to affirm; yet that it steadied not only Damaris’ trembling limbs, but her trembling and over-wrought spirit, is beyond question. For it was kind and more than kind—tender, and that with the tenderness of right and usage rather than of sentimental response to a passing sentimental appeal.
“There, there,” he said, “what’s the use of working to keep up this little farce any longer? Just give in—you can’t put off doing so in the end. Why not at once, then, accept defeat and spare both yourself and me pain? You are no more fit to walk, than you are fit to fly—to fly away from me!—That’s what you want, isn’t it? Ah! that flight will come, no doubt, all in good time.—But meanwhile, be sensible. Put your left arm round my neck—like this, yes. Then—just a little hoist, and, if you’ll not worry but keep still, nothing’s easier.”
As he spoke, Faircloth stooped, lightly and with no apparent exertion lifting her high, so that—she clasping his neck as instructed—the main weight of her body rested upon his shoulder. With his right arm he held her just above the waist, his left arm below her knees cradling her.
“Now rest quiet,” he said. “Know you are safe and think only of comfortable things—among them this one, if you care to, that for once in my life I am content.”
Yet over such yielding and treacherous ground, upward to the crown of the ridge and downward to the river, progress could not be otherwise than slow. Twilight, and that of the dreariest and least penetrable, overtook them before Faircloth, still carrying the white-clothed figure, reached the jetty. Here, at the bottom of the wooden steps he set Damaris down, led her up them and handed her into the boat—tied up to, and the tide being at the flood, now little below the level of the staging.
WHEREIN DAMARIS MAKES SOME ACQUAINTANCE WITH THE HIDDEN WAYS OF MEN
Throughout their singular journey—save for briefest question and answer about her well-being at the commencement of it—the two had kept silence, as though conscious Faircloth’s assertion of contentment struck a chord any resolution of which might imperil the simplicity of their relation. Thus far that relation showed a noble freedom from embarrassment. It might have continued to do so but for a hazardous assumption on his part.
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When It Happens Panel Get involved: send your photos, videos, news & views by texting 'OXFORD NEWS' to 80360 or email
‘New flood defences are excellent news’
HUNDREDS of homes will be protected from flooding after an £8m boost for flood defences in Oxfordshire.
Eleven new schemes yesterday got the go-ahead thanks to £8,772,000 from the Government.
The projects include new barriers to stop homes flooding, improvements to drains and refurbishments for weirs as well as assessments for future work.
But organisations responsible for the projects were last night unable to confirm exactly how some of the money would be spent.
A £2.5m flood defence at Marston and Northway is included in the plans. The city council last night confirmed it would involve underground water storage tanks.
Projects will also go ahead at Witney, Wendlebury, Bicester and Oxford’s Florence Park.
Neither Oxford City Council nor the Environment Agency was yesterday able to confirm how the money would be spent.
Cash has also been made available for property protection barriers in Alvescot, near Carterton, and for drainage improvements near the Thames at Kelmscott, along with £4.5m work to improve and maintain weirs at Osney, Godstow and Iffley.
Officials said the schemes, all set to begin this year, would help protect 444 homes in the county.
The Government has been criticised by the Labour party for not spending enough on flood defences, but the work has been welcomed by flood victims.
Georgina Gibbs, from the Northway Residents’ Association, said she cautiously welcomed the investment, but said drainage problems in the area would have to be sorted before any scheme was put in place.
She said: “It’s good that they’re doing this, I’m all for it, but the drainage system needs sorting out.”
South Hinksey resident Maria Banks, 46, protects her home with flood defences of her own, but said the announcement would be welcomed in the village.
She said: “It’s excellent news. Flooding affects the whole village, even if your house doesn’t get flooded you still struggle to get your car out when it does flood.”
The 11 schemes are part of a raft of 93 announced yesterday.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) hopes to be able to protect 164,000 homes by 2015 through flood alleviation measures worth £294m.
Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said: “The 93 schemes given the green light today will bring huge relief to tens of thousands of homes and businesses that have lived with the fear of flood waters hitting their doors.
“They can get on with their daily lives and work knowing that there are well built defences.”
Last night no flood alerts or warnings remained in place for Oxfordshire, according to the Environment Agency.
WHERE THE MONEY IS GOING
THE flood defence projects being funded:
- Work to assess the flood risks at Bicester Industrial Estate will cost £7,000
- Florence Park Flood Alleviation Scheme will protect 10 homes and cost £130,000
- Iffley Weir repair and maintenance works will cost £1.785m
- £1.315m will be spent on short-term flood alleviation measures in Oxford. No details are availabe yet
- Work with the West Oxford Flood Alliance to prevent flooding will get £50,000
- £2.743m will be spent on work to improve and upgrade Osney Weirs and Godstow Weir
- Assessing the flood risks at Wendlebury will get £7,000
- Work to assess the flood risks at Witney and protect 55 homes will receive £145,000
- Northway and Marston Flood Alleviation Scheme will cost £2.483m and protect 358 homes
- Eleven hones will benefit from £58,000 for Kelmscott Flood Alleviation Scheme
- Station Road, Alvescot Property Protection Scheme will get £50,000 for 10 homes
- TOTAL: £8,772,000 to protect 444 homes
Comments are closed on this article.
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We’ve recently been following the progress of a new supercomputing project spawned by the folks in Butte, Montana. In an effort to spur economic as well as academic development in the region, the individuals involved went to great lengths to get this project rolling. Well, it looks like it may be paying off already. According to a Montana news station, the resource request list for the new supercomputer is already growing. The most obvious users are the local academics from Montana Tech, but the local commercial scene is heavily involved as well.
Because of the complex physics involved with high speed aerospace vehicles, you’ve got to have large computing capabilities such as the supercomputer like we’re going to have here,” Dave Micheletti of MSE Technology Applications said.
Its actually become so popular that a “developer of virtual worlds” has reportedly expressed interest in possibly starting a new company in Butte. Could this be the fabled founder of SecondLife, Philip Rosedale? The interested parties cite a low cost of available resource use [cpu hours] on the new machine as the primary driver for coming to Butte.
Congrats to those involved with the project on such a successful step out of the gate. For more info, read the full article here.
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Audrey Hepburn, regarded as one of the most classical women on the big screen, is more an icon of the time than a big time actress. Her overwhelming attraction extends over nearly half a century. Until today, lots of people are still fascinated by her lure in plenty of movies. It is easy for fans of Audrey Hepburn to find out that the beauty has a big favor of big glasses. In lots of her work, she posts herself on the screen with big glasses, such as Breakfast at Tiffany’s and How to Steal a Million. Those lucky glasses, classical designed, always cover more than half of her face without covering her charming appearance. On the opposite, those glasses make her beauty hard to get and more mystical.
The big glasses she wears in Breakfast at Tiffany’s are typical aviator glasses, stylish designed and pure colored. This pair of glasses has once rolled up like a mat the western world. These glasses, by their forward shape and low key color, reveal the heroin’s loneness under her rakish appearance and behavior. The big glasses are also the leader of the aviator glasses for women. Since the movie has been on, these glasses shocked the world and occupy the fashion of glasses quite soon. Until now, the classical big glasses still share a big part of the market of fashion glasses.
Another pair of big glasses is the ones Audrey Hepburn wears in the How to Steal a Million. In the movie, she acts as the daughter of an artist who fakes lots of famous art works. When she hangs out with the handsome in the part to discuss how to steal a million, she wears exaggerated big glasses. The glasses are wide and white edged and with square lens. On the opposite of the big glasses mentioned before, these ones reveal a temperament of confident. The postmodernist design also fits for her identify as a fashion girl in Paris and having family background of art.
The big glasses of Audrey Hepburn always show up the beauty’s distinctive taste of fashion. And all these choice of her becomes popular in the after days, and even years.
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LONDON, Feb. 16 (UPI) -- A British company said its survey suggests more than half a million people in the country only wash their bed sheets an average three times per year.
Insurance company Sheilas' Wheels said its poll found London residents were the guiltiest of washing their linens only thrice yearly, with nearly a quarter admitting to the practice, the Daily Mail reported Tuesday.
The company said 8 percent of Northern Ireland respondents admitted the same unhygienic practice, while one in six said they wash their sheets once a month.
"With the cold weather making our beds more irresistible than ever, Brits are currently spending more than 49 hours a week sleeping in," Sheilas' Wheels spokeswoman Jacky Brown said. "The bed is one of the most used and expensive items in the home. So it's astonishing that more people aren't keeping it clean, with many beds being used as an alternative to the kitchen table for a place to breakfast or snack."
|Additional Odd News Stories|
OKLAHOMA CITY, May 20 (UPI) --A huge tornado cut a devastating path in suburban Oklahoma City Monday, slamming schools, a hospital, businesses and homes, and killing at least 51 people.
BEIJING, May 21 (UPI) --China's growing surplus in trade with India, an issue of concern to New Delhi, is difficult to resolve and is likely to widen, Chinese experts said.
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Brake Caliper Lacquer Application Guide - written by us gear heads at Redline Tuning.
Preparation is the key to an incredible finish on your calipers. We recommend that you purchase or gather the following items to make the job easier.
Purchase or gather the following items:
- 2 cans of Brake cleaner or Carburator / Choke cleaner - used to remove oils from surfaces and clean everything.
- 4 small art brushes - purchase high quality brushes - they may be a dollar or two more, but they work much better and the bristles will not fall out into your paint job as you are working. Better brushes will give a better finish.
- Grab some cardboard to put under each area you are working - there is a lot of grease and junk that you will be removing from your brakes that you do not want to ruin your floor or driveway.
- Roll of masking tape - a couple of different widths if possible.
- Newspaper or something that you can use to mask off paint.
- Lots of baby jars or small glass jars to hold to portions of paint and hardener before mixing and during painting.
Let the cleaning begin. This is where all of the work is in the job. The painting will go fast, but if you do not prepare everything properly, the lacquer will not adhere and the job will be less than satisfying. However, if you follow these steps, everyone you see will be asking you where you bought your new brakes!
- Jack up your car, putting your vehicle up on 4 strong and tall jack stands - be sure that you working surface is flat (be smart and safe).
- Remove the wheels.
- Unbolt your calipers, slide out the brake pads (labeling them so that they can go back on the same wheel). Then loosely bolt the calipers back in place. If you decide to leave your brake pads on during the painting, you will be sorry. The lacquer will set and lock the pads to the calipers and can cause a lot of problems down the road. Not to mention, it is very difficult to paint around the edges and back side with the pads in place - REMOVE THE BRAKE PADS. With the pads removed you will be able to paint all visible areas of the calipers.
- Be sure to note what surfaces of the caliper that the brake pads
slide on - there should be a tab on each end of the brake pad steel backing that slides in a section of the caliper. This allows the pads to move as they wear out and get smaller. YOU DO NOT WANT TO PAINT THIS GROOVE OR SLOT. Keep this area free from paint so that the pads work as they are intended - it won't be noticable.
Cleaning - Vital, do not skip this step. Spend a lot of time cleaning and masking!
Masking - this is a tedious part of the job, but will make all the difference when you are done. The better masking job you do, the more professional the job. We go into all of the detail about cleaning and masking because we don't want you to have to remove your calipers. However, if removing them is easier then this job will speed up incredibly - however, the ultimate goal is to have the brakes looks as though they were purchased and bolted onto your vehicle - this is only possible if the cleaning and masking steps are followed.
- Spray and clean each caliper and rotor with brake cleaner - use the stuff you purchased and save the supplied cleaner for the final cleaning.
- Using a wire brush or portable wire wheel, give all areas of your calipers a lot of rubbing. Hopefully you can remove most of the buildup and get down to the bare metal. Repeat these two steps until you have clean brakes.
- Using the final cleaner that came in the kit, spray each caliper.
- Use a clean rag to help scrub each caliper as you go so that they are squeeky clean. FYI - you will never be able to make them perfect because of the brake dust buildup and road grime, but eliminating the oils and greases and dust from them best you can will help for a perfect lacquer finish.
- Now that the brakes are clean, you will need to mask the areas that you do not want painted. We have found that it is best to mask the entire rotor. You can do this two ways, either remove the rotor or just cover it.
- Since the brakes do not have pads in them, you have room to mask the rotor - to do this, get a small plastic bag (like those you get at a grocery store). These are thin and hopefully big enough to fit around the rotor. Slip the bag over the rotor and then rotate the rotor until the bag is under the brake caliper in all areas where the painting will be taking place. This method might not work for you - if this is the case, carefully tape sections of paper to the rotor and rotate the rotor such that all areas of the rotor are protected.
- The paint will drip - it is hard to avoid when painting all of the small tight areas, so be sure you masking so that the paint won't get on anything you don't want it to.
- Use small pieces of tape and mask off the main brake hose that feeds the caliper - you don't want to paint the nut - you want to be able to take off you calipers if need be in the future.
Mask or avoid painting the small groove that the brake pads slide as mentioned earlier.
- Repeat these steps for all calipers - you see, lots of time, but well worth it once you start painting!
Painting - Ideally, this process works the best if you have two people working at the same time. Both of you will be painting one side of the vehicle at the same time - this will allow you to put about 3-4 coats of lacquer on before you run out or before it starts to set up. We recommend you find a friend and bring them for this part of the process. Since everything is masked, you can really move along and this step doesn't take that long, however, if you plan on painting by yourself you will want to divide both parts of paint and hardener into 4 equal jars (8 total before mixing) because you do not want to be half way through the brake when it is setting up.
- Begin by thoroughly reading the directions that come with the 2 part lacquer. We will be dividing the both parts in half. You will need some small glass jars - large baby jars. Pour half of each into the new container. We will now be mixing the first half to complete one side of the vehicle.
- After pouring the paint into the hardener jar, mix thoroughly for the indicated as described in the booklet. There is then a waiting game for a certain amount of time before you can begin painting.
- Once the paint is ready, divide it into two parts (one for you and one for your friend). Each of you pick a caliper on the same side of the vehicle and begin painting away. We recommend you get one good covering over everything and then work back over the key outer areas. You should be able to easily put on 3 coats or more before the paint runs out. If you get short, dip into your partners because the front will take more than the rear. Also, help each other out and use all of the paint up.
- Apply this same process to the other side and you should be able to have them looking like Brembos before to long.
- Now that you have completed the painting - let you vehicle sit. We recommend at least a day before you put the pads back in and go drive it. The paint will become harder each day until it has a hard glossy look. Remember, if you are like us you probably put on a ton of coats - this means it takes longer to dry... be patient and drive your friends car for a day or so!
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Ke Tang, Political Science
“Jordan: NGOs in a Burgeoning Civil Society”
Civil society is the space occupied by citizens who involve themselves in organizations and institutions operating outside of a country’s government structure. These informal institutions can be powerful forces, as reflected in the ongoing Arab Spring movement. Civil unrest in the Arab world is challenging regimes and in several cases has resulted in the ousting of dictators. However, the forces at work within any civil society are complex and range across a wide spectrum of social, political and economic activities. This research project focuses on Jordan as a case study and is designed to examine some of the organizations and institutions at work within the Jordanian civil society. Specifically, it will focus on a sample of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) operating within Jordan at both the local and global levels. Their contributions will be assessed in terms of how their work on the ground measures up to their stated objectives. Through the creation of a documentary film consisting of interviews with key staff at the NGOs as well as footage of their day-to-day operations, this research will assess the nature and administrative capacities of the NGOs and address their contributions to the development of civil society in Jordan. By supplementing these interviews with analysis of project data and research statistics, this research will be able to generate a larger picture of the climate of Jordanian civil society and the ways in which it is impacting the institutional architecture of the country.
How did you find your mentor for year research?
Originally, I had no idea what I wanted to research. I knew what my regional interest was, and that was the Middle East. I was taking a class called US National Security Policy, and found out that my professor, Dr. Brigid Starkey, had regional expertise in the Middle East. I took another one of her classes, International Relations of the Middle East, and realized that given her interest and knowledge, she would be the perfect mentor for my project. I was also well into my application processes for study abroad opportunities in Jordan, and after consulting Dr. Starkey about the prospects of conducting research abroad, I realized the insights she was able to provide me were unique and very compelling.
How did you know you wanted to do your research in Jordan?
At the time of the Undergraduate Research Award application, I already knew I wanted to study abroad somewhere in the Middle East. In searching for programs that would send me there, I found many programs in Jordan, which has been a relatively stable country throughout the recent political turmoil in the Middle East. I had already applied for the Boren Scholarship Award by then, and on that application I had indicated my desire to study abroad in Jordan with CIEE, where there was a program “Diplomacy and Policy Studies.” That program was perfect both geographically and academically: the country is located at the heart of the Middle East, and the classes (in addition to Arabic courses) were geared towards students pursuing career objectives in national security and other similar interests in international development. It seemed like the perfect match.
How did you define a project to do in Jordan while you were still in the United States?
When coming up with a project, I had to consider some constraints. I would be in a foreign country the language of which I’m still mastering. Given the cultural differences, navigating through a research project on my own would have proven highly challenging. My project, therefore, had to be feasible in terms of access and relevance, but still capture my interest. I knew Jordan would be the place to go. My adviser helped me by prodding me in the direction of possibly examining Jordanian civil society. My subsequent literature review of existing knowledge on Jordan yielded some interesting information, but not as much as I thought there would be: political reforms had allowed an increased flow of capital to the development of Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), but little literature actually existed on the subject. So from there, I devised a plan to examine NGOs in Jordan, and investigate their role in the development of Jordanian civil society.
Will your travel to Jordan and your work in Jordan be connected to the UMBC Study Abroad office? When do you leave? How long will you be there?
Yes, my travel to Jordan is coordinated with the UMBC Study Abroad Office as well as the programs to which I’m applying: CIEE (Council on International Education Exchange) for the Diplomacy and Policy Studies program, for Spring 2013, and SIT (School for International Training) for the summer Intensive Arabic Program for Summer 2013, immediately following CIEE.
What is the National Security Education Program Boren Scholarship?
The NSEP Boren Scholarship is a US federal government initiative legislated by David L. Boren, who argued to the US Senate the necessity of an increase in the number of experts in target languages and cultures that are valuable to the sustenance of US national security interests. These target languages and cultures reflected the nations that were typically underrepresented in US study abroad opportunities, and partnership with these countries would foster greater understanding and prospects with regards to US foreign relations. In 1991 the National Security Education Act established the National Security Education Program, with the goal of providing scholarships to undergraduate students and fellowships to graduate students. Following the completion of the program, recipients participate in the NSEP service requirement: one year of occupational service in a field related to either national security, or the language studied. Postings are usually in the Department of State, the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, or other teaching opportunities worldwide. I had the honor of receiving $20,000 to fund my study abroad in Jordan next year.
How did you know to apply for this? Was it hard? Who helped you?
The application process was largely straightforward. It was difficult in the sense that the essays had to be conceptually solid enough that whatever creative flair I injected to distinguish myself from the rest of the pile must not dilute the ideas I was trying to convey. To answer the prompts, I had to have a solid grasp of my stance of US national security – and I was fortunate to have taken Dr. Starkey’s class by that point, because discussions from that class helped me generate my repertoire. Dr. Souders of the Study Abroad office was immeasurably helpful and was an invaluable resource for editing. He knew the application process inside and out, having done so many of them. He was actually travelling in Asia at the time of the application, and despite spotty Internet access and the distractions Asia has to offer, he still maintained a very encouraging level of correspondence.
How did you hear about the Undergraduate Research Award program?
I heard about it from a friend of mine who received it. She conducted her research while studying abroad, which was very similar to what I wanted to do. From there I did some research into the URA and talked to my advisers about the prospects. I received a lot of positive feedback and encouragement, so I decided to move forward with the application process.
Was the URA application difficult to do?
The application, no. The creation of the research idea was the most difficult part. The background research was time consuming, because I didn’t want to miss anything and end up producing possibly redundant work. Once I had an idea that could be verbalized in an application proposal, the rest of the process fell into place.
Will you get course credit for this work?
At this point, I will not be receiving academic credit from the URA. It was started largely out of my own interest, and my desire to take advantage of my study abroad experience and explore the undercurrents of a country I otherwise may not have had a chance to visit. The courses I will be taking at CIEE will count towards my transcript.
What is your advice to other students about getting involved in research at UMBC or abroad?
Do your homework. Gather as much information about as many things as you can. Consider as many scenarios as you can think of. And – know what you want and how you want to get it. At the time I submitted my URA application, I did not know if I had received the Boren Scholarship. I went ahead with it anyway because I felt strongly enough about studying abroad that I was determined to go to Jordan one way or another, with or without scholarship money.
What are your career goals?
I am interested in diplomacy, foreign service, international development, and intelligence. Career paths within those fields have a huge spectrum of possibilities, all of which tend to be competitive. I am particularly looking forward to the NSEP service requirement because I will have a guaranteed position within an agency. From that I will be able to better determine my interests and long term goals.
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CSPI Urges Testing for Antibiotic Resistant Salmonella as Well as New E. Coli Strains
Statement by CSPI Staff Attorney Sarah Klein
September 13, 2011
Today’s announcement by USDA that it will expand its E. coli testing program for beef beyond O157:H7 to search for six other potentially deadly strains of E. coli is welcome news for consumers who expect and deserve to eat food without risk of illness. The six new adulterant strains—E. coli O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, and O145—have been linked to at least 10 outbreaks and nearly 700 illnesses since 1998, according to data gathered by CSPI. The new testing program will help prevent future outbreaks, as products testing positive for these strains will be diverted to further processing and not placed into commerce. The costs of the program are reasonable, particularly when stacked against the risk to consumers: approximately half a million dollars for USDA, and under $5 million for the entire $155-billion U.S. meat industry.
Now USDA should turn its attention to another class of potentially deadly pathogens, antibiotic-resistant Salmonella. Earlier this year, CSPI petitioned the agency to declare four of these pathogens as adulterants under the law, which would trigger the same testing protocols now being undertaken for deadly E. coli strains. Since the petition was filed, consumers have already seen a huge recall of ground turkey contaminated with ABR Salmonella Heidelberg, and the same company, Cargill, implicated in that recall has just announced another recall of ground turkey contaminated with the exact same strain. Today, the agency has shown its willingness to exercise authority to declare non-O157 E. coli strains as adulterants; consumers deserve the same level of protection from antibiotic-resistant Salmonella as well.
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‘Little Dolls’ is a photographic art exhibit by Alain DeLoreme in Tokyo. He took his inspiration from advertising photography to create this series of “little dolls.”
If these girls have actually skipped the magic of PhotoShopping then they are haunting in their innocence and beauty. Yet, as one looks at them, the thought of the stereotyping they will face as their lives progress is a fascinating one.
These are excellent photographs that cause a lot of thought, and challenge the western views of what is beautiful.
21,002 clicks in 236 w
More Stats +/-
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From Middlewich the Trent & Mersey Canal runs Northwards and, just south of Preston Brook Tunnel, it becomes the Bridgewater Canal at Dutton Stop Lock. The Bridgewater is claimed to be the first canal to be built in England and was constructed in 1671 by the Duke of Bridgewater to carry coal from his mines at Worsley to Manchester.
The canal extends from Preston Brook to the centre of Manchester and north of the tunnel is the arm to Runcorn that originally linked with the Mersey. The canal runs through the attractive village of Moore and then through the more built-up area around Stockton Heath then Grappenhall which retains a village atmosphere with its old buildings and cobbled streets.
A little further on is the charming town of Lymm and countryside then follows as the canal runs towards Sale and the outskirts of Manchester. At Bridge 42 is the Leigh arm of the Bridgewater that travels through Worsley and forms a link with the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.
Continuing on the main line the Bridgewater then passes Castlefield Junction, with useful moorings and terminates at Dulcie Street Junction where the waterway becomes the Ashton Canal. As in many city areas, care should be taken in choosing a mooring and the Castlefield Junction is an ideal spot from which to explore the shopping, pubs, restaurants and cultural facilities that the city offers.
Map Ref 39
Trattoria Baci, 18 The Cross, Lymm Tel: 01925 75606
75 yards from Bridge 23 For Italian food and hospitality at its very best. Daily Specials, Takeaway pizzas and pasta. Children most welcome. Open Noon - 2.30pm Tues - Sun & 6pm -10.30pm daily
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This is a college scholarship for women and members of the following minority groups: African Americans, Hispanics, or American Indians. To qualify for this scholarship, applicants must be planning majors enrolled in an approved Planning Accreditation Board (PAB) planning program, be US citizens, and demonstrate financial need. Applicants must intend to pursue careers as practicing planners in the public sector to be eligible for this scholarship. Consideration will also be given to academic achievement, professional presentation, letters of recommendation, and the geographic balance of awards during that year.
How easy is it to apply?
Not too bad
This scholarship's application process may have items such as essays that could take a couple hours.
How much competition is there?
This scholarship won't have as many applicants as most.
The deadline for this scholarship has passed.
|Award Range:||$2,000 - $4,000|
Gender: Is this you?
Financial Need: Is this you?
Financial need will be considered.
Class Year: Is this you?
- College freshman
- College sophomore
- College junior
- College senior
- Master's-level study
College Major: Is this you?
- City/Urban, Community and Regional Planning
- Facilities Planning and Management
- Land Use Planning and Management/Development
Ethnicity: Is this you?
- African American
- American Indian or Native Alaskan
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| 0.932888 | 291 | 1.570313 | 2 |
According to campus police, two students - Thomas Ricardo Cunningham, 21, and Mary Elizabeth Essa, 19 - baked THC-laced brownies for the class as part of a "bring food day."
The pair will appear in Boulder County court Monday morning.
Eight people who ate the brownies got sick and 3 were hospitalized.
"[Cunningham] definitely was not, had no intent of hurting anybody," said longtime friend and roommate Brooks Rice.
Rice grew up with Cunningham in Fort Worth, Texas.
Essa is from Las Vegas, Nevada.
"Don't judge [them]," said Rice "Mistakes happen, some bigger than others."
"They had baked those brownies, and put THC or some type of marijuana substance into the brownies," said Ryan Huff, spokesperson for University of Colorado Boulder Police Department.
The professor and classmates were unaware that the brownies contained THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the active ingredient in marijuana.
UCPD responded to the Hellems Arts and Sciences Building Friday on a report of a professor who was complaining of dizziness and going in and out of consciousness.
"One can only imagine had she been in the car, had she been with her children in the car, when the drugs started to take effect, what could have been the outcome of this, and it's just a terrible, irresponsible and reckless act," said professor Susan Kent, who chairs CU-Boulder's history department and spoke on behalf of her colleague.
Paramedics transported the female professor to the hospital.
Later that afternoon, a student's mother notified campus police that her daughter, who attended the aforementioned professor's class, was at a local hospital having an anxiety attack.
On Saturday, police got another report that a second student felt like she was going to "blackout" after the class. Her family took her to the hospital for evaluation.
An investigation revealed that the three hospitalized victims and five other classmates were suffering from the effects of THC.
"This was just a stupid, irresponsible act," said Bronson Hilliard, CU's spokesperson.
He and Huff, with UCPD, say the incident had nothing to do with Amendment 64 and the looming legalization of small amounts of marijuana.
"Putting marijuana in a food product and providing it somebody without their knowledge has always been illegal, and that will continue to be illegal, even after Amendment 64," Huff said.
9NEWS legal analyst Scott Robinson says, on paper, the charges could add up to decades in prison, but he says that likely won't happen.
"A prank can quickly turn into a felony charge and a felony conviction record. If there was no truly evil intent, the likelihood is that these young people will get probation," Robinson said.
Possessing and using small amounts of marijuana will soon be legal in Colorado for adults 21 and older.
But under Colorado law, drugging someone without their consent is a serious crime.
Each count could mean up to 12 years in prison, and remember 8 people were allegedly drugged in this case.
The students, Essa and Cunningham, are each facing four felony charges related to the incident, including second degree assault and inducing consumption of a controlled substance by fraudulent means.
The two are being held in Boulder County Jail without bond. A spokesperson for CU says if Essa and Cunningham are found guilty through an internal University process, they could face suspension or expulsion.
Three other hospitalized victims have been released.
UCPD believes this is an isolated incident and there's no ongoing threat to the campus community.
Rice worries how these charges will affect his roommate's future. "It could have an effect on his whole life. That's the worst," he said.
(KUSA-TV © 2012 Multimedia Holdings Corporation)
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WASHINGTON - In a move indicative of ongoing nationwide disquiet over the state of civil liberties since 9/11, Maine today became the fourth state to pass a resolution asking Congress to revisit the Patriot Act and other civil liberties infringements. The American Civil Liberties Union welcomed the vote, calling it further proof that Americans of all political stripes want to stop terrorism, but maximize civil liberties.
"With the passage of this pro-civil liberties resolution, the legislature has proudly put Maine on record as committed to principles of liberty and privacy," said Louise Roback, executive director of the Maine Civil Liberties Union. "Our legislators are to be commended for standing up and joining a continually growing number of diverse communities across the United States who have demanded that our basic freedoms be upheld."
"We strongly hope that our Senators -- Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins -- hear their constituents' calls for restoration of our essential civil liberties even as we fight terrorism," Roback said. "We can be both safe and free."
The Maine state senate passed the resolution today by a vote of 18 to 15, with one Republican voting with 17 Democrats. The House of Representatives approved the measure on Friday after defeating a move to indefinitely postpone consideration of the measure by a vote of 51 to 73. In that vote, three Republicans crossed the aisle, and one - Rep. David Trahan of Waldoboro - delivered a forceful floor statement in favor of the resolution.
The Maine resolution follows state-wide measures in Vermont, Alaska and Hawaii. Statehouses in New Mexico and several other states have considered similar pieces of legislation. Most urge the U.S. Congress to revisit the USA Patriot Act, passed in haste a mere eight weeks after the attacks, and try to prevent local authorities from engaging in racial profiling and other civil liberties abuses.
Maine, like Alaska, has a strong conservative base, reflected in its two Republican Senators, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins.
The Maine resolution puts the tally of communities that have passed such resolutions at 275, encompassing almost 50 million Americans in 38 states. The list is diverse, encompassing large urban centers like New York and Los Angeles, and small towns like Castle Valley, Utah. The political makeup of the movement is also quite mixed, with many conservative-led resolutions reflecting the broad right-wing libertarian discontent with the Bush administration's civil liberties policies.
"As our polling has shown, when people, especially on the right, are informed about these issues, they get concerned," said Charlie Mitchell, an ACLU legislative counsel. "Maine's vote is a reflection of that dynamic."
For more information on the resolutions movement, see:
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According to my facebook and twitter friends, I am not the only one who gets burned EVERYTIME I use a hot glue gun. For this reason, I typically will hand sew, nail, or E-6000 something before I will use a hot glue gun. But, every once in a while, there is just no substitute for hot glue. For example, when working with faux flowers and moss, nothing beats hot glue.
So, this week I decided to put an end to hot glue gun burns! I googled “Hot Glue Gun Safety” last week and learned a few tips about using a glue gun. If you are like me, you may do a head slap and feel pretty stupid after reading this post. If you are already the intelligent being who never gets burned when using hot glue, well then you can close your browser and I now bequeath you with a “genius” award. Now scram! For the rest of us, keep reading.
Dedication: I dedicate this blog post to my dear friend Sarah VMK! She and I were discussing all the burns I tend to get while using a glue gun and she remarked, “You really need to do a post about this.” So, here it is Sarah!
Remember to use EXTREME caution:
The most important thing to know about using a hot glue gun is that it is dangerous! Nevermind that you can buy one for $5 or less and some of them look like they were made by the same company that makes McDonald’s happy meal toys.
Or that most of them do not come with instruction manuals. Treat this little “gun” like a power tool and use extreme caution when using it. Don’t let those dual temp glue guns fool you. “Low” temperature is still hot enough to burn you. Listen up y’all so we can say goodbye to glue gun burns FOREVER!
photo courtesy of HelloHayley
When you get ready to use a hot glue gun, be sure you have these things close at hand.
- Heat resistant mat - a foil wrapped piece of cardboard, silicone mat or a cookie sheet will work fine
- Needle-nosed pliers or tweezers for holding small objects
- Popsicle sticks for pressing the glue down - Keep the popsicle stick in your hand so you won’t be tempted to use your finger
- Bowl of ice water
- Clean dry washcloth
- Hot glue gun
- Extra glue sticks
There is also a comprehensive kit sold under the name of “Hot Glue Gun Helpers” that has finger cots and additional supplies to protect you from burns. If you use a hot glue gun a lot, this might be worth the $20 price tag.
Long vs. short power cord:
The power cord on my glue gun is not very long. It barely reaches to the nearest outlet. Don’t allow your cord to dangle in mid-air for someone to snag or trip on. Get an extension cord so that it can lay flat on the floor while you are working. This will also give you more reach while working with the glue gun.
If the cord does get snagged and your glue gun starts to fall over, resist all the temptations to grab it. Just let it fall (and hopefully it won’t land on you or anyone else.)
Your glue gun at rest:
Ideally, you want to rest your glue gun upright on a flat heat resistance surface. I use mine on this foil wrapped piece of cardboard. But, inevitably the gun falls over sideways. I used to instinctively try to stop it from falling. But, that is a burn hazard waiting to happen.
Now I just lay the glue gun on its side making sure that the hot tip is not touching anything. No more tipping glue gun.
Working with your hot glue gun:
Gather all your craft pieces together and make sure that they are within reach so you don’t have to lean over your glue gun to retrieve anything. Make sure all distractions, children, pets, etc. are out of your way. Remember, this is a dangerous tool!
Think about your project before you start. Are you going to put glue on the object or press the object into glue. What is the best procedure that keeps your fingers the furthest from the hot glue.
Squeeze hot glue onto the object you want to glue. For decorative moss balls, I decided it was best to drizzle hot glue onto a piece of moss.
Roll your ball or light bulb onto the moss. (That’s right, I mossed a light bulb! Hey, I had to find something to do with these bulbs leftover from the hollywood light fixture.) Be very careful to keep hands away from the moss.
Use a popsicle stick to press the moss to the ball (or lightbulb.)
As the bare spots get smaller, you may decide to add hot glue to the ball (err, light bulb.)
Lightly set the moss into the glue, then use a popsicle stick to press it firmly into the glue.
When working with smaller objects, DO NOT hold them with your fingers. It is best to put glue on the larger object and press the smaller ones into the glue. Pick up your small object with needle-nosed pliers or tweezers.
Place it, then use your popsicle stick to firmly press the small object into the glue.
If you absolutely have to put glue on a smaller object. Do not use your fingers or hands! Use the tweezers or pliers to hold it while you add the glue.
Okay – and I know – sometimes there is no substitute for using your fingers. If you decide to take the risk of putting your fingers in mortal danger, let the glue cool for a few seconds, then you can gently reposition the object as long as there is NO glue near your flesh.
If you do get burned:
Even the most careful preparation and concentration will not protect you from an occasional accident. So, think like the Boy Scouts, be prepared.
Keep a bowl of ice water nearby. If you burn your finger tips, dunk them in the ice water as soon as possible. Keep a washcloth at hand in case you burn your arm, leg or something that can’t be dunked in the bowl. Then you can wet the washcloth and apply it to the burn. It is crucial to cool down a burn as soon as possible to reduce the damage.
After your project:
Unplug your hot glue gun as soon as you are done with your project. Pick the cord up off the floor so no one can accidentally tug on it. Let your gun cool COMPLETELY before storing it away.
Inspect your glue gun periodically for signs of splits or breaks or signs of wear and tear. As soon as you discover any problems, discontinue using the hot glue gun and discard it. Remember, they are cheap and can be easily replaced! Your fingers will thank you.
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CLARKSVILLE, Mo. (AP) — People in the eastern Missouri hamlet of Clarksville are getting a boost from the Missouri National Guard and even from prison inmates as they battle the surging Mississippi River.
The river is expected to crest nearly 11 feet above flood stage on Sunday at Clarksville, an unprotected town of 442 residents about 60 miles north of St. Louis. Residents and volunteers have built a makeshift levee made of gravel, plastic overlay and sandbags. On Saturday, attention turned to making sure the sandbag levee is sturdy enough to hold back the water.
Governor Jay Nixon visited Clarksville on Saturday.
KINLOCH, Mo. (AP) — The owner of a salvage yard in the impoverished St. Louis County town of Kinloch — a man who also owns Kinloch City Hall — is accused of receiving stolen property.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that 37-year-old Robert Hill Junior has been the subject of a lengthy investigation. Police say his business, Complete Auto Recycling Services, knowingly purchased six stolen vehicles in 2011.
Hill declined comment.
Hill purchased the City Hall building and several other properties in Kinloch over a seven-month period in 2011 and 2012. He allowed city officials to use City Hall for about a year. But later, he was accused by the city of failing to pay the money he had promised for the properties.
The city now operates at Kinloch Learning Center.
WEST, Texas (AP) — Residents of a Central Texas town are itching to get back into neighborhoods the crater-making explosion at a fertilizer plant.
Recovery and investigation of the blast's cause have begun in earnest in West, Texas.
Many of the 2,800 residents feel stuck, unable to direct their full energies to recovery while the investigation begins into what caused Wednesday's explosion at West Fertilizer Co. The displaced and those mourning the 14 dead are making do with what remained in their control.
Bill Killough paced the lobby of a local hotel Friday, planning how to make the most of whatever time authorities grant him to visit his house 2 ½ blocks from the site. The 76-year-old planned to use what little time authorities grant to grab guns and important documents.
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Friday, June 6, 2008
How to Become a Tour Guide Cheat Guide!
Want to become a Tour Guide and help new penguins get around Club Penguin? Well, don't worry! We have the guide that will help you become one! Follow these steps:
1. Go to the "Ski Village".
2. When you get there, you will see a "Tours" Stand.
3. Click on the stand.
4. When you clicked it, a "Take A Tour!!!" window will appear on your screen.
5. On the bottom of it, you will see "Would you like to become a tour guide yourself? Click here for more details!". Click on it.
6. When clicked, a "Tour Guides" window will appear.
7. Now, you have to take a quiz to become a Tour Guide. So, click on "Take the Quiz".
8. Now, you have started the quiz. There is 8 questions and you are only allowed to miss one on them. There are different questions on the quiz every time. But, here all the questions that you might have:
Question: How does the Pink Puffle play?
Answer: Skips with a skipping rope.
Question: Which of these rooms doesn't have music playing in the background?
Answer: Pet Shop
Question: What is the name of Captain Rockhopper's ship?
Answer: The Migrator
Question: In what room can you find old copies of the Penguin Times?
Answer: Boiler Room
Question: Which room has a Cuckoo clock?
Answer: Ski Lodge
Question: How many Sled Racing tracks are there?
Question: Which of these rooms does NOT have a game in it?
Question: Which color of puffle can catch on fire?
Question: What day does the news paper come out?
Question: What is the name of the big fish in Ice Fishing?
Question: How do you get a Pin?
Answer: Click on it
Question: How many coins does it cost to buy a player card background?
Question: What item is thrown out of the truck in level 4 of Bean Counters?
Answer: A Flower Pot
Question: What item is always hidden in a different place in the Clothing Catalog every month?
Answer: Viking Helmet
Question: Which of these games has a shark in it?
Answer: Jetpack Adventure
9. When you are done with the quiz, you will get a Tour Guides Hat!
10. You will also have acces to "How to be a great tour guide" book. The guide will teach you how to become a great tour guide and how to put up the "Tours Here" sign.
You are now ready to give some tours!
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| 0.935067 | 581 | 1.570313 | 2 |
The annual Bipartisan Policy Summit at Tulane University on Thursday (Nov. 15) drew its largest crowd ever. The summit, presided over by James Carville and Mary Matalin, brings together the nation’s best political minds from both parties after Election Day to discuss whether America’s elected leaders can get past partisan bickering and get to work on America’s problems. It remains an open question.
The gathering began with an analysis of how President Obama won re-election. Republican pollster Whit Ayres and Democratic pollster Stan Greenberg agreed generally with the notion that demographics is destiny. This is not good news for the GOP, the party led mostly by old white men.
Ayers didn’t sugarcoat his party’s loss. Democrats, he said, had “a far superior ground game” — identifying and turning out their voters. Other factors that helped Obama, Ayers said, were the “slowly improving economy that was improving just enough to get Barack Obama’s approval rating up high enough to win.” The President’s approval rating just before Election Day was 51 percent — exactly his share of the vote.
Ayers also noted “some amazingly bad comments by some Republican candidates” that hurt the party’s cause nationwide. In particular, comments from GOP Senate candidates in Missouri and Indiana helped solidify Obama’s lead among women voters.
All of those factors contributed to the President’s win, Greenberg agreed, but he added that Democrats also won because they recognized the diversity and character of the American electorate — and because of the “brand position” of the two parties.
“We represent the rising American electorate,” Greenberg said of Democrats. “This isn’t just targeting groups that get something from government. We’re in a country in which the majority of households are not married. The majority of births are non-white. The white working class also is attending church less. … All of these are long-term trends that will have enormous impacts on politics, and all of these groups voted 2-to-1 for Obama.”
Hispanics are the fastest-growing segment of the American electorate. Greenberg said that every month almost 50,000 Hispanic youth become eligible to vote. Asian voters are less numerous, but they too are growing rapidly as a percentage of the American electorate. Obama carried Hispanic and Asian voters by huge margins on Nov. 6, but those two groups also represent the GOP’s best prospects for expanding the party’s appeal beyond white voters.
As for the GOP’s “brand” problem, former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, a Republican, was blunt: “When I heard that Mitt Romney had a Swiss bank account, I said, ‘This is a problem in Ohio.’ The issue was not economic, but cultural. …
“What the electorate wants more than anything else from a candidate is the feeling that the candidate understands them. They never got the feeling that Romney understands them.”
Does all this mean the GOP is doomed because of demographics? Carville, a staunch Democrat, doesn’t necessarily think so. “Sometimes the best way to win the next election is to lose the last one,” he said.
Consider the Democrats’ post-election hangover of just two years ago.
Looking ahead, what do the election results portend for a bipartisan approach to governing?
Most of the summit’s panelists agreed that the looming “fiscal cliff” will force both parties to the table in the short run, but the long-term prospects for bipartisanship are not bright.
One poll result framed the problem perfectly: American voters overall, by a margin of almost two-to-one, want Republicans to work with Obama — but Republican voters want them to continue fighting the President … by the same two-to-one margin.
Good luck, America.
We are in the middle of a revolution that is going to continue to have…
HEY H STREET! I missed you! I wanna start PTT again, but it was such…
Wait, you're back at Gambit? Does that mean we get more Public Transit Tuesdays?
The point? Wasteful as well as very bad use of tax payer money for truly…
So, what's your point?
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Use the word “downsize” with most folks, and they might picture moving from a two-story house to a bungalow or apartment. But Gregory Johnson, co-founder of the Small House Society, gives downsizing an entirely new meaning.
Johnson’s Iowa City, Iowa, home is only 140 sq. ft. That’s less than one-tenth the size of his previous dwelling. Those accustomed to a full-size house might find it a bit cramped, but, for Johnson, it’s a perfect fit. Take two steps through the front door (the only door), and you’ll find yourself standing in the center of Johnson’s entire domain. This is where the University of Iowa computer technician spends his waking hours — when he’s home, that is. At night, he unfolds a collapsible ladder and climbs to the loft bedroom that spans the full length of the house.
When he moved from his 2,000 sq. ft. home to this tiny house, which cost only $15,000 in 2003, Johnson gave up his washer and dryer, his living room sofa, his television, and his workout room. In fact, he gave up all of his furniture but a mattress and a folding chair. “I’m a much more sociable person now,” he says. “When I need to do laundry, I go to a laundromat. When I want to exercise, I go to the gym. I see people and have conversations with friends. If I had all these things in my own home, I wouldn’t need to go out. I’d live a much more solitary life.”
“And there are financial benefits, as well,” he adds. “I don’t have to purchase or maintain any of the equipment. That’s a huge savings all by itself.” The savings in small house utility bills are tremendous, too. Heating a tiny house like Johnson’s costs only a few dollars a week, even in the coldest weather.
But there’s just one catch. Unlike most homes, this tiny house has no bathroom or shower. Johnson uses the facilities at his parent’s house, on whose property his house sits. For a shower, he often goes to the gym. And, as someone who rarely cooks, he says he doesn’t use his kitchen much, either. Admittedly, this lifestyle isn’t for everyone, but there’s been enough interest since 1997 to sustain the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, owned by Small House Society co-founder, Jay Shafer, who built Johnson’s small house.
Because Johnson’s house is too small to meet city housing codes, he had it built on wheels. Rather than pay real estate taxes, he purchases a trailer license plate every year. And when the day comes that he decides to move, he can just hitch it up to a truck (running partly on biofuels, of course) and roll on down the road.
Not surprisingly, after Hurricane Katrina, the small house movement garnered a lot of interest. With so many homes destroyed all around them, some Gulf Coast residents began considering the merits of portable homes — homes they could move out of the path of an approaching storm. After the storm, Julie Martin, who had owned a full-sized home in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi when Katrina hit, purchased one of Shafer’s Tumbleweed Tiny Houses. She later opened a franchise, which she named House to Go™. Martin specializes in homes for Gulf Coast residents.
As the founder of Resources for Life, Johnson strives to help others achieve a balanced, sustainable lifestyle. He is the author of Put Your Life on a Diet: Lessons Learned from Living in 140 Square Feet. Johnson’s interview on WQPB Public Television appears in the YouTube video below.
Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)
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Ethnic fighting flared in western Kenya on Monday as mediation talks resumed despite the withdrawal of Cyril Ramaphosa as mediator.
Kenyan government officials complained that Ramaphosa, the chief negotiator for South Africa's African National Congress in talks that ended apartheid in 1994, has business links to Odinga.
Last week Kofi Annan, the former UN secretary-general, mediated an agreement between Kibaki and Odinga to take steps to resolve the crisis within 15 days.
The parties also welcomed a UN human rights team to investigate the violence and agreed to the establishment of a truth and reconciliation commission comprising local and international jurists.
Annan chose Ramaphosa to head the talks but the South African tycoon said he could not function as mediator "without the complete confidence" of both parties, and decided to go home "so I don’t become a stumbling block myself".
Later on Monday Annan said the next stage of the talks, on political issues, "is going to take hard negotiations, understandably give and take".
The government lifted a month-long ban on live television broadcasts that officials had feared could stoke more violence, saying security had improved.
But more fighting followed news of Ramaphosa's departure, with hundreds of youths armed with bows and arrows and machetes attacking one another, Hassan Noor, the Rift Valley provincial commissioner, said.
In Sotik town, at least seven people were killed overnight in clashes between Kisii and Kalenjin communities in a region 250km west of Nairobi, said Humphrey Nakitare, the district commissioner.
|Children's homes have also come|
under attack [GALLO/GETTY]
A children's refuge in western Kenya was looted and burned over the weekend by youths from a surrounding village.
Samuel Rutto, headmaster of the Sugoi-Munsingen Children's Home and School, said gangs were using politics to take advantage of the chaos.
"This had nothing to do with the elections," he said. "It is just believed that [the school] belonged to the Kikuyus."
Much of the violence has pitted other ethnic groups against Kibaki's Kikuyu tribe which has long been resented for its perceived dominance of Kenyan business and politics.
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Road bans aimed at capital's taxis, trucks
The Ha Noi Transport Department has issued a new decree banning taxis and trucks from more Ha Noi streets, including Pham Ngoc Thach, Le Duan, La Thanh and Le Van Luong from 6am-9am and 4.30pm-7.30pm between April 5 and May 31.
In addition, lorries weighing over 1.25 tonnes are to be barred from Minh Khai, Dai La, Truong Chinh, Lang, Buoi, Lac Long Quan streets between 6am and 9pm to ease congestion. Ambulances and cars carrying the elderly or the disabled are excluded from the ban.
Earlier, taxis and trucks were barred from using 17 other routes during peak hours to ease traffic congestion at major intersections.
UN calls for action on gender equality
The United Nations has urged Viet Nam to equate the retirement age for men and women and to elevate women to decision-making positions, since this October the country must submit a report on the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
Speaking at the consultation forum held this past Friday, Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Pham Minh Huan said that Viet Nam had made great progress in promoting gender equality and women's rights, as well as in correcting discriminatory practices in education and employment.
However, challenges remain due to gender inequality, the low status of women in society and violence within the family.
In addition, the early retirement age for women (55 compared with 60 for men) leads to an income gap between women and men, making it difficult for women to obtain further training and to achieve decision-making positions in Government, public institutions and the private sector, according to the UN.
Viet Nam signed CEDAW, a universal international human rights treaty, in 1980 and endorsed it in 1982. Since then, the country has reported to the CEDAW committee several times, most recently in 2005.
"Although considerable progress has been made toward implementing CEDAW, significant challenges remain," said UN Resident Co-ordinator Pratibha Mehta.
"Viet Nam has a high and rising sex ratio at birth, women continue to be paid
less than men and are concentrated in the informal economy, largely as unpaid family labourers."
Pramila Patten, a UN CEDAW Committee member, said countries must ensure that there was no direct or indirect discrimination against women in their laws and that women were protected against discrimination – committed by public authorities, the judiciary, organisations, enterprises or private individuals.
"Above all implementation requires strong political will from governments and an empowered civil society," she said. "Whilst it may be too much to expect that many female victims will come to know of CEDAW, it's not too much to hope that committed individuals will find the convention a valuable tool."
Korean men drown while bathing in Vung Tau
Two South Korean men drowned while they were bathing in the sea at Nghinh Phong beach, Vung Tau city Thursday. One of the two bodies remains unfound, authorities reported.
The victims are 34-year-old Son Yongin and 52-year-old Jung Sung Kyoon, who were among a group of about 10 South Korean tourists who came to the beach for sea-bathing at 8 pm March 29.
After swimming in the sea, the group returned to their hotel and at 10 pm they found Son and Jung missing.
They then returned to the beach to look for them and reported the incident to rescuers at the beach.
After a couple of hours of search, rescuers found Jung’s body floating on the sea near the shore.
The body has been taken to the France-Vietnam Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City.
Rescuers are continuing their search for the other victim.
VN's monthly internet subscribers decreases
The General Statistics Office (GSO) estimated that the number of internet users in Viet Nam declined by 500,000 this month to stand at 32.1 million.
March is the second consecutive month the number of internet users has decreased.
In February, the number was 32.6 million, down 800,000 from January.
The GSO estimated the number of new telephone subscribers in the first quarter of this year at 2.6 million, up 35.3 per cent over the same period last year, comprising 7.6 million fixed telephone subscribers and 2.5 million mobile phone subscribers.
The office expects the telephone subcribers to total 134 million by the end of March, a rise of 3 percent over the same period last year.
The figure included 15.3 million fixed telephone subscribers, falling 1.6 percent year on year, and 118.7 million mobile phone subscribers, climbing 3.6 percent year-on-year.
Japan supports coastal localities’ development
The Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will provide medial equipments for a hospital in the central Ninh Thuan Province, related memoranda of understanding were signed in Ninh Thuan on April 1.
It will also help Ninh Thuan and its neighboring provinces of Binh Thuan and Khanh Hoa to build socio-economic development strategy for the southern area of the central region.
JICA will provides the Ninh Thuan General Hospital with medial equipments worth 670 million JPY (US$8.1 million) in addition to helping the hospital improve quality of human resources through training programs to better its services.
It will work with the mentioned provinces to build regional socio-economic development strategies and propose necessary measures to implement them.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc affirmed that the cooperation contributes to promoting strategic cooperation between Vietnam and Japan.
It represents the Japanese government’s support for the development of Ninh Thuan province and the southern region of the central coast region in general, he said.
Market fire destroys stalls in Quang Binh
A blaze destroyed 10 fruit and flower stalls and two motorbikes at Dong Hoi Market in central Quang Binh City early yesterday morning.
The blaze quickly spread because straw was used to protect the fruit, which was stored in polystyrene boxes.
Nobody was harmed in the blaze, which is estimated to have caused billions of dong worth of damage. The cause of the fire is being investigated.
Landslide cleared in Khanh Vinh Pass
A landslide that blocked a 10km stretch of road through Khanh Vinh Pass in the central province of Khanh Hoa has been cleared, allowing one lane access for vehicles, according to the Vietnam News Agency.
The landslide occurred yesterday while buses carrying more than 200 foreign and domestic passengers were travelling from Da Lat in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong to Nha Trang in Khanh Hoa Province.
It is estimated that about 1,000cu.m of rock and soil fell from a nearby mountain onto the two-lane road due to heavy rain in the aftermath of a tropical storm.
No deaths or injuries were reported, but passengers were stuck for six hours. One lane is remained blocked by rocks and soil while trucks and buses were sharing the other.
State-of-the-art hospital inaugurated in HCM City
Hoan My Sai Gon Premier general hospital, a State-of-the-art one, was inaugurated in Ho Chi Minh City in the last day of March.
The private hospital, covering an area of 2,168 sq.m, was built at a cost of nearly 700 billion VND (33.3 million USD).
According to Nguyen Huu Tung, CEO of the Hoan My Medical Group, said that the 200-bed hospital has 42 consulting-rooms and 8 surgery rooms, and is capable to serve 2,000 patients a day.
The hospital has 544 staff, including 124 doctors.
Vishal Bali, General Director of Fortis group, a partner with Hoan My in building the hospital, said that Fortis will continue invest in technologies in Hoan My to ensure high-quality services for patients.
At present, Ho Chi Minh City has 101 hospitals, including 34 private ones.
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by Mark S. Mathison and Abigail S. Crouse, Esqs.
The federalcan be a trap for the unwary—even for nonunion employers. Even if your employees don’t belong to a union, the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) applies to you.
For example, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) recently announced that a nonunionized employer will pay $900,000 to two fired employees to settle charges that it violated the NLRA.
Petition, then retaliation
The charges, in which no union was involved, grew out of a petition that employees of the Texas Dental Association signed using aliases.
It asked the association’s 7,000 members to launch an outside investigation ofand working conditions.
Association executives did launch an investigation—to find out who had been involved in preparing and distributing the petition.
One employee who helped write the petition was fired after a fragment of it was found on his computer. A supervisor who refused to divulge the names of employees involved in the petition was also fired.
This case went to trial before the NLRB, and the judge ruled that the Texas Dental Association committed unfair labor practices because firing the two employees was retaliation for—and interfered with—their right to engage together in “concerted activity” protected by the labor law.
The judge found that the first employee was unlawfully fired for engaging in protected activity, and that the supervisor was fired for refusing to engage in unlawful activity by divulging the employees’ identities.
The case was pending before the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals when it was settled through mediation.
The Texas Dental Association case provides a stark reminder for all employers about the importance of complying with the.
The NLRA is the federal labor law that applies in most private workplaces. It protects employees’ rights to engage in—and to refrain from engaging in—a broad range of “concerted activities.” In essence, concerted activity occurs anytime employees gather to talk about or work together to affect the terms and conditions of their jobs.
The concept of protected concerted activity—like all other fundamental employee rights in the federal labor law—comes from Section 7 of the NLRA. Employees’ rights relating to collective-bargaining and union activities are often referred to as “Section 7 rights.” The bedrock principle of Section 7 is that employees have the right to freely choose whether or not to engage in collective activity—whether there is a union involved or not.
Rights under the NLRA
Employees’ rights under the labor law include the rights to:
- Discuss terms and conditions of employment or union organizing with co-workers or a union.
- Take action with one or more co-workers to improve working conditions by, among other things, raising work-related complaints.
- Form, join or assist labor organizations or unions.
- Engage in “other concerted activities” for the purpose of collective bargaining or other “mutual aid or protection.” This includes any employee advocating in any way for another employee, or on behalf of one or more employees.
- Refrain from engaging in self-organizing and concerted or union activity.
Even though the NLRA does not generally protect supervisors, a supervisor’s discharge violates Section 8(a)(1) under certain limited circumstances, including when it is based on the supervisor’s testimony in an NLRB hearing or refusal to commit an unfair labor practice.
The NLRA has potentially critical implications for many employment policies and practices, whether a workforce is unionized or not.
First, violating the act can be expensive. The Texas Dental Association had to pay almost $1 million to just two employees.
In addition, committing unfair labor practices can also have a negative effect on an employer’s ability to resist unionization. As this case amply demonstrates, employers—even those without unions—can save themselves headaches and expense by ensuring that their supervisors and HR professionals understand how the NLRA applies in their workplaces.
Authors: Gray Plant Mooty Principal Mark S. Mathison advises employers of all types and sizes onissues in the workplace. Contact him at [email protected] or (612) 632-3247. Abigail S. Crouse is a principal at Gray Plant Mooty and practices in the areas of employment law and labor law. You can reach her at [email protected] or (612) 632-3044.
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On September 27, 1997, at 0849 Pacific daylight time, Continental Airlines flight 1046 (a Boeing 737-3T0, registration number N13331), a scheduled domestic 14 CFR 121 passenger/cargo flight enroute from Seattle/Tacoma International Airport, Seattle, Washington, to George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Houston, Texas, returned to Seattle/Tacoma International when the crew noted immediately after becoming airborne that large amounts of aileron and rudder input were required to maintain wings-level flight. The crew was able to land at Seattle/Tacoma International without damage to the aircraft or injuries to the airline transport pilot-in-command, first officer, 4 cabin crewmembers, or 128 passengers aboard. The aircraft was on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan. Use your browsers 'back' function to return to synopsisReturn to Query Page
The crew reported that at liftoff, "considerable aileron and rudder input" was required to maintain straight and level flight, and that when aileron input was reduced to zero, at least 5 units of left rudder trim was required to maintain wings-level flight (according to Boeing, a minimum of 16.4 units of rudder trim is available.) Upon returning to the gate, it was noted that the right aileron remained up with the control wheel centered. Postflight troubleshooting revealed that the ABSB-4 aileron bus cable was broken and the ABSA-4 cable was frayed. The cable break and fraying occurred where the cables ride over the right wing/body joint aileron pulleys in the right wing root/main wheel well area. Maintenance personnel did not find any discrepancies with the pulleys. There was also no evidence found to indicate that the cables were, or had become, misrouted.
According to Boeing's records, the aircraft was delivered on August 11, 1986. On its NTSB incident report, Continental Airlines reported the aircraft's airframe total time as 34,633 hours. Continental further indicated on its NTSB incident report that the aircraft had 378 hours in service since its last inspection, a continuous airworthiness inspection performed on August 15, 1997, approximately 6 weeks prior to the incident. Continental reported that this inspection was a segmented "C" check, and that aileron cables were to be inspected during the "C" check segment which was performed at that time. Continental further reported to the NTSB that it was unable to determine whether or not the parted and frayed cables were the original cables installed at the time of aircraft delivery.
The ABSA-4 (frayed) and ABSB-4 (fractured) right wing aileron bus cables, which are both similarly constructed from 3/16 inch diameter, 7x19 wire rope, were sent to the NTSB Materials Laboratory in Washington, D.C., for examination. Examination of the fractured ends of the ABSB-4 cable revealed severe amounts of wear between the individual wires and strands (the NTSB metallurgist's factual report stated that this type of wear is generally referred to as internal cable wear.) On the vast majority of parted wires, wear had reduced the individual wire diameters to knife edges with little or no perceptible fracture surfaces. The only wires showing significant fractures were those from the core strand of wires; the features of these fractures were reported to be typical of overstress separations. It was estimated by the NTSB metallurgist that over 90% of the cable's total section had been removed by the internal wear, which appeared to be present along about 2 inches of the cable with some wires showing several locations of severe reduction. Severe external wear was also noted on the cable adjacent to the location of the separation; however, no wires appeared to be fractured at this wear. Energy dispersive x-ray analysis of individual wires found wire composition and tin coating consistent with MIL-W-8342, composition "A" wire rope.
In the NTSB Materials Laboratory examination, magnified optical examinations of the frayed location on the ABSA cable uncovered many of the same features as at the separation on the ABSB cable, including severe internal wear of the wires and strands. Visual examinations of the cables also disclosed several other areas of locally severe external wear, as well as several locations where the overall diameter of the cable had been reduced without damage to the exterior cable surface, which the NTSB metallurgist characterized as indicative of internal cable wear. In some locations, the cable diameter was reduced by as much as 0.03 inches (corresponding to approximately a 30% reduction in cable cross-sectional area for a nominal 3/16 inch diameter cable.)
The ABSA-4 and ABSB-4 cables were subsequently examined at Boeing's Equipment Quality Analysis (EQA) Laboratory in Renton, Washington. This examination was performed with the NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC) along with representatives of the FAA, Boeing, and Continental Airlines in attendance. Boeing's examination of the ABSA-4 cable found wear "on the exterior of one side of the cable, the side which contacted the OD of the pulley, and not on the other side." The EQA report also stated that internal wear was also evident on this cable. The EQA report stated that on the ABSB-4 cable, "the wear occurred on the exterior of one side of the cable; the side which contacted the OD of the pulley, and not the other side." The EQA examination also noted wear on the interior of the ABSB-4 cable, between the bundles. Boeing's conclusion was: "The cables exhibited external wear which is believed to have resulted from contact with their respective pulleys. This external wear is likely the cause of the cable fraying and separation....The existence of external wear was evidenced on several portions of the cable....The internal wear was likely subsequent to the excessive external wear...."
A similar B-737 incident to the one involving Continental flight 1046 occurred at Newark, New Jersey, on March 15, 1993 (NTSB incident number NYC93IA059.) In that incident, involving a B-737-130 series aircraft also operated by Continental as flight 1659, the airplane rolled left immediately after liftoff but the pilot controlled the roll with right aileron and was able to return to Newark and land without further incident. Post-incident examinations of the left wing ABSA and ABSB aileron bus cables from that aircraft revealed that the left aileron down cable had parted in the same location (but on the left side) and manner as the parted right wing ABSB cable on Continental 1046. The NTSB determined the probable cause of the 1993 incident to be "inadequate maintenance/inspection by company maintenance personnel, the manufacturer's inadequate inspection and/or replacement procedures for the aileron cables, and subsequent failure of the 'down' aileron control cable due to wear." Based on the March 1993 Continental Airlines B-737 incident at Newark, the NTSB issued Safety Recommendations A-94-64 through A-94-66 to the FAA as follows:
A-94-64. Issue an Airworthiness Directive (AD) to operators of Boeing 727 and 737 airplanes requiring periodic inspection of the aileron cables for both internal and external wear, and for broken wires, with particular attention to the area of the cable contacting the pulleys. The inspection should include releasing cable tension to better detect cable wear and wire breakage and establishing a maximum allowable reduction in cable diameter where pulley contact occurs. Based on the inspections, develop specific flight hour intervals for replacement of the cables.
A-94-65. Require that the Boeing Company examine the consequences of a 737-100 aileron cable failure, and provide appropriate flightcrew operational guidance for the best landing configuration in the event of such a failure.
A-94-66. Conduct a comprehensive study to determine the frequency of spoiler, rudder, and aileron cable failures on airplanes weighing 12,500 pounds or greater. Where the study reveals flight control inspection procedures to be inadequate, require appropriate revisions to those inspection procedures and/or issue Airworthiness Directives to mandate service life limits to assure greater reliability of those control cables.
In response to recommendations A-94-64 and A-94-65, the FAA responded on August 3, 1995, that it had conducted flight simulations in which it determined that the B-737-100 was controllable with a broken aileron cable, that no additional flightcrew guidance was necessary with regard to this condition, and that it did not consider an AD requiring periodic inspections in addition to the existing regular maintenance inspections to be necessary. The FAA also reported it reviewed the flight control cable failure rates for the B-737 fleet and found the failure rate for aileron wing cables to be 8 x 10-8 per flight hour, with the failure rate for aileron body cables being 6.4 x 10-8 per flight hour. The FAA stated that "this system performance further supports the conclusion that a broken aileron cable is an improbable occurrence." Based on the FAA response, the NTSB classified recommendation A-94-65 "Closed-Acceptable Action" on November 20, 1995.
In further response to recommendation A-94-64, the FAA stated to the NTSB on June 28, 1996, that it had examined the maintenance manuals for Boeing airplanes that utilize wire cable operated flight controls. The FAA stated that it found inconsistencies among some of the procedures, and that the best practices possible were not reflected consistently in all manuals. The FAA stated that as a result, Boeing had eliminated the inconsistencies and developed one standard inspection procedure for the Boeing family of airplanes. The new standard procedure, which the FAA stated was to be performed every 12 to 18 months, involved rubbing a cloth along the cable length to catch on broken cable strands and lock-to-lock control wheel rotation to expose cable hidden on the pulleys. Additionally, instructions for checking cable diameter wear were provided as an option. The FAA indicated Boeing would include this procedure in the B-737 maintenance manual by August 1996. In response to the FAA actions with regard to recommendation A-94-64, the NTSB replied on October 30, 1996:
While the Board remains concerned that inspecting aileron cables without releasing cable tension may not provide adequate assurance of detecting internal broken cable wires, the Board finds that FAA and Boeing efforts to standardize and improve cable inspection procedures and to establish specific flight hour intervals for inspecting cables will address most of the concerns that prompted the recommendation. Based on this information, the Board classifies A-94-64 "Closed-Acceptable Alternate Action."
In response to recommendation A-94-66, the FAA responded on August 3, 1995, that it had completed a comprehensive study to determine the frequency of spoiler, rudder, and aileron cable failures on airplanes weighing 12,500 pounds or greater. The FAA reported this study found that in the 10 years preceding the study, there had been 6 aileron cable separations on B-737 aircraft. The FAA reported that its study found inconsistencies in the cable inspection procedures for different Boeing aircraft, and that to address these inconsistencies, Boeing had developed one standard inspection procedure for the Boeing family of airplanes. This standard inspection procedure was included in a maintenance manual revision which was published in August 1996. Based on FAA responses, the NTSB classified recommendation A-94-66 "Closed-Acceptable Action" on April 7, 1997.
The B-737 AMM control cable inspection procedures were revised to incorporate the above procedures pursuant to the above-noted FAA actions following the March 1993 B-737 incident, and following a May 1995 FAA Critical Design Review (CDR) of the B-737 flight control system, which also recommended that the FAA "evaluate the adequacy of the B737 maintenance manual actions addressing flight control cable inspection, rigging procedures and replacement criteria...." (FAA, B-737 Flight Control System [FCS] CDR Report, May 3, 1995, Recommendation -23.) The CDR also recommended that the FAA "require control cable service life limits unless acceptable inspection and/or test procedures are developed and utilized that can determine the continuing serviceability of the control cables" (FAA B-737 FCS CDR Report, Recommendation -24.) In regard to CDR Recommendation -24, Boeing and the FAA determined that, based on in-service experience and airline responses, neither life limits for the cables nor any change in cable inspection frequencies was required.
According to Boeing's aircraft maintenance manual (AMM) for the Boeing 737 (B-737), the ABSB-4 aileron bus cable is a replace-on-condition item, with wear criteria for replacement specified via a figure in the AMM (Section 20-20-31, Figure 601) which depicts diagrams of cable wear to aid in gauging the extent of wear. The AMM recommends inspection of exposed cables at each maintenance "C" check (every 3,200 flight hours), with non-exposed cables checked every other "C" check (every 6,400 flight hours.) According to a Boeing air safety investigator, "C" checks are performed approximately once each year at typical airline aircraft utilization rates.
The AMM procedure for inspection of the control cables (Task 20-20-31-206-002) specifies the following procedures: doing a check for broken wires by rubbing a cloth along the length of the cable in both directions (broken wires are indicated where the cloth gets caught on the cable); displacing the control cable system full travel in each direction for complete inspection at seals, pulleys, and fairlead areas; use of a flashlight and mirror to aid inspection in hard to see places; and replacement of a 7x19 control cable upon finding (among other conditions) 4 broken wires in 12 continuous inches of cable, or more than 6 broken wires in a total cable length between the two cable terminals. An "optional as needed" check for wear directs cable replacement if (among other conditions) one strand has worn wires where one wire cross section is decreased by 40% or more. The General section of the AMM "Control Cables - Inspection/Check" procedure states, "Wires break most frequently where cables go through fairlead areas or around pulleys. Examine these areas carefully."
As a result of the September 1997 Seattle incident involving Continental flight 1046, Continental Airlines took the following remedial actions:
1. Issued Fleet Campaign Directive (FCD) number 2711-01011-A, "Inspection of the 737 Aileron Bus System Cables in the MLG Wheel Well Area", on January 9, 1998. This FCD directed a detail visual inspection of aileron bus cables in both main landing gear wheel well bays on its entire B-737 fleet in accordance with AMM section 20-20-31, along with replacement of any cable found damaged or with excessive wear or reduced thickness.
2. Issued Engineering Authorization (EA) 2711-01012, "737 Aileron Bus Cables Inspection and Replacement", effective November 13, 1997. This EA established a repetitive inspection requirement for aileron bus cables on Continental Airlines B-737-100/-200/-300/-500 aircraft for wear, damage, and corrosion every 4,000 hours. In addition, the EA established hard time replacement of the ABSA-1, ABSA-2, ABSA-3, ABSA-4, ABSB-1, ABSB-2, ABSB-3, and ABSB-4 aileron bus cables on Continental Airlines B-737-100/-200/-300/-500 aircraft at every "D" check.
3. Issued Maintenance Specification Amendment (MSA) number 970148, "B737-300/-500 Aileron Bus Cables - Discard", on December 1, 1997. This MSA amended the Continental Airlines B-737-300/-500 maintenance specifications by creation of a specification task to remove, discard and replace the aileron bus cables at an 8 year frequency per EA 2711-01012.
Additionally, in response to the May 1995 FAA B-737 CDR, Continental Airlines issued MSA number 970081 on June 2, 1997. This MSA increased the level of detail of control cable inspections on Continental Airlines B-737s from "General Visual Inspection" to "Detailed Visual Inspection."
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Wave after wave of . Several homes in nearly every neighborhood. stolen — sometimes right off a pier or dock. If it seemed like crime was on the rise in 2011 — you were right, according to an annual statewide crime report released earlier this month.
The reported a year-over-year increase of 24.9 percent for 2011 in the city's crime rate, based on violent and property crime statistics published in the "Crime in Washington" report, published by the (WASPC).
Statewide, reports of all crimes fell 3.4 percent from 2010, while the violent crime rate fell 5 percent.
Mercer Island's jump in the crime rate comes after in the crime rate from 2009 — indicating the city has returned to an average level of crime seen over the past decade. Overall, 426 crimes were documented, which police said was the equivalent of 18.8 offenses per 1,000 residents (see the table below for a more detailed look at types of crimes and crime rates over the last 6 years).
The biggest increase in crime on Mercer Island was in larceny, or theft, increasing 27 percent to a total of 336 incidents. Mercer Island Police Commander Dave Jokinen said the community was experiencing an increase in property crime, punctuated by a string of crimes committed by one or two suspects.
"We're talking here about somebody who had something stolen from their yard, shopping cart, their car, or an item stolen from a locker at school," he said. "Our biggest crime problem here is property crime: thefts, car prowls and burglaries."
Jokinen said the overall number of crimes were low and the violent crime rate had actually dropped from last year (only 11 incidents — down from 14 — were reported). He cited the example of Mercer Island resident as an example of when crime does occur on Mercer Island, it usually comes in a short period of time committed by a single person. Judd was linked to over 50 car prowls in addition to the attempted robbery of a man at . He was later charged for attempted robbery and sentenced to 8 1/2 years in prison.
"Citizens can help us out by keeping an eye out. We're always very happy to respond to a suspicious report."
The MIPD also reported a 2.7 percent increase in the number of calls for service, responding to 13,043 incidents last year.
Mercer Island Mayor Bruce Bassett admitted the Island's reputation for safety can lull residents into a false sense of security — including his own family.
"As a resident whose busy wife sometimes arrives home, partially unpacks the car, then gets distracted and leaves the car doors open wide, I can attest to the great sense of security we feel here," he said. "Ours is one of the safest communities in the area and it's a reason we all love living on Mercer Island. But crime does occur here and while police work hard to prevent and solve crimes, we need to do our part too: Lock your vehicle and remove valuables. Lock your home and close your garage. Call 911 if you notice suspicious activity in your neighborhood. Oh, and please don't leave things in your car with the doors wide open!"
Mercer Island compared well to other Eastside cities of similar size, including Kirkland, Bellevue, Redmond, and Issaquah. Only Sammamish's crime rates were lower, at 7.9 offenses per 1,000 residents.
"Looking at part one crimes we compare very well to our peers," said MIPD's Jokinen. "Property crime is also much lower — We're typically lower than our comparable cities."
In previous reports, the MIPD said the community's low crime figures were due to "a very small commercial sector, a road network consisting of very few arterials, and the demographics of this community (i.e. highly educated and high median household income)." Proactive police enforcement and educational outreach programs are also believed to contribute to the City’s very low crime rates. The presence of Interstate 90 and the belief that the road invites more crime, however, is thought to be the reason the Island's crime rate isn't lower than Sammamish, currently the third-lowest in the state (only Duvall and DuPont had a lower crime rate). Sammamish is not near a major freeway, making it less accessible.
Mercer Island Mayor Bruce Bassett attributed some of the increase to a regional increase in property crime trends, but suggested that citizens could do more.
"Be smart and do your part to help our police keep our crime rate low," he said.
EASTSIDE CITIES CRIME RATES (violent crimes per 1,000 residents/property crimes per 1,000 residents), 2006-2011City 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Sammamish 0.3/11.9 0.2/13.8 0.4/10.5 0.3/8.7 0.4/9.3 0.3/7.6 Mercer Island 1.0/21.3 0.3/17.9 0.6/18.7 0.5/18.1 0.6/14.3 0.5/18.3 Issaquah 0.4/46.6 0.4/35.0 0.6/31.0 0.7/23.6 1.1./27.1 0.8/24.0 Bellevue 1.6/36.6 1.2/35.6 1.4/36.1 1.3/32.9 1.1/30.9 1.1/28.9 Redmond 1.3/35.0 1.5/33.3 1.3/32.9 1.1/31.9 1.2/29.1 0.8/24.6 Kirkland 1.9/39.7 1.4/39.5 2.0/40.2 1.2/33.7 1.3/27.5 1.5/30.1 King Co. Average 4.1/51.5 3.7/44.5 3.5/40.4 3.9/42.0 3.4/41.1 3.4/39.7
MERCER ISLAND UCR PART 1 CRIME STATISTICS, 2005-2011
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This site is still under development, and we'll be adding more content.
Please come visit us again.
The "Big Picture" is a single continuous digital sky image, a cut through the core of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies, derived from the Palomar-Quest digital sky survey. It is reproduced on porcelain tiles as a 152 ft long by 20 ft high back wall of the new exhibit hall at the Griffith Observatory. This website is its home in cyberspace. The image is a window into the distant universe, and it conveys a remarkable richness of the sky... (more)
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He said he did not understand the theory expounded by some of his colleagues that Britain's economic difficulties were caused by the EU.
David Cameron has said he will seek a "fresh settlement" of Britain's relations with the EU after the election and the education secretary, Michael Gove, is reported to have said that the UK should use the threat of possible withdrawal as a weapon in negotiations.
"To start threatening, throwing into the air our relationship with the outside world, with the global economy, would I think be very reckless," Clarke told the Daily Telegraph. "I frequently say that to several of my colleagues: there seems little point in opening up the debate at the moment about our membership of the European Union."
Despite the problems in the eurozone, Britain's economic difficulties were caused by "the folly of bankers, the uselessness of regulators and the weakness of government", Clarke said. "The idea that somehow the present problems are caused by Britain's membership of the European Union is a theory that I can't quite follow."
Although better-than-expected growth of 1% in the third quarter of 2012 was announced earlier this week, Clarke said it was too early to be certain the economy is bouncing back. He said married couples should not expect the tax relief proposed by the Conservatives in their 2010 manifesto which promised a transferable tax allowance that could be worth £150 a year to couples where one spouse stays at home.
Clarke, a former chancellor, said there was "a long hard road" ahead and that the tax allowance was not a government commitment.
"It would be absolute folly to turn around and say it will all be fine by Christmas," he said. "Anybody who says we are absolutely certain we are bouncing back to strong growth is being very optimistic.
"We never committed ourselves to married couples' tax by the end of the parliament. I'm married, I'm not counting on it. I don't remember anyone promising that kind of thing."
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2010
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You ever see buses or cars driving around with bumper stickers on them saying “this vehicle runs on clean natural gas”? Here in New York City, over 900 of the MTA’s 6,200 buses run on natural gas (and have that sticker). Well, natural gas may burn cleaner than diesel, but it’s certainly not a clean fuel to produce. Of all the films I saw at Mountainfilm last month, few left as strong an impression on me as Gasland. Here’s the trailer:
Filmmaker Josh Fox does a commendable job weaving his personal story through a quagmire of political bureaucracies, special interest groups, corporate greed and environmental short-sightedness. The film is playing tonight (June 21) on HBO. I suggest you make time to watch it and get involved in stopping hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) from happening near you. For more info on HBO, visit this link. For the official Gasland site, visit here.
Friend David de Rothschild‘s Plastiki set sail from San Francisco this past weekend, beginning an 11,000 nautical mile journey to Sydney, Australia. My congratulations to David, who has spent the last 4 years working on this project, pioneering so many aspects of this ship’s technology and construction to help reach people with his message about pollution, water quality, and plastics. Visit the official Plastiki site for more info on the boat (made of 12,000 plastic bottles) and their journey. David and crew will be updating their Facebook page and using Twitter to reach people while at sea. Bon Voyage, David!
The TED Conference is well-known for inviting only the best speakers to deliver 20-minute speeches to a crowd of enthusiastic, idealistic, and sharp-minded people. “Riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world” is their motto, and a lot of their talks are not viewable online, which is fantastic. Here’s one I think you’ll enjoy from Dan Barber, executive chef of Blue Hill Farm restaurants. Well worth your 20 minutes.
A few years ago, a friend and I were discussing the Tarahumara Indians of Central Mexico. The Tarahumara are world-famous for their ability to run long-distances (like, 100 miles) in nothing more than sandals made from used tires. They live in Copper Canyon, the Grand Canyon of Mexico, and BOSS used to offer trips with them. Over many years, we learned about their culture, their relationship with the land, and their sacred beliefs in corn. Corn is a critical part of their culture—they grow the plant for food and to make tesguino, the sacred corn beer they drink during special occasions. Anyway, my friend was saying that Americans today have more corn in their bodies than the Tarahumara, who eat it and drink it. “How’s that possible?” I wondered. Well, the film King Corn explains it:
College buddies Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis ventured from their East Coast college to visit the land of their respective great-grandparents in Iowa. Tracing their roots to the dawn of modern agriculture, they explore how corn went from a staple of small farming families to what is now America’s most-productive and most-subsidized grain. The entire face of agriculture changed because of corn and now its by-products—including high fructose corn syrup—appear in almost every product we consume. Corn is also eaten by the majority of land animals that humans eat.
The implications are both vast and daunting, as we are now eating and drinking corn on a daily basis. It’s practically inescapable, which I found both fascinating and disturbing. I hope you’ll get a chance to watch this film. Here’s the link to their official website.
First of all, I’m ecstatic that The Cove won the Oscar for best documentary. How cool is that? And secondly, I’m excited to hear that Animal Planet has just announced Dolphin Warriors, a TV series that picks up where The Cove ended. Ric O’Barry is back, and he’s still focused on getting the people in Taiji (and the rest of Japan) to stop killing dolphins. Very excited to see where this goes!
Last night, Discovery Communications hosted an event at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall for LIFE, the sequel to Planet Earth. Here’s the promo:
The event itself was amazing. The New York Pops orchestra played in perfect sync to the Hi-Def screening of the first episode “Challenges of Life,” playing above them. The entire theater was packed and the atmosphere was electric. Seeing the video that way (something that could not be replicated at home, even with the largest HD screen) was truly amazing. As was the show, which I believe represents the pinnacle of non-fiction television. Productions like Life (and Planet Earth before it) inspire people to explore the earth, to marvel at its creatures, and to love it. Bravo to Discovery and co-producers at the BBC. I’m looking forward to watching the 11 episodes over the upcoming 5 Sundays in March and April.
"JoshBernstein: @epmasia "PNG Mummies" was my favorite episode of Into The Unknown. Thanks for working on it!"
17 May 2013 | 7:11 am
"JoshBernstein: @apriledmonds Thanks, April, for listening and the tweet!"
17 May 2013 | 7:10 am
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When Apple announced the new Siri software for the iPhone 4S, it was easy to just dismiss it as another company trying to get on board with the voice recognition gimmick we've seen companies trying to make work for years.
But there are a couple of things to remember here: firstly, this is Apple, a brand that will always make something seem cool and work pretty well. And secondly, it's not a technology that it's had to develop fully in house, with the company buying voice recognition development app-maker Siri.
We've played with some pretty advanced voice recognition software on the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S2, so we've also taken a look to see how the same command is registered on both phones.
Long pressing the home button will result in the Siri voic icon popping up - or alternatively, you can set the iPhone 4S to activate the service when you hold the phone up to your ear in standby mode, so you don't look as ridiculous when talking to your handset.
From there, you've got quite a range of things you can achieve with speech alone, be it sending a message, playing a song (or even a playlist), setting the alarm, creating a reminder... we were very impressed with the range of options on offer.
And the system is quick too - where with many other phones you have to open up the voice recognition function (often in a long winded way) and then wait for the beep to speak, Siri opens up in around a couple of seconds from anywhere in the phone.
The voice recognition is pretty darn good too - we were straight away impressed with how many phrases it managed to get right on the first go, including some pretty obscure bits and pieces of speech. You do have to pronounce your words a little more clinically than you might do normally, but even garbled speech comes through pretty well.
To put a number on it: we went through the list of functions Siri offers, and found that around one in three or four attempts went awry, which is miles better than the one in two we encounter on most other phones.
However, before we get into the comparison, we should say this about Siri in the UK - the full range of services aren't available, and that's a real shame. This means you can't ask where the nearest McDonald's or petrol station is, a feature that's been talked up in the US.
We do have high hopes that the same features will eventually be enabled in the UK, as it's just a matter of licensing the information and incorporating it into the system, but it will be annoying for a number of users to see that Siri comes back with 'I cannot do that' time and time again for cool functionality.
But what it does do well is work out the context of what you're saying, something that most other voice recognition software fails to do. So if you say 'Tell Andy his hair looks amazing today' it will work out that you'll want to tell him by message, rather than asking what method you'd prefer to speak to him.
Messaging isn't as straightforward as we'd like though, as using the 'Send message' command to a person in your address book will result in you being asked whether you'd like to do it using the phone number or email address - and there's no way to set a personalised choice.
Let's compare the iPhone 4S to the Samsung Galaxy S2 to see which phone comes out top in the voice recognition stakes:
Firstly, the iPhone 4S has a range of functionality that the S2 simply doesn't have - things like being able to set the alarm and play a specific song or playlist aren't available on the Samsung option, which is rather annoying.
We asked both phones: what's the weather like tomorrow?
The iPhone 4S managed to nail that in a few seconds, whereas the Galaxy S2 couldn't read the 'tomorrow' part of the command, meaning we had to ask 'What's the weather like?' which simply showed us an (admittedly very useful) Google search to give the information.
We asked both phones to set a reminder to 'Buy apples tomorrow at 11.35am'. The iPhone 4S simply made a reminder that said 'By Apple' but at the correct time, although sadly the S2 couldn't register a time stamp in the message and decided we wanted to 'Buy Apple store'.
The final test went better for both handsets: Asking both to send a message to Rich Fields, it managed to get what we said with ease and then managed to send it with a quick voice command.
As you can see, the iPhone clearly has the edge when it comes to voice recognition, but it's still not perfect. Especially as we noted that on more than one occasion it failed despite being connected to a Wi-Fi router, stating it could not connect to the network.
We are being pretty picky here, as Siri is by far the best voice recognition software on the market for a mobile phone, so it's a big 'Bravo!' to Apple for leading the way with this technology.
However, while it's cool and fun to play with as a new feature on your phone at the moment, the key to whether Siri will be a game changing piece of technology depends on other applications being able to use the API and integrate the functionality into their own offerings - something Apple currently doesn't offer but we hope it will soon.
Apple also has to improve the service to gain more scope and include more functions, but for now it's a very good start and the future for the tech can only get brighter in our eyes - it seems this won't be another FaceTime after all.
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Kids: Fiction for Early Readers
These are books that are a step up from the Beginner readers. They are chapter books for children who are just getting into reading.
Hidden Stairs and Magic Carpet by Abbot, Tony. Secrets of Droon Series #1.
Dinosaurs Before Dark by Osborne, Mary Pope. Magic Tree House series #1.
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Thursday, August 19, 2010
Robert F. Scott
Today we feature of picture of Robert F. Scott, captain of the ill fated Terra Nova expedition to the South Pole. As we have seen this week, the party did make it to the South Pole, but all five died on the return journey. Scott and two other died only 11 miles from the supply depot and camp they were desperately trying to reach. In researching the expedition, it appears it was somewhat poorly planned, and they left little margin for error.
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Good News for Non-Citizen Nieces and Nephews!
Written By Savvy Auntie Staff Writers
By Michael Wildes and Raquel Wildes
Michael Wildes is the managing partner of the leading U.S. immigration law firm, Wildes & Weinberg, P.C., www.wildeslaw.com, which specializes in employment and investment-based immigration, business and treaty visas, labor certification/job offer sponsorship for permanent residence, naturalization/U.S. citizenship, Form I-9 compliance, family-based immigration, student and religious worker visas, and all other temporary and permanent visas. Mr. Wildes is a former Federal Prosecutor and recently completed two terms as the Mayor of Englewood, NJ, where he resides. Feel free to check out his Facebook page or email him at [email protected] if he can be of any assistance to you or someone you know.
Raquel Wildes is a sophomore at Columbia University. She is a former editorial intern for Savvy Auntie and a contributing writer to Columbia's daily newspaper.
There are millions of children throughout the United States who were brought to this country illegally, who, until now, had no future in the USA. They were not eligible for education beyond high school and could not find jobs on the books.
On Friday, June 15, 2012, the Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, announced a new policy referred to as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which was established to grant "deferred action" to some undocumented youth currently living in the United States. Effective immediately, certain people who were brought to America as young children, and who do not present a risk to national security or public safety, will be considered for relief from deportation or from entering into removal proceedings. Those who qualify will receive this status for a period of two years, subject to renewal, and will be eligible to apply for work authorization.
Individuals who meet the following criteria are now eligible for this benefit upon examination by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service/Department of Homeland Security (USCIS/DHS). These include persons who:
1. Were under the age of 31 as of June 15, 2012
2. Came to the United States before reaching their 16th birthday
3. Have continuously resided in the United States since June 15, 2007, up to the present time
4. Were physically present in the United States on June 15, 2012, and at the time of making their request for consideration of deferred action with USCIS
5. Entered without inspection before June 15, 2012, or their lawful immigration status expired as of June 15, 2012
6. Are currently in school, have graduated or obtained a certificate of completion from high school, have obtained a general education development (GED) certificate, or have been honorably discharged as a veteran of the Coast Guard or Armed Forces of the United States
7. Have not been convicted of a felony, significant misdemeanor, three or more other misdemeanors, and do not otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety
Submission of applications for deferred action status began on August 15, 2012.
This new policy can help keep your law-abiding loved ones - including your immigrant nieces and nephews - out of the shadows where fear of removal is ever-present, and provide them with the tools to a long and successful life in America.
Photo: Stuart Miles
Published: August 17, 2012
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When we planned our first trip to the Galapagos, we weren’t sure what to expect about safety. We didn’t know if we would be able to travel without a guide, or how safe it would be at night. We had been living in Cuenca, Ecuador for more than two years and we were comfortable with the level of safety in Ecuador. But our visit to the Galapagos really surprised us.
In terms of safety, Galapagos is like small town Canada. People are friendly and crime is virtually non-existent. But in terms of everything else, Galapagos is like nothing we’ve ever seen before.
The front desk staff even encouraged us to walk into town after dinner. Another employee told us that you can leave your wallet out in the open and no one will take it. Just like small town’s across Canada or the United States. Crime just isn’t a concern there.
While visiting again a few months ago, we were walking through Puerto Ayora – the main town on Santa Cruz Island. It was about 8 pm and we were taking in the sights. The pier is beautiful in the evening and there are lots of people out – mostly tourists but many locals as well. We were all taking photos and it wasn’t until I saw the two police officers that the issue of safety even entered my mind. I had my dSLR camera around my neck, shooting videos and photos for the blog.
I stopped to speak to the two officers and what they said surprised me. I told them that we lived in Cuenca – they were both from Ecuador’s mainland as well. One was from near Quito (in the northern Andes) and the other officer was from the coast (Manabi Province). They get assigned to the Galapagos on a rotation (not a bad assignment!). I asked them what the crime was like in Puerto Ayora. They both kind of laughed and said: “There isn’t any”. What about the other islands? “Tampoco” they say, meaning: “None there either.”
I asked them about the large camera that was hanging around my neck – is it safe to have it out at night? “Tranquilo,” they said “no pasa nada”. Which means: “Relax, nothing’s going to happen”.
“Now, on the mainland – you need to be careful” they said. This is obvious. Big cities can be dangerous anywhere. Walking around any large city (in any country) at night with a large, expensive camera probably isn’t ever a good idea. From our experience, Ecuador is a safe during the day – just use some common sense. From our travels to the Galapagos we’ve learned that you can even forget your common sense and not have any problems.
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|Donít quit yet Ė avoid job burnout with these tips|
Sheldon Gordon - Special to The Globe and Mail
Published Thursday, Jul. 26 2012, 6:00 AM EDT
The employee in the corner cubicle who used to be so calm and level-leaded now regularly snaps at colleauges. That same worker, who used to have such strong attention to detail, is now making elementary errors in dealing with customers. What happened to that same employee who used to be happy at work and now seems depressed? It could be a case of burnout.
Though a much-discussed peril of workplace life, burnout is often confused with stress. More accurately, it’s a chronic state of physical and mental exhaustion that usually results from continuous stress and may reveal itself in the behaviours of the hapless office worker described above.
“Everyone has stress in their job,” says Cissy Pau, principal consultant at Clear HR Consulting Inc. in Vancouver. “Sometimes that stress is positive and sometimes it’s negative. That’s just a given. But when stress gets to an extreme where you end up with no motivation, being incapable of functioning or your decision-making becomes poor, that’s when we’re talking about burnout.”
So what can employers do to prevent or alleviate burnout?
“There has to be a culture of more positive engagement between manager and employee,” says Carmela Ciotti-Hooper, a human-resources consultant in Ancaster, Ont. “The manager needs to balance meeting their department’s needs with responsibility for care of their staff.” That requires identifying and responding to the stressors that lead to burnout.
Excessive workload is perhaps the most frequently cited stressor. Staff are stressed because they wish to get everything done, but their resources may be stretched too thin. That situation can eventually morph into burnout, where they don’t care any more and lack the motivation to work hard.
To prevent the situation from reaching that point, “the boss should evaluate the workload,” Ms. Ciotti-Hooper says. “Maybe redefine the deadlines. Maybe consider outsourcing projects. Sometimes, it’s worth the money to outsource if it means that you’re saving the individual from stress and burnout.”
She also urges managers to be urge employees to schedule their vacations. “Pre-book at least 50 per cent of their allocated time,” she says, “because when employees book ahead, they look forward to the time off and they know they will have a break. I think managers sometimes forget that their employees are entitled to a vacation.”
Another common stressor is incompatibility with co-workers. “If you’re spending eight hours a day with people you don’t get along with, that is, over time, going to cause demotivation and you’ll dread coming to work,” Ms. Pau says. It’s up to managers to deal with the interpersonal issues.
They may have to mediate, setting expectations for the parties who are at odds – what’s acceptable and not acceptable behaviour. A large company may have options such as transferring the problem employee to a less toxic unit or sending them for counselling, Ms. Pau says, but “the smaller the company, the less tolerant it can be with people who are not getting along. If there are only 10 people who work in the company, there are not a lot of places internally to move.”
A third major stressor can be a misalignment between the goals of the organization and the values of the employee. “If your values are at odds with what the company does,” Ms. Pau says, “you can only put up with it for so long before you think, I have to get out.”
This potential stressor is often easy to foresee before joining an organization – but not always. She cites the example of an accountant who accepted a job at a firm that did work for the military: he couldn’t reconcile that activity with his pacifist outlook. Unlike excessive workload and interpersonal friction, “if it’s a values incompatibility, that’s a tough one to overcome,” Ms. Pau says.
Employees most likely to suffer burnout are those who feel trapped in their current jobs and have no prospects for alternative employment, says Alexandra Panaccio, assistant professor of management at Concordia University’s John Molson School of Business. They’re aware that “if you lose the job, you lose all the resources that come with that job, such as salary and benefits.”
An employer can help prevent or ease the employee’s sense of being stuck by offering opportunities for training and skills development that will make them more marketable. “They should upgrade the employee’s skills in a way that is not job specific but gives them more employment options,” Ms. Panaccio says. Ironically, by equipping an employee to leave, an organization may be more likely to retain them.
Other prime candidates for burnout include workers faced with role ambiguity or role conflict, she says. Role ambiguity may result from confusing expectations, such as when an employee is told, “I want this report completed ASAP, but it has to be comprehensive and in-depth.”
Role conflict is most often visible in the form of ill-defined job boundaries, where turf wars may erupt with fellow employees. “If there’s a turf war, it’s often due to a lack of clarity in who is responsible for what,” Ms. Pau says.
Employers can alleviate these situations, Ms. Panaccio says, by updating the employee’s job description (at least annually), making clear what’s expected and avoiding conflicting demands on the employee. “The organization should ensure that supervisors communicate enough with each other to avoid giving conflicting instructions to the employee.”
It’s important that organizations identify factors that are most problematic for employees and act on those.
“But the will to do that has to start at the very top of the organization,” Ms. Panaccio says. “If changes come only from the HR department, managers may not necessarily get on board.”
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http://www.lewisdaly.com/other-workplace-wellness-articles/don-t-quit-yet-avoid-job-burnout-with-these.html
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| 0.959747 | 1,351 | 1.625 | 2 |
"(1) A person is guilty of an offence if he:
(a) uses threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour, or disorderly behaviour, or
(b) displays any writing, sign or other visible representation which is threatening, abusive or insulting, within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress thereby."
The guidance for CPS prosecutors is available here. This section 5 offence often can cause considerable soul searching by those who preside over trials subsequent to not guilty pleas at the first listing. Facts might be relatively simple but the interpretation of these facts by the aggrieved party and the bench`s own position on that interpretation can lead to some very interesting discussion in the retiring room.
Last November I commented as did many others on the case of Daniel Harvey –v- the DPP of which the full transcript of the successful Appeal against conviction under s5 is available here. It was erroneously reported that it gave a license to swear at police without fear of retribution. A greater understanding of the decision at the High Court can be had from the following extract:-
“Where witnesses have given oral evidence of an incident which forms the basis of a charge under section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986, but have said nothing and been asked nothing about experiencing harassment, alarm or distress, there is no sound basis for the court to reach that conclusion for itself. This is particularly so in the case of police officers because, as Glidewell LJ observed in Orum, they hear such words all too frequently as part of their job. This is not to say that such words are incapable of causing police officers to experience alarm, distress or harassment.”
When it comes to deciding if words are considered “insulting” then the problems really begin. We have been insulting each other for ages. From the father of cartoonists, James Gillray, in the late 18th and early 19th century, to Peter Brookes The Times cartoonist, public figures have been lampooned to within an inch of their lives and in a recent case the Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard almost lost his life as a result of an attack by a Moslem seeking revenge for what he considered a cartoon insulting the Prophet.
Four years ago a teenager was charged under s5 for holding up a sign which read "Scientology is not a religion, it is a dangerous cult", outside its headquarters in the City of London. City of London Police said it had received complaints and warned the teenager to get rid of the sign as it breached the Public Order Act. The matter did not proceed to court because the CPS declined to prosecute. "Our advice is that it is not abusive or insulting and there is no offensiveness (as opposed to criticism), neither in the idea expressed nor in the mode of expression."
In April 2010 Dale Mcalpine was accused of a public order offence after speaking to a community support officer (PCSO) in Workington, Cumbria. When he was told that the PCSO was gay and that he had said to him, “The Bible says homosexuality is a sin”, he was charged with breaching section 5 of the Public Order Act by allegedly using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress. That case also was dropped by the CPS.
The freedom to insult even to the point of causing distress is an inimitable part of freedom of speech. The launch yesterday of the Reform Section 5 Campaign led by David Davis M.P. deserves the support of all who value free speech over political correctness.
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en
| 0.973995 | 735 | 1.59375 | 2 |
October 13th, 2011
04:05 PM GMT
Abu Dhabi (CNN) – A stone's throw from the Abu Dhabi downtown waterfront, it is hard to miss major construction works. Hotel and apartment towers and road building are taking place right across from the Emirates Palace Hotel.
It does not look as if there's scope for recession here or heading east to Asia, where growth is expected to average more than 8% next year, according to the International Monetary Fund's latest forecast.
During a meeting of the World Economic Forum in Abu Dhabi this week,
"What this emphasizes is what happens in one continent affects another, and we have to have a better system of cooperation," said Brown.
"Global cooperation is even more important today as we are faced in my view with a new unavoidable global downturn."
In the winter of 2009, after the banking crisis triggered by the collapse of Lehman Brothers, Brown pushed for greater coordination by ushering in the G20 group of nations, in part to tap those with vast surpluses.
Not all agree with Brown's approach. Policy strategist Ian Bremmer, President of the Eurasia Group says the power of the G-20 to encourage global cooperation has waned and we have entered a 'G-Zero' world in which countries do not band together for mutual benefit.
But the same refrain is being sung today to have the surplus countries step in to provide liquidity. Obvious ports of call for European governments in need of capital are sovereign funds, such as those based here in the Gulf States. But the dynamics have changed in the past three years.
Sven Behrendt, a specialist on sovereign funds for a firm he founded called
"If you look into the Arab World for example there is domestic spending, domestic infrastructure that bites into government finances," says Behrendt.
In fact, governments are starting to trim their sails in term of spending, bracing for a gathering storm front from the West – both Europe and the United States with potential for a double dip into recession. The United Arab Emirates, despite a deep well of funds, has reportedly cut back infrastructure spending by $170 billion.
There is plenty of excess capital circulating with China at more than $3 trillion. Add the other BRIC countries, Brazil, Russia and India, and the tally is more than $4 trillion. If Middle East sovereign funds are put into the pool, there's another $1.4 trillion dollars.
But Douglas Rediker, an IMF executive board member, doesn't expect the taps to be opened on a grand scale.
"It does not mean you won't see isolated transactions," said Rediker. "You will hear a lot of goodwill gestures to stabilize markets, but we have not seen huge ten to 100 billion dollars of capital being re-deployed as a result of a desire to stabilize the global system."
Isolated transactions include moves by the Emir of Qatar through his sovereign investment funds to buy a Greek bank and a mining group despite the continued unrest and uncertainty.
China, for its part, has held talks with Italy and Spain about the purchase of multi-billion euro bond transactions, but there are strings attached.
"We have seen the Chinese leadership in the past couple of weeks come out with statements that indicate, yes we invest in European assets but some conditions need to be met" says Behrendt.
This includes trying to get Washington not to pass a bill through Congress to raise the value of China's currency the RMB or yuan. It is all part of the global horse trading when new financing is needed.
From around the web
About Business 360
CNN International's business anchors and correspondents get to grips with the issues affecting world business, and they want your questions and feedback.
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| 0.955702 | 769 | 1.78125 | 2 |
What is Livemocha all about?
Livemocha is committed to creating a world in which every human being is fluent in multiple languages.
As the world’s largest online language learning community, Livemocha fuses traditional learning methods with online practice and interaction with native language speakers from around the world. Livemocha delivers an unparalleled learning experience that promises conversational fluency. Since launching in 2007, the Livemocha community has grown to over 16 million members from over 195 countries, highlighting the international demand for an engaging and collaborative approach to language learning.
Why is language learning such a big deal right now?
We started Livemocha to address one of the greatest macro economic trends of our time – globalization. Today, more than ever, we live in a connected world. Technology allows us to build real relationships in many countries at once – and that’s creating immense opportunity for those with the right skills. People worldwide need to understand and interface with different cultures in the course of their work and travels. The success of emerging economies and global trade, then, depends on foreign language learning.
According to Goldman Sachs, by 2025, the BRIC economies will account for more than half the GDP of the G6 economies and by 2050, they will be larger than the G6 economies. Immigration and travel have boomed in parallel at unprecedented rates. In 2000, over 95 million people immigrated to other countries. International arrivals are projected to grow from 694 million to 1.6 billion by 2020, with the fastest growth expected in East Asia and the Pacific.
English language learning has skyrocketed globally and especially in the BRIC countries, underscored in some places by government-mandated programs. However, corporations in developing economies cannot rely solely on English to conduct and win business in these emerging economies. As a result, languages such as Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, and Russian are now competitive advantages as well.
Corporate America is also realizing that English alone is no longer enough. According to a recent survey on multilingual talent in the workplace, 33% of Fortune 500 companies will include knowledge of a foreign language as a requirement for employment. But while globalization has us at the mercy of our foreign language skills, legislation and general awareness are still catching up. In the United States today, less than 40% of high school students and 8% of college students are enrolled in the study of a foreign language.
What is Livemocha doing about it?
With commitment and creativity, we can bridge the alarming gap between inadequate preparation of our workforce and the need for language skills in the corporate sector.
Commitment means absolute dedication to creating the possibility of fluency in a second language for every person in the world, regardless of age or socio-economic status. Creativity means using new technologies and distribution methods to erase limits.
Increasing broadband penetration and VOIP adoption makes the internet the most accessible, socially relevant platform for language learning. By opening the market and leveraging the latest trends in social networking, Livemocha connects people across the globe.
At Livemocha, we believe in the power of human potential. Anyone can learn a new language. And not just anyone, but anywhere and anytime. We are dedicated to helping individuals, corporations, libraries and schools remove the barriers to effective communication and cultural exchange.
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http://livemocha.com/pages/about-us/
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| 0.938452 | 686 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Click on the image above or use the toolbar below the image to zoom in and see the faces.
President Obama reminds us, every time he speaks, that he can't move this country forward by himself, but together we can. This is what inspired the my most recent photomosaic "Forward Together, Faces from 2012 Obama Rallies." It is compiled of over 6,000 faces from Obama rallies over the last year. Each face, like the main image of the president, is facing forward to signify our collective desire to continue moving forward with change.
18" x 24" Poster - $20.00
Mosaic Poster of President-elect Barack Obama
"Dare to Hope" from the 2008 election
Each poster is $20.00 or you can get the set of posters for $30.00
This image ran as a two page spread in Time Magazine's - Person of the Year: Barack Obama - 12/17/2008
This full-color poster is suitable for framing and features close to 6,000 images of the people at Obama rallies in 2008. Among the faces in the poster are Michelle Obama, Al Gore and Obama himself. See if you can find them!
This poster was created as a reminder of this historic election and this historic president and how, in his own words,
"Few obstacles can withstand the power of a million voices calling for change."
Click HERE to download an image for your computer screen.
Everytime I photographed a Barack Obama rally the size and diversity of the crowds moved and amazed me. I spoke to so many people who all spoke of unity and inclusion. Barack Obama said at his acceptance speech, "This election has never been about me. It's been about you." His message has inspired so many to be involved and to dare to hope.
These are their faces. This is their voice.
-Anne C. Savage
In the News:
Detroit News - Facing the future - 12/24/2008
Ann Arbor News - Time has come for Dexter, Ann Arbor women; their works are featured in Person of the Year issue - 12/24/2008
WJR News/Talk 760 - Local Artist Anne Savage talks with Paul W. Smith Guest Host Warren Pierce - 12/29/2008
Webster-Kirkwood Times - Kirkwood High Grad's Obama Photo Lands In Time Magazine - 12/26/2008
St. Louis Post Dispatch - So Savage - 12/19/2008
The Boston Globe - Obama backers look for ways to carry out the call for change - 12/09/2008
"This is so so awesome!!! Thank you, Anne, for capturing the moment of a 'united us' for change and for sharing this beautiful piece of work! Awesome job, Anne! Thank you again!"
-Monique Rosales from Rhode Island
"Awesome! This will be the first Obama poster of any sort I've paid for. It really hits the mark. I suggest sending one to President Elect Obama himself. It would be a great reminder for him as he governs."
-Chuck Lasker from Indiana
"I printed out the info sent online with the basic photo from work where I have internet access, took it home and showed my 31 yr old Obama daughter (she shares a house with me) and she was overwhelmed, moved, teared up...and before she could read your explanation (she cried again as I read the artists explanation)...my daughter said..."Oh my God...it is representing "Out of many we are One"....both of us cant wait to see it. Thank you to Anne for representing the heart and guts and soul of us all with this wonderful poster. Mahalo and Aloha a hui hoa!"
-Barbara Arrowsmith from Oregon
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http://photos.annesavagephotography.com/obama_poster.html
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en
| 0.948967 | 774 | 1.8125 | 2 |
The news from Greece continues to get worse. As protests and demonstrations against the new austerity measures break out across the country, the euro was shaken yet again as investors worried about Greece.
This time, though, investors aren't worried about the math; the Greek cabinet has agreed to the latest round of spending cuts and the IMF and the major European economies, including the foot-dragging Germans, are all committed to the multi-year, multi-billion euro bailout.
What worries investors now is whether the Greeks will stand for it. Will Greek society resist the imposition of savage cuts in salaries and public services, and will the government's efforts to reform the public administration and improve tax collection (while raising taxes) actually work?
The answer at this point is that nobody knows. On the plus side, the current Greek government is led by the left-wing PASOK party. The trade unions and civil service unions not only support PASOK; in a very real way they are the party. Although the party's leader George Papandreou is something of a Tony Blair style ‘third way' politician who is more comfortable at Davos than in a union hall, the party itself is one of Europe's more old fashioned left wing political groups, where chain-smoking dependency theorists debate the shifting fortunes of the international class war. The protesters are protesting decisions made by their own political leadership; this may help keep a lid on things. If a conservative government had proposed these cuts, Greece would be much nearer to some kind of explosion.
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http://www.cfr.org/europerussia/greek-tragedy-unfolds/p22071
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| 0.958087 | 310 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Jeff Peck '13, on 2012 Southwest Trip
For most college students, spring break is a time to relax at home or take road trips with friends. Some Heidelberg students will be heading south, but not to the usual locations. These students will be spending their spring break in an alternative fashion.
Some will serve others.
Through Habitat for Humanity and Back Bay Mission, Heidelberg students are traveling to Nashville, TN, Morehead, KY, and Biloxi, MS for a weeklong service trip. In Nashville, students will be working on a construction site and volunteering in the Habitat Restore. In Morehead, students will help rebuild a community torn apart by tornadoes. And in Biloxi, students will continue the rebuilding process made necessary by Hurricane Katrina. In addition to working on these construction sites, students will go on site-seeing trips in the area.
Some will conduct research.
Geology students are spending their break together in the southwest desert in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. Dr. Amy Berger and her Regional Field Geology students are spending seven days investigating environments from volcanic lava to caves. Follow their experience.
Some will leave the country.
Six Heidelberg students have teamed up with the Northwest Ohio Association of United Church of Christ to take a trip to El Salvador. The trip encompasses both educational and service components. Students will become immersed in Salvadoran culture, serve meals at homeless shelter, engage in activities with the local community, visit area churches, meet the Bishop of El Salvador Medardo Gomez and other religious leaders, and taking site-seeing around area.
Some will lead.
Four of these trips were planned, organized, and carried about by Heidelberg students. Adam Hine, Kaitlyn Caldwell, Meredith Higgins, and Cody Waterman were all student coordinators for their respective trips. They worked on fundraising and ran meetings for groups as well as set up itineraries and organized communication. This leadership development opportunity will help prepare these students for leadership roles in their futures careers.
Some will compete.
129 student-athletes are heading south over break. The baseball and softball teams will be in Florida and play a combined 21 games. Men’s and women’s tennis teams will be in South Carolina for a week and play 5 matches each. The track and field teams will also head to South Carolina for an invitational at Coastal Carolina University.
Follow the hashtag #bergbreak to follow the students in real time.
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| 0.947472 | 509 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Book Summaries: Entrepreneurship and Business Growth
By Gerard Burke, David Molian, Paul Barrow and Liz Clarke | 18/12/2007
Growing Your Business helps owner/managers develop growth strategies for their businesses by providing frameworks, ideas, inspiration and hands-on assignments. Its contents are a distillation of the authors knowledge and experience, which has successfully helped hundreds of owner/managers to grow and develop their businesses and themselves over the last twenty years.
By Andrew Burke | 17/01/2006
Entrepreneurship has developed enormously as a field of research over the last 20 years. The book provides a compilation of the latest thinking on entrepreneurship by leading academic researchers in university business schools and economics departments. It offers a series of articles containing surveys and perspectives on the latest advances in entrepreneurial thought.
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http://www.som.cranfield.ac.uk/som/p16845/Knowledge-Interchange/Management-Themes/Entrepreneurship-and-Business-Growth/Book-Summaries-Entrepreneurship-and-Business-Growth
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| 0.940263 | 167 | 1.640625 | 2 |
February 28th, 2011 Source TotallyFreeStuff
Composed of thirty teams, team fans remain loyal in the way baseball fans once did; for a lifetime. The most popular teams are The Los Angeles Lakers, the Miami Heat, the Boston Celtics, Orlando Magic, and the Chicago Bulls. Missing from this list are two of the NBA's top performing teams, the Spurs and the Mavs. Now a four billion dollar a year industry, league basketball play flourished in the 1920s but died in the Depression of the 1930s. Now that huge stars are made in college play, it's hard to believe that once even the best players' reputations seldom extended beyond their immediate locality or region. The NBA league was founded in New York City on June 6, 1946 as the Basketball Association of America (BAA). After merging with its competition, the National Basketball League (NBL), The National Basketball Association (NBA) became North America's professional men's basketball league in 1949. Whether you're a loud Lakers fan or your root for the underdog Kings, wearing your NBA team jersey is a flashy way to let everyone know where your loyalty lies. With participation in the Free Prize Rewards program, you can receive a free NBA jersey of your choice.
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http://daily-free.com/882596/free-nba-jersey
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| 0.959501 | 251 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Series Description: In the 1950s America had broken free from the shackles of wartime economics. It was a time for innovation, when scientists learned to harness nuclear energy and jet-propelled airplanes were breaking speed records. Where scientific innovation met consumerism, the result was the concept car - a prototype made to showcase a concept, new styling and new technology. MYSTERY CARS is a fascinating series that finds these one-of-a-kind vehicles and tells their story.
All Upcoming Episodes
There are no broadcasts currently planned. Please check back for future broadcast dates.
These episodes of Mystery Cars aired in the last few months on Iowa Public Television.
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| 0.947027 | 136 | 1.78125 | 2 |
When Steven Spielberg asked Sally Field to play Mary Todd Lincoln in 2005, deep down, the two-time Oscar-winning actress knew the road to playing the contentious first lady wasn't going to be easy. Writers on the film project came and went, as eventually did Liam Neeson, the actor originally cast to play Abraham Lincoln. When Daniel Day-Lewis agreed to come on board, Spielberg wasn't sure Field still fit, owing largely to their age difference. Lincoln was nearly 10 years older than his wife, but Field had more than a decade on Day-Lewis.
Field, though, wasn't prepared to give up the role without a fight. Over coffee in a Santa Monica cafe, the 66-year-old actress, whose youthful appearance immediately makes Spielberg's initial concerns seem beside the point, lays out her determination to get the role.
Why was playing Mary Todd Lincoln so important to you?
There are just certain characters that I feel belong to me. Sybil, I felt like that. No one else could have done it. Norma (the factory worker in the 1979 movie "Norma Rae") belonged to me. And Mary too. The size, the roundness of the face. Steven had a legitimate reason for feeling as he did. I understand that. But I also knew there was no other Mary to be had. So I had to step up to the plate. I said, "Test me."
In full hair and makeup and in costume, right?
Yes. Steven gave me a Saturday afternoon, and [cinematographer] Janusz [Kaminski] came in and [costume designer] Joanna Johnston found me a dress from Western Costume, and I did the monologue from the scene with Sen. Stevens [played by Tommy Lee Jones].
Did you feel good about how it went?
I did. But Steven called the next day and said, "We put it with some footage of Daniel, and it just isn't going to work." I thanked him for the opportunity. I wanted to kill myself, of course, but I didn't, which is the good news. Because Steven called the next day, saying he had walked around the lot for hours and hours, thinking about it. And that he had sent Daniel the tape — yikes! — and that Daniel wanted to meet me.
To talk or test together?
Originally we were just going to have coffee in New York. Then Steven's office called and asked, "Do you want the same hair and makeup people?" And I said, "For what? A cup of coffee? I was just going to put on some mascara and hope for the best!" And they said, "No one told you? Daniel wants to film with you."
So your first meeting with Daniel Day-Lewis was in costume?
Yes! We met at Amblin and were introduced to each other as Mr. Lincoln and his Mary, and we had a long improv for an hour or two that became this kind of magical reality. To this day, neither one of us remembers what we did or said. But as a human and an actor, what it felt for the two of us to be together, doing these two people, was magic. And that was the beginning of the relationship that you see in the movie.
When did you learn that the role was finally yours?
My cellphone started ringing just as I was gettinghome. It was Daniel and Steven together asking, "Will you be our Mary?"
And you said: What took you so long?
[Laughs] Steven was always saying, "Oh, God, I tortured you to do this." And I told him not to ever say that. Both Steven and I needed to find Mary in that way. Something in me needed to adjust my own being to be that tenacious. I'm very shy. There was a part of me that wanted to back away and not call Steven ever and say, "Fate does what it does. What can you do?" But I couldn't do that. Like I said, she belonged to me.
And it's a little perfect in its own way since Mary herself had a reputation for being a tough fighter.
Absolutely. This long process was the beginning of me finding this woman who would have never backed away and not given a rat's ... about what anyone thought about her.
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| 0.99068 | 895 | 1.5 | 2 |
movement has its nutballs, and the most radical are always
the loudest, but from the transcript of the rally and various news reports, the jeering clearly
wasn't an isolated phenomenon; it was a roar of disapproval
from the crowd that threatened to drown out Wolfowitz, at
least momentarily. Gary Alcorn of the Sydney Morning Herald
zoomed in on one of the hecklers:
Go home,' yelled Laurence Mammon, an antique dealer who was
crammed with tens of thousands of people on the grass in front
of the Capitol building.
the staunchly pro-Israel Mr Wolfowitz pointed out that 'innocent
Palestinians are suffering and dying' as well as Israelis,
Mr Mammon joined in with a chant that almost drowned out the
secretary. 'No Double Standard! No Double Standard!' It was
the mantra for what was said to be the biggest rally in support
of Israel in United States history. "
yes, they must mean the double standard whereby we bombed
Yugoslavia for allegedly doing what Israel is visibly trying
to do in Palestine.
boos are not recorded in the transcript (although "cheers"
and "applause" are dutifully noted). When Wolfowitz
was done, Zuckerman admonished the crowd: "Hold your
comments. We'll have time in a little while for all of you
to be heard."
those who ask, if only implicitly, "why shouldn't
the Palestinians suffer?" they also had their say at
same crowd that jeered Wolfowitz --and the very idea of compassion
for Palestinian suffering cheered Bill Bennett's demagogic
pitch for "moral clarity." Michael Gelman, the president
of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, introduced
Bennett by saying:
September 12th, the day after the terrorist attack on our
country, my neighbor and friend, Bill Bennett, said to me,
'Now we are all Israelis.'"
is the perfect device to evade the present conflict between
American and Israeli interests in the Middle East: simply
deny the divergence by proclaiming that, somehow, Americans
are Israelis. But is America really analogous to an
occupying power, one that, furthermore, finds itself in natural
collision with the entire Arab-Muslim world?
amen corner would certainly like to convince us that it's
America and Israel against most of the rest of the world,
but certainly the Bush administration is of another opinion.
The perfect convergence of Israeli and American interests
is a fiction, one easily dispelled by Bennett's own writings:
it was he, after all, who concurred when Sharon compared
the President of the United States to Neville Chamberlain. In any conflict between
Israel and the US, the Israel lobby of which Bennett is
one of the most visible spokespersons always chooses
US ALONE AND PAY OUR BILLS
claiming that "Israel has been fighting terrorism for
54 years," what Bennett is really saying is that the
Palestinians never had any rights, anyway, including the right
to self-defense: they, not the Israeli colonizers, are the
interlopers, and any action Israel may take against them is
justified. Israel is to be given a blank check, and, says,
Bennett, the US has no moral right to intervene:
we need to remind some of our countrymen, is not asking us
to fight for it. It is asking only for the right to be left
alone to fight its own war on terrorism. And if we let Israel
fight her war, we will be the beneficiaries."
wants the right to be left alone as long as the US foots the bill. Those IDF tanks, those
modern weapons, those bloody bulldozers all were paid for
by the US taxpayers. That's $90 billion-plus since 1949. Oh, yes, I'm sure
they want to be left alone to spend our money on building
"settlements" over bulldozed Palestinian communities
and attack helicopters to do battle with stone-throwing
children and yet surely the US has some interest
in not being seen as an accomplice to Sharon's crimes. But
since "we are all Israelis now," there are
no American interests, only Israeli interests.
THE SIDE OF THE ANGELS
was the point of Bennett's speech, and the theme of this rally
the biggest rally held on behalf of a foreign power since
the huge pro-Soviet rallies of the 1930s. Indeed, the resemblance
is positively eerie: while the ideological slant is quite
different, we see the same hectoring style, the same apologia
for abuse in the name of "moral clarity," the same
mystical faith that the god of History is embodied in a revered
foreign nation. In a direct appeal to Judaeo-Christian fundamentalists,
sum, I am here as one of tens of millions of Americans who
have seen, in the founding and flourishing of the Jewish state,
the hand of the same beneficent God who attended our own founding
and who has guided our fortunes until now."
is on Israel's side, while the Palestinians, presumably, represent
the forces of the Devil. And we know what do to with devils,
don't we? Drive them out, exorcise them, expel them from the
BLAMING AMERICA FIRST
brutal methods are
rapidly becoming the program of Israel's radicalized Likud
Party, the biggest component of Sharon's governing coalition.
With the Labor Party anticipating going into opposition over
the Powell peace plan, the Likudniks are increasingly
looking to their right for new coalition partners. This can
only widen the American-Israeli split, and make the position
of Israel's American apologists even more untenable and contradictory.
Bennett, after all, poses as a great "patriot"
and yet takes the side of a foreign power over and against
an American President in wartime.
it me, or does it seem like only yesterday that Bennett and his fellow
neoconservatives were equating
criticism of this President and his policies with "anti-Americanism"
and who's "blaming America first" now?
AND ETHNIC CLEANSING
believes that "moral clarity" in regard to the Israeli-Palestinian
the understanding of distinctions, such as the distinction
between a democracy and a dictatorship. There is a difference,
a real and substantial difference, between a democracy fighting
for survival and its opponents fighting to push that democracy
into the sea."
what if it is "democratically" decided to bulldoze
the last Arab home and ethnically cleanse the Palestinians
out of the occupied territories and into Jordan? Is that okay?
Bennett also draws a distinction "between civilization
and barbarism, between decency and terror," but what
if terror is adopted as the policy of a democratic government
and the majority agrees? Last week, 46 percent of Israelis endorsed mass expulsion: by now the
ethnic cleansers may have a majority.
then, so be it. Or, as Bennett puts it, "the time for
moral equivocation and moral equivalence should be over."
In other words, those hecklers were right to boo Wolfowitz's
reference to Palestinian suffering for any sense of moral
compassion for Palestinians is just more of the "moral
equivalence" that Bennett disdains.
outrageousness of sending Benjamin Netanyahu to openly lobby the US Senate,
and make a direct appeal to the Democrats who flocked to
support him was equaled only by the nerve of inviting Natan Sharansky, Israel's deputy prime minister, to address
the rally. The spectacle of a high Israeli official at an
American political rally, on American soil, not-so-implicitly
scolding an American President for his Mideast policy, was
an act of brazen insolence, the sort of behavior that wouldn't
be tolerated from any other country. These agents of influence
aren't at all concerned about covering up their fealty to
a foreign power: as they boast about having thrown together
the effort in record time, a little over a week, one can only
wonder: where did all the money and organizational support came
TAKE A VOTE
or not the Israeli government was directly involved, or merely
encouraged and indirectly supported these activities, the
reality is that the Israel Firsters are little more than a
small, somewhat wacky, albeit vociferous fifth column, whose
influence is way out of proportion to their actual numbers.
A Time-CNN poll, released April 12, shows that most Americans would reduce or completely eliminate aid to Israel
if Sharon doesn't withdraw his troops from Palestinian areas.
60 percent would cut or eliminate aid; and a full 75 percent
support America's diplomatic initiative.
such a great believer in the virtues of "democracy,"
will Bennett now accede to the wishes of the majority and
accept the end of aid to Israel?
520 S. Murphy Avenue, #202
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
or Contribute Via
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are now tax-deductible
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http://www.antiwar.com/justin/j041902.html
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| 0.932808 | 1,949 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Economic Survey 2013: On FDI in retail, small shops giving competition to big retailers
According to the Economic Survey 2013, which was tabled by Finance Minister P Chidambaram in Parliament, as far as small retailers are concerned, organised retail already co-exists with small traders and the unorganised retail sector.
"Studies indicate that there has been a strong competitive response from the traditional retailers to these organised retailers, through improved business practices and technological upgradation," the survey said.
Global experience also indicates that organised and unorganised retail co-exist and grow, it added.
The government has permitted 51 per cent FDI in the multi-brand retail sector and 100 per cent in single brand. The allowing of FDI in multi-brand retail was strongly opposed by few associations of small retailers saying that it would impact their business and jobs.
Seeking to allay such apprehensions, the survey said FDI in multi-brand retail trade would benefit stakeholders across the spectrum of the supply chain.
"Farmers stand to benefit from the significant reduction in post-harvest losses expected to result from the strengthening of the back-end infrastructure, which would
enable the farmers to obtain a remunerative price for their produce," it said.
Small manufacturers will benefit from the condition requiring at least 30 per cent procurement from Indian small industries, as this would enable them to get integrated with global retail chains, it said.
"This in turn will enhance their capacity
Be the first to comment.
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<urn:uuid:775d35b3-dd3c-417c-850f-62251508871c>
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http://www.financialexpress.com/news/economic-survey-2013-on-fdi-in-retail-small-shops-giving-competition-to-big-retailers/1080527
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s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
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en
| 0.971283 | 310 | 1.507813 | 2 |
The complete history of the driver is rather cloudy. The following is more than likely to be incomplete and inaccurate.
Apparently, Per Lindqvist first got a driver working with an early ATI adapter under X386 1.1a. This original driver might have actually been based on a non-functional ATI driver written by Thomas Roell (currently of Xi Graphics).
Then Doug Evans added support for the ATI VGA Wonder XL, trying in the process to make the driver work with all other ATI adapters available at the time.
Rik Faith obtained the X11R4 driver from Doug Evans in the summer of 1992 and ported the code to the X386 part of X11R5. This subsequently became part of XFree86.
I (Marc Aurele La France) took over development and maintenance of the driver in the fall of 1993 after Rik got rid of his VGA Wonder adapter.
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http://www.x.org/archive/X11R6.8.0/doc/ati9.html
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en
| 0.970383 | 182 | 1.710938 | 2 |
The subject of this review is one of the many western men whose lives have been largely spent on the range and who in one of the most wholesome free and independent of vocations have provided well for themselves and for those dependent upon them. William F. Lawyer is a native of Pennsylvania, born in the town of Berwick of Pennsylvania, born in the town of Berwick on July 22, 1873. His father, Adam lawyer, also a native of the Keystone state is a machinist and worked at his trade in Pennsylvania until 1874 when he moved to Joliet, Illinois where for a number of years he held an important position in the Joliet Steel Works and later changed his abode to the town of Elburn, where he and his wife are living at the present time. The maiden name of Mrs. Adam Lawyer was Susan Emerick; she likewise was born and reared in Pennsylvania and is a descendant of old families of that commonwealth. The childhood and youth of William F. Lawyer were spent with his parents but at the age of fifteen he left home to make his own way in the world. In 1888 he came to Wyoming making a part of the journey on foot meeting with many interesting experiences before reaching his destination at Cheyenne. Not long after his arrival he found employment on the range and from that time until within a comparatively recent date he rode for various parties running cattle in different parts of Wyoming and other territory. In November, 1898 he took up his present ranch, eight miles east of Fort Laramie and adjoining the one owned by his cattle raising upon his own responsibility. He has made commendable progress since taking possession of his place having a large number of cattle and horses in prime condition with every prospect of continued prosperity as the years go by. His long experience on the range has made him familiar with every detail of the stock business and in all matters pertaining to cattle and horses he is considered not only an excellent judge but an unfailing authority. By close attention to his business and good management he has succeeded in placing himself in comfortable circumstances, having a surplus laid by for the proverbial “rainy day.” Which soon or later comes unto the lives of the majority of men. Mr. Lawyer is essentially a western man all his tastes and inclinations leading him to the kind of life to which his time and energies have so long been devoted. Spending his more mature years under conditions peculiar to this part of the country, he takes broad views of life and things and lays his plans in harmony of life and things and lays his plans in harmony therewith. He possesses tact and judgement in business affairs and in all transactions with which he has been connected his course has been open and straightforward his personal honor and integrity being above suspicion. By correct methods he has succeeded in his undertakings and easily ranks with the most enterprising and successful stockmen of the district in which he operates. On December 8, 1898, was solemnized the ceremony which joined Mr. lawyer and Miss Margarette Weber, daughter of John and Mary Weber in the bonds of holy wedlock. They have two children, Mary and John.
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<urn:uuid:6b582e5c-6b20-4910-a46a-e8b05869ad61>
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http://www.angelfire.com/ne/PhyllisGenealogy/williamlawyer.html
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s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
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en
| 0.990177 | 636 | 1.671875 | 2 |
So I was practicing on one of my guitars (a Schecter C-1), and all the sudden the amp started buzzing like crazy, and I couldn’t hear any output from the pickups. I realized that I had just shifted, and that the cable had shifted on the guitar’s jack.. so I unplugged it, and saw that the jack was loose. Being the geek that I am, I figured I’d set the guitar on my desk, grab the soldering iron (which was about a foot away), and figure out what was going on.
I pulled the backplate over the electronics off, and didn’t see anything obviously wrong under there, but did note a few wires that were interesting.. hmm, we’ll get back to that. I then disconnected the output jack, and saw that the ground had come loose from the output jack – it was probably wired in a way that would cause any twisting of the jack to pull directly on the ground – bah. Here’s what it looked like after I had stripped back an extra 1/4″ or so of the outer plastic shield back, and twisted the ground wire back up to solder it:
Apologies for the picture quality – this was in my basement with my flash-less camera phone..
It was a pretty easy job to remove the old wire, and get the ground soldered back in properly. I am a bit out of practice, so it’s not pretty, but it is functional:
I tried to solder it at an angle that would make sure that the guitar cable couldn’t snag it when it was plugged in. It seems to be pretty good:
I then made sure that there wasn’t any extraneous noise, and that the guitar worked — as expected, this fixed it – yay! Now, back to the fun part.. as I was reassembling the guitar, I took a closer look under the back coverplate:
After some cable tracing, I found out that the stray wires were what I was hoping for.. take a look at the red and white wires in this picture:
The humbuckers installed on this guitar (a Seymour Duncan SH-6b Distortion on the bridge, and a Seymour Duncan SH-2n Jazz on the neck) can be set up to allow them to split into single-coil pickups, and to run in parallel — *nice*! However, on my guitar, they are just hardwired for humbucking mode.
This means, of course, that by repairing the guitar, I “inherited” (aka gave myself) a new project — to set up the guitar for push/pull operation to split the pickups. ;) It’s a relatively cheap job, and fairly easy to do.. sounds like fun! This particular model has two volume knobs (one per pickup), and a shared tone knob.. so I need to decide if I want to replace both volume knobs (to allow me to split the pickups individually), or just replace the tone knob and split both pickups together.
If you’ve done this type of project before, I’d appreciate any advice!
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<urn:uuid:0bee75b9-569a-4dc4-a3e9-25054e306a54>
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http://www.natecarlson.com/2011/08/05/repairing-a-schecter-guitar-and-finding-a-nice-surprise/
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s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
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en
| 0.977738 | 663 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Changing Trends in the Labor Force: A Survey
The composition of the American workforce has changed dramatically over the past half century as a result of both the emergence of married women as a substantial component of the labor force and an increase in the number of minority workers. The aging of the population has contributed to this change as well. In this paper, the authors review the evidence of changing labor force participation rates, estimate the trends in labor force participation over the past 50 years, and find that aggregate participation has stabilized after a period of persistent increases. Moreover, they examine the disparate labor force participation experiences of different demographic groups. Finally, they survey some of the studies that have provided explanations for these differences.
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<urn:uuid:fcfeb6bb-801a-4b2f-9366-c67cde08c202>
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http://www.research.stlouisfed.org/publications/review/article/6258
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en
| 0.937972 | 139 | 1.820313 | 2 |
The Department of City Planning (DCP) proposes a zoning map and text amendment for an approximately 140-block area in the northern half of the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Community District 3, Brooklyn, and a citywide zoning text amendment to require ground-floor transparency in R7D, R9D, and C4-5D districts that would also affect Bronx Community District 7. The rezoning area is generally bounded by Lafayette Avenue and Quincy Street to the south, Classon and Franklin Avenues to the west, Broadway to the east, and Flushing Avenue to the north.
This comprehensive zoning proposal was undertaken at the request of Community Board 3 and local elected officials as a follow-up to the 2007 rezoning of Bedford-Stuyvesant South and in response to concerns that existing zoning in the area does not reflect established growth patterns.
Bedford-Stuyvesant is one of Brooklyn's most acclaimed neighborhoods. It is predominantly residential, characterized by late 19th and early 20th century rowhouses, small and medium-sized apartment buildings, and prominent NYCHA developments. Broadway is an important commercial and transit corridor, with major institutions, retail stores, and housing lining the street under the elevated J, M, and Z trains.
Recent and proposed developments, including large community facility buildings, multi-story apartment buildings, and building additions on otherwise low-scale blocks are inconsistent with the typical character of the Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhood.
The proposed rezoning seeks to:
- Preserve existing character and building patterns in the residential core of the neighborhood while allowing modest enlargements of existing homes;
- Direct new residential and mixed-use growth to commercial/transit corridors;
- Promote vibrant, active, pedestrian-friendly streets with regulations to reinforce commercial character;
- Incentivize affordable housing creation in major corridors.
|Rowhouses on Greene Avenue
||Mixed-use building on
|Elevated train on Broadway
accompanied by this symbol require the free
Adobe Acrobat Reader.
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<urn:uuid:84093607-a33a-4ccd-9db2-709fd7f6af46>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://prtl-prd-web.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/bed_stuy_north/index.shtml
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| 0.932967 | 422 | 1.5 | 2 |
New laws giving extra powers to the police watchdog investigating the Hillsborough disaster and cover-up have been rushed through the House of Commons.
Policing minister Damian Green said the changes were essential to ensure the "double injustice" suffered by the victims of the 1989 disaster, as uncovered by the Hillsborough Independent Panel report published earlier this year, could be remedied.
The Police (Complaints and Conduct) Bill had cross-party support and cleared the Commons in under four hours, receiving its second and third readings without a vote.
The actions of up to 2,400 serving or retired officers could be considered by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) investigation - the watchdog's biggest ever investigation.
The new rules, which still have to be approved by the House of Lords, would enable the IPCC to compel serving officers or staff on other police bodies to attend an interview.
It will also have the ability to reinvestigate matters already considered by its predecessor, the Police Complaints Authority, in "exceptional circumstances".
The IPCC has already announced it will be investigating the findings of the independent panel and will unusually look at both misconduct and potentially criminal behaviour by retired officers.
Mr Green said under the legal changes serving officers who refused to co-operate with the IPCC as witnesses could be dismissed, in the same way sanctions would already apply if they were the subject of an investigation.
The IPCC would not have the same power to compel a retired officer to appear as a witness, but Mr Green said he would expect them to attend willingly.
Mr Green said there had been concerns that an officer who wanted to avoid the repercussions of their actions could retire in an effort to avoid sanctions.
But he added: "This is not the case - the IPCC can and will investigate any individual suspected of criminal behaviour. It has the powers it needs to pursue these individuals and to bring them to book."
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<urn:uuid:2e518e47-41ab-4c30-a310-80e73222e985>
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http://www.itv.com/news/granada/2012-12-06/new-powers-for-the-police-watchdog-investigating-the-hillsborough-cover-up-rushed-through-parliament/
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s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
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en
| 0.981865 | 386 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Changes to give students scheduling flexibility
Published: Friday, November 30, 2012 at 6:01 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, November 30, 2012 at 11:52 p.m.
Public-school students could get more flexibility in their schedules as the state Department of Education attempts to slash bureaucracy.
State officials announced Thursday that they are overhauling the handbook for school administrators to give individual school systems more leeway.
“Schools need to focus on student achievement, not filing reports with the state,” state Education Superintendent John White said. “If you trust educators, then you need to give them the flexibility to do their job.”
The changes must be approved by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education next week before they take effect.
Terrebonne Parish Superintendent Philip Martin is on the advisory committee that recommended the changes. He said most of the changes “won’t be earth-shattering,” but they will make it easier for principals and counselors to make the best possible schedules for their students.
Currently, for example, state regulations require that students take physical-education classes, even in cases where students participate in strenuous exercise after school.
“If you’ve got a kid who’s in cross-country and runs 10 miles a day, does he still need to take P.E.?” Martin asked. “Most people would say ‘No, he’s got all the physical activity he needs.’ ”
Martin said the state will now allow students to participate in the activities as a class that meets the P.E. requirement, as long as the activity involves more than 100 minutes of physical activity a week.
The dance team, for example, could practice during the last class hour for P.E. credit.
The state also plans to make it easier for schools to allow students to test out of certain classes.
Students with special talent for certain subjects can take proficiency tests that allow them to skip certain classes — a student who’s particularly good at math, for example, could take a proficiency test to get out of Algebra I.
The tests are rarely administered because they are particularly tough and comprehensive. But Martin said part of the problem has been getting state approval to administer the tests in the first place, something the new changes should help fix.
“It’s been difficult for us to get an exam that the state and everybody is happy with,” Martin said. “Basically with this they’re making it easier for us to give the tests.”
Lafourche Secondary Schools Supervisor Bubba Orgeron cautioned that schools would likely still be stingy in giving out such tests.
“You have to look at what’s in their best interests,” he said of students.
The state is also looking to give individual school systems more freedom to determine their calendar and schedules.
Orgeron said the calendar probably wouldn’t see major changes — schools are still required to hold a mandatory number of class hours — but schools could tweak the length of individual days if necessary.
“We’re going to look at it and see if there are some small changes here and there that we can make,” Orgeron. “But I don’t expect there’s going to be any kind of major change. Things are going to stay largely the same.”
Staff Writer Matthew Albright can be reached at 448-7635 or at matthew.albright
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.
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<urn:uuid:7d51dca3-3b7d-49e4-ba7b-de083ab8e414>
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http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20121130/ARTICLES/121139957/0/API
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en
| 0.947656 | 777 | 1.734375 | 2 |
WASHINGTON - The number of newly laid-off Americans filing jobless claims fell more than expected last week and retail sales grew in May for the first time in three months. But a rise in the number of people continuing to receive jobless aid signaled that an economic recovery is still far off.
The Labor Department said Thursday that initial claims for unemployment benefits fell last week by 24,000 to a seasonally adjusted 601,000. That's below analysts' estimates of 615,000.
Still, the number of people claiming benefits for more than a week rose by 59,000 to more than 6.8 million, the highest on records dating to 1967. The department also revised last week's data on continuing claims, replacing what had been a drop of 15,000 with an increase of 6,000.
That means continuing claims have set records for 19 straight weeks. The data lag initial claims by a week.
Retail sales rose for the first time in three months in May, as a rebound in demand at auto dealerships and gas stations helped offset weakness at department stores. The Commerce Department said retail sales increased by 0.5 percent last month, in line with economists' expectations. It was the largest increase since sales rose 1.7 percent in January following six straight declines.
Excluding autos, retail sales also grew 0.5 percent in May, better than the 0.2 percent gain that economists had expected.
Consumers may be spending a bit more and layoffs may be slowing, but companies are reluctant to hire amid the longest recession since World War II.
That makes it harder for the unemployed to find work.
Jobless claims are a measure of the pace of layoffs and are seen as a timely, if volatile, indicator of the economy's health.
The four-week average of claims, which smooths out fluctuations, fell to 621,750, down from a high of about 658,000 in early April. Many economists see the decline as a sign that layoffs have peaked and the recession is bottoming out.
Still, the levels are far above what is customary in a healthy economy. Initial claims stood at 388,000 a year ago.
The department said last week that companies eliminated a net total of 345,000 jobs in May. While steep, that's about half the monthly average of jobs lost in the first quarter.
Yet the unemployment rate jumped to 9.4 percent in May, a 25-year high, as hundreds of thousands of people entered the labor market and began looking for work but couldn't find it, the department said.
As college graduates and other new entrants start searching for a dwindling number of jobs, economists expect the unemployment rate to rise even as layoffs subside.
Some economists project the rate could near 11 percent by the middle of next year. And many families are saving more as they deal with layoff fears, as well as shrunken home equity and retirement accounts.
Because rising gasoline prices aided last month's retail sales gain, "a meaningful consumer recovery remains some way off," Paul Dales, U.S. economist at
Capital Economics in Toronto, wrote in a research note. "It usually takes a few months for households to curtail their discretionary spending in response to the higher cost of gas."
Troubles in the automotive sector also could cause unexpected fluctuations in jobless claims. General Motors Corp. filed for bankruptcy protection June 1, joining Chrysler LLC, which filed April 30.
GM said it will close about a dozen plants as part of its restructuring. The closings, which will take place through the end of 2010, will cost up to 20,000 workers their jobs.
In addition, the company said Monday that it plans to cut a production shift at a plant in Wentzville, Mo., in August, resulting in up to 900 layoffs.
Among the states, Connecticut had the largest increase in claims of 816, followed by Louisiana, Tennessee, Arizona and Nebraska. The state data lag initial claims by a week.
Florida had the largest drop in claims of 6,655, which it attributed to fewer layoffs in the construction, service and manufacturing industries. The next largest decreases were in Illinois, Michigan, California, and Texas.
AP Economics Writer Martin Crutsinger contributed to this report.
© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2009/June/New-Jobless-Claims-Fall-Retail-Sales-Rise/
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A Special Team Of Educators Leads The Air Guard In A New Direction
Story & photos by SPC Charles Ames
other year, the Education and Training Office of the Washington Air National Guard holds a
Non- Commissioned Officer Leadership Academy for its junior NCOs. This years Academy was
held at the beautiful and historic Eastern Washington University in Cheney, from 7-9
August, and drew 43 junior NCOs representing nearly every unit of Washington's Air
The 1998 Washington Air National Guard Non-Commissioned Officers Leadership Academy
focused on the Air Guard and Air Force Core Values. Key agenda issues were
Workplace Fairness, Character, Harassment, Communication, Conflict Resolution, Time
Management, and The Role of the Staff Sergeant (E-5) and Technical Sergeant (E-6). Other
activities on the agenda included reviewing a Mentoring program and a self-administered
personality test. But, far and away, the hot topic was harassment.
harassment is defined by the Washington Air National Guard and the United States Air Force
as any unwelcome sexual advance, request, or conduct as a condition of employment or
advancement, which creates an undesirable work environment, to include after-hours
Having been the focus
of several harassment issues over recent years, the military is moving to increase
awareness of the warning signs. Harassment is not limited to sexual harassment. It could
also be racially motivated, or any of a wide range of other abuses. "Harassment and
discrimination are inter-related. People should expect to be treated fairly, with respect
and dignity," said Instructor MSG Kellie LaRue.
think we're at a crossroads right now," said Instructor MSG Casci. "These
Non-Commissioned Officers will have to decide whether to go with the status quo, with the
way things have been in the past, or to take the Air National Guard in the direction they
want it to go. Its time for them to make a stand - right now - in their
"rookie" season as leaders
to move towards our [Air Force and Air Guard]
Core Values. One person, one issue, one time, one stand is enough to make a
difference for anybody who might be looking on."
are lots of people who don't have the strength or the ability to stand up and say,
'Somebody has to fix this'.
If one person at the right moment were to stand up and say one
thing, it would give courage to others. Integrity is the most important aspect of our
Core Values. If you say you're one thing and people see you as something
different, you lose integrity
and the Guard loses integrity. Everybody talks about
the "old Guard", or the "good old boy network". That needs to change.
And if its going to change, it needs to change with this new group of NCOs that are
coming up. It has to change one person at a time, one person that will stand up for what
Says CMSgt Craig
Weddle, one of the organizers to this Academy, "This training is not a standard Air
Force course, but rather, uniquely designed for the particular attendees from the
Washington Air National Guard. Its similar to the managerial and leadership training
one might find presented by major corporations like Microsoft, Boeing, or US West."
"I have so much
respect for the Tech Sergeants and Staff Sergeants that are going through this
Academy", says Instructor CPT Nancy Reid, "probably because when I was prior
enlisted I went through an NCO Academy that really focused my goals and changed my life.
At those ranks, a person has been in long enough to know the system and yet they still
have enough time ahead of them to affect a change. They have a lot of creative
am so pleased to be a part of this process. During our classes we talk a lot about doing
what's right and knowing what the right thing is. What we've learned is that it all boils
down to treating people with dignity and respect. Thats the bottom line. By the time
problems have gotten to a level that the Commander must become involved, there are things
that really could have been handled sooner and at lower levels. I hope that's one of the
things that people learn this weekend: give feedback so that it doesn't continue, so that
it stops at the lowest level."
As Instructor CMSgt
LaRues years with the Washington Air National Guard draw to a close we get a unique
perspective: "As a person approaching retirement, I'd like to say, I feel that I am
leaving the Washington Air National Guard in very good hands based on my assessment of the
highly-qualified individuals that have attended this seminar."
Only a handful of
other states offer this type of additional training. MG Frank Scoggins, the Commander of
the Washington Air National Guard is very enthusiastic about these programs, which all
concentrate on issues of vision, character, ethics, fairness, and professional conduct.
These issues are presented and discussed in keeping with the circumstances that confront
the Washington Air National Guard.
All the Instructors
and guest speakers are members, or retired members, of the Washington Air or Army National
Guard, and every training event begins with an address by a member of the Washington
National Guard senior command, most often MG Scoggins himself. Since the programs are not
standard USAF courses, attendance is not required for promotions. None of the programs are
meant as a substitute for required USAF training or Professional Military Training (PME).
Although the NCO-LA is
not a required course, there is never a shortage of students for this world-class series
of seminars. In the years when there is no NCO-LA held, the
Education and Training Office holds an Officers Leadership Academy. The team also conducts
seminars for Chief Master Sergeants, First Sergeants, Airmen, and First Line Supervisors
of the Washington Air National Guard.
Steven Dal Porto, who, in his civilian life, is the Superintendent of a school district in
Eastern Washington, organized the NCO-LA and heads the Education and Training Office.
two other members of this special team are MSgt Deonne Hardy and CMSgt Craig Weddle.
a few comments from some of the students...
Student SSgt Frank Chaco, 215th EIS, Everett; "I thought it was a fantastic program.
It was more, much more than I expected. I'm going to go home and immediately put it to
use. I thank everyone who put this together."
Student SSgt Troy Hopper, WADS, McChord AFB; "I thought it would be more of the same
stuff you always hear about, but now that I've been here, I've found it very enjoyable.
Ive taken a lot more out of it than I was expecting to. The instructors have all
been wonderful and entertaining, very informative, very easy to talk to. Ill
recommend this to the rest of my shop."
Student TSgt Lisa Voie, 116th ASOS, Camp Murray; "I'd love to see others take these
classes. I think that if we go back and teach others what we've learned, it will help make
our workplaces more effective. Also, I think everyone learns something about themselves
when you are dealing with the Seven Effective Habits of Highly Successful
People and how to better deal with different personalities."
Student SSgt Steven R. Paulsen, 241st CES, Camp Murray; "I wasn't particularly
looking forward to coming here to begin with. But after getting over here, I can truly,
honestly say that I'm glad I came as a supervisor, hopefully on his way up. I knew I had
some communication problems and had your standard difficulties in expressing myself. It
was nice to have all these seminars, especially on things I knew I could improve on. I
didn't realize that everyone else had these same challenges."
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ARLINGTON, Va.—May 2, 2012—The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the largest professional organization in the world promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning, has announced the recipients of its 2012 Teacher Awards Program, which honors K–12 teachers, professors, principals, and other educators for their outstanding achievement and innovative programs in science education.
Dr. John Penick, former NSTA president and professor emeritus at North Carolina State University (NCSU) in Raleigh, North Carolina, was awarded the NSTA Distinguished Service to Science Education Award. This award, which is partially sponsored by ServiceMaster, honors NSTA members who, through active leadership and scholarly endeavor over a significant period of time, have made extraordinary contributions to the advancement of education in the sciences and science teaching. Penick received his in March at a special banquet and ceremony at NSTA’s 60th National Conference on Science Education in Indianapolis.
Penick began his teaching career as a biology and chemistry teacher in an inner city high school in Miami, Florida, where he also served as science department chair. A graduate of the University of Miami and Florida State University, after nearly 30 years as a post-secondary educator at Miami-Dade Junior College, Loyola University, and The University of Iowa, he joined the NCSU faculty in 1998. In 2009, Penick retired from NCSU.
Penick has been an active member of NSTA, serving on the NSTA board and council and on many committees. He is a two-time recipient of the Gustav Ohaus Award for Innovations in College Science Teaching from NSTA, and has delivered numerous presentations and sessions at NSTA conventions. He also has held numerous other leadership positions, including president of the Association for Science Teacher Education (ASTE) and president of the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT).
Well known throughout the international education community, Penick is the recipient of more than $6 million in external funding for education projects. He has been invited and supported to work in 35 countries on projects that included teaching university faculty in Indonesia, evaluating teacher workshops in Portugal, designing a science education center in Venezuela, and translating elementary science curriculum from Portuguese to English, to name but a few. He has also presented at conferences and workshops, and conducted research at locations around the world. He also served as the North American representative to the International Council of Associations for Science Education (ICASE) and was been a member of its executive committee from 1985 to 2009.
He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the ASTE Outstanding Science Educator of the Year and Outstanding Mentor awards and the Florida State University Distinguished Educator Award as well as the Orthogonal Medal from NCSU and a Distinguished Service Citation from Epsilon Pi Tau, the international honorary for professions in technology. He has authored or co-authored more than 240 books, monographs, and articles and has given hundreds of presentations to schools and professional association.
“NSTA awardees represent the best and brightest in science education,” said Patricia Simmons, president, NSTA. “We congratulate Dr. Penick for his lifelong commitment to science education and for his innovative and creative approach to teaching our students science.”
Penick received a formal citation, three nights’ hotel accommodation and $500 toward expenses to attend the NSTA National Conference on Science Education.
NSTA encourages science educators to apply for its 2013 Teacher Awards. Applications and information can be found online at http://www.nsta.org/about/awards.aspx.
The Arlington, VA-based National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), www.nsta.org, is the largest professional organization in the world promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all. NSTA’s current membership includes approximately 60,000 science teachers, science supervisors, administrators, scientists, business and industry representatives, and others involved in science education.
National Science Teachers Association
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|Edvard Munch's 'The Scream' fetches record $119.9 million at Sotheby's auction |
Edvard Munch's "The Scream" is auctioned at Sotheby's Wednesday, May 2, 2012, in New York. The image is one of four versions created by the Norwegian expressionist painter. Three are in Norwegian museums. The one at the Sotheby's auction is the only one left in private hands and is being sold by Norwegian businessman Petter Olsen, whose father was a friend and patron of the artist. The hammer price was $107 Million with the buyers premium is $119,922, 500. AP Photo/Frank Franklin II.
By: Ula Ilnytzky, Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP).- One of the art world's most recognizable images Edvard Munch's "The Scream" sold Wednesday for a record $119,922,500 at auction in New York City.
The 1895 artwork a modern symbol of human anxiety was sold at Sotheby's. The buyer's name was not released. The price includes the buyer's premium, an additional amount the buyer pays the auction house.
The image of a man holding his head and screaming under a streaked, blood-red sky is one of four versions by the Norwegian expressionist painter. The auctioned piece at Sotheby's is the only one left in private hands.
The previous record for an artwork sold at auction was $106.5 million for Picasso's "Nude, Green Leaves, and Bust," sold by Christie's in 2010.
The image has become part of pop culture, "used by everyone from Warhol to Hollywood to cartoons to teacups and T-shirts," said Michael Frahm of the London-based art advisory service firm Frahm Ltd.
"Together with the Mona Lisa, it's the most famous and recognized image in art history," he added.
A buzz swept through the room when the artwork was presented for auction as two guards stood watch on either side. Bidding started at $40 million with seven buyers jumping into the competition early.
The battle eventually boiled down to two phone bidders as the historic hammer price was finally achieved after more than 12 minutes.
Sotheby's said the pastel-on-board version of "The Scream" is the most colorful and vibrant of the four and the only version whose frame was hand-painted by the artist to include his poem, detailing the work's inspiration.
In the poem, Munch described himself "shivering with anxiety" and said he felt "the great scream in nature."
Norwegian businessman Petter Olsen, whose father was a friend and patron of the artist, said he sold the piece through Sotheby's because he felt "the moment has come to offer the rest of the world the chance to own and appreciate this remarkable work."
Proceeds from the sale will go toward the establishment of a new museum, art center and hotel in Hvitsten, Norway, where Olsen's father and Munch were neighbors.
The director of the National Museum in Oslo, Audun Eckhoff, says Norwegian authorities approved the Munch sale since the other versions of the composition are in Norwegian museums. One version is owned by the National Museum and two others by the Munch Museum, also in Oslo.
Sotheby's said a total of eight works have sold for $80 million or more at auction.
Only two other works besides Picasso's "Nude, Green Leaves, and Bust" have sold for more than $100 million at auction. Those are Picasso's "Boy With a Pipe (The Young Apprentice)" for $104.1 million in 2004 and Alberto Giacometti's "Walking Man I" for $104.3 million in 2010.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
May 3, 2012
Edvard Munch's 'The Scream' fetches record $119.9 million at Sotheby's auction
Christie's Latin American sale presents masterpieces by Matta, Carrington, Portinari & Botero
Major and unprecedented survey of the work of Lucio Fontana opens at Gagosian Gallery
Exhibition of Pablo Picasso's most celebrated series, The Vollard Suite, opens at the British Museum
Important 17th century masterpiece unveiled at the National Gallery of Victoria
Personal Hebrew seal from the end of the First Temple period discovered in Jerusalem
Collection of iconic photographs assembled by Eric and Louise Franck donated to Tate
Biggest Bauhaus exhibition in the UK in over 40 years opens at Barbican Art Gallery
Masterpieces by one of Russia's highest selling female artists, believed destroyed, offered by Bonhams
Christie's Spring Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale achieves $117 million
Lifetime collection of prominent Washington, DC lawyer to be sold at Heritage Auctions
1949 Bigsby Solid Body, only the fourth guitar crafted by famed maker, brings $266,500
Phillips de Pury & Company announces highlights from its London photographs auction
David C. Yu appointed Development Director at Aperture Foundation
Exhibition of provocative new work by Rachel Lee Hovnanian on view at Leila Heller Gallery
Belgian artist David Claerbout opens exhibition at Vienna's Secession
Two highly acclaimed moving image installations by Douglas Gordon on view at the Mead Gallery
Helsinki council nixes building Guggenheim museum
Most Popular Last Seven Days
1.- Mexican archaeologists study cave paintings found in the northeast part of Argentina
2.- Exhibition of nude photography around 1900 on view at Berlin's Photography Museum
3.- Top of the bill: Giant rubber duck by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman sails into Hong Kong
4.- Researchers say first permanent English settlers in America resorted to cannibalism
5.- Russia's great museums feud over revival plan of Moscow museum of Western art
6.- Dartmouth's Hood Museum appoints first African Art Curator
7.- Survey exhibition of American artist Ellen Gallagher's work opens at Tate Modern
8.- Exhibition of nude photography around 1900 on view at Berlin's Photography Museum
9.- Paris Photo Los Angeles concludes a successful first edition with over 13,500 visitors
10.- Excavation unearths evidence of Thessaloniki's urban life between 4th and 9th centuries AD
Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .
|Royalville Communications, Inc|
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Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday unveiled plans to stimulate the economy in order to avoid a possible contraction, while the Bank of Thailand forecast a growth rate of 0.5-2.5 per cent for this year.
The premier said after a meeting with economic ministers and the central bank's governor that fiscal spending and exports would be the main drivers of growth.
However, the risks to economic growth remain significant, the premier said, adding that quick stimulus action should help the country avoid deflation.
Money supply and interest rates are not the key issues at this stage, he said, but banks' cautious position on new lending is.
As a result, the government will turn to the Small Business Credit Guarantee Corp to ease the credit crunch.
On the fiscal side, the government will spend more than Bt300 billion to stimulate economic growth this year, including Bt100 billion from unused state budgets, Bt100 billion from the mid-year supplementary state budget for 2009 and another Bt100 billion from state-owned banks.
Besides fiscal spending and boosting exports, the government is planning to increase domestic consumption and further ease the credit crunch.
For fiscal 2010, which starts in October, the government plans to have a combined fiscal deficit of Bt350 billion as part of a continued stimulus package, Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij said. Of this planned package, Bt250 billion would be the annual budget deficit, while the balance of Bt100 billion would be the mid-year supplementary budget.
On the 2009 mid-year supplementary budget, he said the Cabinet would meet on January 13 to consider it and then forward it to Parliament for final approval on January 21. The government will accelerate fiscal spending by focusing on the poor while providing incentives for firms that retain workers for retraining or create new jobs.
"The government will spend about Bt400 billion to Bt500 billion in the next 18 months," Korn said at the seminar on "Restoring Thailand's Economic Confidence", hosted by the Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration. Korn said political uncertainty remained the country's biggest risk.
Sethaput Suthiwart-Narueput, adjunct professor at Sasin, warned that the government could face a revenue shortfall due to lower economic growth.
Sethaput also urged the government to come up with a contingency plan to rescue banks, particularly small ones, which may need recapitalisation.
Dipak Jain, dean of the Kellogg School of Management, said the government should invest more in the agricultural sector, where Thailand has the most potential in terms of international competitiveness. He said the Kingdom could produce more food to supply the rising world population.
Paul Tiffany, adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, urged the new government to show leadership, steering the country in the right direction.
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As a home educator and a mom, I really count on technology to provide my kids with all kinds of resources and activities.
The tech resource getting the most use lately in our homeschool and home is
my our iPad.
From using safari for quick research, to watching documentaries, to reviewing apps with whiteboards and algebra, my teens get a lot out of the iPad. My youngest really likes the iPad most for watching shows and playing games. I am okay with that, but I try to find at least educational games and things for her on there.
A new e-reading platform launched by Ruckus Media Group called the Ruckus Reader turned our iPad into a fun e-Reader for my baby!
The Ruckus Reader IS the main technology. Within that, there are loads of digital storybooks you can download for your children. Right now, I think there are about 30 titles that work with this format. The titles range from the storybooks to interactive readers (iReaders and eReaders) that have both the story and then games and maybe video as well, and also some of my favorites — the video books, great stories narrated by celebrities.
The titles are basically for kids 3 to 8. You will see old favorites like My Little Pony, Curious George, Crayola. Many publishers are working with Ruckus Reader, so there are many ebooks so far, and more are being added all the time. I just got a notice to go update and get a new ebook that was just added, in fact.
I like that there is a real variety of fiction and non-fiction, and the videos and such. My daughter is already a good reader, so I am not using the app to teach reading so much, but for the younger children, many of the titles are designed to build upon each other and help children learn to read, while the included games actually measure the child’s progress.
You can download Ruckus Reader titles individually, but it is great to download the whole library! The price is very reasonable at $24.99 for six months, as you get access to over 25 titles. OR, you can get the first title in a series for free, then pay $3.99 each or 2 for $5.99. My daughter and I loved getting the entire library, it felt like Christmas downloading like crazy!
Our favorite titles in this Ruckus Reader?
I love, love the SeaWorld Bookshelf. This includes Sharks, Penguins and Whales.
My daughters favorites include My Little Pony and Transformers.
We are both looking forward to one that is coming: Cyberchase!
There is a nice twist on this App, as it keeps track of my child’s progress and emails me updates, called the Reader Meter, weekly.
So what are the Cons?
- I worry that I will lose all the ebooks we have if I do not get this again in six months.
- I wish all the ebooks would stay under one main icon on my iPad (I hate having lots of icons all over the screen)
- Although the technology for the reading is designed around state standards, it is still a new technology. So far, my meter reader is a little off and doesn’t “know” that my child is a good reader. I have seen this with several of our technologies that keep track of childrens progress. It is still a developing technology.
What are the Pros?
- I have tons of really well designed eReaders, iReaders and Videos right on my iPad desktop.
- With the six month subscription, I have almost 30 ebooks already, o that is less than .99 cents an eReader, iReader or video. And, I will continue to get more.
- All are educational in nature and suitable for her age. She does not get frustrated and need help, but sits and plays.
- The titles include tons of characters she knows like Curious George and My Little Pony, plus old classic stories that she enjoys.
- Most of these titles have options so they can read the book to the child and they lead the child in the games
- The reader meter does keep track of what my child spends time on and I can eve email that info to her dad and grandparents (you can set it to email to up to four email accounts)
- The App notifies me when new titles are available.
- I love the little library shelves in the App. Adorable setup
All in all, I really recommend the Ruckus Reader App. Go take a look! You can connect with Ruckus Reader:
*I received a trial membership for Ruckus Reader in order to do this review. I have given my honest opinion.
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I would ask them to tell about some childhood memory, that is, to write it as carelessly, recklessly, fast and sloppily as possible on paper. [...] Their only effort became to tell spontaneously, impulsively, what they remembered.
And I asked for childhood experiences for this reason. A child experiences things from his true self (creatively) and not from his theoretical self (dutifully), i.e. the self he thinks he ought to be. That is why childhood memories are the most living and sparkling and true.
From If You Want to Write
I often feel a lot of anxiety before publishing a post. Why? Mostly because I know that I have blog subscribers and they will (hopefully) be reading the post that I’m agonizing over. I worry about my tone, whether or not what I’m saying could be misunderstood, and if I will offend anyone. It’s embarrassing to admit that I can feel that self-conscious when writing, but it’s true.
This kind of over-thinking and self-censorship completely hinders my ability to write well. In the words of Brenda Ueland, the woman who wrote If You Want To Write, I’m writing from my “theoretical self,” the adult self that worries about what other people think. Good writing is honest, not contrived or safe.
Do you ever feel like you’re holding yourself back? If so, how do you work past it? If you’d like, I encourage you to give Ueland’s writing exercise a shot: pick a childhood memory and write freely. After you’ve written it, think back to how you felt and ask if the process felt any different from how you usually feel when typing away. If you make your childhood memory public, be sure to share it in the comments. (That’s where I’ll be sharing mine and I’d love to see yours!)
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Updated 11/07/2012 07:15 PM
Hudson Valley region bracing for Nor'easter
After superstorm Sandy, the Hudson Valley region is now getting hit with another storm. This one promises cold temperatures and snow. Our Alexandra Weishaupt has more on what people are doing to prepare when many are still dealing with outages.
To view our videos, you need to
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.
Then come back here and refresh the page.
ORANGE COUNTY, N.Y. -- On the heels of superstorm Sandy, the Hudson Valley region braces for another storm. This one is promising cold temperatures and snow.
Crews and trucks are ready at the Department of Public Works in Goshen. The area is expected to get hit with a few inches of heavy, wet snow.
There are still about 4,000 residents without power from Sandy, but now with this storm, folks could be looking at even more outages throughout the area.
"A little more complication in order to fully restore the power and it certainly is inconvenient with the timing but it's a moderate snow storm, it just happens to be the first snow storm, so we'll have to work together in order to overcome this obstacle," said Seamus Leary of the Department of Emergency Services.
Officials are asking people to stay off of the roads during the storm and if you do have to head out, use caution while driving on slick roads.
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In this section you will find all the information you
need about the neighbourhood you live in. From events to ways in
which you can get involved in shaping the services we provide,
there are lots of ways you can interact with us.
Events - All
the events in your neighbourhoods will be listed on our events calender
involved - Here you will find the many
ways that you can get involved in both your community and in the
shaping of services that the Trust provides.
Partnerships Engagement Team - Meet the
team and find out what they do and the areas that they
Promise - Find out about our commitment to
you as our customers, the level of service and response you should
expect from us.
The Old Trafford Master
Plan - Over the past 2 years Trafford
Council, the Old Trafford Neighbourhood Management Board and
Trafford Housing Trust have been running a project to help develop
a Masterplan for the Old Trafford Area.
The aim is to address the issues in the area that have been
recognised as problems for the Community. The goal is to create
long-lasting and safe communities with quality housing, an
excellent environment, better access to training and employment and
4 you is where you will find information about courses
that either Trafford Housing Trust or one of our partner
agencies provide at various points during the year.
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Sudwolle certified for sustainable wool yarns
30th April 2012, Greensboro, NC
Südwolle Group, a leading producer in the field of worsted wool spinning has obtained Oeko-Tex certification to ensure that its yarns are tested to be free from harmful levels of more than 300 substances that are suspected of being dangerous to humans.
Südwolle has earned Class I Oeko-Tex certification indicating its yarns meet the most stringent requirements for products intended for infant use as well as Class II certification for textiles and apparel. The group says Oeko-Tex certification is part of its comprehensive sustainability and product quality program that has distinguished the company in the yarn market.
The Südwolle Group is an independent family owned company with six principal brands: Biella Yarn, a producer of yarns for flat knitting; Yarn In Motion, a specialist producer of circular knitting yarns in wool for the production of outdoor and functional clothing; Richter a leading supplier of speciality yarns for hosiery; Stöhr, a specialist supplier of technical yarns for the automobile industry, for upholstery and other specifications; Südwolle, a specialist in the production of weaving yarns; and Soey, a supplier of OE rayon yarns.
The group produces locally wherever customer demand dictates, and specialises in quick response from production facilities in Germany, Poland, Romania and China. A worldwide sales network working in close proximity with its customer base feeds an annual spinning capacity of around 21,000 tons of yarn, 60 % of which is produced in Europe and 40 % in Asia.
"Nature is our supplier," says Goetz Giebel of Südwolle Group. "We rely on Oeko-Tex testing and certification to ensure our yarns retain that purity through all of our production steps, from the farm though to spinning and dyeing. Our customers, as well as their retailers and consumers, have high expectations for our fine wool yarns and we are committed to exceeding them. Oeko-Tex is one important component of that promise."
Oeko-Tex Standard 100
For twenty years, the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 has been a signal to textile products manufacturers, retailers, and consumers that certified products are safe for human use and are free from harmful levels of dangerous substances such as pesticides, formaldehyde, lead and other heavy metals, and carcinogenic dyestuffs.
Oeko-Tex's list of dangerous substances has grown from 100 to more than 300 over the past two decades and its limit values and testing methods have been recognized as satisfying the EU's Annex XVII of REACh and the USA's CPSIA requirements for children's products.
"Südwolle is a role model in sustainability and environmental responsibility," says Dr. Sam Moore who represents Oeko-Tex in North America.
"Their voluntary use of independent, third party certifications like the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 adds to the company's credibility. Their customers know that Südwolle products are of the highest quality and that they do not pose health concerns for the people who interact with them whether it's in the manufacturing facility, in the store, or at home."
In addition to Oeko-Tex certification, Südwolle Group participates in the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) which provides guidelines for responsible reporting of environmental and sustainability metrics. The company also publishes its Ecobalance annual report detailing its environmental, social responsibility, and sustainable manufacturing initiatives around the world.
Südwolle Group will be participating in the IWTO Congress (International Wool Textile Organization) in New York City, May 7-9. This year's event is entitled ‘Wool in the City' - www.iwto.org
Author: Billy Hunter
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.- William Murphy, Bishop of Rockville Centre and chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, has written to U.S. political leaders and the Secretary of the Treasury asking that the Bush administration and Congress make a moral response to the financial crisis.
“The economic crisis facing our nation is both terribly disturbing and enormously complicated,” Bishop Murphy wrote in his September 26 letter. “I write to offer the prayers of the U.S. Catholic Bishops and express the concerns of our Conference as you face difficult choices on how to limit the damage and move forward with prudence and justice.”
While saying that the bishops do not bring “technical expertise,” the bishop explained, “we believe our faith and moral principles can help guide the search for just and effective responses to the economic turmoil threatening our people.”
Bishop Murphy urged that the “enormous human impact” of the crisis be at the center of the debate over the response plan. People are losing their jobs, their benefits, and even their homes while some people risk losing their life savings.
“The scandalous search for excessive economic rewards even to the point of dangerous speculation that exacerbates the pain and losses of the more vulnerable are egregious examples of an economic ethic that places economic gain above all other values,” he wrote.
Attributing the crisis to “greed, speculation, exploitation of vulnerable people and dishonest practices,” Bishop Murphy said those responsible for the crisis should be held accountable.
Citing John Paul II’s words about the human needs not met by the free market, the bishop wrote that the crisis showed the market has limitations as well as advantages. He then endorsed “effective public regulation and protection” when necessary.
The principle of solidarity “reminds us that we are in this together and warns us that concern for narrow interests alone can make things worse.” Calling for a commitment to the common good, Bishop Murphy said protection of the vulnerable workers, business owners, homeowners, renters, and stockholders should be included in efforts to protect financial institutions.
The bishop added that the principle of subsidiarity means that private actors and institutions should accept their own obligations. If they do not, larger entities such as the government will have to step in.
“This is a challenging time for our nation,” Bishop Murphy wrote. “Everyone who carries responsibility should exercise it according to their respective roles and with a great sensitivity to reforming practices and setting forth new guidelines that will serve all people, all institutions of the economy and the common good of the people as a nation.”
Bishop Murphy closed his letter by repeating the Catholic tradition’s call for a “society of work, enterprise and participation” which is not directed against the market but demands its appropriate control to ensure that the “basic needs of the whole society are satisfied.”
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5 ways to beat your shopping addiction
(MoneyWatch) Alcohol, crack and heroin are known to be highly addictive, but can something as innocuous as shopping be addictive?
Having worked with more than one so-called "shopaholic" in my Orange County financial planning firm, I have no doubt shopping can become addictive and destructive. I've worked with people from vastly different backgrounds who have become shopaholics -- from "sudden wealth" recipients who've come into millions of dollars, to the unemployed and destitute who cannot control their shopping addiction. Dr. Drew and I recently taped an episode on the Ricki Lake Show where we spoke to a young woman who was a self-diagnosed shopaholic. Her shopping addiction can provide valuable lessons for the rest of us.
First, it's important to understand what doesn't work. A shopping addiction is not a disease of intellect; it's a disease of emotion. Unfortunately, most family members, along with mental health and financial "experts," make things worse by focusing on the two areas that usually lead to even more shopping: shame and logic. What's wrong with you?! Don't you know better? How can you be so self-centered and selfish? Trying to use logic -- if you spend too much, you won't have money to make the car payment -- tends to be just as ineffective.
Such "cures" don't work. Shopaholics already feel badly about themselves, and they already know they can't afford it. Criticism often leads to people feeling even more socially isolated, which they "treat" by shopping. So what does work?
1. Identify the shopping trigger. What activates a person's urge to shop -- boredom, guilt, shame, anger? Keep a written journal or electronic record and document what leads to the shopping.
2. Discover the need shopping fills. Excessive shopping doesn't serve a functional purpose -- you probably don't need 15 purses -- it serves a psychological purpose bu meeting an unfilled or under-filled need. For the non-shopaholic, it may look like "crazy" or irrational behavior. It's not. The shopaholic is often entirely rational. They shop for a reason -- it fulfills a need, so they keep doing it.
No matter what you do, if you don't find an alternative and healthier way to fill this need, the shopping urge won't fade. So the first step in halting compulsive shopping is to identify the psychological need driving it. Does the shopping provide pleasure, or does it help you avoid pain? In other words, do you shop to feel something you don't feel anywhere else throughout the day (a rush, excitement, variety, stimulation, being in control, feeling naughty), or do you shop to avoid feeling something negative, such as anxiety loneliness or fear? Determine what part of the shopping provides the reward. Is it going with friends (social)? Is it being around others (community)? Is it searching for things? Is it feeling significant? Does the shopping create relationship conflicts so you get attention or a sense of connection, albeit negative? It takes an open mind and guts to analyze yourself like this, but it often provides the answer.
3. Replace shopping with something healthier. The shopaholic needs to find a healthier alternative to filling the need. Brainstorm how you could fill this need in other ways. Often you'll find that someone with one addiction will trade it for another addiction. This is not a positive long-term solution. The goal is to trade in a negative and destructive addiction for one that is positive and healthy, or at least neutral. Sometimes it's just not enough to replace shopping with a healthier habit. In this case, figure out what's more important than shopping. What do you value more in life? Your children, spouse, security, prestige? Whatever it is, you must link how continuing to shop will destroy what you value most. If you value the love from your family and friends, it's easy to see how that you will ruin these relationships if you keep borrowing and spending.
4. Change your environment. Our environment plays a huge role in our behavior. If you keep a bowl of jellybeans on your desk, it's clear what you will snack on throughout the day. Use the environment to your advantage. It makes no sense for the alcoholic to "test" their willpower by having a snack at their local bar, and it makes no sense for the shopaholic to be in shopping malls. Create "no-fly zones" -- places you can't go, such as malls, stores and other shopping areas. You want to remove any ambiguity in your rules. If you don't, then in the heat of the moment the shopaholic will rationalize a way to shop. Make a list of the places you can and cannot go. Eliminate any TV watching (at least in the beginning), and stay from magazines and newspapers. You basically want to remove any cues from the environment to shop.
5. Get support. Kicking an addiction is hard to do alone. Get some help from friends, family or others. Debtors Anonymous is a great resource, and they have groups in cities across the country.
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Rasmus's no-framework PHP MVC framework
I am obviously not a fan of such frameworks. I like stuff I can understand in an instant. Both because it lets me be productive right away and because 6 months from now when I come back to fix something, again I will only need an instant to figure out what is going on. So, here is my current approach to building rich web applications. The main pieces are:
I don't have much of a problem with MVC itself. It's the framework baggage that usually comes along with it that I avoid. Even parts of frameworks can be useful as long as you can separate the parts out that you need. As for MVC, if you use it carefully, it can be useful in a web application. Just make sure you avoid the temptation of creating a single monolithic controller. A web application by its very nature is a series of small discrete requests. If you send all of your requests through a single controller on a single machine you have just defeated this very important architecture. Discreteness gives you scalability and modularity. You can break large problems up into a series of very small and modular solutions and you can deploy these across as many servers as you like. You need to tie them together to some extent most likely through some backend datastore, but keep them as separate as possible. This means you want your views and controllers very close to each other and you want to keep your controllers as small as possible.
Goals for this approach
- Clean and simple design
- HTML should look like HTML
- Keep the PHP code in the views extremely simple: function calls, simple loops and variable substitutions should be all you need
- Input validation using pecl/filter as a data firewall
- When possible, avoid layers and other complexities to make code easier to audit
- Avoid include_once and require_once
- Use APC and apc_store/apc_fetch for caching data that rarely changes
- Stay with procedural style unless something is truly an object
- Avoid locks at all costs
Be sure to read it as he explains how to rethink using the "all powerful" frameworks outthere, which makes things much more difficult to quickly get something out the door. I've been thinking about looking at using MVC but it may be best to stick away from trying for the moment and maybe attempt to try MVC with a new language like Ruby on Rails.
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Jackie's feat recognized at Busch Stadium
Cardinals, Astros pay homage to Hall of Famer before game
ST. LOUIS -- The Cardinals recognized Jackie Robinson Day with a subdued ceremony at Busch Stadium on Thursday prior to their afternoon game against the Astros.
The club played a tribute video on the board in right-center field to honor Robinson. Now of course a Hall of Famer, Robinson broke baseball's color barrier on April 15, 1947, when he debuted in the Major Leagues with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
"I have terrific admiration [for Robinson] and am incredulous that he could go through that," manager Tony La Russa said. "I saw today one of the papers was talking about the lack of the black athlete [in baseball]. And it's impossible to figure, because it's such a great sport for anybody that's an athlete."
Houston Astros center fielder Michael Bourn also commented on the lack of African-American players in the Major Leagues.
Said Bourn in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "Everybody notices it. It's not in your control. You just have to roll with what's going on."
All players throughout the Majors are wearing No. 42 on Thursday in tribute to Robinson, whose number has been retired across the league.
Each member of the Cardinals will donate his jersey following the game, and fans who purchase raffle tickets will have a chance to win the autographed jerseys, along with two tickets to a July 15 game against the Dodgers. Over the past two seasons, the Jackie Robinson Day Jersey raffle has raised more than $100,000 to benefit the Jackie Robinson Foundation local scholars college education efforts and Cardinals Care. Winners will be presented with their jerseys as part of an on-field pregame ceremony with La Russa and Dodgers manager Joe Torre.
Matthew Leach is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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.home | art & architecture | books & cds | dance | destinations | film | opera | television | theater | archives
The Color of Paradise (1999)
The Color of Paradise is about
a blind boy who sees with clarity and his sighted father who is blind to the beauty in his
own family. It is a film made from a deeply spiritual point of view, but it never
proselytizes, it never preaches. It tells with sophisticated simplicity a not so simple
story of faith and unconditional love and the sadness that comes to one who falls short in
Mohammad (Mohsen Ramezani) is eight years old and resides at a school for the blind in Tehran, where director Majid Majidi lingers to provide a sense of the lives of these children, cooperatively leading one another about, learning to read and write in Braille. In an extraordinary scene Mohammad finds a baby bird on the ground. With gentleness and determination he climbs a tree to replace the chick in the nest from which it had fallen, all by use of his sense of hearing and his sense of touch. Majidi establishes with economy and pure narrative the character of the boy - a selflessness, a respectfulness, a deep sense of kindness.
It is vacation time; school is closing. Mohammad's father (Hossein Mahjub) arrives late to pick him up and inquires whether Mohammad can remain at the school. When told that would not be possible, he reluctantly takes his son on the journey to their rural home, shared with an adoring grandmother and two young sisters. They not only love Mohammad, they see him as a whole person, not the handicapped liability his father considers him to be.
With a camera that worships the beauty of the countryside and a storytelling sensibility that takes its time to let us see the activities of day-to-day life (growing grains, creating dyes from field flowers, rebuilding the mud and thatch walls of a home) this morality tale of father and son is spun with skillful attention to detail and deliberate pacing towards what seems an ineluctable conclusion. While the loving characters of the boy and his grandmother are easy to buy into, the motivation for the father's bitterness is less than fully convincing, especially in the context of such a powerfully family-oriented society.
But that is a relatively minor, though noticeable, weakness in a film that lets you hear as a blind child hears - the sounds of birds, of a donkey braying, of a gathering storm. It's a film that makes you feel the sensation of water running through fingers, of a hand running over ripening grain in the fields, of pounding out the patterns of Braille in dough rolled out for baking. Rooted in deep spiritual belief, Majidi still does not fail to note the superstitions that also power these country folk. With strong narrative drive and a natural eye for imagery, Majidi is a filmmaker whose ninety-minute work is rich and satisfying, unlike the bloated two-hour and longer opuses hitting the market in recent months that seem so empty, so lacking in conviction.
When the children are taking dictation to learn their Braille toward the beginning of the film, the teacher recites (presumably from the Koran) a line to God: "You are both seen and unseen." Later, in a deeply touching moment, Mohammad says the misery of being blind is not being able to see God. His teacher told him, he says, that God is invisible anyway, and that he can see God with his hands. Mohammad does see God with his hands, Majidi makes eminently clear, because Mohammad is blessed with God in his heart.
- Arthur Lazere
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The non-profit Grabhorn Institute supports paid apprenticeship programs designed for those interested in long-term employment and not for a temporary or transitional experience. They provide training in the crafts of typography, letterpress printing, bookbinding, and type casting. Apprentices learn while working on book publishing projects, contract jobs, and type production for the two divisions.
PRINTING & BOOKBINDING : Arion Press, fine printers and publishers of deluxe limited edition books, offers training in typography, book design, letterpress printing, and bookbinding that will lead to long-term employment. Commitment is for a minimum two years of employment.
TYPECASTING & FOUNDRY WORK: M & H Type, the oldest and largest surviving type foundry in the United States, offers training in typography, typecasting, and Monotype composition that will lead to long-term employment. Commitment is for a minimum four years of employment: two years in apprentice status, followed by at least two years in journeyman status.
We wish we could accommodate all the talented and dedicated people who would like to come here to learn book making with us. Currently, we have two apprentices and two journeymen who have completed apprenticeships in the type foundry and two journeymen in the bindery who also completed apprenticeships. These people are also receiving training in the composing room and pressroom from a typographer/printer. We have a master typecaster and a master bookbinder, both part-time, who continue training in their departments. If you should come to San Francisco, we would be happy to meet you and show you the facility during one of our weekly public tours on Thursday afternoons at 3:00 by reservation. The charge is $7 per person.
The Grabhorn Institute does not offer internships.
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Coronado SAFE 1009 C Ave, Coronado, CA92118 Located in the Crown Shops at C Avenue and 10th Street, Coronado SAFE is a non-profit organization dedicated to…More a "substance abuse free environment" (i.e., "SAFE") for Coronado youth. Founded locally in 1997, the group specializes in prevention and intervention of youth substance abuse and other unhealthy behaviors. One of the primary goals is to empower youth and their families with valuable life skills such as good decision-making and effective communication abilities to curtail problem behaviors <i>before</i> they have a chance to develop. The organization works closely with Coronado schools and law enforcement to serve the community. Curriculum is offered in a safe, nurturing environment and delivered by various methods including one-on-one teaching or creativity-based activities. Parents or guardians can contact the office directly to discuss a personalized plan of action.
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Goldwater Institute News Release
July 16, 2009
Phoenix–The Goldwater Institute announced today that it is seeking an appeal in its legal challenge against Mesa’s cultural facilities impact fee. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Douglas Rayes gave the Goldwater Institute an opening-round defeat in its challenge to the fee, which is imposed on all new homes. Cities have limited authority to impose impact fees so that development pays its own way. However, Mesa used the fees to pay for museums and performing arts centers, rather than the necessary public services strained by the impact of new development.
“No matter how desirable, cultural facilities are not a ‘necessary’ public service as required by the impact fee statute,” said Clint Bolick, Director of the Goldwater Institute’s Scharf-Norton Center for Constitutional Litigation. “The City did not show that new development created a need for new cultural facilities.”
Despite that, Judge Rayes deferred to the City’s judgment. The Goldwater Institute believes it has a very strong and factual case, and after consultation with its client, the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona, decided to appeal the ruling.
More information about the case can be found at http://www.goldwaterinstitute.org/case/63. The Goldwater Institute is a nonprofit public policy research and litigation organization whose work is made possible by the generosity of its supporters.
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If you’re new to the housing market, take my word for it: Today’s interest rates are eye-poppingly low. A 3o-year fixed rate mortgage at 3.44%? A 15-year fixed rate mortgage at 2.83%? (Figures from Bankrate.com.) No, don’t take my word for it: The press is calling these “record lows.” As in, record for all of U.S. history. Even back when Grandpa was buying an ice cream cone for a quarter, his family was probably paying 7% on their mortgage.
If you’re in the market to buy a home, just sit back and enjoy. Or if you’d like to gloat, play with some online calculators and realize how much interest you’ll be saving over the life of the loan as compared with people who bought houses just a few years ago.
Using Bankrate’s “Mortgage Calculator,” for instance, I plugged in numbers for a 30-year fixed rate loan on a $250,000 house at 3.5% interest; and then the same loan at 6.5% interest. (Be sure to press the “Show/Recalculate Amortization Table” for a full rundown of interest payments and totals.) With the first loan at 3.5% you’d pay $154,140 over the life of the loan. (Gulp. Really, when you add it all up, even the lowest-interest mortgage results in a big pile of cash handed over to the lender.)
Now let’s look at the same loan at 6.5%. Total interest = $318,861. That’s a difference of $164,721. With figures like that, homebuyers today can afford a lot more house than they will be able to when interest rates rise again. (And there’s little doubt that they will, someday.)
If you already own a home, now’s a good time to think about refinancing — or perhaps even re-refinancing. But run some numbers on that first, too. You can do so using Nolo’s Refinance Calculator. The upfront costs of getting a new loan sometimes wipe out the savings. The key is to find your “breakeven point,” indicating how long it will take you to work off the initial closing costs by saving money on interest each month. If you expect to stay in your home for less time than it takes to reach your breakeven point, the refinance definitely isn’t worth it.
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Another perfect pre-run snack: a piece of fruit, such as a banana. “For pre-run, you’re topping off energy stores for the workout ahead and keeping blood sugar levels stable beforehand,” says Hadfield.
Bananas are high in fiber, so they’ll keep you feeling less hungry during a distance run. They’re also rich in potassium, which can help keep blood pressure in check, protect your muscle and digestive systems and potentially help ward off muscle cramps.
Add some peanut butter to your banana and you’ll also be getting a healthy dose of niacin, which helps your body harvest energy from carbohydrates, and is good for your digestive system, cholesterol level and heart health to boot. Just make sure you practice portion control. Nut butters sure are scrumptious, but high in calories, so limit your serving to 1 or 2 tablespoons.
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