text
stringlengths 211
22.9k
| id
stringlengths 47
47
| dump
stringclasses 1
value | url
stringlengths 14
371
| file_path
stringlengths 138
138
| language
stringclasses 1
value | language_score
float64 0.93
1
| token_count
int64 54
4.1k
| score
float64 1.5
1.84
| int_score
int64 2
2
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lack of education at juvenile camp
Jessica Van Reeth saw the toxic effect of former Luzerne County Judge Mark A. Ciavarella Jr.'s zero-tolerance brand of juvenile justice first-hand in the ill-equipped, poorly staffed classrooms of the wilderness camp where she was serving 90 days for carrying drug paraphernalia.
"The education offered there was atrocious," Van Reeth said Thursday, testifying before a state panel investigating Ciavarella and the county kids-for-cash scandal. "Many of the teachers lacked any teaching credentials, and the ones that actually had teaching degrees didn't care anymore."
Health classes at the facility, Camp Adams in Carbon County, were taught by a camp security guard whose only qualification, Van Reeth said, was that he "enjoyed working out."
A high school-level literature class was taught by a camp employee who was studying to become an early elementary teacher and in math class a teacher would hand out a few worksheets each week, but offered little if any instruction.
Physical education classes consisted of "hanging out" in the camp's gymnasium. Students were allowed to pick up a ball and toss it around, Van Reeth said, but there were no lessons and no organized sports or activities.
"Stripping youth of a real education is most definitely a punishment, perhaps maybe the worst punishment of all," Van Reeth told the panel, the Interbranch Commission on Juvenile Justice. "With no education, most of those children have little to no chance of succeeding and are almost doomed to become career criminals."
Camp Adams administrators could not be reached for comment Thursday night.
Van Reeth, one of the two juveniles whose complaints about facing Ciavarella led to a state review of his cases and the overturning of thousands of convictions, entered the camp's education program in 2007, during her junior year at Crestwood High School.
She quickly advanced to senior-level classes, but said the course material was equivalent to what she learned during her freshman year at Crestwood.
Van Reeth, now a sophomore at Luzerne County Community College, survived the educational falloff and returned to Crestwood after her release without needing to repeat any classes.
Other juveniles at the camp faced a greater challenge bridging the gap between their public school education and the poor substitute offered at the camp.
Commission member George Mosee, a deputy district attorney in the Philadelphia juvenile courts, said the camp's poor educational system could have had a lifelong impact on Van Reeth, who is planning to transfer to Temple University next year as she pursues a career in criminal justice.
Van Reeth "was probably one of the most brilliant young women that I've ever encountered in terms of her potential, and she has an interest in criminal justice," Mosee said. "Can you imagine if that potential detrimental impact had caused her to just drop all of her dreams and to go in the wrong direction?"
Van Reeth's testimony came at the conclusion of a two-hour session Thursday at the East Mountain Inn in Plains Township where juveniles and parents were allowed a last opportunity to address the commission before it completes a report on the scandal.
Earlier, the father of a juvenile locked away for throwing a steak at his mother's boyfriend told the panel he made complaints about Ciavarella's terse handling of the case to a state board, but that the board never took action.
The father, who identified himself only as Mr. K, said an official with the state Judicial Conduct Board led him to believe dozens of other parents had been complaining about Ciavarella's conduct.
"You're calling from Luzerne County, aren't you?" the conduct board official said, according to the father. "You're talking about Judge Ciavarella, right? We've had several calls about Judge Ciavarella, but you've got to understand, you've got to have a lot of ammunition against a judge. This will just be more fuel for the fire."
The official "led me to believe there were numerous complaints on him and that mine would be added to them," the father told the state panel, the Interbranch Commission on Juvenile Justice.
The Judicial Conduct Board last month turned over four complaints it received against Ciavarella and another former judge accused in the scandal, Michael T. Conahan, but none of the complaints appeared to have been based on allegations received from parents of juveniles.
Ciavarella and Conahan are awaiting trial on a 48-count indictment charging them with pocketing $2.8 million in kickbacks from the co-owner and developer of a pair of for-profit juvenile detention centers where thousands of Luzerne County youths were later sent.
Laurene Transue, whose daughter Hillary landed in juvenile detention after facing Ciavarella, said she hoped the former judges receive fairer treatment in federal court that the young defendants they sent away.
"I want them to receive the fairest treatment under the law possible," Laurene Transue said. "I want them to be able to exercise the rights that they denied our children. But, unlike the sentences they meted out to our children, I hope they get the punishment they deserve."
Hillary appeared before Ciavarella in 2007 for charges related to a Web page she posted poking fun at a Crestwood School District administrator. The hearing lasted a minute, Laurene said.
"What makes you think you can do this kind of crap," Ciavarella asked, before ordering Hillary, 15 at the time, handcuffed and taken away to detention at a wilderness camp.
Hillary's story, documented in a complaint filed with the state Supreme Court in April 2008, was similar to the experiences of thousands of other juveniles sentenced by Ciavarella over a span of more than five years.
The complaint painted Ciavarella's courtroom as an unconstitutional star chamber where terse hearings and harsh sentences prevailed.
Hillary, who is away at college, said in a statement that her experience before Ciavarella would forever jaundice her view of justice.
"At 15, I had learned that the judicial system is a disgusting conveyor belt made for putting our problems away, rather than fixing them," Hillary said in the statement, which Laurene read to the commission. "I learned that adults are not to be trusted. I learned that cooperation means nothing, judges are biased, and that a repeat offender for drug use and a first-time offender for a childish prank just so happen to have the same punishment."
The response to the complaint - from other juveniles, legal advocates, federal prosecutors and the state leaders who ordered the review of Ciavarella's cases and the formation of the investigatory commission - has given her hope.
"I consider every single victim of this incredible injustice to be my best friend, We have this ordeal in common and we always will," Hillary said. "I speak of these kids as my friends, as my best friends, because it is so much more comforting to know that not one of us has ever been alone. We have all been united by the people who saved my sanity, maturity, positivity and sense of justice."
"Hopefully, these things have been preserved for each of us, as they should be," she continued. "Today we have the opportunity to speak up, we have the privilege to say our part, to tell our stories and to speak out against injustice."
|
<urn:uuid:65bcfc60-1b0f-440e-a7cc-ef802b8c0680>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://citizensvoice.com/news/lack-of-education-at-juvenile-camp-1.711969
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.980812 | 1,539 | 1.78125 | 2 |
If you’re feeling stuck with your weight loss progress, chances are it has nothing to do with what you’re doing and everything to do with what you’re thinking. Change your thoughts and you will get back on track.
Here are five common limiting thoughts that sabotage weight loss progress and how to change them.
Limiting Thought #1: “I’m afraid I’ll never be able to lose weight.”
This immobilizing thought erodes your confidence and keeps you feeling helpless. Unless you have a physical disorder or are taking medications that inhibit weight loss, remind yourself that there is no reason why you can’t release weight.
When this fear-filled thought enters your mind, stop and take a deep breath. Simply notice the thought and observe it with detachment. Say, “Oh, there you are again. That’s ok. I don’t have to give you power. I want to lose weight and I commit to doing what I need to do to succeed.”
Limiting Thought #2: “Even when I lose weight, I always gain it back. What’s the use?”
Just because something always was, doesn’t mean it always will be. Trust in your power to make permanent change. If it was hard for you to succeed before, chances are your limiting beliefs got in the way. Decide to practice healthy thinking in the same way you practice healthy eating.
When thoughts of past self-defeating patterns creep in, tell yourself, “It doesn’t matter what happened before. All that matters is this moment. I’ll take one positive step today to honor myself and my body.” Then, follow through and do one kind thing for your body that reinforces your commitment to taking good care of yourself.
Limiting Thought #3: “I’ve tried everything to lose weight and nothing seems to work”
There are many sound nutrition and exercise approaches. They work. It’s just that we become impatient and give up too soon. Or, it requires a commitment that we’re just not ready to make. It’s sometimes easy to say, “It didn’t work” instead of taking responsibility for how we got in our own way.
Once you decide on a sound nutrition and exercise approach that feels right to you, make a decision to stick with it no matter what. Understand that your fear-based mind will try to weaken you with thoughts of “it’s not working”. When that happens, use it as an opportunity to strengthen your strong side. Say to those sabotaging thoughts, “OK, I expected you’d be here. But I’m not listening to you anymore. I’m committed to what I want and I’m getting there.”
Limiting Thought #4: “I hate my body.”
Do you really “hate” your body or do you “hate” being overweight? Notice the difference. “Hating” your body dishonors everything your body does for you, like allowing you to walk along a beach, hug your child, or enjoy a flower’s fragrance. When you appreciate how your body serves you, you’ll change your attitude about your body, even if you carry excess weight.
Soften your tone. Instead of a toxic word like hate, simply say, “I’m unhappy with my weight and I’m changing that.” You can learn to love taking care of your body, even if you don’t love how your body looks right now.
Limiting Thought #5: “It’s taking too long. Nothing’s changing.”
Impatience sabotages even the best efforts. Remember, it took a long time for you to get where you are and it will take time to get where you want to be. For your results to be permanent, time is necessary to help you shift your self-concept and “grow into” the person you’re becoming.
Create a personal support team so you don’t remain isolated. Consult with a trusted nutritionist, personal trainer, life coach or your medical practitioner for ongoing support and to help you make adjustments to your plan when necessary. Join Calorie Count’s groups to connect with others. With a solid plan in place and personal support for encouragement, the time it takes to lose weight will matter less than the healthy lifestyle changes you’re making to ensure you get there.
|
<urn:uuid:2e1b96a7-071a-43e6-b86c-3ace45b3501b>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.daveywaveyfitness.com/weightloss-tips/5-thoughts-that-stop-you-from-losing-weight
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.937334 | 969 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Jimmy walked slowly down the hall to his supervisor’s office. His thoughts were on a sales presentation. The presentation was in two hours and he really needed to put the finishing touches on it. He clutched the small coffee cup in his hand, careful not to spill it. His mind raced as he thought about » Read More
Tag Archives: HR
Often, managers who are good at Relating (asking, listening, coaching, including, and encouraging) shy away from Requiring activities (insisting on excellence, confronting poor or marginal performers, or just telling an employee what is expected or needed). Your job as a manager is to help employees achieve business goals and do outstanding work. To direct their efforts and help them deliver their best work, you need to be equally adept at Relating and Requiring skills. Are you?
In recent weeks, several articles have offered worthwhile ideas on how to boost worker motivation. But experts have been sharing this counsel for years, and employee engagement continues to decline. This post focuses on nine specific things that damage engagement. What’s at play in your organization?
|
<urn:uuid:d684036a-d4d0-4302-93d3-00edd3d0874e>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://leadchangegroup.com/tag/hr/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.980014 | 225 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Mr. Dabbashi and most of the rest of the mission denounced Col. Gadhafi shortly after he called for protests to be put down by force. Libya’s ambassadors to the U.S., Portugal, France and Sweden also were among the first diplomats to defect.
But Mr. Shalgham, who had long admired Col. Gadhafi as a revolutionary from his native southern Libya, at first refused to disavow the man he called “my friend,” rejecting reports that government forces were firing on protesters.
By Andrew P. Napolitano
The president's men trash the Constitution to pursue antagonists
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
A collection of reader guest articles, thoughts and opinions by Communities writers and breaking news and information.
News and opinion from a Millennial Urbanite with Southern sensibilities,
Covering the world of soccer, including the World Cup, Major League Soccer, D.C. United and the English Premier League and other interesting sporting events.
Benghazi: The anatomy of a scandal
Vietnam Memorial adds four names
Cinco de Mayo on the Mall
NRA kicks off annual convention
|
<urn:uuid:a55a408f-1108-4b79-bbf8-47728b1809d5>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/may/3/no-longer-answers-to-gadhafi/?page=3
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.948164 | 237 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Many veterans are unaware of the services and benefits to which they are entitled. Sean Stephens, Marin County Veterans Services Officer, Department of Health and Human Services, works with incarcerated veterans and their families. Stephens ensures that they are aware of their entitlements and receive assistance in obtaining services and benefits. During monthly visits to San Quentin Prison, Stephens is able to support prisoners and their families during the application process.
His work is critical to ensuring that upon release veterans are able to access support services. These services are an integral part of helping released veterans find employment and avoid reincarceration.
In appreciation of his work, the Vietnam Veterans Group San Quentin honored Stephens in June for his work with Vietnam Veterans incarcerated at San Quentin Prison.
“A highlight of my job is helping veterans find out about services they didn’t know existed. For example, many veterans and their families are unaware of the college scholarship programs for children of veterans. I had an inmate who was so grateful for the ability to help his daughter with college he literally broke down in tears. I want these guys to know they are not forgotten. We are here to help them and their families,” said Stephens.
“We are proud of Sean’s hard work and dedication to Marin County veterans. His efforts ensure veterans receive the support services critical for successful community reintegration,” stated Nick Trunzo, Director of Marin County Aging and Adult Services. Stephens works on a coordinated approach with mental health, housing, and support services targeting veterans immediately before their prison release.
The Marin County Veterans Service Office helps veterans, their spouses and children obtain all types of veterans benefits.
- Wartime veterans who have no service connected disabilities but who are unable to work may be eligible for a pension.
- All veterans may be eligible for free hospital care at any VA medical facility, a guaranteed loan for the purchase of a home, and veteran's preference in employment. Drug and alcohol treatment programs are available.
- Veterans honorably discharged within the last ten years may be eligible for payment while attending school.
- Children of veterans who have a service-connected disability may be able to attend a State of California college or university without payment of tuition.
- Spouses and children of deceased veterans whose death was service connected are eligible for monthly payment, tax exemption and a college education.
- Spouses and children of deceased wartime veterans, who have a very limited income, may be eligible for death pension. Life insurance and a burial allowance are payable in some cases.
There are no time limits for filing most claims. For further information or to file a claim for any benefit, please call (415)473-6193 or email us at [email protected].
Location: Marin County Veterans Services Office is located at 10 North San Pedro Road, Suite 1010, just south of the Civic Center.
Hours: Office hours are Monday through Thursday from 8:30am to 4:00pm. Applications are taking by appointment or walk-in. Please bring your veteran discharge papers if available.
|
<urn:uuid:8a77421c-e4cf-4a78-82fd-ff9d406f5e48>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://sanrafael.patch.com/groups/erin-farahis-blog/p/bp--marin-county-veterans-services-officer-honored-fo7766128bb3
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.95927 | 627 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Chinese New Years is about friends and families. Even if you're not Chinese, you can still enjoy the festivities of this holiday. Here are some neat ideas that you can do with your friends and loved one during this weekend to enjoy Chinese New Years!
Throw a Pot Luck Dinner
This is probably the simplest way and excuse to get everyone together. Chinese New Years is all about food! Lots and lots of food! So throw a pot luck dinner. Have everyone that comes bring a dish, be it their favorite Chinese or American dish.
If you're into themes, give them some topics to select from and let your guests try to pick what each person's theme was. Some ideas on themes:
- Something red. Red is the color of luck in the Chinese culture
- Something with eggs. Eggs are the symbol of fertility and birth.
- Something green. This is the spring festival, the celebration of the coming of a new season of growth.
- Something related to fish. The word for fish sounds a lot like the word for luck in Chinese.
- Something round. The circle is a perfectly balanced shape, no end, no beginning, complete.
- Something sweet. Everyone's favorite, this is a way to wish everyone a sweet and easy new year.
Dumpling cooking party
One of my favorite memories as a child during this time of year is the dumpling making marathons that my family would go through. We'd all sit around the table, from youngsters to grandparents, and make dumplings. Dumplings are very simple to put together and you can be as creative as you like. Simple get some ground meat and the dumpling wraps. Put a small spoonful of meat in the middle and then crimp the edges together.
Dumplings are great to serve around this time because the Chinese believed they looked like little money purses. So by making and eating dumplings, you are wishing for a prosperous year.
If dumplings aren't your thing, make this an excuse to make anything together: meatballs, egg rolls, cookies, whatever catches your fancy!
Just like the western Christmas, this is a time to give gifts. Most of the time the gifts come in red envelops with money inside. Money is often exchanged from adults to children or to their elderly, non-working elders.
Of course, you don't need to exchange money to still give people red envelopes. As with most holidays, the card industry has picked up on the idea of celebrating this holiday and there are some wonderful Chinese New Years cards that can be found. There are a variety of online websites where you can send e-Cards to people. And you can always make cards for your friends just by making sure you include red paper.
One of the most comical parts about Chinese New Years occurs during the lantern festival at the end. During this time people make up poems and riddles to exchange and solve with one another. Have everyone make up a few and get everyone to try to guess what you're trying to say!
Arts and crafts!
With almost any Chinese holiday is the opportunity for arts and crafts. In this holiday, there are many arts and crafts projects you can pick up and enjoy:
- Decorate some lamp shades. This is a new twist to an old idea. Purchase some flat lamp shades, the type you might find either on small desk lamps or in candle shops. Decorate them with bright colors, especially golds and reds.
- Make dragon masks. The story of Chinese New Years talks about scaring away the demon Nian with loud noises and masks. Make masks either free-hand or find images of dragons and decorate them.
- Celebrate the year's animal. Each year is represented by one of 12 animals. Find some excuse to decorate and celebrate that year's animal through art - be it paintings, portraits, statues or stories.
Chinese New Years is a wonderful time of the year! There are many things you can do to enjoy this season and I hope you now have some new ideas on how to share and celebrate.
Have other ideas? Come visit our forums and post them for all to read!
|
<urn:uuid:147b411a-99f0-487f-b20f-ba29cc2e9b55>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art39870.asp
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.959691 | 863 | 1.828125 | 2 |
The Four-Way Test
By Black Knight
When I graduated from high school I received a scholarship from my town’s Rotary Club for my academic and extracurricular achievements. The club would occasionally invite me back to their meetings over the summer so I could speak to a group of 50-something moderate Republicans about my exciting college schedule and bright future. I recall that the Rotarians would end each meeting by reciting their “Four-Way Test,” a set of questions that determined whether an agenda item fell within the organization’s code of conduct:
- Is it the truth?
- Is it fair to all concerned?
- Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
- Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
As you seek to navigate a world designed to sabotage you emotionally, sexually, and physically, it is absolutely essential to develop guidelines about your willingness to allocate your resources, chiefly time and money. Are you going to get fat eating takeout food and watching hours of TV every night? Will you accommodate the unyielding assault on your time from a feminist American woman, as she reduces your manhood piecemeal and advances you further down the rabbit hole of an unhappy modern relationship? Or will you resist the crab-in-a-bucket pressure of the masses and withstand labels of “weird” and “selfish” as you embark on a path of constant self-improvement?
To avoid living an average existence devoid of principle, you must visualize the person you want to become and then develop a line of inquiry that will keep you on that path. This is the four-way test that I apply when determining how to use my precious free time and money, and a few pursuits they apply to:
- Will it help me improve at an useful and/or marketable skill? Some examples are computer programming, practicing a musical instrument, writing, developing a business idea, working on a side hustle
- Does it make me healthier or stronger? This applies to lifting heavy, juicing, learning a martial art, food shopping, and cooking my own meals.
- Does it improve my knowledge about the world or myself? This covers activities such as reading books, following selected blogs and articles online, traveling, and spending time with insightful and supportive friends
- Will it help me get laid? This includes devoting resources to either day or night game, investing effort in approaches, going out when not in the mood, traveling, and studying humor.
What about leisure time? Everybody needs to waste time and have non-productive fun occasionally, but the question to apply to this area is: “Is it a leisure activity that produces pleasure in a high ratio to time/money spent?” If something doesn’t fulfill one of these four (and a half) criteria, I simply refuse to do it. These are examples of “normal” activities that fail my four-way test:
- Watching the vast majority of television shows
- Going out to happy hours and drinking with coworkers you don’t like or respect
- Spending time with girls you are not fucking
- Going out to eat more than occasionally
- Devoting entire weekends to watching sports
- Following the popular news cycle
This is not meant to advocate a completely ascetic lifestyle. Rather, the test’s purpose is to make you hyper-aware of when you are wasting time and not grinding towards your life’s goals, so that it becomes the rare exception rather than the norm it is for nearly everyone else you meet. If you’ve been procrastinating making some major changes in your life, you should distill your principles down to a four-way test, then apply it religiously for a week. I guarantee you will be closer to your goals at week’s end.
Don’t Miss: Facebook Is Hurting Your GameTweet Follow @returnofkings
|
<urn:uuid:7b68c144-ae3d-46e7-9920-a8107d84d6e9>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.returnofkings.com/5339/the-four-way-test
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.939966 | 811 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Brandon Cole to Release New Book
Ocean photographer and marine biologist Brandon Cole is releasing a new book with writer and researcher Scott Michael entitled Reef Life: A Guide to Tropical Marine Life, which will be available on Amazon.com. Scuba Diving magazine had the chance to speak with Cole about his latest book and the photography it showcases.
You have been the primary photographer of several other books in the past. How was this project different from others?
I like to think of this book as a hybrid, a blending of genres- critter ID handbook, small format coffee table book, and dive guide all wrapped into one. At its core it’s a useful source for identification of a wide variety of tropical marine critters, from whales to snails, but with more creative and attractive photo treatment than one normally sees in guidebooks.
How important was it for you to have a conservation chapter in this book?
Both the Publisher and I felt it very important to include a conservation section. To only show pretty pictures, to only talk about the beauty on the reef, is only telling part of the story. In this book I felt obligated to take a broader, more responsible view, and discuss many of the challenges facing marine ecosystems worldwide.
What's next for Brandon Cole? What is your next project?
I will be underwater in Micronesia during the official release of Reef Life: A Guide to Tropical Marine Life, and returning to the Galapagos, Socorro, and the Bahamas shortly thereafter. I’m considering a companion guide focusing on temperate waters, as well as a book showcasing my encounters with charismatic megafauna. And in the midst of all of this, I’m delving into video to add a new dimension to my library.
To view more of Cole's underwater art, visit brandoncole.com.
|
<urn:uuid:c9e998ca-2b85-4145-9527-f80d1ac83d07>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.scubadiving.com/photos/brandon-cole-release-new-book
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.95069 | 381 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Japanese city of Mine opens tourism office in Taiwan
CNATAIPEI -- The city of Mine in southwestern Japan inaugurated an office in Taipei yesterday to promote tourism and trade between the city and Taiwan.
July 6, 2012, 12:57 am TWN
The office is one of the first overseas offices established by a Japanese city government to facilitate tourism and trade exchanges, Mine Mayor Hiroshi Murata told reporters after the inauguration.
He said the idea of establishing an office in Taiwan took shape after his city and Central Taiwan's Nantou County signed an agreement last year to foster closer bilateral ties.
Kazunori Furukawa, who will head the office, said the Japanese city, which has a population of a little over 28,000, decided to open the Taipei office because of the “long-term friendly relations” between the two countries.
However, he added that there has been a decline in the number of Taiwanese visitors to the city in recent years and said the city hopes to revive the number of tourists from Taiwan.
During its peak 20 years ago, close to 100,000 Taiwanese tourists visited the city in southwestern Japan's Yamaguchi Prefecture each year, said Noritaka Saito, president of a tourism association in Mine.
Last year, however, there were only around 3,000 visitors from Taiwan.
Furukawa said the office will focus on providing the local travel industry with the latest tourist information about the city.
Setting up the office will also allow officials to gain direct access to the preferences and needs of Taiwanese tourists so that they can provide services that cater specifically to tourists from Taiwan, he said.
In addition, the office will also carry out agricultural promotions, said Furukawa.
Mine is best known as the location of one of Japan's largest limestone karst plateaus — the Akiyoshidai — and of the country's longest limestone cave, the 8.9-km Akiyoshido.
|
<urn:uuid:53b913c4-9b61-4ad7-9ac2-4652581e81f2>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/business/asia-taiwan/2012/07/06/346675/Japanese-city.htm
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.956486 | 408 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Register with us or sign in
in Garden design
Sometimes when I visit gardens I find myself irresistibly drawn to the view out of the garden, as in Hidcote garden, here, where the sheep are grazing in the surrounding park and there
is a lovely view of the Malvern Hills. And in nearby Kiftsgate Manor gardens another lovely view.
In Barrington Court the Public Footpath runs through the garden so you can walk out into the view and photograph the lovely Elizabethan Court from the cow field..
From the Laing (veranda) in the Chinese Medicinal Herb garden at the Bristol botanic garden you can see a view of nearby Blaise Castle Grounds and on a good day the wind turbines at Avonmouth behind it, and the hills of south Wales beyond the Severn. This garden is to have windows in the bamboo fence to allow glimpses of the other gardens and so that those outside can peep in - a truly Chinese custom.
This is one happy bunny - you can scroll my third picture sideways!!!
How about this one:
Kirstenbosch in South Africa. I've never been there but I'd certainly like to go!
Wow! Thank you, Emma. What a backdrop, especially for those daisies from Namaqualand which we are familiar with at the Botanic Garden in Bristol. Many of the volunteers have been to these gardens on trips led by Nick Wray, the curator. We still have some flowers in the South African Garden outside but the beauties are in the Warm Temperate House. Those glorious hot colours do need great rocks to show them off and we have tried to do that with great slabs of sandstone and limestone.
|
<urn:uuid:047fab61-52a0-49f3-9481-bbad3c5c1f22>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.gardenersworld.com/forum/garden-design/views/1566.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.9311 | 352 | 1.546875 | 2 |
By RICHARD PFLUGER
The Social Security “Trust Fund”?
Every payday, workers’ wages have money taken from them for the Social Security “Trust Fund.”
The keepers of this “Trust Fund” claim that it has in excess of $2 trillion available for payments to Social Security recipients.
Now a politician (you know who) announces that Social Security recipients may not receive their monthly checks [if the debt-ceiling crisis is not resolved].
That politician (you know who) must explain what happened to the “Trust Fund.”
|
<urn:uuid:43de84e6-5400-42c5-bfa2-40b2708e5839>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.silive.com/opinion/letters/index.ssf/2011/07/what_happened_to_the_money_is.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.951825 | 126 | 1.789063 | 2 |
May 3, 2001
Rage Becomes Power in Writer’s Hands
"I still write a lot from anger," playwright Mark Medoff said. "I've wanted to flagellate the world."
Medoff, 61, is the author of the smoldering plays "When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder?" "Children of a Lesser God" and "Road to a Revolution," now at Deaf West Theatre. His intense work often rails against a world he perceives as rife with violence, racism and sexism. Several childhood memories fuel the rage, he revealed during a telephone interview from his New Mexico ranch.
As a boy, he sensed his family lived in a small Illinois town because his Jewish physician father couldn't find work anyplace else. During summers at a Jewish camp in Georgia, Medoff said bigotry was as palpable as "a compression in the air." After the family relocated to Florida, he learned that his father had to beg an official to grant him a medical license because the Jewish quota was filled. "My father cried in front of this man," the author said bitterly. "I saw him turned away from door after door. All of that has long been boiling in me."
No wonder Medoff's work rants against every kind of injustice. A shabbily dressed Vietnam veteran spurs the action in "Red Ryder," about violence and American values in the '60s. A paraplegic Jewish veteran spews bigotry in "Stumps." A deaf woman refuses to be patronized in "Children of a Lesser God," which won Medoff a Tony and was made into an Oscar-winning film.
Now comes "Road to a Revolution," in which three generations of women (some hearing, some not), face off against the backdrop of the 1988 uprising of deaf students at Gallaudet University. It's the fifth play Medoff has written for actress Phyllis Frelich; his goal, as usual, is incendiary.
"In 'Children,' there is a revolt by a deaf woman against her hearing husband," he said. "In 'Road,' the revolt leads to a kind of detente between the deaf students and the hearing board and, by extension, between hearing culture and deaf culture."
Medoff, ironically, didn't rebel against the jock culture of his Miami Beach high school. A star athlete, he remained a closet writer lest he be considered effeminate, he said. He wasn't above some smug assumptions of his own, however. "I had this clichéd vision of the deaf as those people who sold the little alphabet cards at airports," he admitted.
In the late 1970s, when colleagues told him about an amazing deaf actress named Phyllis Frelich, he thought, "Everyone was overcompensating because she was this poor, handicapped individual."
Yet hours after he had met Frelich, Medoff was so impressed that he announced he was going to write a play for her.
Frelich smiled politely. "I thought to myself, 'Yeah, sure,'" she told The Journalin sign language, speaking through her hearing husband, Bob Steinberg, a set designer. Surprisingly, Medoff came through. "But we hated the play," Frelich said. "The main character was just so furious about her deafness."
Undaunted, Medoff affably tore the pages to shreds in front of the couple and invited them to work on a new play at his New Mexico state university theater department. Frelich and Steinberg accepted the offer.
"We bought an old, rusty Ford van for $600, loaded up the kids and drove out West," Steinberg recalled. By the end of the semester, the trio had created the drama that would help put deaf theater on the map.
"Road" began when Medoff was glued to the television news of the Gallaudet uprising in 1988. When the deaf college's board elected yet another hearing president, enraged students protested and succeeded in reversing the decision. The appointment of Gallaudet's first deaf president became the cornerstone of the deaf civil rights movement. It was Medoff's kind of story.
He initially envisioned a film (he wrote the screenplays of "Clara's Heart" and "City of Joy"), but was rejected at every studio in town. In one meeting, a young executive told Medoff, "There's already been a deaf movie." The disgusted author eventually decided to develop the story as a play.
It's not just a piece about deaf people, he insists. While the play focuses on the Gallaudet uprising, the character of Edna (Frelich), who is initially timid, reminds Medoff of his father, hat in hand, in the Florida state official's office. "She is like all my relatives who were afraid of their own shadow, afraid to offend, to present their positions as Jews," he said. "But the play is universal. It could be about the Latino experience or any other experience, because everyone feels isolated and the need to rebel at some point in their lives."
For tickets to the show, which runs through May 27, call (818) 762-2773 or 762-2782 (TTY).
|
<urn:uuid:c4671598-46e4-4aa8-b283-8e12d81d22f4>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.jewishjournal.com/articles/print/rage_becomes_power_in_writers_hands_20010504
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.988448 | 1,080 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Reader D.C. recommends the Japan Chernobyl Foundation as a charity for victims of the earthquake and nuclear disaster. He writes:
“For 20 years, JCF has specialized in providing medical aid to radiation disaster victims, with a special emphasis on helping children. It is a reputable charitable organization and one of only a small number of nonprofit organizations granted official NPO status by the Japanese National Tax Agency.
“More complete information, including an explanation of how a portion of contributions may qualify as a tax- deductible gift in Japan, is available on JCF’s Japanese-language page. English-language information is also available.
Interested in volunteering?
At this time, most organizations are still not accepting volunteers; however, there are a few looking for assistance, including volunteers from overseas. Keep in mind you will most likely need to provide your own transportation to Japan and to the organization’s base, and also may be required to take care of your own meals and lodging arrangements (e.g. tents in the affected areas) wherever you go. Please check each organization’s website for details and contact information.
Peace Boat is accepting volunteers to provide meals and help at evacuation sites, and they are also requesting help to transport relief supplies to the Tohoku region. Crash Japan needs drivers with trucks to transport supplies.
Jhelp is looking for anyone able to help on site in the Sendai area.
HOPE International Development Agency is accepting volunteers in the Nagoya area — please contact for more information.
Habitat for Humanity is planning long-term relief work. They particularly want to recruit volunteers living in Japan, but those outside of Japan may be considered as well.
A website recently set up called Japan Volunteers has been listing information about donations and volunteering, including links to some of the organizations above, among several others.
As mentioned previously, if you are in Japan, you can also check out a spreadsheet (in English) of Prefectural Volunteer Organizations (thanks to AJET, Smile Kids Japan). Note that not all PVOs are accepting volunteers, and for many, some level of Japanese-language ability may be required. Contact Avalyn Beare or Michael Maher King at [email protected] with general inquiries.
If you know of any other organizations not listed here and currently accepting volunteers, please let us know.
Reader P.S. writes: “Dr. Rupert Sheldrake (a U.K.-based biologist/author) is researching animal earthquake prediction. Did anyone notice any strange behavior before the tragic events of the earthquake and tsunami?” I asked some folks on Twitter if they noticed anything strange about their pets prior to the quake, and here is what they had to say:
@kimnsin: “Everyone says that [animals behave strangely before earthquakes or other disasters], but [my dog] didn’t act any different beforehand. Last night, he was asleep just like me.”
@jgtokyo: “No, my cat and I looked at each other in fright at exactly the same time when the earthquake hit Tokyo. But now she’s very unsettled.”
@Step_Learning: “During the big quake one cat was growling. Last night they both were staring at the doors before the doors started shaking.”
@innocencewalker: “My friend, @pixiebell, said, ‘My dog didn’t act any different before or during the quake …’ She was in Tokyo.”
@inspiringthedawn: “No, our two cats were woken by the shaking but didn’t move from their respective corners of the sofa. They sat up and looked around and at me while the shaking lasted but otherwise seemed unperturbed.”
If your pet(s) acted strangely before the earthquake and tsunami, you can e-mail your story to [email protected].
|
<urn:uuid:ec70f416-e751-42d9-ba05-acef6eac0873>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2011/04/05/community/quake-aid-pet-predictions/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.955095 | 826 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Mom, did we have to leave California so far behind?
MORGY MAKES HIS MOVE By Maggie Lewis Illustrated by Michael Chesworth Houghton MifflinSkip to next paragraph
Subscribe Today to the Monitor
Youngsters will find "Morgy Makes His Move," by first-time author Maggie Lewis a cozy read. Although it deals with a third grader's angst about moving, fitting in, and being bullied, it's also about warm-hearted friendships, families, and neighborhoods.
Morgy MacDougal-MacDuff misses his old home in sun-drenched California. Now that he's a resident of Puckett Corner, Mass., Morgy is full of misgivings. His new school doesn't have a playground; kids laugh at his name; and fifth-grader Ferguson is picking on him.
But things aren't really as bad as they seem. In early fall, classmate Byron Noonan befriends Morgy, and by Thanksgiving, the whole Noonan clan has embraced Morgy and his family - even Savanna, Morgy's wildly creative and somewhat irresponsible aunt. Her visit brings unwonted excitement to the holiday, as well as some good advice about making friends. When a huge snowstorm hits, everyone comes together in neighborly camaraderie.
Autumn and Thanksgiving give way to the hustle of winter. Amid hockey lessons, a winter fair, and preparations for new additions to Morgy's household, relationships among schoolchildren, their parents, and other adults build realistically to create a satisfying sense of community.
When young readers move from picture books to independent reading, chapter books furnish a perfect transition. This tightly written volume has eight short chapters, each approximately 10 pages long. Chapters are illustrated with one - and sometimes two - appealing, full-page, black-and-white paintings by Michael Chesworth. Grade-schoolers will appreciate the pacing, events, and humor in "Morgy Makes His Move," and adults will be pleased to have such a wholesome book to put in their child's hands.
Although this is Lewis's first children's book, she's no newcomer to the field of writing and editing. Some long-time Monitor readers may remember her as a former staff writer and editor of the Home Forum page.
*Karen Carden writes regularly about children's book for the Monitor.
(c) Copyright 2000. The Christian Science Publishing Society
|
<urn:uuid:b261f357-2197-45fe-a077-6e8bdbbcc76b>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.csmonitor.com/2000/0106/p20s2.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.964362 | 498 | 1.710938 | 2 |
The use of ultrasonic energy or ultrasound is commonly associated with seeing small glimpses of tiny babies inside the mother’s womb. Now, technology allowed ultrasound to be utilized as a fat zapping tool in cosmetic procedures through the method of Vaser Liposelection.
Vaser Liposelection is a recent development in the world of cosmetic procedures directly related to liposuction, fat removal and body contouring methods. It combines the basic technique of traditional liposuction and the gentle but potent energy of ultrasound to efficiently liquefy and remove fat from the body without causing excessive trauma to the targeted area’s nerves and tissues.
Due to the minimized risks of blood loss and tissue damage, long recovery periods became a thing of the past with this procedure. This is achieved by first injecting saline solution into the targeted area to produce a numbing effect as well as shrink the blood vessels to reduce blood loss and bruising. Fat tissues are then broken up and liquefied using ultrasound energy. After unwanted fat tissues are melted, they will then be gently suctioned from the target area using a special cannula attached to a vacuum. The procedure in its entirety is designed to protect surrounding nerves and tissues from excessive trauma, to minimize damage and bruising; therefore, recovery period is significantly shortened in comparison to traditional liposuction.
Unlike other kinds of body contouring methods which are banned from sensitive areas such as the chin and neck, Vaser Liposelection is safe to use on any body areas with stubborn fat deposit.
Cosmetic procedures such as this target only specific areas of the body for fat removal. As such, although it can effectively remove targeted fat deposits and contour the area for a slimmer effect, it cannot be utilized as a means to achieve effective and sustainable weight loss. Surgeons recommend this procedure for those who are not excessively overweight but suffer from stubborn fat deposits in certain areas of the body that no amount of diet and exercise can eliminate.
|
<urn:uuid:59b2cef1-3080-4eba-ade5-8930474c90b3>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.cosmetic-surgery-abroad.org/cosmetic-procedures.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.943415 | 397 | 1.75 | 2 |
Concerned about the negative effects of alcohol sales and responding to pressure from neighborhood groups, the New Orleans City Council for many years has used moratoriums and interim zoning districts to prohibit the issuance of new alcohol permits even in commercially zoned areas where such sales normally would be permitted.
The interim measures prohibit city officials from issuing permits for new bars, cocktail lounges or package liquor stores or even for restaurants or grocery stores seeking to sell alcohol. The council, however, can approve waivers to the bans.
Much of Thursday's council meeting was taken up with such waiver appeals and with requests for regular conditional-use permits to sell alcohol in eastern New Orleans or the Lower 9th Ward. The council, acting in each case on the recommendation of Councilman Jon Johnson, approved two requests and rejected two others.
In addition, again at Johnson's request, the council passed yet another temporary moratorium on new alcohol permits in the Lower 9th Ward. The moratorium, to remain in effect for one year, covers the entire neighborhood except along Florida Avenue.
Such moratoriums do not affect businesses that already have liquor permits and are currently open, though they can prevent businesses from regaining permits if they temporarily close.
The council took these actions, all by unanimous votes:
It agreed to let Deanie's Restaurant at 7350 Hayne Blvd. continue selling alcoholic beverages with meals. Deanie's has been open for many years and was one of the first businesses in eastern New Orleans to reopen after Hurricane Katrina. It needed a waiver from the alcohol permits moratorium in council District D because the permit is being transferred from one family member to another.
Although Deanie's is in Councilwoman Cynthia Hedge-Morrell's district, Johnson handled the matter because Hedge-Morrell was absent Thursday.
It rejected an appeal to the alcohol permits moratorium in District E for St. Maurice's Grocery at 5467 St. Claude Ave. Owner Trung Nguyen wanted permission to sell packaged alcohol for off-premises consumption.
Johnson said there are two stores selling liquor two blocks away and most neighbors don't want more -- a position endorsed by nearby resident Jean Anderson and several other residents in the audience who loudly applauded both her and Johnson's comments.
Johnson criticized the City Planning Commission for recommending approval of the waiver request and said the commission should "look a lot closer" at all requests for alcohol permits. "There's a new day in this community, not just in District E but citywide, about bringing certain kinds of businesses into these neighborhoods and about bringing a number of alcoholic beverage permits into certain neighborhoods to a greater extent than are needed," Johnson said.
It approved a conditional-use permit sought by Michoud Seafood, a fast food restaurant at 4952 Bullard Ave., to sell alcohol with take-out meals, though Johnson added a provision limiting the sales to beer.
In this case, the planning commission recommended denying the permit, but Johnson led the council in overriding it, saying he had received no opposition from the immediate neighborhood.
It rejected a conditional-use permit sought by the operators of a gas station and convenience store at 7358 Read Blvd. The permit would have allowed the sale of alcohol for off-premises consumption. The planning commission and Johnson were on the same side this time.
Former Lt. Gov. and Councilman Jimmy Fitzmorris spoke on behalf of operator Naveed Khan, a friend of his who he said has improved the appearance of the site. Fitzmorris said it was the first time he has appeared before the council on a zoning issue since he left the body in 1972, but Johnson turned him down, saying the site is across the street from a preschool and near another alcohol outlet.
Johnson said one affected neighborhood organization narrowly supported the request, but another neighborhood group unanimously opposed it.
Bruce Eggler can be reached at [email protected] or 504.826.3320.
|
<urn:uuid:48aefc0c-8932-4388-8a67-436adec8eae3>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2010/07/council_looks_at_alcohol_sales.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.964667 | 798 | 1.570313 | 2 |
THE FUTURE OF BABYLON | World Monuments Fund.
Another interesting website regarding the rebuilding of Babylon. Important information in relation to Prophecy.
Also read the following by Joel C. Rosenberg.
IRAQ REBUILDING ITS MILITARY, EVEN AS THEY REBUILD BABYLON: Prophetic significance?
Posted: April 13, 2012 in Uncategorized
Bible prophecy indicates that in the End Times, the nation we know today as the Republic of Iraq — known variously in Scripture as Babel, Babylon, Babylonia, Mesopotamia and Shinar — will emerge as the global center of wealth, power and terrible evil. Eventually Iraq will pose a direct and existential threat to the State of Israel, particularly during the Tribulation.
Since the fall of Saddam Hussein and his regime in 2003, Iraq has not been a regional threat, much less a danger to Israel. Some have assumed, therefore, that Iraq would no longer play a major role in Middle Eastern or global affairs in the future. But such a conclusion would be a mistake. As I wrote about in my first non-fiction book, Epicenter, those who read, understand and believe Bible prophecy have been watching for Iraq to: 1) begin rebuilding its offensive military capability; 2) begin rebuilding its economy; 3) continue rebuilding the ancient city of Babylon into a major center of commerce and tourism.
Interestingly, all three developments are currently underway.
IRAQ IS REBUILDING ITS MILITARY
Now that the Iraqi government has forced the American military out of their country, they have embarked on a dramatic arms build-up, including the purchase of American weapons systems that could be used for offensive purposes in the future. Examples:
- The Iraqis are buying 140 state-of-the-art American M1A1 combat tanks. “The Government of Iraq has purchased 140 tanks from the United States, all of which have arrived in Iraq,” reports an Iraqi business website. “131 of those tanks are already in the possession of the Iraqi Army. The nine remaining tanks are in Iraq, but in U.S. possession.”
- The Iraqis are buying 36 advanced American F-16 fighter jets. “Israel is monitoring Iraq’s rearmament program, particularly Bahgdad’s acquisition of 36 Lockheed Martin F-16s, with some disquiet amid intelligence reports Iran is consolidating its influence in Iraq following the U.S. military withdrawal,” reports UPI. “Baghdad ordered the F-16 Block 52 multi-role Fighting Falcon jets — enough to equip the Iraqi air force’s first two fighter squadrons — in two 18-plane batches in 2011 at an estimated total cost of $7 billion.”
- In 2010, the Iraqis embarked on a $13 billion weapons spending spree. “Iraq is preparing to buy as much as $13 billion in American arms and military equipment, a huge order of tanks, ships and hardware that U.S. officials say shows Iraqi-U.S. military ties will be tight for years to come,” reported USA Today. “‘It helps to build their capabilities, first and foremost; and second, it builds our strategic relationship for the future,’ said Army Lt. Gen. Michael Barbero, the ranking U.S. officer responsible for training and advising Iraq forces.”
IRAQ IS REBUILDING ITS ECONOMY
Now that the war of liberation is over and most of Iraq has been pacified and stabilized from the terrorist insurgency, Iraq’s economy is not only growing but is poised for hyper-growth. Analysts expect Iraq’s GDP to grow by more than 9% annually for the next few years, and expect Iraq’s oil production to nearly triple by 2017.
- “Iraq’s gross domestic product is expected to grow by an average rate of at least 9.4 percent annually between 2012 and 2016 as the oil-producing country benefits from larger windfalls in oil revenues, a senior central bank official said [in February],” reports Reuters. ”Iraq, which has the fourth-biggest oil reserves in the world, is currently producing around 2.9 million barrels per day (bpd). Iraq’s oil minister said last year he expected production to reach between 8-8.5 million bpd by 2017.”
- Some analysts within the Iraqi Planning Ministry believe Iraq could reach a 47% growth rate by 2017, once the oil starts flowing fast and furious.
- More and more major international companies are signing deals to do business in Iraq — see this intriguing list published by Reuters, published in December 2011.
- In 2011, ExxonMobil — the world’s largest oil company — signed a major deal to help develop the oil industry in Iraq’s northern region of Kurdistan. Despite the fact being mired in some political controversy, the deal is likely to be fully ratified in the not-too-distant future.
- Also in 2011, Royal Dutch Shell signed a $17 billion deal to help Iraq develop its enormous lucrative oil industry in its southern regions.
- In 2010, the Iraqi government ratified four other major oil deals.
IRAQ IS REBUILDING THE CITY OF BABYLON
Largely overlooked by Westerners is the fact that the government of Iraq is moving forward with plans to protect the archaeological remains of the ancient City of Babylon, in preparation for building a modern city of Babylon. As I wrote in 2009, the project — originally started by the late Saddam Hussein — is aimed eventually at attracting scores of “cultural tourists” from all over the world to see the glories of Mesopotamia’s most famous city. What’s more, the Obama Administration has actually helped contribute U.S. taxpayer dollars to “The Future of Babylon Project” through the State Department’s budget. Read more at the World Monuments Fund website for the rebuilding Babylong project.
In 2011, I noted that the New York Times had published an intriguing article on Iraqi efforts to preserve, protect, restore and then rebuild the ancient city of Babylon and make it a draw for tourists, with U.S. taxpayer assistance. The Times reports that a modern Babylon museum will open later this month. Times’ reporter Steven Lee Myers also posted a fascinating four minute video walking through some of the rebuilt ruins of Babylon, and explaining Iraqi efforts to protect and restore numerous Biblical sites.
“The Babylon project is Iraq’s biggest and most ambitious by far, a reflection of the ancient city’s fame and its resonance in Iraq’s modern political and cultural heritage,” the Times reported, noting that “in November, the State Department announced a new $2 million grant to begin work to preserve the site’s most impressive surviving ruins. They include the foundation of the Ishtar Gate, built in the sixth century B.C. by Nebuchadnezzar’s father, Nabopolassar, and adorned with brick reliefs of the Babylonian gods Marduk and Adad.”
“The American reconstruction team has refurbished a modern museum on the site, as well as a model of the Ishtar Gate that for decades served as a visitors’ entrance. Inside the museum is one of the site’s most valuable relics: a glazed brick relief of a lion, one of 120 that once lined the processional way into the city. The museum, with three galleries, is scheduled to open this month, receiving its first visitors since 2003. And with new security installed, talks are under way to return ancient Babylonian artifacts from the National Museum in Baghdad. The fate of Babylon is already being disputed by Iraqi leaders, with antiquities officials clashing with local authorities over when to open it to visitors and how to exploit the site for tourism that, for the most part, remains a goal more than a reality. Even now they are clashing over whether the admission fee should go to the antiquities board or the provincial government.”
(Photo by New York Times: Iraqi women walking through the city of Babylon that is currently being rebuilt.)
|
<urn:uuid:e16a410d-1744-4247-838f-1b5b56b76d21>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://sharinhislove.wordpress.com/category/iraq/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.951816 | 1,707 | 1.8125 | 2 |
ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN A RECESSION
Economists say that when the economy takes a dive, it is common for people to turn to their inner entrepreneur to try to make their own work. The task of finding a job is daunting and, in turn, encouraging many entrepreneurs to make work for themselves. Even in prosperous times, entrepreneurs have a daunting failure rate. Entrepreneurship in recession is designed to capture best practices for launching a business during a recession.
Entrepreneurship in a Recession is part of Business Exchange, suggested by Kyleen (Hamill) Fishwick. This topic contains 1,037 news and 91 blog items. Read updated news, blogs, and resources about Entrepreneurship in a Recession. Find user-submitted articles and reactions on Entrepreneurship in a Recession from like-minded professionals.
Job listings related to this topic.
Entrepreneurship in a Recession: JOBS
Most Active Articles in this Topic
The most succesful people take small, smart steps toward their goals...and they don't over-plan.
Forbes.com. Added on May 19, 2013
Looking for a list of the best movie lines about entrepreneurial business? Here it is.
Forbes.com. Added on March 10, 2013
Entrepreneurs are risk adverse, contrary to conventional wisdom. You need to look no further than...
Forbes.com. Added on February 27, 2013
Not against their VC overlords, mind you. No, calling themselves Pigeons (The Fleeced) they staged...
j.mp. Added on October 8, 2012
|
<urn:uuid:68d9f776-d97b-41ed-a8d3-5152643d3adb>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://bx.businessweek.com/entrepreneurship-in-a-recession/jobs/page21/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.946406 | 332 | 1.796875 | 2 |
In the Garden:
Northern California Coastal & Inland Valleys
Fuchias bring back fond memories of my grandmother's garden.
To me, gardening is as compelling as breathing. My husband thinks gardening is sadistic torture, a sad residue from his youth when he had to mow the 1/3-acre lawn with a manual push mower. Why do parents do this to kids? He takes no joy whatsoever in watching things grow, although he will eat whatever I bring home from the garden (with the exception of cilantro).
On the other hand, I took up gardening late in life. My grandmother ran a small nursery called Borgone's Begonias, where she specialized in begonias and fuchsias. My cousin and I were much more interested in popping the fat fuchsia buds than tending and nurturing the plants. I do remember being fascinated by the bleeding heart (Dicentra) that grew in abundance along her driveway. The graceful arching stems with their multitude of delicate pink hearts were enchanting to at least one little girl's imagination.
I also loved spending time in her old wooden greenhouse, where the air was humid and heavy even on the coldest winter day. Small frogs and confused butterflies were often to be found under the benches. My grandmother's greenhouse was filled with a mish-mash of plants in the process of propagation, but what I loved best were the big "pet" plants she kept there.
A huge staghorn fern filled one entire corner; it must have been 50 years old. A string of hearts (Ceropegia woodii) hung from one of the rafters, which was so big you couldn't get your arms around it. I still have a piece of that plant, although every time I hang it outside, it gets stolen (I always keep a few cuttings going in my office). I have also kept a cutting from a Monstera that grew along the back wall of her greenhouse. The leaves were as big as cartwheels, and it produced a strange banana-shaped fruit that smelled like strawberries.
The outside of the greenhouse was covered in an ancient Clematis armandi. The dark green waxy leaves were the perfect backdrop for the white blossoms. It looked like a butterfly convention when it was in bloom. A peony grew beside the clematis with gigantic pink flowers. The old Bing cherry tree was a treat for the entire family. It stood in the middle of the yard and provided shade for the collection of potted ferns. On summer evenings, we would sit on the swing bench and eat those fat black cherries until our tummies were bursting and our fingers were purple.
On the other side of the greenhouse and through the rickety wooden gate was the cactus garden where Charlie the blind chicken lived with his seeing-eye duck companion. Those two birds were inseparable and slept together in the wood shed. The cactus garden always seemed off-limits, perhaps because it was behind the gate and the private territory of the two mysterious birds.
My cousins and I played in our grandmother's garden and found it to be a place of magic and discovery. There were no lawns for us to mow, only clean white sheets blowing in the breeze to serve as secret tents.
Yeas later, I worked side-by-side with Papa to prune the Concord grapes that grew on the arbor covering the driveway. His masterful (if heavy) hand at pruning taught me the art of selection and removal. Helping my grandmother propagate cuttings taught me to relish the alchemy of creating new life.
The greenhouse has long since fallen down, the Bing cherry tree is but a memory, and my grandmother is in that big garden in the sky. But the gifts that came from that little nursery have lasted a lifetime and provided a very comfortable living for this old gardener. Keep your hands in the soil and you will be connected to the earth. As Martha would say, "That's a very good thing."
Care to share your gardening thoughts, insights, triumphs, or disappointments with your fellow gardening enthusiasts? Join the lively discussions on our FaceBook page and receive free daily tips!
|
<urn:uuid:c28b4380-e310-4430-b262-9bcf83657130>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.garden.org/regional/report/arch/inmygarden/2135
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.978211 | 868 | 1.523438 | 2 |
By now, you must have seen that our web site is thotofthis.com. For the curious minds, here is the story on how we landed with that name. As you know, Thot Of This revolves around the sparks (thoughts, comments, reactions) from your mind when you come across some content on the Internet. Or in short, “you read something and think of something related to it” . Now that description is right, but not exactly catchy. So after some more brainstorming we landed with “Read that and thought of this”. Some whois searches and yes, thoughtofthis.com is available! So we took that one. But the team was still not fully satisfied, coz thoughtofthis.com is too long and prone to being mis-typed. Besides, denoting them sparks as “thoughts” would take too much space on Web pages, the resident usability experts pointed out. So after some more discussion and coffee, we came up with thot. That’s short enough. But there is more to it. You see, t-h-o-t is recursive acronym for Thot Of This. That’s like PHP if you will. To make that connection even more apparent, sometimes we also write it as ThOT.
So there you have it, the official story of origin of Thot.
|
<urn:uuid:891914c8-d246-4332-a3fc-4d99315e8187>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://blog.thotofthis.com/2011/04/geeky-side-of-thot.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.96818 | 290 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Earlier this afternoon, Sens. David Vitter (R-LA) and Robert Bennett (R-UT) made a pitch for their amendment to the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill that would require the US Census Bureau to add a question about immigration status to its 2010 survey. Vitter and Bennett both adamantly claimed that Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Oregon, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina would all lose federal representatives if undocumented immigrants are not singled out and excluded from congressional apportionment decisions:
VITTER: Under the federal plan, the way the Census is designed, the US House would be reapportioned counting illegal aliens. States that have large populations of illegals would be rewarded for that. Other states — including my homestate of Louisiana — would be penalized…if you vote against this amendment, you’re voting against the interests of your state…we should not award states for having large illegal populations and penalize states who do not.
BENNETT: If we have this tremendous number of illegal aliens concentrated in a few states, we have an impact of changing the one-man one-vote dictum of the Supreme Court. That is, a state with a large number of illegal immigrants will see to it that its voters have greater representation than voters where the illegal immigrants are not.
In a recently released report, the Drum Major Institute (DMI) points out that “concerns about ‘vote dilution’ are misplaced.” The Fourteenth Amendment clearly stipulates that representation should be determined by “counting the whole number of persons in each State,” or in another words, an indiscriminate population count. The purpose of including non-voters is to paint an accurate portrait of a state’s demographic makeup and population density that’s key to effective and adequate representation. Currently, children, ex-felons, legal residents, and several other nonvoters are also included in the census apportionment data.
While Bennett insists that his amendment will not affect funding formulas, he fails to take into account that most undocumented immigrants will probably be deterred from responding to the Census if there is a question about their immigration status. That wouldn’t be such a big deal if census data weren’t also used to efficiently distribute federal funding and Community Development Block Grants that benefit all residents. According to DMI, non-participation of undocumented immigrants could lead to inaccurate demographic information and result in costly mistakes in infrastructure, education, and healthcare planning.
Ultimately, it’s pretty counter-intuitive that Bennett and Vitter are supposedly arguing on behalf of many of the states that have benefited from a recent influx of undocumented immigrants. This past April, the Pew Hispanic Research Center released a report showing that undocumented immigrants are “more geographically dispersed than in the past.” While California’s 42% share of undocumented immigrants in 1990 declined to 22% in 2008, the state of North Carolina has become “a new immigrant destination” and is now home to approximately 350,000 undocumented immigrants. Meanwhile, immigration has accounted for 75% of the midwest’s population growth, which has helped counter the region’s overall population decline. In the case of Vitter’s homestate, migrants have given Louisiana a much-needed population boost and helped rebuild its infrastructure following the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Taken together, all of this information indicates that Senators from the states that Vitter listed might be shooting themselves in the foot if they vote for his amendment considering the fact that it would eliminate the inclusion of a growing population in the apportionment of their congressional seats and impede an accurate Census count which their state funding depends on.
|
<urn:uuid:e2d31248-db22-4be0-9746-3a7bb1159426>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://thinkprogress.org/security/issue/?m=20091007&mobile=nc
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.954915 | 774 | 1.625 | 2 |
Jewish World Review July 13, 2000 /11 Tamuz, 5760
What's so glamorous, however, about the setting for Big Brother - 1,800-square-foot house hastily assembled in the CBS parking lot in Studio City, Calif.? Television, it seems, has traveled all the way from Little House on the Prairie to Little House on the Parking Lot.
Nearly 2 million people live in the smoggy, middle-class San Fernando Valley, but how many of them see their lives as a scintillating adventure worthy of broadcast for five nights each week on a major television network?
It's the setup of Big Brother, not the setting, that intrigues Americans. We're simultaneously appalled and fascinated by the idea of 10 strangers forced to share two bedrooms and one bath, cut off from the world for 90 days while cameras monitor their every move and viewers vote to evict them, one by one. They may not feel forced to butcher rats in the grand Survivor tradition, but there's something even more daring, even more dangerous, about the forced intimacy in this new situation.
Most commentators emphasize the show's exploitation of the voyeur in all of us, its visceral connection to the deep-seated and eternal human urge to snoop. I believe that it takes advantage of a more worrisome desire in the contemporary psyche: our need to overcome an overwhelming sense of loneliness and isolation. The situation of Big Brother - and all other "reality" shows for that matter - forces people to talk to one another.
For most of us, this is an exotic, profoundly adventurous idea, since we spend much of our time studiously avoiding precisely that sort of contact. Many Americans could now name and identify a dozen or more of the contestants on Survivor. But could you name and identify a dozen or more people who live on your own street?
Our current prosperity may have allowed new millions to achieve elements of the American Dream, but instead of guaranteeing our happiness, our material success too often has ensured our isolation. We strive for bigger homes, with bigger yards, higher fences - and, above all, more privacy. To afford these dream houses (and the comfortable cars that drive us to work in glorious solitude), we toil away for impossible hours and eagerly embrace two-career families - leaving less and less time for daily communication.
You've probably heard friends and neighbors complain of their exhaustion; at the same time they arrange similarly demanding schedules for their kids in the hopes of ensuring success for the next generation.
As youngsters rush from school to soccer practice, from karate class to crushing homework, from Boy Scouts to ballet, they become strangers to their parents. Even within our own homes, we tend toward separation - the latest studies suggest that nearly 60% of U.S. households have computers or TVs in the bedrooms - so that each family member can sit back and watch Big Brother all by himself.
The irony in all of this is both painful and obvious. We tune in to watch programs such as Big Brother that show us the raw, emotional, intense, messy, irresistible, daily human interaction that we seldom experience ourselves - in part because we're so busy watching Big Brother.
Recent figures from the Department of Education suggest that the average American child between the ages of 2 and 18 spends 1,500 hours a year watching television. That same child spends an average of 75 hours a year speaking with parents.
No wonder we feel so powerfully attracted to artificial situations in which various characters in ridiculously close quarters must talk and compete and negotiate without interruption or escape.
The only bright side of Peeping Tom TV involves the possibility that such programming might inspire some constructive imitation in real life.
Imagine the benefits if every family spent a few hours each week recreating the radical ground rules of Big Brother: no contact with outsiders, no cross-town appointments, no phone calls, no e-mail, no television, no avoiding face-to-face contact and conversation with the other members of the household. As a matter of fact, some Mormons already practice such restrictions with their "family home evenings" on Monday nights. My Mormon friends tell me that few rituals of their faith help more substantially in nourishing the bonds of family life.
By the same token, religious Jews have incorporated elements of the Big Brother set up in their weekly lives for thousands of years. Our traditional Sabbath rules prohibit driving, so even if you're not locked in your home you're limited to your neighborhood and to those familiar faces within walking distance. With 25 hours per week of no phones or faxes or electronic media of any kind, conversation and interaction are virtually assured. Even if children and parents, husbands and wives, strive mightily to avoid one another during the week, it's difficult to do so on Saturdays in Sabbath-observing families.
Another factor of religious life echoes the intensity of such television spectacles as Big Brother. On the TV shows, the participants know that at all times, cameras monitor their moves and microphones catch their words; anything they do or say may turn up as part of a broadcast to a massive audience. In faith-based homes, family members also know that their actions and conversations constantly will be monitored.
But the viewer
involved in watching every detail of our behavior is even more important
and powerful than the eager millions who will tune in every night on
JWR contributor, author and film critic
Michael Medved, a "survivor" of his own family with three
hosts a daily three-hour radio talk show
broadcast in more than 120 cities throughout the United States. His latest book, written together with his wife, is Saving Childhood : Protecting Our Children from the National Assault on Innocence . He also participated as a conspicuously successful competitor on The GE College Bowl in 1968 on NBC.
You may contact him by clicking here.
06/30/00: Why we love quiz-show geeks
|
<urn:uuid:a57872ac-24cc-425b-ab37-953f16d2f815>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://jewishworldreview.com/cols/medved071300.asp
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.952146 | 1,206 | 1.703125 | 2 |
US President Barack Obama proposed a new assault weapons ban and mandatory background checks for all gun buyers today in a bid to channel national outrage over the Newtown school massacre into the biggest US gun-control push in generations.
Rolling out a wide-ranging plan for executive and legislative action to curb gun violence, Obama set up a fierce clash with the powerful U.S. gun lobby and its supporters in Congress, who are expected to resist what they see as an encroachment on constitutionally protected gun rights.
Obama presented his agenda at a White House event in front of an audience that included children from around the country, a poignant reminder of the 20 first-graders who were killed along with six adults by a lone gunman on Dec. 14 at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.
"While reducing gun violence is a complicated challenge, protecting our children from harm shouldn't be a divisive one," Obama said.
Until now, Obama had done little to rein in America's weapons culture during his first four years in office. But just days before his second inauguration, he appears determined to champion gun control in his next term with a concerted drive for tighter laws and other steps aimed at preventing further tragedies like the one at Newtown.
The proposals stem from a month-long review led by Vice President Joe Biden, who on orders from Obama met with advocates on both sides, including representatives from the weapons and entertainment industries.
Obama's plan calls on Congress for a renewed prohibition on assault weapons sales that expired in 2004, a requirement for criminal background checks on all gun purchases, including closing a loophole for gun show sales, and a new federal gun trafficking law - long sought by big-city mayors to keep out-of-state guns off their streets.
He also announced 23 steps he intends to take immediately without congressional approval. These include improvements in the existing system for background checks, lifting the ban on federal research into gun violence, putting more counselors and "resource officers" in schools and improved access to mental health services.
The most politically contentious piece of the package is Obama's call for a renewed ban on military-style assault weapons, a move that Republicans who control the House of Representatives are expected to oppose.
The Newtown gunman, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, used a Bushmaster AR-15 assault rifle to shoot his victims, many of them 6- and 7-year-olds, before killing himself.
Underscoring the tough political fight ahead, the National Rifle Association, launching a scathing advertising campaign against Obama's gun control effort and deployed its representatives in force on Capitol Hill.
The NRA, which says it has about 4 million members, took aim at Obama in a stinging TV and Internet spot, accusing him of being "just another elitist hypocrite" for accepting Secret Service protection for his two daughters but turning down the lobby group's proposal to put armed guards in all schools.
Obama's plan appears to tread cautiously on the question of whether violent movies and video games contribute to the gun violence, which would open up issues of freedom of expression.
A senior administration official said, however, that Obama would be asking for $10 million for the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study the root causes of gun violence, including any relationship to video games and media images.
|
<urn:uuid:dd4c3307-06ef-4386-9c11-53d2a704bc06>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.independent.ie/world-news/obama-unveils-biggest-guncontrol-push-in-generations-28959408.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.964328 | 670 | 1.84375 | 2 |
What 'Star Wars' in 3D Means to George Lucas
It might seem like a no-brainer, but the decision to convert the six Star Wars movies into 3D wasn’t an easy one for producer, director, writer and movie mogul George Lucas.
For Lucas, it was never just about finding another way to exploit the same pictures that have already been in theaters several times (grossing more than $4.4 billion in worldwide box office since 1977) and on home video (where they have raked in more than $3.8 billion).
The biggest reason to do it, Lucas told The Hollywood Reporter recently, was to give a new generation an opportunity to see the movies on the big screen in a theater, the way he always intended.
“Star Wars is one of those films — old films — that was designed for the big screen,” he said. “It makes a big difference to see it on the big screen with the overwhelming sound, the picture and now 3D. We’ve had two generations be able to see it on the big screen and it was great. Now kids who have never seen it on the big screen, who have no idea how powerful it was — because all they had was DVD — have that chance.”
Whether there is still a huge market for movies widely available on video, cable and free TV for years will be clear Friday when Star Wars: Episode 1 — The Phantom Menace opens in more than 2,500 North American theaters in 3D and in selected countries around the world.
To sweeten the appeal, Lucasfilm and Fox have worked to make the rerelease an event. At all AMC theaters nationwide, fans who buy digital 3D tickets the first weekend will get a Hasbro Star Wars Fighter Pod toy (one per ticket while supplies last). At select AMC locations, there also will be special events including a Lego feature area, Darth Maul face-painting, costumed character appearances, pod-racer 3D glasses and demonstrations of an upcoming Xbox Kinect Star Wars game.
The plan, said Lucas, is to release one Star Wars movie each year for the next five years. While some believe Phantom Menace is one of the weaker movies in the series and a poor choice to kick off the rerelease, Lucas believes they should be seen in the order that he has assigned them (though they were made and released in a different order).
The studio handling the release for Lucasfilm agrees with his plan. “Star Wars has always been a communal experience, an experience that people want to share — not just across generations, but with their friends,” said Jim Gianopulos, co-chairman and co-CEO of 20th Century Fox. “There’s a whole generation that wasn’t born the last time we released the film theatrically. Those were huge successes at the time. Now we had the chance to do it again through the advent of 3D technology, to add a dimension so to speak, literally and figuratively, to that experience.”
Lucas said at first, he “wasn’t a giant fan of 3D. The process was very difficult, and it wasn’t something that I felt that much affection for. I just didn’t think the effect was worth it. It was all about the effects and putting everything right out there. The idea of going to a movie and having people stick things in your face just because of an effect or the trick of it wasn’t really that interesting to me.”
In 2005, Lucas joined fellow film directors including James Cameron and Robert Zemeckis for a presentation at the ShoWest movie exhibitor’s convention in Las Vegas to convince the people who own and run theaters to make the multimillion-dollar conversion from analog film projection to digital presentation.
To help make the point, Lucas oversaw the conversion of 10 minutes of one of the Star Wars movies to digital 3D. His point to theater owners was that 3D, which can bring in new audiences and justify higher ticket prices, is only possible after they make the switch to digital projection.
To his surprise, when he saw the 10 minutes on a theater screen, he said to himself, “ ‘Hey, this actually looks better. This is actually more interesting to me. The three-dimension is actually the better way of looking at things,’” he recalled. “So I got converted at that point.”
However, there was not yet an installed base of digital 3D in theaters and he didn’t feel the technology was fully developed yet. “The company that did the test for us wasn’t really up for primetime and doing the whole movie,” said Lucas. "We worked with them for years, and we worked with WETA and Peter Jackson to help do King Kong, but it wasn’t ready. We needed it to be really good.”
During the next couple of years, Lucasfilm’s special effects company Industrial Light & Magic moved into digital animated 3D production, which added to Lucas’s knowledge — yet he still wasn’t ready. Then he saw what Cameron had done with Avatar in 3D and had a revelation. “I realized that movies that have a lot of CG characters worked a lot better in 3D because the CG characters actually became real.”
Lucas had been frustrated when he had to use puppet models, or even with CG in live action movies, because it never seemed quite real. As a result of what he saw with Avatar, Lucas went on to redo the character of Yoda for the Blu-ray rerelease of Phantom Menace in December; and that is the version of the movie that has been converted to 3D for theaters.
“We decided now is the time to do it,” said Lucas, “because we have lots and lots of CG characters (in Star Wars). That prompted us to go forward.”
Lucas has no qualms about making changes in his movies if he thinks it will make them better. Those changes have angered some fans of the films, who want them to be exactly the same each time they watch.
Lucas could do as he wished because he is not only director, producer and writer on most of the movies, but also wholly owns the company that holds the copyright on the movies. So he is both the financier and the creative director.
“All art is technology and it improves every year,” said Lucas. “Whether it is on stage or in music or in painting, there’s technological answers that happen. Just because movies are so technological, the technological advances become more obvious.”
Lucas knew that they could make available to the company that did the conversion detailed scene sketches, maps of how characters move and more that would assist them. Lucas also asked John Knoll, a visual effects supervisor who had worked on every Star Wars movie since 1983, to take a lead role in overseeing the conversion, reporting back to him on every decision of consequence.
Knoll and others then set out to find the right company to work with. Lucasfilm contacted several and had each of them do presentations and a series of tests.
“The issue about 3D is not a technical issue,” said Lucas. “It’s a creative issue. You need people with certain taste and certain talent to make it work. It’s hard to explain but if you talk about color timing, people will say ‘Oh that’s just a technical thing.’ It’s not. You can actually completely change the way people view a movie by color timing and/or sound mixing. These are highly technical but they’re very important creative endeavors. You need talented people to do it. You can’t just hire people off the street.”
Ultimately Lucasfilm chose Prime Focus, a company founded in India which now has its corporate headquarters in Hollywood. It also has facilities that do visual effects, post-production and provide other services in India, the U.K. and Canada. It promotes its “global digital pipeline,” a high-speed Internet network, which connects some 3,000 employees working for them worldwide.
This story continues on next page.
While Prime Focus has done 3D conversions for a number of big movies including parts of Harry Potter and Avatar, they were still a surprise choice to some. That is because in 2010 there was a lot of criticism of the conversion they did on Clash of the Titans.
That criticism still angers Malhotra. He says that they were rushed to finish that job and that there were other technical problems with the way the movie was delivered to theaters which were not their fault. He says that was not the case with Star Wars, which was done by a team that worked at a proper pace to do the best job possible.
Lucasfilm, said Prime Focus chairman and global CEO Namit Malhotra, “did a pretty exhaustive testing process. They wanted to make sure that we would be able to hit a basic benchmark that they were expecting to see. They tested some of the best companies out there. It completely went on merit and quality, who came up to their expectations. We qualified on that basis.”
Prime Focus set up a process for the 3D conversion of the 115-minute movie, which was mostly done at their facilities in India and in London. It involved at various times 600 of their employees. “Everything was sent back for review,” said Malhotra, “by (the Lucasfilm team) and George Lucas himself. We would get notes from them, suggestions for enhancements and any direction they had. It worked pretty smoothly.”
Still it was an intense eight month process with Lucasfilm keeping a close eye on everything, which Malhotra insisted they welcomed: “They really cared about what need to be done and how much depth they wanted in each scene. They wanted to make sure each shot was as consistent as any other. The core objective was to keep that consistency and maintain the quality bar across every show, which made it pretty special.”
During the process of the conversion, Lucas said he often had conversations about what they were doing with friends including Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and James Cameron, all of whom have been working on 3D projects as well – some very notable ones. “Cameron is obviously the godfather of 3D,” said Lucas. “We all talk to each other about what’s going on, what’s happening now. We’re all dedicated to improving the medium, not necessarily just to use it exclusively in our films.”
When it came time to distribute the movies, Lucas turned to Twentieth Century Fox, which has done the theatrical release on all the Star Wars movies since 1977. However, this time it was not the usual deal; Lucasfilm essentially was using Fox as a rent-a-distributor that would handle the relations with exhibitors and physical distribution of the movies. It was also a benefit that Fox’s head of distribution is Bruce Snyder, who is not only experienced with how to get it into the best theaters, but also an executive who has been with the studio through all the Star Wars releases and re-releases over the years.
Snyder said they booked every theater that has 3D capability and a few 2D versions in areas where 3D is not available. There is no IMAX release.
“This is all about delivering a big screen experience to a new generation,” said Howard Roffman, Lucasfilm’s longtime head of licensing and merchandising. “This is something near and dear to George’s heart. He made these films for the big screen. He’s a believer in the communal experience of being in a theater with lots of people.”
But in a business sense, Lucas still needed an excuse to bring them back to theaters. “You have to have that in today’s world with the expectations of television and video,” said Roffman. “You have to give people a reason to come back to the theater. In this case the perfect reason was 3D. Its just giving the original audience something they have never had before. And it will be exciting for kids who weren’t even born during Episode I. That was the vision and that is why we see it as a big theatrical event.’
Michael Kaminski, author of the unauthorized 2008 book The Secret History of Star Wars, who has been critical of Lucas in the past when he changed things in the movies, is on board with this re-release. “A lot of people say ‘3D, oh its crap,’ because there are so many 3D releases done badly,” said Kaminski. “And it’s true. Often the film is done badly. But the fact Lucas is a supporter of 3D and spent a lot of time getting it right, I think it’s a fun way to re-energize the movies.”
Lucas said there were those who wanted him to release all six movies in 3D at once to make it a giant event. He refused. “I said, ‘this won’t sustain for six years (doing it that way)’” recalled Lucas. “Everyone will go to the first one or two and pretty soon you’ll be spending a lot of money and not having a lot of people come see the movie. I wanted to do it every year and I wanted to make something that was sort of reliable. I wanted to put the same amount of effort into each conversion. It takes about nine months to do it.”
So they will come out one a year. Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones is being converted and the others will follow. He said they sought out a time of year that there would not be a lot of competition, and then chose February. Episode II will also be in February but after that the releases may move to other times of the year, according to Lucas, depending on what seems to work best.
After the theatrical run, Lucas eventually expects that the movies will also be released in 3D on Blu-ray, although he thinks that too will take time. “That’s a few years away before they get to the point where that’s viable,” said Lucas. “but you know were just looking for better ways of showing the movies so it’s a better experience, which is why THX got invented, why I did digital, why I’ve done 3D. It’s really to try and enhance the experience for the audience.”
In March 2011 when Lucas returned to address movie exhibitor sin Las Vegas, this time at CinemaCon on a panel with Cameron and Jeffrey Katzenberg, the Dreamworks Animation head who has also been a strong advocate of 3D, Lucas told exhibitors that 3D makes it more than watching a movie for viewers, “it puts you behind the proscenium,” meaning you feel you are inside the movie.
Lucas’s words that day at Caesar’s Palace struck a very special and positive note with one member of the audience, Namit Malhotra, who had worked on the conversion for a year but had never actually met Lucas face to face. After that panel he got his chance to discuss the work they had done with the Star Wars creator.
Malhotra has started life in modest circumstances in India and worked his way up, just as he knew Lucas has started in a middle class family in Northern California and gone on to build an empire based on his art, creativity and business ability.
“It was a moment of huge pride for a company like us which originated in a garage in India 12 or 13 years ago,” said Malhotra. “When I was in my early teenage years, the first book I ever bought was the Industrial Light & Magic book. That sort of got me into the business before I even knew the intricacies of visual effects and conversions.”
So when he got praise from Lucas, it was a moment he would never forget. “To stand in front of the man and have him say, ‘You’ve done a good job,’ it’s a big homerun for us in that regard. It’s sort of like everything meshed, al of our professional goals had come together.”
- MOST SHARED
- MOST POPULAR
|
<urn:uuid:2bba6b86-1647-4180-ab7b-5f4fcc114a6c>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/star-wars-3d-george-lucas-289377?page=show
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.980388 | 3,488 | 1.726563 | 2 |
When CNN’s Anderson Cooper came out as gay earlier this summer, a few eyebrows were raised because he did not come out sooner. It’s a common story that when a public figure acknowledges a homosexual orientation, he or she is often castigated for having led a private life for so long. I have often found this a strange reaction when it comes from LGBT advocates because one of the values that the LGBT community frequently supports is the right of individuals to lead their own lives as they see fit.
Mr. Cooper’s revelation has sparked reflections about the coming out process on two sides of the world–in the United States and the Philippines. In both cases, Catholicism plays a role.
Rev. Chris Glaser, a Presbyterian minister who is a pioneer in the LGBT religion world, supports Mr. Cooper’s decisions both not to tell and then to tell his sexual orientation publicly. What I found most interesting about Rev. Glaser’s argument is that he uses Henri Nouwen, a beloved Catholic spiritual writer who was also a gay priest who did not reveal his orientation publicly, as his model for this type of decision. In a HuffingtonPost.com essay he writes:
“. . . I have empathy for celebrities who don’t fall all over themselves coming out, despite the good it might do to limit bullying, suicides and inequality.
“A spiritual mentor and friend, Henri J. M. Nouwen, faced the same difficulty. Having written dozens of books on the spiritual life and Christian ministry, Nouwen was a celebrity among Catholics and Protestants alike. But he believed in his call as a celibate priest, while yearning for what Catholic teaching opposed: ‘a particular friendship.’
“He was indeed The Wounded Healer that he wrote of early in his career: those able to bring healing to others while acknowledging personal wounds. Nouwen’s spiritual breakthrough came when he drew too close to a member of his spiritual community, prompting intense self-scrutiny that led to his published journal, ‘The Inner Voice of Love,’ in which he comes to the realization that people will try to hook you in your wounds, and ‘dismiss what God, through you, is saying to them.’ “
“His biographer, Michael Ford (Wounded Prophet), told me that Nouwen wanted to come out with that book but had been persuaded its message would reach a broader audience if the gender of the friend were not revealed. Nouwen had mentioned to me his concern that his reach would be narrowed if he were defined by this one aspect of his character.
“Shortly after his death in 1996, I was shocked to receive an e-mail from someone quoting ‘the gay theologian’ Henri Nouwen — a verification of Henri’s concern. Thus we might take Anderson Cooper at his word in telling friends he didn’t want to be known as ‘the gay anchor.’
“I have the opposite but analogous experience. Because I became known for my gay activism, I’ve discovered I have been typecast and whatever spiritual insights I might offer the church have been viewed through a prejudicial lens.
“As one who resisted mentioning Henri’s sexuality after his death even after it had become public, I was nonetheless invited by his spiritual community to write about it for an anthology entitled Befriending Life: Encounters with Henri Nouwen. They trusted me, they said, to write about it without sensationalizing it.”
In an opinion essay in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Rina Jimenez-David examines Mr. Cooper’s coming out and how it compares with the story of a Raymond Alikpala, a Catholic Filipino lawyer who was once a Jesuit seminarian and who recently authored a book that is getting some attention in their country: a book, Of Gods and Men: A Life in the Closet. Jimenez-David writes:
“One of the most affecting parts of the book is how Raymond finally found the courage to tell his family about his entire self, including his sexual orientation. Though he said he had an inkling that his mother had long sensed his gayness, when they read the first draft of his memoir, they at first were repulsed and appalled that he would speak so publicly about his sexuality.
“But at the book launch, Raymond’s parents were both there, as were other members of his family, which spoke volumes about how they had come around to accepting him and indeed being proud of his courage and fearlessness.
“His mother Ciony, speaking at the launch, acknowledged that it is not easy mothering a gay son, more so because ‘it is not easy to be gay in the Philippines.’ ‘Gayness is not a sin,’ she declared in Filipino, ‘God knows how he has lived, and God sees into our hearts and reads our minds.’
“It was important to her, she said, ‘to try my best and show my love and support’ for Raymond. ‘I am very proud of my gay son,’ she declared, urging parents of gay children to love them because ‘they need our love more in a cruel and judgmental society.’
“Anderson Cooper would have approved.”
Coming out will always remain a personal decision based on many factors in a person’s life–personal, professional, political, spiritual. We rejoice when someone has found the right time to do so not only because of the benefit it can bring to the individual but to the greater community, as well. As much as we would want everyone to have the grace to come out, patience and respect for the individual’s personal process in this area need to prevail. As much as coming out can be a grace to the wider community, every individual should enjoy the right to do so on his or her own schedule. Encouragement and support, not criticism and castigation, should always be our response.
–Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry
|
<urn:uuid:ecdff272-2c66-49c4-8bdf-36d30d5c5f0c>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://newwaysministryblog.wordpress.com/tag/philippines/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.984449 | 1,274 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Living out in the boonies, we often have the power go out, especially in the winter months, when trees fall over power lines. More often than not, when the power goes out, it is usually at night, and on a weekend, and it takes repair crews hours, and at times, even days, to get the power restored. When the lights go out in the country, its dark - real dark! I have flashlights in every room of our home, and I can usually just reach for a light when the power goes off, so I'm good to go, in order to find my kerosene lanterns or other lights. However, I remember when I was "young and dumb" and I fell into the trap of buying cheap flashlights - only to be let down by them when they were needed the most in an emergency. And, to be honest, the old flashlights didn't give very much light, nor did they give light for very long.
With modern technology today, flashlights have come a long way, and you can get a really bright flashlight, that runs on AA or AAA batteries, that throws a super-bright light a good long distance. And, living out in the country, this is a good thing to have, in case you need to check outside of your home for things that might go bump in the night. However, I don't always need "that" much bright light inside the house, just to light-up the living room or the bedroom, or out camping, to light-up a tent.
The PakLite, 9-Volt LED flashlight I'm proud to say, it is assembled here in my home state of Oregon. PakLite was born from necessity in 1999, and invented by then 15 year old, Ben Henry, when his brother, Barclay, decided to hike the 2,600 mile Pacific Crest Trail and needed a light-weight flashlight that would last from Mexico to Canada! Armed with two unbreakable LEDs and a switch, it simply snapped to the top of a 9-volt battery and lit the entire trip for Barclay. It couldn't have been more efficient on power AND weight. With no extra bulbs or batteries to carry, it was loved by others along the trail as well.
Okay, I've gotta admit it, when I received the PakLite sample, I was more than a little skeptical about how well it would really work as a flashlight. I mean, come on, we're talking nothing more than two little LEDs in a plastic housing, with a switch that snaps on top of a 9-volt battery. Could the darn thing actually work as advertised, and would it provide enough light to see in the dark and light-up a dark room at night? Well, I'm happy to report, this neat little invention works and works extremely well.
What we have is a little flashlight that will run on "high" for 30- hours, and on the "low" setting for 600-hours. No, that's not a misprint, it will run for 600-hours on low - giving you enough light so you are left in a dark room when the power goes off - and we all know that, sooner or later, your power will go off - you'll have a lighted room. Now, if you purchase a Lithium 9-volt battery and they are a little more expensive than standard 9-volt batteries, the PakLite will run for 1,200-hours on "low" and 80-hours on the "high" setting! I can't think of any other flashlight that even comes close to this. I put the PakLite to the test, and if actually ran a bit longer than 30-hours on the high setting, and I replaced the battery, and tested it again on the low setting - and I completely lost track on how many hours it ran on the low setting - but it was on for more than 3-weeks, before I finally noticed it had went dead!
The sample PakLite I received has the glow-in-the-dark cap attachment, and it will glow for 12-hours after being exposed to a light source. So, should your power go off in the middle of the night, you will be able to easily find the your PakLite because it will be glowing green on your nightstand or dresser, or an end table. Kool! You can also get a little belt carrying case, and have the PakLite with you at all times - another clever idea. On top of this, you can get the PakLite in a number of different colors including Blue, that is extremely bright, green with is the brightest light, infrared for use with night vision equipment, oran is a soft light, red to preserve your vision at night, turquoise is also extremely bright, ultraviolet for forensic work, yellow that won't attract bugs and of course, the white light, which is best for all around use.
PakLite also has some other clever items that you might want to consider, they have a headband holder that is great for hands-free work and holds up to three PakLites. You could also mount a PakLite on your bicycle with rubber bands so other vehicles can see you at night. With Velcro, you could attach a PakLite to just about anything. Over 4,000 PakLites were in use by the US Air Force Special Operations Command in Iraq. The American Red Cross, US Navy and FEMA also uses the PakLite during emergencies. There is also a 25-year warranty on the PakLite and the LED bulbs will burn for 100,000 hours - so they should never need replacing.
The PakLite is easy to operate - it comes with a toggle switch - one setting is "low" one is "off" and one is "high" - what could easier? They also offer a PakLite version with a flashing mode - and that would be great for campers or hunters - if you got lost, it would flash for hundreds of hours, allowing a search and rescue unit to find you. This is another one of those "gee, why didn't I think of that" inventions, and it is simple and in my book, simple means it works longer and better. Retail on the PakLite is $24.99 and it is one great bargain if you ask me - if you've ever been in the dark for a couple days, due to a power outage, you'd give anything for a long-lasting source of light, wouldn't you? My oldest daughter confiscated my sample after I was done testing it, now I have to get another one for myself - I might even pick one up for the wife, and she can keep it in her purse. If you're serious about survival, or if you don't like being the dark when the power goes off, you need the PakLite. - SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Pat Cascio
|
<urn:uuid:9e177ffc-4b67-47be-b473-17b37fd4cfd9>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.survivalblog.com/2012/12/pats_product_review_paklite_9v_led_flashlight.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.975172 | 1,434 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Chapter 7: Guide to News and Events
The Office of Public Affairs maintains a source page on their web site with links to several sources of information regarding goings on at the University.
In order to keep people informed about the latest University news, Media Relations publishes a daily online Web site, UVA Today.
Of the many student publications, The Cavalier Daily receives the widest circulation and contains news and activities of interest to faculty and students. The Declaration is a weekly news magazine. For more information about student-run publications, clubs, and other organizations, visit the Student Activities Center.Several telephone numbers are designated to supplement the information available through University web sites and publications: University Information provides listings for faculty and staff at 924-0311; the Student Locator at 924-3363 gives addresses and telephone numbers; the Newcomb Hall information desk at 924-3601; University Programs Council-sponsored events are available on their web site and described in a recording on 92HELLO.
The Manual of the Board of Visitors of the University of Virginia 1998 sets forth the powers and duties of the board and those of the principal administrative officers and is available through the University Press.
President's Annual Report, published each December, provides a review of faculty achievements and institutional highlights as well as financial information about the University. Copies of current and past reports are available online.
The Directory of the University of Virginia, a listing of telephone, fax, e-mail, and mailing information, is circulated to students, faculty, and staff each fall. New faculty may request copies from the information desk in Newcomb Hall.
The University Record provides a complete listing of undergraduate and graduate courses.
The University Data, issued annually by Institutional Assessment, and Studies, is the repository of institutional statistical information on all aspects of the University, including demographic data on students, faculty, and staff; academic achievement and admissions data for each school; and University-wide financial data.
The UVa Map/Guide to the Grounds is distributed free to visitors at the University Information Center and to University departments for a fee at UVA's storehouse (982-5392).
The UVA Health System publishes a listing of outpatient, visitor, and community services, including phone numbers, billing procedures, and transportation services in their online Services and Amenities Guide.
Promotion and tenure policies of individual schools are available through the Office of the Dean of the respective school.
The Summer Session Faculty Handbook is available from the Summer Session Office and is distributed to all faculty teaching in the Summer Session.
Teaching at the University of Virginia. A Handbook for Faculty and TAs, produced by the Teaching Resource Center, offers basic information about teaching at UVA and about offices that serve instructors and students, as well as innovative and thought-provoking perspectives on teaching undergraduates, mentoring graduate students as TAs, and grading students' work.Teaching Concerns, a newsletter published by the Teaching Resource Center, contains notices of workshops, panels, and seminars on teaching topics, as well as articles about effective teaching methodologies.
|
<urn:uuid:fc637ec5-605a-444f-a978-f931a90545bd>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.virginia.edu/provost/facultyhandbook/sources.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.933336 | 631 | 1.59375 | 2 |
...the city of Ariel embodies the ultimate yearnings of bourgeois families with three children, who are preoccupied with the question of who will drive the kids to after-school activities. This is mainstream Israel − in the West Bank. Ariel is home, for example, to a settler who may have a barbecue on Shabbat afternoon and attend a play that evening − the antithesis of his fellow Hardal (ultra-Orthodox nationalist) resident, who did his army service studying in a local hesder yeshiva. Ariel, home to 18,000 residents, is proud to have public facilities that one cannot find in the settlements of Karnei Shomron, Eli and Shiloh.
[we in Shiloh have a pool and a tennis court and Eli has an Olympic-size pool].
First of all, there is the Ariel University Center of Samaria, which exactly a year from now will officially become a recognized university, and the Ariel cultural center, which was the focus of an artists’ boycott when it opened last autumn. Then there is the country club − a spacious 2,400-square-meter complex, equipped with the latest sports-related innovations, in a three-story building that also serves as a community center.
The country club, built three years ago, is open only to Ariel residents who pay a membership fee.
[but it isn't]
Careful what you read. And think you can believe.
|
<urn:uuid:71a00b4b-0335-45a3-927b-492c3b22c1e4>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.myrightword.blogspot.com/2011/07/can-you-trust-ha-ha-haaretz-reporter.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.965631 | 299 | 1.515625 | 2 |
The PDC link is important especially since PDC has significantly improved its website. But, it is of no value if one doesn't take the time to review it.
Westside Study has a certain implication - the area we are talking about is the downtown core which is west of the Willamette. This doesn't include the east side of the Willamette River. [See map].
Oddly - one might notice that the study is referred to as the Westside Study. Its purpose is found in the May 2006 PDC Report 06-54:
"The Portland Development Commission and the Portland Planning Bureau are initiating a 2 ½ year study intended to examine the priorities for the west side of Portland's Central City and determine the role tax increment should play in advancing those priorities, if any."
See Attachment A for more details.
Consider this from the state enabling statute ORS457.020 Declaration of necessity and purpose.
"That such [blighted] areas cause an increase in and spread of disease and crime and constitute a menace to the health, safety, morals and welfare of the residents of the state and that these conditions necessitate excessive and disproportionate expenditures of public funds for crime prevention and punishment, public health, safety and welfare, fire and accident protection and other public services and facilities."
Tax increment financing - taking of property taxes used to 'finance' urban renewal. Urban renewal goal is the elimination of blight. Urban renewal is about the need of increased property values, therefore increased assessment, to generate revenues to pay back this financing.
"The idea behind urban renewal is simple: future tax revenues pay for revitalization efforts." [PDC Report 07-08].
For an excellent summary of tax increment financing and how the redirected property taxes negatively affects the city's general fund, schools and the county - see Future of Urban Renewal Comments by the League of Women Voters of Portland.
One major goal (arguably the highest priority) of the Study is to finish the urban renewal in Old Town by enlarging the boundaries of the River District URA (Pearl) to include part of Old Town. Maximum amount that Pearl can be enlarged is 61 acres.
Suffice to say - 61 acres even if fully added to Pearl requires increasing the maximum indebtedness of Pearl because they have either 'borrowed' to the maximum permitted or have 'allocated' all of it. See the League's comments on status of River District.
But - "[t]he maximum indebtedness can be [only] increased by doing a substantial amendment to the RD plan. This would require notice to all property taxpayers in Multnomah County and approval by the PDC Commission, and City Council; as well as review by the Planning Commission." See Appendix E of Central City Urban Renewal Review Committee 2004 report.
Delay, delay a consistent negative trait of PDC. If they would have implemented the Recommendations of 2004 - Old Town would have been well on to its way of urban renewal without the need of going to the property taxpayers for approval.
Just what chance do you give it for voter approval?
But you know this Westside study group is ignoring or is ignorant of the Committee's 2004 report. Just another report relegated to the bookshelf in the bowels of PDC.
But worse yet is the Stenagenda that comes with the politicization of PDC.
|
<urn:uuid:6fd3000a-9d2b-4671-998d-8c20cbab1e0d>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://blog.oregonlive.com/oldtown/2007/09/westside_study_basics.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.934165 | 695 | 1.8125 | 2 |
The Obama administration wants Britain to retain an influential role in the European Union, a senior US government official has indicated.
Philip Gordon, the US assistant secretary for European affairs, made clear Washington favoured a "strong British voice" within the EU.
"We have a growing relationship with the EU as an institution, which has an increasing voice in the world, and we want to see a strong British voice in that EU," he told reporters during a visit to London. "That is in America's interests. We welcome an outward-looking EU with Britain in it."
The Prime Minister is due to make a speech this month in which he will set out his plans to renegotiate Britain's relationship with the EU - including clawing back many powers - and put that settlement to voters.
Some in his party advocate British withdrawal, a scenario which Conservative Mayor of London Boris Johnson has said would not be "the end of the world". Mr Johnson is also among those who have called for a referendum on the EU, something Mr Cameron is expected to promise for after 2015 in his forthcoming speech.
Mr Gordon said "referendums have often turned countries inward" and raised concerns about the internal debate in the EU about its structures in the aftermath of the eurozone debt crisis. He said: "Every hour at a summit spent debating the institutional make-up of the European Union is one hour less spent on how to deal with the common issues of jobs, growth and international peace around the world."
Mr Gordon stressed he was speaking up for US interests and would not seek to interfere in British decisions. "What is in the UK's interests is up to the UK," he said.
British business leaders also warned of the "uncertainty" that could be created by demands for a new relationship with the EU.
In a letter to the Financial Times, figures including Sir Richard Branson, the head of Virgin, Sir Roger Carr, president of the CBI, and Sir Martin Sorrell, chief executive of the advertising group WPP, cautioned against demands for "a wholesale renegotiation of our EU membership, which would almost certainly be rejected".
"To call for such a move in these circumstances would be to put our membership of the EU at risk and create damaging uncertainty for British business, which are the last things the Prime Minister would want to do. We need a strong reformed EU with Britain at the heart of it."
|
<urn:uuid:15dd14fc-3136-488a-bf53-3932bb86198d>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.wirralnews.co.uk/wirral-news/wirral-breaking-news/2013/01/09/obama-wants-strong-uk-voice-in-eu-80491-32577264/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.979577 | 489 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Birmingham Register Office - Registering a Birth
OverviewA baby born in Birmingham should be registered at Birmingham Register Office, within 42 days (six weeks) of the birth.
To make an appointment to register your baby please ring
0121 675 1004 or 0121 675 2902 or 0121 675 2904
If the parents are married to each other only one parent needs to attend.
If the parents are not married to each other and they wish the fathers details to be included in the register they must usually attend together.
When the birth is registered you will receive a short birth certificate, which does not show parents details.
Essential InformationOpening Hours
Register Office Location
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I register the birth?
Birmingham Register Office, Holliday Wharf, Holliday Street, Birmingham, B1 1TJ
The Sutton Coldfield Outstation,Sutton Coldfield Library, Lower Parade
Sutton Coldfield, B72 1XX
What if I do not live in Birmingham?
A parent can also register the birth by making a declaration in person at any convenient Register Office, however a birth certificate will not be issued until the details have been forwarded to Birmingham Register Office, which would mean a slight delay in receiving your birth certificate.
Who can register the birth?
If the parents were married at the time of the birth, then either the mother or father can register the baby.
If they were not married, the mother must register the baby and if the father's details are to be included, he will need to attend the registration.
What do I need to bring with me?
When attending the Register Office parents should bring the hospital discharge papers with them.
It may also be helpful to bring your own passports and the birth certificates of any of your previous children.
If English is not my first language can I bring an interpreter?
Yes if English is not your first language you should ask a friend or relative to go with you to register and help you to understand what is said.
How much does it cost?
There is no charge for registering a birth and you will receive a short birth certificate, which details the name, sex, date and district of birth but not parents details.
How much is a full birth certificate?
Full birth certificates showing parents details cost £4.00 on the day of registration and for the following two weeks. Payment for certificates should be made in cash.
After this date certificates cost £7, once the register is full it is placed in the archives and certificates will then cost £10 each.
What surname will the baby have?
The parents can choose any surname for the baby however the child will normally be given the surname of the mother or of the father. Even if the parents are not married to each other, and the father does not attend, the child may still be given his surname.
Can an unmarried fathers name be added to the birth certificate at a later date?
If possible an unmarried father should attend at the time the birth is registered, however it is possible to add the name at a later date.
What if we get married after the birth is registered?
Couples who marry after registering a birth need to register the child again as a child of the marriage, even if the fathers name is already included.
The mother's and child's surnames can be changed at this point and a new birth certificate issued.
Is my child a British citizen?
For more information see the Home Office Web site www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/britishcitizenship/
How can I celebrate my child's birth?
You can have a Baby Naming Ceremony to welcome your child into your family.
Download our New Parents Guide
|
<urn:uuid:2a798353-5630-4429-a31e-97b137fcba13>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/cs/Satellite?c=Page&childpagename=Lib-Quinton%2FCFPageLayout&cid=1223351166870&packedargs=website%3D4&pagename=BCC%2FCommon%2FWrapper%2FCFWrapper&rendermode=live
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.943924 | 777 | 1.617188 | 2 |
In one of the worst mass murders in U.S. history, 32 people died when a student opened fire on the Virginia Tech University campus more than five years ago. That terrible incident was the reason why a drill at Chaminade University took place Thursday -- to prepare for the unthinkable.
"Our students are our number one concern," said Melvin DeCosta, director of security at Chaminade University.
Chaminade teamed with the Honolulu Police Department to stage Thursday's exercise. Officers suited up in full gear and spread out through the Kaimuki campus. Two plainclothes officers acted as gunmen.
HPD scanned through several buildings. They surprised students who were unaware of what was going on.
Charity Mae Del Rosario and Simone Komine forgot a drill was planned on this day.
"We came out here to eat and then we heard the SWAT team yell and go, 'Bang, bang bang,' and we were kind of freaked out at first," said Del Rosario.
"I looked; I went crawling around and they're on the lanai with guns and they said, 'He's over here' -- shoot, shoot, shoot," said Komine.
Thursday's drill helps the university update its current crisis management plan. It's also prime training ground for the SWAT team.
"It gives our officers a chance to familiarize themselves with our locations and how we can respond to a situation," said Maj. Alexander Ahlo.
Another campus-wide drill is set for fall and there won't be any warning to test student and staff preparedness.
|
<urn:uuid:659ce2c3-7088-4e40-b860-6633e28e261e>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.kitv.com/news/hawaii/SWAT-team-trains-at-Chaminade-University/-/8905354/15949638/-/7d74oe/-/index.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.979513 | 325 | 1.828125 | 2 |
Science Olympiad takes state
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Knowledge Bowl. DECA. And now Science Olympiad.Camas High School students continue to bring home the honors. The most recent one was when the Science Olympiad team competed and won the state championship at Eastern Washington University for the second year in a row.
The Papermakers sacked the competition with a 40 point lead over second place team Union High School. Bothell High School, near Seattle, came in third.
“This was quite a team effort, and a very well-fought tournament by many good teams,” advisor Ron Wright said. “Twenty-nine students medaled at this tournament, the most we have ever had bring home individual medals from state.”
The Camas team placed first in four events, which were protein modeling, rocks and minerals, astronomy and gravity vehicle.
Science Olympiad is described as “a track meet for the mind.” Competitions consist of a series of 23 team events in each division.
Each year, a portion of the events are rotated to reflect the ever-changing nature of genetics, earth science, chemistry, anatomy, physics, geology, mechanical engineering and technology. Emphasis is placed on active, hands-on group participation, according to the Science Olympiad website.
The state competition was held Saturday, April 14 at Eastern Washington University in Cheney.
“One of the more remarkable facts about this year is that we have only two seniors on our team,” Wright said.
The team will travel to Orlando, Fla. for the National Tournament in May. Students who earned medals at state include the following:
One medal: Jonathan Liao, Cierra LeBlanc, Jonathan Ho, Yun Teng, Jon Bartlett, Eric Kuhta, Isabel Lee, Meghal Sheth, Tim Liu, Reesab Pathak, Shicon Wen, Maddie Stevenson, Conor Daniels, Edie Myers-Powers and Erica Lee.
Two medals: Vaughn Okerlund, Brie Islarde and Rebecca Hamilton.
Three medals: Joanna Liao, Evan Roche, Eugene Hsu, Eliot Shoemaker, Rachel Fadlovich, Noah Wachlin, Tim Grote, Katelynne Jones, Triton Pitassi.
Four medals: Jake Hsu, Marcus Bintz and Sophie Shoemaker.
|
<urn:uuid:eeed0e62-669c-4bee-b1e0-1533c2f5cb61>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.camaspostrecord.com/news/2012/apr/24/science-olympiad-takes-state/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.931279 | 500 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Podcasts & RSS Feeds
Most Active Stories
Fri May 18, 2012
Dearborn immigration town hall tries to bridge gap between law enforcement, public
Top federal law enforcement officials took questions on immigration laws at a Dearborn town hall Thursday night.
Organizers say the event was meant to break down barriers between law enforcement and the public on a particularly complex and emotional topic: immigration.
Special Agent in Charge Brian Moskowitz from the Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Detroit ICE field office director Rebecca Adducci, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Detroit office director Mick Dedvukaj fielded questions on a range of topics.
They ranged from rules that apply to political refugees, to concerns over who’s being targeted for deportation and implementation of ICE’s “Secure Communities” program in Michigan.
Moskowitz told attendees that there are serious misconceptions about how ICE targets its investigations.
“We don’t do anything randomly,” Moskowitz said. “Our agents don’t drive down the street, just looking for people they think might be here illegally.”
"We have people that we’ve identified, who we think have violated the law or we know have violated the law…that’s who we’re out looking for. Specific individuals. Not the hope that we may stumble upon someone who may be here illegally.”
Some attendees said they found the meeting helpful, but others were less impressed.
Jose Franco heads the group One Michigan for Immigrant Youth, a group of young and undocumented immigrants.
He was skeptical of ICE officials’ claims that they’re exercising “prosecutorial discretion” to avoid deporting all but the most dangerous illegal immigrants.
“We know at least three local cases right now that fit within the guidelines [of prosecutorial discretion] of that, that are not being enforced by them,” Franco said.
One is the case of a Gustavo Vargas, a Detroit man facing deportation. Immigrant advocates held a rally to support him at Detroit’s ICE office on Friday.
Franco says his group also has plans to advocate for national-level immigration reform, and especially on pushing some version of the DREAM Act in Congress.
That would provide a path to citizenship for immigrant youth who came to the US as young children.
|
<urn:uuid:a253aa38-7378-4f58-9c5d-a0541b0df472>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://michiganradio.org/post/dearborn-immigration-town-hall-tries-bridge-gap-between-law-enforcement-public
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.951399 | 498 | 1.695313 | 2 |
University of Windsor researchers will present some of their work to the public during the third annual “Research Showcase and Outreach to Community” event, Saturday, May 5, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Devonshire Mall.
It promises to be informative and inspiring, says Sharon Hayes-Racicot of the Office of Research Services, who calls it a great opportunity to “highlight the excellent research that is taking place at our University.”
The display will be set up outside the mall entrance to the Bay store. Devonshire Mall is located at 3100 Howard Avenue.
Among the displays is a preview of Science Rendezvous, which will offer demonstrations at a table at the Research Showcase as well as inside the Chapters bookstore.
Science Rendezvous will feature hands-on activities and interactive experiments for all ages, May 12 on the UWindsor campus.
Watch a video preview here:
|
<urn:uuid:ce6e7887-4ce6-4734-bcae-7a2cf6e8037e>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.uwindsor.ca/dailynews/2012-04-30/uwindsor-researchers-reaching-out-to-mall-shoppers-saturday
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.937915 | 197 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Media outlets have revived the cyclical practice of highlighting allegations by conservatives of voter fraud, and the primary target of most recent allegations appears to be ACORN, over reports that some people hired by ACORN have submitted false or redundant registration forms. The media are devoting great attention to these charges, even though in past election cycles, charges of voter fraud have largely proven empty.
In recent weeks, media outlets have revived the cyclical practice of highlighting allegations by conservatives of voter fraud. In this election cycle, the primary target of those allegations appears to be the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), over reports that some people hired by ACORN have submitted false or redundant registration forms. Once again, the media are devoting great attention to these charges, even though in past election cycles, charges of voter fraud have largely proven baseless.
Indeed, according to the Nexis news database, in the period October 6-15, the phrase "voter fraud" has appeared in 221 articles in U.S. newspapers, including five Washington Post articles, two New York Times articles, and one USA Today article. Moreover, "voter fraud" has appeared in 43 CNN news transcripts, 31 Fox News transcripts, and four MSNBC transcripts during that time. For example, The Washington Post reported on October 14 that "Republican officials and advisers to Sen. John McCain" accused ACORN of "fomenting voter fraud." It also reported that "[t]he charges have come repeatedly, in news releases, conference calls to reporters and remarks on the campaign trail. Republican National Committee spokesman Danny Diaz called ACORN a 'quasi-criminal group' last week during one of a series of news conferences, charging that the group was committing fraud during its voter-registration drives. 'We don't do that lightly,' RNC chief counsel Sean Cairncross said."
The media's focus on these charges just before elections is not new. A Media Matters for America search of Nexis indicates that numerous stories about voter fraud appeared in major newspapers and on television news in the weeks leading up to the 2000, 2002, 2004, and 2006 elections. Yet the U.S. Department of Justice crime statistics cast doubt on the existence of widespread voter fraud. On April 12, 2007, The New York Times reported, "Five years after the Bush administration began a crackdown on voter fraud, the Justice Department has turned up virtually no evidence of any organized effort to skew federal elections, according to court records and interviews."
In an April 1 American Prospect article, U.S. News & World Report and Washington Monthly contributing editor Art Levine wrote:
Using various tactics -- including media smears, bogus lawsuits, restrictive new voting laws and policies, and flimsy prosecutions -- Republican operatives, election officials, and the GOP-controlled Justice Department have limited voting access and gone after voter-registration groups such as ACORN. Which should come as no surprise: In building support for initiatives raising the minimum wage and kindred ballot measures, ACORN has registered, in partnership with Project Vote, 1.6 million largely Democratic-leaning voters since 2004. All told, non-profit groups registered over three million new voters in 2004, about the same time that Republican and Justice Department efforts to publicize "voter fraud" and limit voting access became more widespread. And attacking ACORN has been a central element of a systematic GOP disenfranchisement agenda to undermine Democratic prospects before each Election Day.
In fact, while a 2005 Senate Republican Policy Committee paper claimed, "[v]oter fraud continues to plague our nation's federal elections, diluting and canceling out the lawful votes of the vast majority of Americans," Justice Department statistics indicate that few actual instances of voter fraud have been prosecuted in recent years. According to a report by the Justice Department's Criminal Division of prosecutions between October 2002 and September 2005, the Justice Department charged 95 people with "election fraud" and convicted 55. Among those, however, just 17 individuals were convicted for casting fraudulent ballots; cases against three other individuals were pending at the time of the report. In addition, the Justice Department convicted one election official of submitting fraudulent ballots and convicted five individuals of registration fraud, with cases against 12 individuals pending at the time of the report. Thirty-two individuals were convicted of other "election fraud" issues, including people convicted of offenses arising from "a scheme to block the phone lines used by two Manchester [New Hampshire] organizations to arrange drives to the polls during the 2002 general election" -- in other words, these convictions were connected to voter suppression efforts, not voter fraud. Several other people listed in the report were convicted of vote buying.
Additionally, a 2007 report by New York University's Brennan Center for Justice stated:
There have been several documented and widely publicized instances in which registration forms have been fraudulently completed and submitted. But it is extraordinarily difficult to find reported cases in which individuals have submitted registration forms in someone else's name in order to impersonate them at the polls. Furthermore, most reports of registration fraud do not actually claim that the fraud happens so that ineligible people can vote at the polls. Indeed, we are aware of no recent substantiated case in which registration fraud has resulted in fraudulent votes being cast.
Nevertheless, media outlets continue to report on allegations of possible voter fraud in advance of elections. For instance, between October 14, 2004, and the November 2 election that year, two USA Today articles, 49 CNN transcripts, and 37 Fox News transcripts containing the term "voter fraud" appear in Nexis. Media Matters searched Nexis for news reports containing the term "voter fraud" in the weeks leading up to the 2000, 2002, 2004, and 2006 elections in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, and USA Today, and in news transcripts from CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, and NBC. (Media Matters did not examine the substantive content of these reports). Results of the search were as followed:
October 14-November 7, 2000
Los Angeles Times: 5
The New York Times: 1
The Washington Post: 1
Fox News: 2
October 14-November 5, 2002
Los Angeles Times: 8
The Washington Post: 5
USA Today: 1
Fox News: 7
October 14-November 2, 2004
The Washington Post: 10
Los Angeles Times: 8
The New York Times: 8
USA Today: 2
Fox News: 37
October 14-November 7, 2006
The New York Times: 6
Los Angeles Times: 2
The Washington Post: 2
USA Today: 2
Fox News: 9
From the April 12, 2007, New York Times article:
Five years after the Bush administration began a crackdown on voter fraud, the Justice Department has turned up virtually no evidence of any organized effort to skew federal elections, according to court records and interviews.
Although Republican activists have repeatedly said fraud is so widespread that it has corrupted the political process and, possibly, cost the party election victories, about 120 people have been charged and 86 convicted as of last year.
Most of those charged have been Democrats, voting records show. Many of those charged by the Justice Department appear to have mistakenly filled out registration forms or misunderstood eligibility rules, a review of court records and interviews with prosecutors and defense lawyers show.
In Miami, an assistant United States attorney said many cases there involved what were apparently mistakes by immigrants, not fraud.
In Wisconsin, where prosecutors have lost almost twice as many cases as they won, charges were brought against voters who filled out more than one registration form and felons seemingly unaware that they were barred from voting.
One ex-convict was so unfamiliar with the rules that he provided his prison-issued identification card, stamped "Offender," when he registered just before voting.
A handful of convictions involved people who voted twice. More than 30 were linked to small vote-buying schemes in which candidates generally in sheriff's or judge's races paid voters for their support.
A federal panel, the Election Assistance Commission, reported last year that the pervasiveness of fraud was debatable. That conclusion played down findings of the consultants who said there was little evidence of it across the country, according to a review of the original report by The New York Times that was reported on Wednesday.
|
<urn:uuid:bcf54d7d-71dc-4aa9-8b6b-8ebfed624045>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://mediamatters.org/print/research/2008/10/16/media-revive-pattern-of-reporting-on-alleged-vo/145702
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.95842 | 1,698 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Depending on your point of view, the results on austerity are in. The roll call European countries with shrunken economies, mired in recession, is identical to the list of European countries yoked to austerity economics — Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Spain, Greece (of course), and now the UK. Those countries are experiencing varying degrees of public reaction against austerity policies. In Prague, Czechs staged the biggest demonstrations their country has seen since the fall of communism, in protest of the austerity measures and corruption in Czech Republic’s center-right government. In France, president Sarkozy now faces a runoff, after elections that were a reaction against austerity. In the Netherlands, the prime minister resigned after EU austerity demands caused the government to collapse. In Romania, the government has collapsed in a no-confidence vote after violent protests against austerity toppled its prime minister in February.
Does the latest wave of uprisings finally sound the death knell for austerity? Not if austerians stay the course, and don’t get spooked by protests in the streets and at the ballot box. If their protests have no impact, and austerity happened anyway, people will go home. They’ll forget about solidarity, worry more about survival, and arrive at the next phase of austerity’s impact on their lives.
Across the Eurozone, citizens are saying “Basta!” to austerity policies, because of the stark difference between what their leaders said austerity would bring and what actually happened. Austerity has brought with them all the pain that was predicted, and none of the shared prosperity that austerity backers promised. as Dave Johnson wrote, maybe people are starting to figure out that economic growth wasn’t the point of austerity.
So here is the thing. Everyone can see that this is the result—the expected result—of austerity policies. And Europe’s financial elites are not stupid people—not by a long shot! Perhaps they can see the obvious, because it’s obvious, and therefore we might conclude that their campaign pushing austerity isn’t about growing the economy – it’s about something else — they have a different agenda.
When smart people are forcing something to happen we need to look at what is happening, and realize perhaps this is what they wanted to happen. Maybe economic growth wasn’t austerity’s goal at all. Maybe the results we see— the results we all knew would come from austerity—are the results they wanted.
As Charles Blow writes in response to Mitt Romney’s primary victory speech, people are not stupid. Times didn’t just get tough. They were, in some ways, made tough by design. And austerians at home and abroad have indicated where they plan to take national economies, the global economy, all of us in the bargain.
If despair and desperation are the face of austerity among ordinary citizens, it has another among the government officials and bankers: indifference. U.S. News columnist Rick Newman looked at the widespread unrest in Europe, and decided that the real problem isn’t austerity. It’s democracy. Austerity could work if it wasn’t for democracy.
The problem, for better or worse, is democracy.
If Europe were ruled by rational and omnipotent monarchs, fixing the debt crisis would be fairly straightforward.There would be painful reforms in the bloated, nepotistic labor markets of southern Europe, enforceable targets for reducing debt levels across the euro zone, and a widespread understanding that everybody in Europe, rich and poor, should bear some short-term pain. With that in place, there would also be a plan for making sure the economy grows in a way that benefits as many people as possible.
But electoral politics stands in the way of measures meant to make Europe’s troubled nations more competitive and less dependent on borrowed money or bailouts. In the face of intense political pressure at home, for example, the leaders of Spain and Italy are now backsliding on austerity measures meant to cut spending and reduce subsidies that generations of workers have depended on. So the payback is now coming from global investors, who are losing confidence in those economies, pushing up the rates they must pay to borrow, and fueling renewed fears of a European meltdown.
…The dysfunctions of the democratic process may even turn out to be the best of a bad set of options. Jacob Funk Kirkegaard of the Peterson Institute for International Economics points out that Europe is in the midst of profound changes that will require indebted nations to give up an unprecedented degree of sovereignty, and richer nations to make their own sacrifices to keep the euro zone intact. It’s unrealistic to expect quick solutions to such a complicated problem, he argues, and besides, “threatened with disaster, the political will has emerged to sustain the euro.” A few more near-disasters may be just what Europe needs.
The title of Newman’s column, “Tired of Austerity, Europeans Turn on Their Leaders,” is ironic in a way Newman may not have intended. The Europeans raising their voices against austerity across Europe would probably beg to differ. Their leaders, they might say, turned on them by adopting and enforcing austerity measures without citizens having a voice.
Newman needn’t worry. Europe may not be ruled by “rational and omnipotent monarchs,” but it appears to be increasingly ruled by banks whose insistence on austerity ensures that leaders remain indifferent to demonstrations in their streets, and implement austerity measures as they are told. Those who don’t will find themselves out of power, in short order.
Greece, as I mentioned earlier, is a prime example.
Christoulas’s reference to the “Tsolakoglou government” was a not-so thinly veiled slap at Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos, comparing him to Georgio Tsolakoglou — first prime minister of Greece’s collaborationist government, during Germany’s WW II occupation of Greece. No doubt Papademos — an economist who was appointed prime minister in November, after democratically elected prime minister George Papandreous was shown the door for having the temerity to his intention to hold a referendum on the terms of the proposed Eurozone bailout. Papandreous was brought to heel and quickly scrapped the referendum.
But it would not do to have a prime minister with the temerity to suggest that Greeks have any say in their economic fate. So Greece, the cradle of democracy, was deprived of a vote. The appointment of a new prime minister, more amendable to the concerns of Greece’s creditors and the providers of its bailout. (Germany, ironically enough, called the shots again.) In less than two weeks, Papandreous was gone, Papademos was in, and eventually the Greeks got austerity policies that satisfied the banks, but meant lower pensions, reduced wages and increased taxes for middle- and working-class Greeks.
But Greece is hardly alone. Protests have already proven futile in the Netherlands, “agreed to E.U. budget targets”, which is another way of saying “knuckled under to demands for austerity.” And British Chancellor George Osborne told the IMF that the British public still backs austerity measures. (One wonders if he includes in that number the Britons who may be unable to meet basic living costs now that their disability benefits have been cut., or the police departments facing deep cuts.) Popular uprisings notwithstanding, more leaders may yet follow Osborne’s example, if they listen to Bundesbank presidentJens Weidmann (a.k.a. “Dr. Nein”), who’s not only the man holding the bailout purse strings, but also a big austerity booster — despite Germany’s generous post-WWII bailout from the rest of Eurpoe (finally paid off in 2010, BTW), and even though Germany itself isn’t very good at German style austerity.
On this side of the Atlantic, we have been spared the kind of painful cuts that we only read about in headlines from Europe. But we’ve already had what Ed Kilgore calls “De Facto Austerity,” described in Paul Krugman as austerity in the form of huge spending and employment cuts at the state and local level. The results of America’s “De Facto Austerity” are not necessarily the kind that make headlines, but happen in what Sasha Abramsky called “the other America” (which is also the title of his poverty-focused blog at The Nation), and in states like Wisconsin, where Scott Walker’s Austerity agenda has yielded the worse job losses in the country.
The Obama administration’s response to the economic crisis and the ensuing recession was underwhelming, and amounted to far less that what was (and is) actually needed. But at the very least, doing too little, instead of doing nothing at all, allowed most Americans to avoid the kind of crushing economic pain that’s driving Europeans to desperation and despair. As Robert Reich said, telling Americans “we’re on the right trick” and pointing out that things could have been worse, and still could be worse if Mitt Romney wins in November, isn’t much of a campaign strategy.
While he regularly accuses President Obama of “making us like Europe,” Mitt Romney’s economic agenda would truly make America more like Europe, because the Republican agenda is essentially that same austerity agenda shrinking national economies in Europe.
An odd thing happened during Mitt Romney’s victory-lap speech after Tuesday’s Republican primaries: He didn’t once mention the word “Europe.”
The absence was jarring, because Romney’s claim that President Obama is dragging the United States toward a loathsome European-style “social welfare” future has been a staple of the former Massachusetts governor’s shtick ever since he started campaigning in earnest.
It’s always been an easy line for him: Europe, Romney’s audience understands, is the land of the not-free. The continent gave birth to Karl Marx, for crying out loud! Every now and then, socialist political parties actually take power!
But there is a big problem with Romney’s formulation. For the last year or two, Europe has been implementing, in real time, exactly the policies that Romney and congressional Republicans fervently believe are the best strategy for boosting economic growth. It’s called “austerity,” and it means cutting deficits, slashing spending, and chipping away at all those goodies the social welfare state provides.
The omission is even more jarring when you consider that while austerians love to say that the U.S. could end up like Greece (we’re not Greece, and our problems are nothing like Greece’s problems), austerity could make us a whole lot more like the UK.
With the U.S. economy slowing and job growth still very weak, what should the government do? Continued calls for government belt tightening, fiscal consolidation and austerity are out-of-step with economic realities. The argument for austerity is that drastic cuts in government spending will stave off inflation and provide businesses with the confidence to go out and invest. But these are empty arguments. Oil prices fluctuate widely, rising for reasons unrelated to government policy. Sustained inflation is only possible if wage and benefit costs are rising. Thursday’s report on employer costs, however, shows that the year-over-year increase in employment costs is a very modest 2 percent and the increase in the latest quarter is even smaller. As for business confidence taking up the economic slack, the UK provides a stark reminder of just how wrong this argument is.
The UK, like the U.S. and unlike Greece, has its own currency. The UK, like the U.S. and unlike Greece, has its own central bank and control over its own monetary policy. There is no chance that the U.S. (or the UK) can end up like Greece. There is, however, the distinct possibility that the U.S. can end up like the UK.
Almost two years ago, the UK put in place a coalition government led by Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne that implemented an austerity program for the UK that cut government spending and public services and was supposed to give British businesses the confidence to invest and boost economic growth. The outcome has fallen far short of these expectations. The UK is experiencing the slowest growth in a century, with GDP still 4.3 percent below its peak reached four years ago. Output has grown just 0.4 percent in two years under Osborne , and now – with two back-to-back quarters of declining GDP – the British economy has officially slipped back into a double-dip recession. Confidence has not returned to UK businesses; indeed lending to businesses fell sharply in March despite the fact that banks had cash available to lend out. Meanwhile, the toll on the British people as government services are cut has become more severe. The charitable trust that operates a network of foodbanks in the UK reported that the number of people turning to foodbanks to feed themselves and their children doubled over the past 12 months.
The wounds to the UK economy are self-imposed. Unlike Greece or Spain, the UK did not come under pressure from the EU. Neither was there pressure from the bond markets; interest rates and borrowing costs were quite low. UK politicians chose to slash spending and impose austerity on the British economy. The lesson should not be lost on America’s political leaders. Like the UK, the US has control over its economic policies. It should not choose austerity.
In The Balance
At the moment, a awful lot hangs in the balance.
It’s not hyperbolic to suggest that both the E.U. and the U.S. are facing what my be the most important elections in a generation. In Europe, people have taken their anger over austerity policies to the streets. In some cases, they’ve topped governments. In Europe, upcoming elections in France, Germany, and Greece could be a turning point that puts the breaks on austerity. Alternatively, the long-term outcomes (where policy is developed and implemented long after the heady days of election victory), could prove that E.U. countries are ultimately ruled by banks and bankers whose indifference to the desperation and despair wrought by their policies could become the official stance of national governments in the E.U.
Here in the U.S., the election can be summed up as a choice between “Social Darwinism or a decent society.”
The returns aren’t all in yet on today’s Republican primaries but President Obama didn’t wait. He kicked off his 2012 campaign against Mitt Romney with a hard-hitting speech centered on the House Republicans’ budget plan – which Romney has enthusiastically endorsed. That plan, by the way, is the most radical reverse-Robin Hood proposal propounded by any political party in modern America. It would save millionaires at least $150,000 a year in taxes while gutting Medicaid, Medicare, Food Stamps, transportation, child nutrition, college aid, and almost everything else average and lower-income Americans depend on.
Here’s what the President had to say about it:
Disguised as a deficit reduction… it is really an attempt to impose a radical vision on our country. It is thinly veiled social Darwinism.
We are likely to hear a lot more about social Darwinism in the months ahead. It was the conservative creed during the late 19th century – legitimizing a politics in which the lackeys of robber barons deposited sacks of money on legislators’ desks, and justifying an economy in which sweat shops were common, urban slums festered, and a significant portion of America was impoverished.
Social Darwinism encapsulated the idea of survival of the fittest (a phrase Charles Darwin never actually used) as applied to societies as a whole. Its chief apostle in America was Yale Professor William Graham Sumner.
In either case, elite indifference to the impact of economic policies on the day-to-day lives of ordinary citizens could rule the day. Where austerity goes, economic inequality and social unrest follow, and the only thing that “trickles down” from the top is that indifference to lives and/or needs others — neighbors, friends, or family — as a necessity for survival.
What do we become, if that happens?
|
<urn:uuid:01e2c5df-b0b0-4b69-93b6-15b3b1ab840e>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://blog.ourfuture.org/20120430/snapshots_of_austerity_indifference
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.961511 | 3,429 | 1.6875 | 2 |
The mainstream media love lists. On almost any day, open up the paper, or log on to your favorite news website, and there's some sort of list: The Richest Americans, The Best Colleges, The Most Powerful Political Leaders. . . .
These lists are designed to look like valid studies. They may even tout a rigorous methodology. But most of these lists are generated using arbitrary---and often ideologically driven---criteria. The lists that I find the both most frustrating are those that rate cities: The Happiest Cities, The Best Cities to Raise a Family, and one from last month, "The Best U.S. Cities For Business," compiled by MarketWatch, which is part of the Wall Street Digital Network.
This list caught my attention in part because Des Moines, Iowa, ranks No. 1. Nothing against Des Moines (my sister and her family live there, after all), but what set of criteria would allow Des Moines to be No. 1, and put Washington, D.C.---a very different kind of city---at No. 2? The list is especially baffling when you consider that Des Moines scored 50 points (on a 1,000-point scale) more than D.C., even though less than five points separate most of the other 99 cities on the list.
The reasons for the strange rankings: bias and ideology. To begin with, it turns out that the rankings take into account 10 criteria. Each criterion is worth 100 points. With so many criteria, the cities that did best---such as Des Moines---are those that were not necessarily excellent in one or more categories, but didn't bomb any of them either. In other words, the rankings rewarded not true excellence but consistent above-average-ness. MarketWatch's Russ Britt put it this way:
"How did this small metropolis plunked down in the middle of corn country win out? Nothing flashy, really. It just had above-average scores in every one of 10 metrics that MarketWatch examined. Well, not just above average; it was in the top fourth of all but one metric."
What should we call this bias? An addiction to mediocrity? More charitably, we might call it "The Lake Woebegone Effect," where innovation and excellence are frightening, where the best thing you can say about someone is that they are "above average," but not too much above average.
Now consistent above-average-ness wouldn't be so bad if what was evaluated actually mattered. But that's the next problem with this pseudo-study. For example, one would think that the ability to produce jobs would be a solid indicator of a city's business health, but not according to the MarketWatch list. Every single city on the list lost jobs, except McAllen, Texas. And where did McAllen rank? No. 83---near the bottom of the list!
And what about taxes? Economic development experts say that low taxes are vital to business health. Cities, counties, and states routinely offer tax exemptions to entice companies to move. So what role did tax rates play in the MarketWatch ratings? None. Tax rates were not included in the 10 criteria. In fact, high-tax cities such as Boston and Washington were in the top 10.
Another common characteristic of the top 10 cities was that the government was the largest employer in at least six of them. Five---Des Moines, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Boise, Denver, and Salt Lake City--are state capitols, with huge state government payrolls. Washington, D.C., is, of course, the quintessential government town.
One more thing: In the MarketWatch survey, size matters. If your city has a Fortune 1000 headquarters, your rank goes up, no matter that Fortune 1000 companies employ less than 5 percent of the American workforce.
Here's another way size matters in the rankings: Only cities with more than 500,000 people are included. That's 101 American cities. No matter that other surveys say the future of American business is the smaller city. Improvements in transportation and communication erase the competitive advantage that cities like New York, Chicago, Boston, and San Francisco had in the 19th and early 20th century---when they had unique access to capital, talent, railheads, ports, and raw materials. Today, a raw material is more likely to be an idea than a railroad car of iron ore, and a "finished good" is more likely to be a software program than a pallet of widgets. Today's goods and services are increasingly likely to go to market over an information superhighway, not a concrete one.
All of this explains why another study said the best cities in America to find a job were (in order) Bismarck, N.D.; Casper, Wyo.; and Logan, Utah. Of the 30 best job-producing cities on the list, only one of them (Salt Lake City) was large enough to make the MarketWatch list.
So what does the MarketWatch list teach us? It certainly doesn't tell us what it claims to tell us: which cities are best for business. Indeed, you could argue that the cities that are best for business weren't even considered. Rather, this list teaches us that we should value government jobs over those created by private investment, bureaucracy is better than entrepreneurship, and large corporations matter more than people.
The MarketWatch list and others like it are pseudo-science and junk journalism. But that doesn't stop the mainstream media from eating them up.
|
<urn:uuid:24c72b6e-3b2d-47fa-9f2b-d3c93b20c301>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.worldmag.com/2010/01/liberal_media_bias_shows_up_in_the_strangest_places
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.96202 | 1,137 | 1.554688 | 2 |
By Cathy Irvin
In a few weeks my four-year-old great-granddaughter, Destiny and I will go on our first camping trip together to Norfolk Botanical Gardens. At the Gardens, there is an area where families can stay overnight. It's called the "Enchanted Forest."
I would like to go to the Rose Garden to camp out, but camping is prohibited there. If I were to go there, I would probably get in trouble. Secondly, it is wrong to disobey, and I wouldn't want to be a poor example to my little Destiny. Thirdly, we would be unprotected. And, if we stayed in the Rose Garden, we could risk an encounter with thorns, and that is not good!
All in all, it's reason enough pitch our tents in the right place. It is always a good idea to obey the rules and get our minds settled on the fact that following instructions is good. Then we will have success and a safer journey.
Recently my pastor preached a message about obeying the road signs in life because they are there for a purpose. If we heed the warnings, we will avoid defeat, destruction, and failure. I have been mediating on his message and considering how it applies to our thought lives.
The most important thing is that we must refuse to dwell on negative thoughts. I gave myself a pep talk and said, "Hey girl, you can't camp on this thought because it will drag you into failure."
A coach tells his team, "We are going to succeed because we are winners." That positive thought becomes the focus.
This verse from the Word of God can replace a negative thought:
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13, KJV)
We all want to succeed. No one sets himself up to fail. At times, I felt I could not do something, but when I asked the Lord for help, He shows up. This scripture has helped me think positively.
Psalm 138:8a says,
"The LORD will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever." (NKJV)
God has great plans for our lives. We are not destined to be quitters, no matter how difficult the task before us. God will not forsake us. If everything in life were easy, we would not see the value of being stretched. When difficulties arise, we must rely on God and not ourselves.
If you're like me, and you think negatively about something that you want to accomplish, remember the sign. It says "No Camping." We are not intended to stay in a place of defeat.
It's time to develop a new way of thinking. The Lord is making a way in your situation. He is perfecting everything that concerns you. Let your mind camp out in God's Word. Put on the mind of Christ.
1 Corinthians 2:16 says,
"For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ." (NKJV)
Can God change your life?
God has made it possible for you to know Him and experience an amazing change in your own life.
Discover how you can find peace with God.
You can also send us your prayer requests
Cathy Irvin authored well over 50 Devotions for CBN over three decades where she served the Lord Jesus Christ at the Christian Broadcasting Network. Cathy loved telling stories and glorifying God in all that she did. On December 16, 2011, Cathy left this earthly dwelling to take up residence in the dwelling prepared for her in Heaven. Her Devotions minister with love and truth.
Log in or create an account to post a comment.
CBN IS HERE FOR YOU!
Are you seeking answers in life? Are you hurting?
Are you facing a difficult situation?
A caring friend will be there to pray with you in your time of need.
|
<urn:uuid:555ef11b-73ab-479d-bfc8-8ff7d38711ac>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/devotions/Irvin_camping.aspx
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.972091 | 819 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Cybertron is the home world of all Transformers, Decepticon and Autobot alike. It is the planet that gave them all life, and after millions of years of war, has been left a shattered ruin.
It is home to the super computer Vector Sigma, the unit that gave all the transformers thier individual personalities, as well as the plasma energy chamber, the most powerful energy source on the planet.
Before the civil war that consumed it, Cybertron was bathed in a beautiful golden hue. Dubbed the 'Golden Age' of Cybertron, the Autobots seek to end the war they have fought so long and bring that age of peace and tranquility back again. The Decepticons have other ideas.
However, it is the Decepticons that actually bring about Cybertrons reinvigoration, and a new Golden age. When Vector Sigma allows Galvatron to learn of the existence of the Key to the Plasma Energy Chamber, he attacks Autobot city and has Pounce and Wingspan steal the key, despite Punch's best efforts to stop them.
The Decepticons return to Cybertron to activate the chamber, but it's power over whelms Scourge who is shut down, allowing Spike and Cerebros to steal the key back. However, the ship they arrived in his hit by the closing sparks of energy from the chamber, and shot into space. This sends, Spike, Daniel, Cerebros, Brainstorm, Hardhead, Chromedome, Highbrow, Kup, Blur, Hot Rod, Sureshot and Arcee to the planet Nebulos.
Here they encounter the evil rulers, the Hive, and a band of rebels. Brainstorm, having already postulated that the Autobots would function better with Human partners, formulates a plan to give the Nebulons Exosuits made from thier heads. Thus the Autobot headmasters are born: Brainstorm, Hardhead, Chromedome, Highbrow and Arcee.
The Decepticons sent to retrieve the key are defeated by the Headmasters, but encounter The Hive, who offer them a deal, become headmasters too, so that they all may benefit. Cyclonis declines partially, saying that only the heads of Mindwipe, Weirdwolf, Skullcruncher, Apeface and Snapdragon maybe used. However, the others consisting of Cyclonis, Scourge, Trigger Happy, SlugSlinger and Misfire give up their weapons to become Targetmasters.
The Autobots are defeated once again, and Arcee and Daniel are captured by the Decepticons. The Autobots use the remaining Nebulons to form their own team of Targetmasters: Pointblank, Sureshot, Crosshairs, Blur, Hot Rod and Kup but are unable to retrieve the key, even with Optimus Primes arrival, as the Decepticons unleash the ultimate headmaster, Scorpinok upon them.
The Decepticons return to Cyberton, and explain to Galvatron the situation. Having defeated the remaining Autobots in the time they were away, Galvatron has the Combaticons build the most powerful rocket booster ever created, and literally moves Cybertron to Earth, where he plans on using the power of the Plasma Energy chamber to make the sun go nova and the harness the energy.
The plan almost succeeds, but Spike arrives with the Autobot Headmaster Fortress Maximus, and is able to defeat Scorpinok. The chamber is opened, but as organic life is not affected by the energy released, Spike and the Nebulons convert the rocket booster to an energy collector, which sucks the energy sent to the sun up and directs it straight to Vector Sigma.
The power surge reactivates Vector Sigma, and reinvigorates Cybertron, dawning a new golden age. The Decepticons convert Scorpinok to city mode and retreat to the depths of space, defeated.
|
<urn:uuid:cfcbd8d0-305e-46e0-96ed-d3e4648a3416>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.giantbomb.com/cybertron/3035-939/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.941554 | 816 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Congressional Budget Office "says 8 (percent) unemployment till 2014!"
John Cornyn on Wednesday, August 24th, 2011 in a Twitter message.
John Cornyn says the Congressional Budget Office predicts unemployment will be 8 percent until 2014
In an Aug. 24, 2011, Twitter post, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said of the Congressional Budget Office: "CBO says 8 (percent) unemployment till 2014!"
We’ll assume the Texas Republican doesn’t consider this fabulous news, though the predicted rate would be about a percentage point lower than the July 2011 national jobless rate of 9.1 percent, as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
A reminder: The unemployment rate is a measure of the number of jobless people who are available for work and are actively seeking jobs, expressed as a percentage of the labor force.
Did Cornyn recap accurately?
The nonpartisan CBO’s summary of its latest economic projections says that with "modest economic growth expected for the next few years," the office expects the jobless rate to fall to 8.9 percent the fourth quarter of this year and to 8.5 percent the fourth quarter of 2012. And indeed, the report says, the rate will "remain above 8 percent until 2014."
The nation’s gross domestic product grew 1 percent the second quarter of this year after growing .4 percent in the year’s first three months, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis reported in August. According to the CBO forecast, the economy will grow slowly in coming years as the federal deficit shrinks, though the prediction about the deficit assumes, among other things, that Congress will not extend all the tax cuts launched under President George W. Bush and temporarily extended under President Barack Obama.
In its full report, the CBO projects the annual unemployment rate to average 8.7 percent in 2012 and 2013, which would be an improvement on the 2010 and 2009 averages of 9.6 percent and 9.3 percent, respectively, but would be worse than the 2008 average of 5.8 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
CBO forecasts the unemployment rate falling to an average of 5.4 percent in 2016 and 5.2 percent in 2017 through 2021, which would be the lowest rate since 2007, when the average was 4.6 percent. The report says the projected 5.2 percent rate in those years would match its expected "natural" unemployment rate for the period.
Economists talk about a natural unemployment rate because even in a strong, healthy economy there is always some degree of employee turnover as businesses adopt new technologies and make other staff changes, and as a certain percentage of workers, for various professional and personal reasons, look for new jobs.
Things are unsettled now, the CBO report says, with weakness in the demand for goods and services being the "principal restraint on hiring, but structural impediments in the labor market — such as a mismatch between the requirements of existing job openings and the characteristics of job seekers (including their skills and geographic location) — appear to be hindering hiring as well."
"Other measures also show a great deal of weakness in the labor market," the report says. "The number of unemployed workers per job opening averaged about 4½ throughout the first half of 2011, down from an average of slightly over 6 in 2009 but still much higher than it was before the recession. In addition, the number of people who are employed part time but want full-time work averaged about 8.5 million in the first half of 2011, slightly below the number in the previous two years but still nearly double the pre-recession figure."
The report continues: "Likewise, the share of unemployed people who have been out of work for a long time is unusually high. On average, 44 percent of workers who were unemployed in the first half of 2011 had been jobless for more than six months. Moreover, in mid-2011, 31 percent of unemployed workers had been jobless for at least a year. Those rates of long-term unemployment are unprecedented in the post-World War II era."
We’re not judging here who’s responsible for the nation’s unemployment troubles, but how accurately Cornyn echoed the CBO’s projection. His statement rates True.
Published: Wednesday, August 31st, 2011 at 6:00 a.m.
We want to hear your suggestions and comments. Email the Texas Truth-O-Meter with feedback and with claims you'd like to see checked. If you send us a comment, we'll assume you don't mind us publishing it unless you tell us otherwise.
|
<urn:uuid:970b4f8e-623c-4577-9558-350d393ec7a9>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.politifact.com/texas/statements/2011/aug/31/john-cornyn/john-cornyn-says-congressional-budget-office-says-/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.956482 | 961 | 1.710938 | 2 |
While there are already many great support communities for those living with diabetes, the American Diabetes Association has recently launched a program for those newly diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. The goal of the ADA’s “Living with Type 2 Diabetes Program” is to provide “help, hope, and support” in what can be a very overwhelming situation.
In addition to a host of articles on the ADA’s Web site, participants will receive regular mailings or e-mails on topics such as food, stress, and physical activity. They will also receive a monthly newsletter and have the opportunity to participate in an online support community. The ADA takes its program one step further and provides opportunities for participants to meet in person at local ADA events. “Living with Type 2 Diabetes” is free, available in English and Spanish, and through the mail or e-mail.
This blog entry was written by Web Intern Helen Zhu.
|
<urn:uuid:55f30dc1-8511-45e6-aa66-7148560ebb98>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/Blog/Web-Team/what-were-reading-adas-living-with-type-2-diabetes/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.960442 | 191 | 1.828125 | 2 |
Repairs begin on A1A in Fort Lauderdale
Road swept out to sea by tides, Superstorm Sandy last November
Work began Monday on an underwater sea wall to protect Fort Lauderdale beach and State Road A1A from further erosion.
Part of the road and sidewalk were swept into the ocean by high tides during and after Superstorm Sandy in November.
Crews are driving steel piles into the ground offshore between NE 14th Ct. and NE 18th St.
"Once the sheet piles are all in place, they'll prevent any further erosion of the A1A in this particular area," said Barbara Kelleher with the Florida Department of Transportation.
The road remains open during the construction, but the speed limit has been reduced to 25 mph.
The road will look different after construction is finished. Instead of two lanes in each direction, there will be one driving lane, along with bike lanes and a center turning lane.
The construction is supposed to be finished by the first week of May. Officials say nearby residents may experience noise and vibration during the construction.
|
<urn:uuid:55b1e8ea-a30a-4e1f-b4c2-6fe30bc27579>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.local10.com/news/Repairs-begin-on-A1A-in-Fort-Lauderdale/-/1717324/18974978/-/format/rsss_2.0/view/print/-/9ofhb7/-/index.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.968511 | 218 | 1.640625 | 2 |
MONTREAL - I don’t know about you, but I am getting pretty sick and tired of all of this language hullabaloo.
All I am hearing is “French must prevail!” or “The English are suffering!” or “TABARNOUCHE, DAMN YOU!” and it just causes me to have a big headache, and grow frustrated with just how ignorant people have become.
It’s unbelievable the image of Quebec that has been portrayed since Pauline Marois was elected to power. It saddens me to hear people arguing over something that should be cherished — language diversity. Different languages, cultures and religions — these should be celebrated. Why are people so defensive? Is it fear? Or are they just being pigheaded?
I sometimes wish we could revert to my grandparents’ day and age. They were afraid and very needy when they came to Canada, but they were also embraced in a way that I’m not sure is quite the same today. Yes, they had language difficulties, but as my grandfather discovered, there was often humour associated with the language barrier, not this rancour we see today. Learning a new language was a constant ordeal, but with constant new learning.
Let me tell you a story about my grandparents to tell you what I mean.
One day my yiayia (grandmother), my papou (grandfather) and my thia Eleni (aunt; or my grandfather’s sister) all went looking for a kitchen table to furnish my grandparents’ new home. They had just recently settled here in Montreal and spoke very little English, much less any French.
So with that little language handicap in the mix, off they went to a furniture store.
Upon arriving, a salesman greeted them with a “Bonjour,” only to receive blank stares in return. He then understood that his clients probably spoke English, so he asked, “May I help you with anything?”
My grandparents weren’t ones to really speak up. On the other hand, my thia Eleni (known to be very outgoing) stepped up and said, in her heavy Greek accent, “Yes. We are looking for a chicken table.”
The salesman stared, trying to figure out what she was asking for.
“A what?” he asked.
“A chicken table.” my thia Eleni repeated.
The poor salesman, trying very hard to understand, repeated, “You want a chicken table?”
“Yes, a chicken table.”
He motioned them over to a selection of tables in the store.
“Well, we have these,” he said, pointing to some very elaborate and grand-looking tables, more suited for a dining-room set.
My grandparents shook their heads.
This time, my grandmother repeated what my aunt said.
“No, sir, a chicken table. Ve vant a chickeeeeeen table.”
My thia Eleni went over to a simple wooden table and banged on it with her fist.
“HERE! A CHICKEN TABLE. NA ENA TRAPEZI, YEAH?” meaning, “Here, a table, yes?”
Now the salesman finally understood what they wanted: a simple table for their kitchen. He then explained — ever so politely, as my papou recalled — that the word they were using, as they pronounced it, meant something else.
People with patience like this salesman had is what we need today. When people cannot speak a language, whether it’s one of the official languages or a foreign one, we must try and understand one another’s predicament and place ourselves in their shoes. Being misunderstood is frustrating. But if we show kindness to one another, maybe people won’t be so stubborn when it comes to opening up their own language horizons.
According to language semantics, I am an allophone (I learned Greek first). I speak three languages (English, French and Greek) fluently, and I know the basics of Spanish.
I am proud to have had the opportunity to learn all of these languages, and I know many opportunities will open up for me because of this language acquisition. It’s simple, really; yet so gratifying at the same time.
So, to all you people fighting over language: stop for just a second; pack your pride into a little box; and go and learn the difference between a chicken and a kitchen. It will get you very far in life.
|
<urn:uuid:665b4781-f5ec-4c53-a71e-e318ee06245c>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/opinion+patience+humour+will+solve+more+language+problems+than/8030899/story.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.973302 | 973 | 1.5625 | 2 |
In 1997 former Ohio State wrestler Mark Coleman was the most feared man in the UFC
In the mid-90's well rounded fighters started to win titles both in the UFC and in Japan, but Ohio State wrestler Mark Coleman reminded everyone how dangerous a specialist could be in this young sport.
In the last two articles, MMA Origins has looked at the integration of different skill-sets, starting with the merging of Muay Thai kickboxing with grappling in Brazilian Vale Tudo in the 1980s. Then in the mid-1990s, Bas Rutten added catch wrestling skills to his vicious striking to form a fighting style that allowed him to claim the King of Pancrase title.
American based fighters lagged behind their Brazilian and Japanese-based counterparts for much of the 1990s. Brazilian Marco Ruas had already shown American fighters what a diversely skilled fighter could do with his tournament championship at UFC 7. But in 1996, the American version of the sport then known as "No Holds Barred" or "Ultimate Fighting" would produce its own well rounded champion for the first time.
UFC 8 would feature the debut of Don Frye into MMA. He wrestled with two powerhouse NCAA programs at Arizona State and Oklahoma State. He earned a second degree black belt in Judo and also had extensive boxing training, including a professional boxing victory in 1989. Frye was not the first American-born fighter in the UFC that had a background in several martial arts, but he was the first to use it to maximize his strengths in the cage.
Frye used his grappling experience to put the fight where he had the greatest advantage, and in his early UFC career, that was striking on the feet. Frye was the first wrestle-boxer and used his striking to win his first two UFC matches by KO in under a minute each. He then defeated the powerful Gary Goodridge to win the UFC Tournament championship.
This success of the well rounded became a trend across all of the budding sports that would become modern MMA, but this was not to say the specialist fighter was a thing of the past. And in the UFC, the specialist would come roaring back with a vengeance in the form of an Ohio State wrestler.
In the year that the Gracies had been out of the leadership of the UFC, the promotion had trended towards larger and larger fighters. UFC 10 was no exception, as all eight fighters competing would have fallen into the modern heavyweight division. Don Frye entered his name in the lists and was considered the favorite heading in, though he faced a tough field with UFC veteran Gary Goodridge and a newcomer, Brian Johnston, who boasted a formidable skill set with boxing, kickboxing and judo experience.
With fighters coming in with such diverse backgrounds, not much attention was paid to Mark Coleman, a wrestler making his No Holds Barred debut. However, Coleman wasn't just any wrestler - he was a truly world class freestyle artist with an NCAA championship, three straight Pan American Championships, and a silver medal at the world championships. On top of the impressive skills Coleman brought into the cage, he had imposing physical strength and a ferocity on the ground many fighters had not seen before.
In the clinch or on the ground, Coleman was always looking for a way to punish his opponent and became famous for headbutts, despite his considerable success with or without them. In his first UFC fight, Coleman made short work of Israeli Moti Horenstein, forcing a tap to strikes in under three minutes. In his next fight Coleman had grueling match with Gary Goodridge. Using his prestigious upper body strength, which was mentioned many times, Goodridge was able to stay on his feet for much of the match by grabbing the cage. At times, he actually walked around the cage with his hands in the fence to prevent Coleman from dragging him to the ground. But Coleman kept up a constant attack, punching whenever the opportunity presented itself and got Goodridge to the ground. Goodridge finally tapped to exhaustion.
On the other-side of the bracket, Don Frye struggled through two very tough fights and met Coleman in the finals. Both fighters were extremely tired, but Coleman clearly had the edge in wrestling and his fatigue seem to disappear once he had Frye on his back. After 11 grueling minutes, the fight was stopped and Mark Coleman had won his first UFC Championship. His superior wrestling had trumped his inexperience and lack of a larger skill set.
Mark Coleman working from the open guard of Don Frye
Just a few months later, Coleman would return to the UFC to defend his newly won crown. The second half of 1996 marks a transitional period for the UFC. Storm clouds had been gathering around the sport for some time and its survival was beginning to become questionable as enemies brought legal pressure to bear on the sport they hated. While the UFC's legal fight for survival will be covered in depth in a future article, we will touch on it here as UFC 11 and Ultimate Ultimate 1996 would be the last events to feature openweight tournaments. It also featured the evolution of new tactics, specifically designed for an MMA context and not hailing immediately from another martial art.
Fighters had begun to train specifically for No Holds Barred fighting and adapting their skills to succeed. UFC 11 featured some of the first methodical use of the cage. In the first round, Lion's Den fighter Jerry Bohlander took on Fabio Gurgel in a classic Brazilian Jiu Jitsu vs Catch Wrestling grappling match. Gurgel is a legendary Brazilian Jiu Jitsu grappler and was soon going to co-create the world famous Alliance jiu jitsu team, but Bohlander had a plan to shut down the Brazilian's grappling. Bohlander constantly pressed Gurgel's head against the cage, taking away his ability to escape his hips, grabbed the cage to prevent takedowns and did everything he could to avoid being on the bottom of Gurgel's control. Bohlander struck from the guard, never doing any serious damage, but clearly controlling the fight and earned the decision victory. With a modern UFC set of rules, Gurgel may have won, but back then, Bohlander did enough to win.
Mark Coleman won a nearly effortless first match, easily taking down Julian Sanchez and then forcing the tap with a neck crank from side control. In his second round match, Coleman would faced Brian Johnson, returning to the UFC after losing to Don Frye at UFC 10. Johnson came out looking to punish Coleman's lead leg with kicks, but would become a case study in why low kicking wrestlers is a bad idea. Johnson landed a few kicks and they clearly effected Coleman, who shook out his leg a few times. However, Coleman was eventually able to catch a kick and take Johnson down. Once on the ground, Coleman pounded Johnson out for the finish and the win.
Mark Coleman applying a neck crank to Julian Sanchez at UFC 11
UFC 11 would be the last numbered event in the promotion's history to feature an eight man tournament and it was a disaster. Bohlander was forced to pull out after his first round win, and both replacement fighters were forced to withdraw. The result was Coleman had nobody to fight in the tournament final and he was awarded the title without having a final fight.
It marked a two event run of dominance for Coleman that is still remembered today for the brutal and dominant fashion which Coleman won. He was not the first man with a wrestling background to win UFC gold, both Dan Severn and Don Frye had wrestled in college, but they both had other skills as well. Severn had submission grappling experience and Frye had both boxing and judo experience. Coleman was the first champion to step directly into the cage off the wrestling mats with no other significant martial arts experience and his success would inspire others to follow in his footsteps. Ultimately, Coleman would prove to the be the vanguard of a wave of collegiate and international wrestlers that would enter the sport seeking the competition and financial rewards that were impossible to achieve in the wrestling world at that time.
This was just the beginning of Coleman's career, but the next time he returned to the Octagon, he would be facing a transformed sport. Storm clouds had gathered and the UFC would need to make changes to make sure the sport survived. In the process, they would create a new era in American MMA. New rules and the addition of weight-classes would change the sport, as would a new generation of fighters. Two of those fighters were present at UFC 11 - but not as fighters. Frank Shamrock and Tito Ortiz both cornered fighters and it would not be long until they took their turn in the Octagon before becoming future rivals and UFC Champions.
|
<urn:uuid:60b277e5-4625-4577-814e-8dd6f0962782>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2012/10/22/3410134/UFC-MMA-Origins-History-Mark-Coleman-UFC-11-UFC-12-Buckeye-Ohio-State-Wrestling
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.986865 | 1,769 | 1.664063 | 2 |
People clearly too disabled to work get harassed and pressurised into work programmes they clearly cannot comply with, while the number of "cheats" or "scroungers" caught, remains at exactly the same level it always did.
Throughout the last year, we have warned of a tipping point. With over 110,000 decisions already found to be wrong and overturned, 11,000 people a week are being put through flawed assessments. It is only a matter of time before this becomes the toxic story of recent years. MP mailbags are already bursting with letters about this.
With the double-disaster of care cuts, horrific stories of neglect and want join the stories of war widows with cancer sent to the job centre and soldiers with their legs blown off told to get a job.
I live in a safe, Sussex, Conservative seat with a 17,000 majority. Our local press is just as conservative, though with a smaller "c". We are not given to emotional outbursts and certainly not generally in favour of the "feckless" or "workshy"
This week, the Headline splashed in maximum sized font across the Worthing Herald screams :
HOW CAN I GO TO WORK?
Wheelchair bound Mark Saunders is diabetic, has lost a leg, is partially sighted and needs dialysis three times a week, yet the government wants him to go to work - or risk losing his benefits.
Meanwhile, the Bognor Regis Observer carries this starkest of headlines :
I'LL BE LEFT TO DIE ALONE BECAUSE OF CUTBACKS
And goes on to explain how a local man with a progressive muscle-wasting disease, bedridden and unable even to draw up his own insulin has had his full time carer cut, left with just 5 hours a day and no night time care. To give one graphic example from the story, he explains how in he event of a fire, he would have to burn alive, unable to move independently.
As campaigners like myself have tried to explain so many times, no one minds a fair assessment to see what work a person could do, but no-one, anywhere in the country has the appetite for sending people like Mark Saunders to the jobcentre.
We all have ageing parents or face the threat of a minor condition worsening. No-one in the country wants to see severely disabled, bedridden citizens left lonely and lying in their own filth, unable to feed themselves or draw up life saving medicines.
Stories like this become more and more common up and down the country, in every local paper, in every community centre. You may not see them in the Daily Mail yet, but soon, it is inevitable and it will be to our great, great shame. Once more, I urge the government to halt the roll-out of ESA to 1.9 million of our most vulnerable people until it can be made safe and "fit for purpose"
I urge them to reconsider cuts to local councils so deep that they leave those we most have a duty to protect living in utter despair.
Now. Before we make mistakes we will regret for decades.
From now on, if YOUR local paper has a similar story, please add links to the comment thread below. I will list them all by MP and constituency and we will start to build up a directory of stories from around the country. Just keep an eye on the front pages and send me the headlines.
|
<urn:uuid:513d3820-a736-405d-beaa-7ef0ffe93f7c>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/what-every-mp-should-know-about-welfare.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.955819 | 710 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Simply confirm your registered email address below and click "Reset Password." We will immediately email you a link back to the site where you can enter a new password for this account.
We've found your existing Indianapolis Monthly Insiders account. Please login below to complete the Facebook login process.
“Luckily, it's not as loud on the inside as it is on the outside,” says Perry Bruce, the crane foreman who has operated models like this for 28 years. "And it's easier to drive than you think. I wouldn't say it's agile, but the modern ones are a lot easier to maneuver than the old ones you had to manhandle."
The 500-horsepower crane hails from R.H. Marlin, one of the nation’s largest crane rental companies, which just happens to reside on the south side of Indy. It can lift about 32,500 pounds—powerful, although surprisingly, not even close to the 600-ton capable models they have. And while the first part of its job is done, it isn’t going anywhere just yet. As metalworkers recast the joints of the bronze statue, originally installed in pieces, the giant red crane will continue to assist masonry workers at the site.
Thankfully, this bird is migratory. By October 30, it will return Victory to her rightful place and head home. Anyone for lunch on the Circle on November 1?
Indianapolis Symphony Blog
IMA Museum Blog
Copyright © 2013. All rights reserved.
|
<urn:uuid:dbdcec4f-02bd-4f57-be65-2f56092efed7>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.indianapolismonthly.com/circlecitizen/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10229759
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.941082 | 312 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Before you went to bed
we were at the point where you recovered the partition table of the drive and had the whole of it as unallocated space.
From that point, use Gparted to create your partition(s) with the ext3 filesystem.
Right click on the drive and select "New" and select ext3 as the filesystem.
If you just need one partition, use all the available space.
If you need more than one, adjust them according to your needs.
The first partition will be a primary one.
Next one will be an extended one containing one or more logical partitions.
When you're done, click "Apply" and Gparted will create them and format them with the selected filesystem.
No need for an extra format as I wrote in my previous post.
|
<urn:uuid:9210b25e-4475-44b7-9c37-bd9245760ee2>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php?topic=111869.msg955413
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.945796 | 167 | 1.75 | 2 |
Do teams play worse after a time zone change?
According to a resent research presentation by a Baltimore sleep scientist, baseball teams that have recently travelled across time zones play worse than otherwise.
It's called "Measuring Circadian Advantage in Major League Baseball: A 10-Year Retrospective Study," by W. Christopher Winter, M.D. It was funded by MLB.
The study was presented at a conference on June 10, but I can't find it online. (That drives me nuts -- the study is quoted by a whole bunch of press releases, the author is quoted directly, but the actual paper isn't publicly available? What's with that?)
The Scientific American writeup quotes the results this way: if a team travels three time zones west (like from New York to San Francisco), its chance of winning would be
-- 40% on the first day
-- 47% on the second day
-- 48% on the third day
-- 50% on the fourth day
That, I assume, doesn't include home field advantage.
The article does imply, near the end, that the first game of three-time-zone trip happened only 160 times in the 10 years of the study. That's a 64-96 record for the tripping team. That works out to about 2.5 SDs away from .500, which is statistically significant. But it depends on the study having controlled for the quality of the teams and home field advantage.
I have a vague feeling that I've seen studies that checked the time-zone theory of home field advantage, and couldn't find any effect. But I'm not sure. In any case, when the study becomes available, I'll take a look at it.
(Hat tip: Freakonomics)
UPDATE: This article has more details, and it seems like the data doesn't support the conclusion. Here's the summary:
Approximately 79.1 percent of the games analyzed (19,084 of 24,133 games) were played between teams at equal circadian times. The remaining 5,046 games featured teams with different circadian times. In these games, the team with the circadian advantage won 2,621 games (51.9 percent). However, 3,681 of these 5,046 games were also played with a home field advantage. In isolating games in which the away team held the circadian advantage (1,365 games), the away team won 619 games (45.3 percent).
From this, we can figure that:
When the road team had the "circadian advantage" -- meaning the home team had to travel more time zones to get to the game -- the disadvantaged home team's winning percentage was 54.7% (746-619), almost exactly the normal home field advantage.
When the home team had the circadian advantage, they were 2002-1679, for 54.4% -- again almost exactly the normal home field advantage, and almost exactly the same HFA they had when the other team had the circadian advantage!
Home teams were .544 with circadian advantage;
Home teams were .547 with circadian disadvantage.
So, basically, the study's data show that time zone travel doesn't matter at all. The apparent difference is completely caused by the fact that teams that have recently travelled are more likely to be road teams.
|
<urn:uuid:0044a291-2d18-493c-b5c6-199543199a98>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://blog.philbirnbaum.com/2008/06/do-teams-play-worse-after-time-zone.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.980409 | 685 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Maryland lawmakers build 'Fort Cyber'
BALTIMORE — Lawmakers call it “Fort Cyber,” a cluster of federal agencies and companies around the I-95 corridor that builds cyberweapons and researches new ways to fight foreign hackers.
And for that, Maryland can thank a congressional delegation — led by Democratic Sen. Barbara Mikulski — that long has steered hundreds of millions of dollars in federal cyberaid back home.Continue Reading
Maryland lawmakers have jockeyed for years to position their state as an epicenter for protecting the nation’s digital defenses. At Fort Meade, they’ve set up U.S. Cyber Command, the Pentagon’s coordination point for cyberoffense and defense. They’ve helped incentivize companies to set up shop nearby. And they’ve brought home big federal cybersecurity grants — including a recent $10 million check for a new cybercenter tasked to work with industry.
The lawmakers who have helped make Maryland a hub for cybersecurity say their efforts reflect the seriousness of the threat and fit the state perfectly because it’s already home to the National Security Agency and other military and intelligence centers.
“It’s building on what we already have,” Mikulski told POLITICO. “It wasn’t that Barbara Mikulski used appropriations à la Bob Byrd; we built on the assets that are already there and made sure they had the right appropriations resources.”
Still, there’s no denying that Maryland’s lawmakers have expended considerable political capital to transform their state into a home base primed and ready for any cyberwar. And it’s possible the cybersecurity reforms percolating in Washington — however necessary they may be — also could provide a huge business boost to the state.
“I think their biggest focus has been bringing attention to this area,” said Larry Letow, leader of the Tech Council of Maryland and the president and CEO of a local company, Convergence Technology Consulting. “The bottom line is we’re going through budget cuts; we don’t know what the future is going to hold.”
Letow said Mikulski and Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger — another cyberchampion for the state — play a “strong role in the budget process.” The hope is they “will maintain the focus” on the issue, he said in an interview.
Make no mistake, the cybersecurity threat is no farce: Hackers have infiltrated U.S. government systems and routinely set their sights on the Pentagon and Department of Homeland Security. Companies around the world are equally appealing targets, as recent attacks against banks and other financial institutions have demonstrated.
To that end, members of Congress have proposed unprecedented investments in cybersecurity: The DHS hub managing a torrent of cyberprograms, for example, received more than $400 million in the 2012 fiscal year and is asking for more than $769 million for 2013. In fact, the only area to see a spending increase in the latest congressional stopgap measure was a pot of money to protect federal computer networks from cyberattacks.
That stream of funding is only going to flow faster if the government ever requires power plants, water systems and other forms of critical infrastructure to adhere to new cybersecurity standards. In doing so, the feds also hope to facilitate the exchange of threat data between the government and private sector.
Mikulski, along with other Senate Democrats and the White House, favors precisely that two-track approach. House lawmakers, including Ruppersberger, have opted to focus only on information sharing. As that debate continues, though, there’s a sense that Maryland may be in prime position to capitalize on any reforms that pass Congress or emerge from the White House — an advantage due largely to a congressional delegation that has wielded power and influence to boost the state’s appeal to the cyberindustry.
|
<urn:uuid:1bda2dda-5957-46f7-a6d8-97439cddc72b>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1112/84242.html?hp=r3
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.945911 | 810 | 1.789063 | 2 |
African-Native American Research Forum Archive
Re: LANDRUM-VANN GA>OK
In Response To: LANDRUM-VANN GA>OK ()
When checking applications you should check all five tribes of the Dawes Commission Rolls. The reason for this is that if a family was living in one of the other Nation's territory they may have filed under that nation rather than their "blood" nation. The spouses might have been of two different nations and they would choose one nation to file under (not necessarily the one you would expect). Many individuals were enrolled under the Creek Nation even though that was not their "blood" line. You really have to check all Five Nations (Cherokee Chickasaw Choctaw Creek and Seminole).
Now the reason I mentioned this is because There are many VANN'S and LANDRUM'S in the Creek Nation. I found Gilbert VANN on two Creek Freedmen census cards #227 and #453. On card #227 he had a son Jim VANN and the mother was Hannah Dyle. I might add that Hannah had 6 other sons all with different fathers. On census card #453 Gilbert had two other children with Sally Vann (Creek) Catherine 11 years old and Pearl 5 years old. Gilbert was listed as Cherokee and his families were Creek.
[17 Aug 1999]
|
<urn:uuid:3d52abb2-cba1-420d-b15a-e7a214209a65>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.afrigeneas.com/forumearchive/index.cgi/md/read/id/150/sbj/landrum-vann-ga-ok/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.976483 | 280 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Front Page Groups & Collections John Morley
1838 - 1923
About the Author
John Morley was a prominent classical liberal in late-Victorian England. He was influenced by the liberalism of John Stuart Mill, edited the Fortnightly Review, wrote biographies of the free trader Richard Cobden, and was a cabinet minister under four Liberal governments.
In The Library:
|
<urn:uuid:79ce049d-d270-4434-8212-0d26de2202c3>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://oll.libertyfund.org/index.php?option=com_staticxt&staticfile=show.php%3Fperson=3852&Itemid=29
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.930512 | 77 | 1.703125 | 2 |
updated 04:15 pm EDT, Wed March 14, 2012
T-Mobile sends letter to FCC for 4G LTE roaming
T-Mobile USA has sent a letter to the FCC (PDF), asking it that all 700MHz LTE bands are interoperable between carriers. Such a move would motivate roaming and help the public in terms of safety, T-Mobile wrote. A meeting is scheduled for next week, at which the FCC will decide whether the interference between 700MHz B and C block operations could be mitigated if the lower band were to be made interoperable.
Current LTE devices used by AT&T won't work on Verizon's LTE network because the two carriers use different band classes. Other carriers that share T-Mobile's stance include Vulcan Wireless, King Street Wireless (who is a bidding partner of US Cellular), C Spire Wireless, and MetroPCS. The same carriers pushed for the FCC to mandate that AT&T's purchase of Qualcomm spectrum allows roaming on the new network.
The ability to offer roaming on 4G LTE networks on the 700MHz frequency would make networks more competitive, T-Mobile argued. It will also benefit first responders, allowing FirstNet, an authority that manages the public safety network, to fulfill its obligations as it won't need to produce multiple devices to work on all the different networks.
AT&T and Verizon are against a government-mandated stipulation, arguing it doesn't have the authority to do so. It would also involve that they incur significant development costs. Critics, however, have mostly seen it as an attempt to force users to buy new devices if they switch networks, discouraging easy switches. T-Mobile, if successful, would lead to at least AT&T and Verizon users being able to share devices like iPads. T-Mobile wouldn't automatically get support, since it's expecting to use higher frequencies for its own LTE. [via FierceWireless]
|
<urn:uuid:2e71ba0f-6af0-487d-bd12-c78933c875da>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.electronista.com/articles/12/03/14/t.mobile.sends.letter.to.fcc.for.4g.lte.roaming/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.956891 | 389 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Highlighting the fiscal problems posed by growing health costs and an aging population, the trustees of the nation's main entitlement programs estimated Monday that Medicare will only be able to pay a portion of its expected costs starting in 2024.
That's the same year the trustees had estimated a year ago.
Their outlook for Social Security worsened somewhat.
Every year the trustees release an annual report on both programs' long-term financial outlook.
In this year's report, they said that unless Congress makes changes to Medicare, or overall health costs come down, Medicare will only be able to pay 87% of expected costs by 2024 and 67% by 2050.
Put another way, if lawmakers wanted to make the program solvent over the next 75 years, they would need to raise the 2.9% Medicare tax on all wages to 4.25%.
And that may be the best-case scenario, since the trustees' estimates assume that a scheduled cut in Medicare payments will go through, even though Congress regularly overrides it. Their numbers also assume that the cost-savings measures called for under the new health reform law will occur as predicted.
As it is, costs under Medicare Part A -- which pays for hospital services -- have outrun revenue coming into the program since 2008. The government has made up the difference by redeeming hospital trust fund assets and also by paying interest on other trust fund assets.
But by 2024, that trust fund source will run dry.
A separate trust fund for Medicare Part B (for doctor visits) and Part D (for prescription drugs) is adequately financed over the next decade, the trustees said, but only because premiums and general revenue income are adjusted annually to match expected costs.
Nevertheless, the financial position of Medicare overall was improved by the 2010 health reform law. Without it, the program would only be able to pay costs in full until 2016, said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, a Medicare trustee.
In terms of Social Security, the trustees estimated that the program will only be able to pay roughly 75% of promised benefits starting in 2033. That is three years' earlier than they predicted last year.
A key reason for the earlier date are changed assumptions about how much wages will grow over the next 75 years.
To give a sense of the magnitude of Social Security's fiscal shortfall, if lawmakers wanted to make the Social Security fully solvent over the next 75 years, they would need to immediately and permanently raise the payroll tax rate -- 12.4% on the first $110,100 of wages -- to 15.01%. Alternatively, they could cut benefits by 16.2%. Or adopt some combination of these changes. (See correction.)
Social Security has already begun paying out more in benefits than it takes in from workers' payroll taxes.
But the difference has been made up for with interest paid by the Treasury Department on the $2.7 trillion that the federal government owes the program. That debt represents the amount of extra revenue paid into the system over the years that Uncle Sam borrowed and spent.
"As we work to strengthen Social Security and Medicare, it is critical that reforms are slowly phased-in over time so current beneficiaries are not affected and future beneficiaries do not experience precipitous changes," Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said.
Of course, the political firestorm over both programs -- and the federal budget generally -- doesn't show signs of abating anytime soon.
Liberal Democrats accuse Republicans of trying to end the Medicare guarantee, privatize Social Security and deny the cost-savings potential of the 2010 health reform law. To the extent that changes are made to entitlements, Democrats would prefer they lean more heavily on the tax side of the equation and hit the highest-income taxpayers first.
Conservative Republicans accuse Democrats of refusing to deal with fiscal challenges, have been calling for a full repeal of the health reform law and would prefer that changes to the entitlement programs lean most heavily on spending.
Independent budget experts, who warn about the unsustainable pressure entitlements will place on the federal budget, say both parties will have to compromise.
"Everyone may think their cow is sacred, but in fact there can be no sacred cow in the search for solutions," said Robert Bixby, executive director of the Concord Coalition.
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the increased payroll tax rate that would be required to make Social Security solvent for the long run.
|
<urn:uuid:732e23a1-feaf-4813-944e-c74405685df9>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.kwkt.com/news/trustees-medicare-funding-run-out-2024
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.956205 | 898 | 1.6875 | 2 |
The Week in iOS Apps: We can be heroes
Products mentioned in this article
This week’s roundup of apps is all about making stuff—movies, pictures, games, and even a better living room. What can’t your iOS device do?
Already this week, Macworld told you about Read It Later’s reinvention as Pocket, an app that lets you save online multimedia for later viewing. The popular Draw Something app was updated with new features, including an in-game chat option, the ability to share your drawings, and an undo feature. Dan Moren brought you news of minor updates to iBooks and Cards. And of course we offered app guides for users interested in The Avengers—including the new Stan Lee-narrated apps Avengers Origins: Assemble! and Avengers Origins: Hulk—and drawing on their iPads.
Also this week, the Runmeter exercise app was updated with iCloud data storage and a wider variety of included fitness plans. And Thursby’s PKard Reader made its debut, an app that lets government employees, for example, view secure webpages on their iOS device after they’ve swiped their security card through PKard’s reader.
Other new and updated apps that caught our eye this week:
Arqball Spin: Even though the idea that the iPad is for consumption only—and not for creation—has long since been put to rest, we’re still suckers for apps that show us new ways to make stuff on our iOS devices. The free Arqball Spin app for iPhone and iPad belongs in that category: It’s an app that lets you assemble photographs of an object into a 360-degree model, creating interactive models that can be rotated and spun around within a Web browser. (This video demonstrates the effect.)
Google Play Books: While the digital reading realm has been dominated of late by litigation involving Apple, Amazon, and the major publishers, Google has been quietly updating its free Google Play Books app as an alternative to the ruckus. This week’s version brought new features, including the ability to bookmark a page by tapping the upper right corner, along with highlighting and note-taking options. More intriguingly, the app can also translate the book you’re reading into more than 50 languages. There’s also a social element, with a new +1 button that lets users share information about the books they’re reading—to Google+, naturally.
Lego Super Hero Movie Maker: When we were growing up, the only way you could play with Legos was to, well, actually play with Legos. Give the toy-maker credit for figuring out how to enter the 21st century and become popular in the video game realm. Now the company’s trying to enter the video-making realm with its free Lego Super Hero Movie Maker app. The offering lets you make stop-motion movies with your real-world Lego toys—although, really, you could use those stop-motion features on any subject you like. The effects and title cards, though, are oriented toward storylines featuring DC Comics superheroes like Batman and Superman. Now you don’t have to rely on a game to do it for you: You can make your Legos come to life.
MagicPlan: Of course, iPhones and iPads can help you do more than read great books and make cool movies. You can use them to make real stuff! Sensopia’s free MagicPlan app lets you create detailed floor plans of your home by using your iOS device’s camera to capture images of the rooms you want to improve; you then use those images to measure the dimensions of the room and create an accurate drawing of the layout. This week’s update improves on the room-capture features—making it easier for the app to distinguish doors and hidden corners—and also includes a new Retina-friendly interface for the iPad. You can export the floor drawing in PDF, JPG, or DXF format.
Sketch Nation Studio: Draw Something has become a huge hit by letting players use their artistic skills to win games. The free Sketch Nation Studio application lets you use your artistic skills to create games. You can draw characters within the app—or on paper, captured with your iPhone or iPad’s camera—then customize the game play. (This video shows how.) The intriguing part: If developer Engenious Games likes your game, it could publish the title as a standalone app and split the revenues with you (after Apple takes its 30 percent cut). That may not be a model for serious game developers, but artistic gamers who want to stick a toe in the field may find this app an easy way to do so.
Updated on 4/23 at 12:35 p.m. PT to clarify that Runmeter plans are available for free, not as in-app purchases.
|
<urn:uuid:ecada84e-9e32-41f8-8552-340c301815be>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.macworld.com/article/1166478/the_week_in_ios_apps_we_can_be_heroes.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.936833 | 1,010 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Charleston, W.Va. (AP) -- West Virginia has just five midwives who aren't also at least nurses, and state officials say creating a licensing standard for them isn't worth the cost.
These lay midwives have asked the Legislature to create a regulatory board for certified professional midwives. Besides setting practice standards, they say licensing would help them get insurance.
But a legislative audit released Tuesday recommends against the move.
It says that the five known midwives attended just 14 births a year on average between 2002 and 2006.
Several legislators who are also physicians or nurses expressed doubts about the proposal during this week's interim session.
Lay midwives say they'll continue their efforts. They unsuccessfully pushed for state recognition in the early 1990s.
(Copyright 2008 by the Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
|
<urn:uuid:b9e2cda9-569b-4e60-94c5-ab0a5b002ef3>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.thenewscenter.tv/home/stateheadlines/34701099.html?site=mobile
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.971716 | 167 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Source: PS4 Could Arrive In 2010
This could be some seriously big news, provided the Sony "insider" actually is an insider. According to Smarthouse, it appears the PlayStation 4 might be less than 18 months away. It would include the same chipset as the PS3, but it would differ in the drive bay and attachment area. It would also feature an extensive software suite designed for managing content streamed to a TV or Hi-Fi source.
Furthermore, Sony is apparently taking strides to improve the "output experience" so the machine can eventually become a "true home entertainment center," which would erase the need for a media center. Ken Kutaragi, who is retiring as chief executive officer of Sony Computer Entertainment, has already said it would be possible to develop a fully Internet-based game console in the future. The "Father of PlayStation" mentioned that such a network-based machine would automatically reduce the cost to build the console. Is Sony taking this to heart with the PS4...?
"The design concept of the Cell processor is the network processor," Mr. Kutaragi said. "When the PS3 was introduced last year, the network environment was not ready for a net-based game console. Now it has become possible, so why not enter?"
The PS3 has taken a lot of heat for being expensive, and developers have complained about the complexity of the Cell processor. However, the games are on the way, and more and more praise for that Cell processor has arrived in the past couple of weeks courtesy of teams from EA and Factor 5. But a PS4 in 2010 could actually happen, despite initial claims from Sony that the PS3 had a "10-year lifespan."
We need to hear more from Sony about this rumor, and we'd also like a clarification on this "insider" who provided the information. But until then, we figure this is more than enough to contemplate. What exactly is Sony planning?
5/3/2007 Ben Dutka
|
<urn:uuid:153a29f5-7c42-477e-a08c-1c098aac3cc2>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.psxextreme.com/ps3-news/1161.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.97389 | 408 | 1.617188 | 2 |
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are falling after the government revealed that economic growth shrank in the final quarter of 2012, the first time that's happened in more than three years.
Dow Jones industrial average is down 13 points to 13,941.30. The broader S&P futures have given up 0.60 points to 1,507.20. Nasdaq futures are up 4.4 points to 3,158.
Part of the reason for slowing growth was the biggest cutback in U.S. defense spending in four decades.
The Commerce Department says the economy contracted at an annual rate of 0.1 percent.
It immediately raises questions about the strength of the economic recovery going forward, given the tax increases that went into effect this month.
Attention now turns to the Federal Reserve, which wraps up a two-day policy meeting Wednesday.
|
<urn:uuid:aa0a52b2-fe01-4b94-a100-bc6bdc207727>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.whas11.com/news/business/189008731.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.952146 | 179 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Americans cringed when they heard President Obama had scheduled a televised address to Congress tomorrow.
Not out of concern for the subject matter and content. (Well, they are concerned, but that's another story.)
You see, any US president's speech tends to get delivered in mid-evening (East Coast time), meaning this one would pre-empt an event listed on personal calendars and circled in bright colours.
For most male adults, and more women than you might imagine, the anticipation for opening day in the National Football League (NFL) turns them back into children awaiting their birthday. Especially so this year, with a 132-day lockout that carried deep into July bracing them for the horrifying spectre of a cold, dark winter without Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, the Manning brothers, the commissioner Roger Goodell and player suspensions.
Fans able to set aside their fears and logically assess the labour dispute sensed the obvious: that an industry with US$9 billion (Dh33bn) in annual revenues, one that made rich men richer, would settle by the time the season was due to start.
Still, the sad history of idled professional sports gave them pause. All four of the US's major sports have endured work stoppages.
The backdrop made this one different. Football is so essential to America's identity that the owners and players had to compromise. The ATM that pours out money to each side could not stay unplugged for too long.
Inevitably, a deal was signed. Football fanatics stepped back from the ledge. The party would start as scheduled - the Green Bay Packers, the Super Bowl champions, against the neo-contenders, the New Orleans Saints, tomorrow night.
Then real life threatened to intervene again. For part of the game, the airwaves might be commanded by the basketball-loving commander-in-chief.
The crisis passed quickly. The president and his people know sports. So, he will clear his throat and commence his speech 90 minutes before kick off, never mind that the western half of the US will be wrapping up the work day or on the commute home, unable to watch.
They have got theirs straight in Green Bay, making certain students will not miss a minute. Not of the game - or the speech - but tailgating. Local schools are closing early. In the morning. Eight hours before kick off.
All seriousness aside, for some Americans emerging from a hot summer, professional football is a five-hour energy drink that lasts five months. For others, it is a pill that might not cure society's ills, but provides three - or six, or nine - hours of amnesia.
Let us not ignore the tangible benefits. Unemployment, a projected topic in the president's talk, would rise without it. (Not just for the minimum-wage stadium custodians but the millionaire players, adding to the welfare rolls.)
Crime? According to the indelicate linebacker Ray Lewis, himself once charged with murder, it would rise, too. (He offered no data to support the claim and subjected himself to mockery without specifying if he were referring to players instead of fans.)
Several studies have concluded that the workplace is happier and more productive when employees can stand around the water cooler and banter about whether the coach of their team should be fired immediately or be granted one more game before getting axed.
Football is king - plus queen, prince and princess. The last televised exhibition game a week ago - played by guys who, if they are lucky, will stand on a sideline this weekend - drew more eyeballs than a typical game in baseball's National League Championship Series.
Though the sport's following has grown exponentially since the 1987 season, its place in the culture became apparent then.
With NFL players out on strike, owners decided the fans would rather be fed crumbs than starve. They brought in a mostly motley crew of replacement players - one quarterback was found on work leave from prison - and rigged a season.
Not everyone took kindly to the "scabs", as they were charmingly labelled. One group's bus was pelted with eggs on route to a game.The egg throwers? Striking players.
The league and its stand-ins were lampooned so severely that the warring factions came to their senses and struck an agreement, ending the experiment after three comical weeks of games. Their legacy lives on with a cinematic rarity: a decent sports film called The Replacements.
There will never be any re-replacements. The sport is held in too high esteem for that. It long ago replaced baseball as the national pastime. Everybody knows it, none more so than the jump-shooting president.
Tomorrow, he will present an address of grave national importance. Then, according to the White House, he will kick back and watch some football.
|
<urn:uuid:4cf49934-b206-48ea-ab03-720c249f4e13>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.thenational.ae/thenationalconversation/sport-comment/even-the-president-bows-to-nfl-royalty
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.971767 | 993 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Program evaluations to determine how well the Commission is reaching its desired outcomes are necessary to measure the effectiveness and efficiency of its work. Many program priority and resource allocation decisions hinge on the knowledge of program successes and failures. For the first three years of this plan, the Commission will continue to use methods and processes already in place to evaluate its progress in achieving the strategic goals and outcomes as well as the priorities for FY 2007 through FY 2012 outlined in this Strategic Plan.
The Commission has published annually since September 2004, a PAR that describes its progress in achieving annual performance measures. The most recent report is available on the Commission’s Web site, http://www.cftc.gov. The Commission’s report for the fiscal year ending FY 2006 received the prestigious Certificate of Excellence in Accountability Reporting from the AGA.
During FY 2006, as part of the Commission’s migration to a new financial management system, the mechanism that captured information regarding the distribution of labor was reengineered. The Management Accounting Structure Code system (MASC) was replaced by the new Budget Program Activity Code system (BPAC).
Like MASC, BPAC uses employee time and attendance data, which employees input bi-weekly using special codes that correspond to various activities and legal matters. However, unlike MASC, BPAC codes now tie directly to: 1) the Commission’s strategic planning structure, which includes the Commission’s strategic goals, outcome objectives, and business processes; and 2) legal matters active within the Division of Enforcement. With this new alignment of work measurement and active Enforcement matters, BPAC has the potential to serve as an evaluation tool by enabling managers to assess distribution of labor costs and realign resources as needed to contribute to the successful achievement of Commission priorities.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) periodically conducts studies or investigations of Commission programs. In the recent past, the GAO has studied the Commission’s oversight of energy futures trading. GAO has also reviewed the Commission’s market surveillance program, enforcement actions against energy traders, market studies, and the Commission’s capacity to protect market users from fraud and manipulative practices related to the sales of energy futures contracts.
Finally, the Commission’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) evaluates the administration of the Agency, including audits of compliance with Federal laws, such as the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993. The OIG also contracts with an outside private accounting firm to render an opinion on Agency financial statements.
|
<urn:uuid:1509ea1c-38cc-4334-a4a1-bd191bea81d4>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.cftc.gov/reports/strategicplan/2012/2012strategicplan09.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.943834 | 512 | 1.671875 | 2 |
The other day, my yoga teacher, Denise, asked me why I try to help people so often, eagerly reaching out to those who are in trouble even if it means trouble for me. I am not sure, but ever since I can remember, this has been a major part of who I am. One of my first memories is of perhaps the first time I tried to help a wounded creature.
I must have been about 3 years old. As I recall, I was standing on the corner near my house, looking down at a shining pile of glass fragments. Someone had filled a jar with bees and thrown the jar at a brick wall, where it shattered, killing some of the bees, freeing others. One of the bees, mortally wounded, with a shard of glass protruding from its body on both sides, struggled on the ground.
I didn't really know yet about bees. I wasn't afraid to put my hand down in the glittering pile and take it into my hand, feeling its soft fur against my cupped fingers. Of course, the bee didn't understand what I was trying to do, and there was really nothing I could have done anyhow, but as I brought the wounded creature toward my face for a better look, it stung me in the hand.
I remember feeling betrayed. That hurt much worse than the sting, but it was a lesson well taken because sometimes, helping others can be a dangerous thing. They don't always want to be helped or understand what one is trying to do as helping.
Despite this early lesson, a parade of wounded creatures ensued. There were fledgling birds at various stages, from featherless lumps, eyes still closed, to pin-feathered young birdlings, hungry cats, neighborhood strays. My mother, fearful of all animals, wouldn't allow me to take them into the house, but my father, more sympathetic to this effort, smuggled many of them in. There was even one swallowtail butterfly that might not have needed rescuing at all. I kept it inside, by the window, where it fanned its enormous wings in the sunshine.
Most of the birds died. I didn't know what to feed them or how to care for them properly, and most were broken by the fall beyond all redemption. But just when the efforts extended to people, I am not sure.
Early on, I was drawn to those who were outsiders, shunned and teased. I didn't have the courage to step fully into the breech, since it would have meant that I too would have been shunned, since the cruelty of the schoolyard dictated this. I would half-heartedly watch the teasing, meeting eyes with the victim, and both of us would know how wrong this was, but I said nothing, did nothing.
Later, emboldened by my own more secure adult position, I would actually intervene to stop whatever cruelty I saw, to correct it. I flared up when I heard about injustices, and tried to remedy them.
I can't say that my efforts ever had the success I hoped for, but I felt encouraged by them anyway, encouraged to continue. Probably I would have continued even if they had met with disaster. There was just some reason I had to do it.
Working in a soup kitchen on a regular basis, as I once did, stoked that fire, but I craved the more personal connection of a one-to-one effort. Being friends was something I could do, knew how to do.
Lately, this habit of mine has escalated. It was rare up to now to have more than one of these rescue missions going on at the same time. There are now two different friends I am trying to help, crippled by my own significant limitations, but using my wits as best I can to help these people out of their fixes.
Even if it doesn't work, I will have made that connection, made the person feel less alone. Perhaps this is why I do it... I too need to feel connected, and of use.
|
<urn:uuid:740dd6c5-b9ec-4f5d-86f2-7a6e9a0d213e>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.robbi-shadowknows.blogspot.com/2013/02/starting-kar-ma.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.99082 | 829 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Things to do / Travel Guide
Southern Arizona is home to both bustling modern cities filled with all the amenities and long stretches of spectacular terrain where it's just you and unspoiled nature. In between these two extremes, the region gives you plenty of opportunities to experience Native American culture, the excitement of the “Wild West,” and the relaxed lifestyle that has made the region famous.
Just northeast of Phoenix is “The West's Most Western Town,” the city of Scottsdale. It's easy to keep yourself occupied with the tons of shops offering arts and crafts and clothing with a western theme in the city's Old Town or the exclusive shopping at the Italian-inspired Borgata. Scottsdale is also the former home of renowned architect and local resident Frank Lloyd Wright who lived and worked at Taliesin West.
There's a reason why Arizona's capital city is known as “The Valley of the Sun.” With more than 300 days of sunshine every year, Phoenix is a great place to begin your tour of the region. But before heading out to the mountains, be sure to visit Phoenix's thriving downtown area, including the dining and entertainment hotspots at Copper Square and the city's cultural and historical attractions, such as the Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park and the Phoenix Museum of History. Phoenix is also home to many parks, including Papago Park, where you'll find the Phoenix Zoo, the Desert Botanical Gardens, an 18-hole golf course, and plenty of places for picnicking, hiking, and biking. To get a taste of the Phoenix of one hundred years ago, take a walking tour of Heritage Square, where some restored turn-of-the-century houses are open for viewing.
Fifteen miles east of Phoenix is Mesa, Arizona's third-largest city and your gateway to the nearby Superstition Mountains. Visit the city's Mesa Southwest Museum to see a re-created cave and village that depict how prehistoric Native Americans lived. Mesa was founded less than 150 years ago by Mormons and their Arizona Temple is a Mesa landmark. The city also has the largest Mormon population in the world.
If the image of a lonely cactus framed against the cliffs of a rugged, red mountain and a clear blue sky makes your heart beat a little faster, southern Arizona is the region for you. The Sonoran Desert's state parks have miles of hiking trails in places such as the Superstition Mountains, the McDowell Mountains, and Saguaro National Monument.
Also known as “the Old Pueblo,” Tucson is Arizona's second-largest city and the southern hub of the region. Tucson's historic northern section offers ample opportunities to see the city's Spanish, Mexican, and Anglo roots. West of downtown is the world-famous Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, which houses flora and fauna native to the region. A very different kind of museum can be found at Old Tucson Studios, where Hollywood filmmakers re-create the Old West for the cinema.
Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday made Tombstone famous after their 1881 shoot-out at the O.K. Corral. Today, you can recapture the “Wild West” atmosphere of “the town too tough to die.” Visit the Boot Hill Graveyard, where many victims of the lawlessness of the “Wild West” are buried, or the old Tombstone Courthouse, where some unlucky scoundrels died of “natural causes” before justice was meted out by the court. And, of course, the O.K. Corral itself is the star attraction.
Bisbee began back in the late 1800's as a mining town because of the rich deposits of copper, silver, and gold that were found nearby. The little town continued to thrive until the closing of mining operations in the 1970s. As property values plummeted artists began to flock to the area and were ultimately responsible for the town's renewal. By the 1990s property value was again rising and there was a noticeable influx of affluent baby boomers to the area. Historic Bisbee is well preserved and showcases a number of examples of both Victorian and Art Deco architecture. If you decide to go, don't leave without some “Bisbee Blue,” the high quality turquoise the town is known for.
Kitt Peak and the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
The area is home to the Tohono O'odham Indian Reservation, as well as the Kitt Peak Observatory, where 22 telescopes scan the universe from their perch on this 6,900-foot summit. At the southwestern tip of the Southern Arizona region is the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, home to the famous organ pipe cactus and some of the most spectacular scenery that the Sonoran Desert has to offer.
Places to Visit in Phoenix, Tucson, Scottsdale, Tombstone and Southern Arizona
South Mountain Park - Phoenix, Arizona
|
<urn:uuid:f1ae021e-3596-4f31-a427-fa57dc6bf485>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.tripcart.com/usa-regions/Southern-Arizona,Places-to-Visit.aspx
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.953761 | 1,022 | 1.789063 | 2 |
19 ft 3 in
4 ft 0 in
The Arran Curragh is generally less well built and with a coarser line that its cousins from further south, but nevertheless, it is a thoroughly seaworthy boat. Propulsion: It has the characteristic blade-less oar and can be sailed downwind but, without lee-boards would have insufficient lateral resistance to allow to go to windward.
The boat was built for Dr Tony Fairrie who presented it to the Museum
There are currently no comments on this item. Be the first to comment on this item by filling in the form below.
|
<urn:uuid:97f9ba6e-d001-4ff6-b551-d3832281df6a>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.worldofboats.org/boats/view/51/110
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.96054 | 124 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Isla Ratones: An Island Too Pretty for its Name
I really love visiting the small out-islands around Puerto Rico. They are so pretty — just spits of white sand and palm trees surrounded by clear blue water. But with a name like Isla Ratones (Rat Island), this one kind of scared me.
But then I finally got to go, and it’s a cute little island. It’s a nice place to visit for a couple hours (or a day) if you are in the area.
This tiny island (about 1 acre total) is located about ¼ mile off the west coast of Joyuda in Cabo Rojo, in the south-west part of Puerto Rico.
You can only get there by boat, and I imagine that space on the beach can get limited, especially on weekends in the summer months. But during the winter months, you will probably have the island to yourself (as we did in February).
The island is managed by the DRNA (Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales). It has a boat dock, a white sand beach, a roped-off swimming area, some roofed picnic pavilions with BBQ pits (bring charcoal), fresh water showers, and a restroom (bring some TP).
The boat dock and the swimming beach are on the south side of the island. The "best" snorkeling area is off the beach, near the boat dock (though the snorkeling is not that impressive). On the north side of the island, the DRNA and some environmental groups have planted mangroves and installed some artificial reefs in an attempt to protect the island. The center of the island has trees that provide shade.
You must bring everything that you will need for your visit (food, drinks, etc.), since nothing is available on the island. We had tried to get to this island a number of times, but the water was always too rough for the boats to go out. So keep that in mind and call ahead to check on the sea conditions.
If you go into the water, be careful not to step on the reef, or the young mangroves. There was a fair amount of trash (bottles, construction debris) in the water on the north side, so be careful of that, too.
Before or after your visit to Isla Ratones, stop into one of the many seafood restaurants along Road 102 in Joyuda.
The island is "open" for visits Tuesday to Sunday, from 9am to 5pm. Closed on Mondays.
Parking along Road 102 is tricky, most lots are for restaurant customers only. We did find parking near the boat ramp (see map below) in a person’s yard. The charge a couple bucks to park while you go to Isla Ratones.
Adventures Tourmarine runs a boat back and forth to Isla Ratones. This is the boat that we used. Call Captain Elick (bilingual) at 787-375-2625 or 787-255-2525 for reservations. Cost for boat to island is $20 round-trip for up to 4 people. $5 for each additional person. The also rent kayaks and offer kayaking tours of the area. Their boat is docked near KM 14.1 on Road 102 (see map below).
There is another boat captain that runs trips to Isla Ratones. He docks at the DRNA wharf near KM 13.7 on Road 102 (near Island View Restaurant). We don’t know any details about him, but his number is 787-851-7708.
Once you drive to the Joyuda area, you’ll want to get to Road 102 around KM 14.1. You’ll see signs on the fence for the various boat captains and kayak companies.
Use this map to locate places mentioned in this article. You can click on a placemark to view the GPS coordinates for that place.
|
<urn:uuid:ba742f9f-62b6-4bb2-9ba5-b7e2556871e8>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.puertoricodaytrips.com/isla-ratones/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.948218 | 831 | 1.710938 | 2 |
|[Home Page] [This Week] [Classifieds] [Legals] [Obituaries] [Newsstands] [Subscriptions] [Advertising] [Deadlines] [About Us] [FAQ] [Archives] [Community Links] [Contact Us]
New Scotland Archives The Altamont Enterprise, June 11, 2009
Sewage sites set for reviewBy Saranac Hale Spencer
ALBANY COUNTY Several sewage-related sites in the area are set to be reviewed by the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation.
Ten sites in southern Albany County are listed by the DEC’s Division of Water as being among the 107 sites in Region IV to be reviewed this year three are in the top 10 percent.
The DEC has published an Environmental Benefit Permit Strategy annually since it was instated in 1994 as a means to better deal with the increasing volume of State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit requests and updates. Of the EBPS, the report explains, “This strategy represents a shift from full technical review of permits in chronological order, as they expire, to one of establishing priorities for reviewing permits based on the environmental benefit that will be gained by modifying the permit.”
All but one location were cited for the length of time that has passed since their last technical review.
At the top of the list for Region IV which includes Albany, Columbia, Delaware, Greene, Montgomery, Otsego, Rensselaer, Schenectady, and Schoharie counties is the Bethlehem water treatment plant and reservoir, located in the town of New Scotland. While the length of time since its last review is listed, the DEC’s report also noted that the total residual chlorine released by the plant “may be an issue,” since some factors may have changed since the DEC last approved the amount that it is allowed to release. Essentially, the department wants to make sure that those levels are still appropriate, said Maureen Wren, a public information officer in the DEC’s central office.
The reason listed for the last item for the water plant is “triggered antidegredation,” which means that the department will make sure that the permit it approves will, over all, be protective of water quality.
Other sites to be evaluated include:
The sewage system in the hamlet of Rensselaerville;
The Albany Pine Bush Discovery Center;
The Pleasant Street storm sewer in Voorheesville;
The Northeastern Industrial Park in Guilderland;
Crossgates Mall in Guilderland;
The Center for Wisdom and Compassion in Berne;
The sewer treatment plant for sewer district one in Voorheesville;
The sewage treatment plant in Altamont; and
Atlas Copco Comptec in Voorheesville.
|
<urn:uuid:0d4ac35a-e484-494d-81af-7f299c889463>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.altamontenterprise.com/Weekly%20Archives/2009/06-11-09/New%20Scotland2.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.9468 | 593 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Jalios: Master your Content
by Vincent Bouthors
Jalios is a recent spin-off company emerging from the joint INRIA-Bull Economic Interest Group DYADE . The company develops and provides innovative content management software.
Jalios has been created in December 2001. This spin-off from INRIA (Rocquencourt) and Bull develops and provides a content management software which is the result of a cooperation between INRIA and Bull organized through DYADE, a GIE (Economic Interest Group). Jalios is the third company resulting from this fruitful cooperation.
A Project: Pharos
The database replication mechanism was intended to allow any kind of topology and to allow to perform updates in each replicate even if not connected. This is of interest for nomad users willing to update their data (on their replicate) on their laptop while being on the road as well as for confidentiality and security reasons in defense or national security businesses. The work, conducted in a thesis, has lead to the definition of a framework for optimistic replication. The main problem was to handle synchronization between replicates: to detect conflicts, to solve those which can be solved automatically, and notify users of the other conflicts. Detection of the conflicts is achieved by the framework: the developer can program conflict resolution either by choosing default algorithms or by developing some others according to the semantic associated with the data. This main functional innovation has involved the INRIA research group SOR (http://www-sor.inria.fr/).
From Research to the Product
There are a lot of competitors in the domain of content management. Like other content management applications, Jalios handles independently content and presentation ; it takes use of the structure of objects to make easier multiple contribution, validation process, diffusion, and querying.
The replication is the main functional innovation of Jalios. Jalios also provides process innovations : it empowers each categories of users contributing to a content management site, letting them fully use their existing tools. People responsible for web design may continue to use their favorite authoring tool, like Dreamweaver, in order to edit HTML templates. All other users of the solution can achieve their task through their browser: the administrator who gives rights to members, the editorialist in charge of creating new types of publication and validating them, the writers who publish their articles and modify them after reviews, the readers who may interact, ask questions or possibly give their advice.
Our first customers have cheered Jalios for being a plateform that is easy and fast to install, easy to customize, and fully extensible. Some of them have selected it because it was a rapid prototyping plateform and kept using it, because it is an efficient solution for their production needs. Even though we are now launching our commercial operation, we are still interested in developing and looking for new partnerships to explore new usage and develop dedicated applications. One such application is being developed in a project with Renault (MAGIE) to provide a support for innovation, working group, survey, convergence meeting, knowledge transfer.
We would like to emphasis two points. First, it is very important for Research Institutes to provides researchers with support for creating a company to catch business opportunities. In our case, the help from INRIA-transfert were decisive. Second, we believe that process innovations may be as noble as functional innovation and if many research works focus on the second ones, the first ones are probably more important for industrial success in a competitive business such as the content management market.
|
<urn:uuid:cf041c1a-0722-4f0f-b56d-717689a319e5>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.ercim.eu/publication/Ercim_News/enw49/bouthors.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.947019 | 722 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Music has the power to increase guest satisfaction and improve staff morale. Just ask 25-year-old Bradley Newberger, president and founder of Ambiance Radio, a background music service geared toward hotels, resorts, restaurants, and spas.
While a student at the Cornell School of Hotel Administration in Ithaca, N.Y., Newberger managed the Taverna Banfi at The Statler Hotel on campus. The newly renovated restaurant looked great, says the 2008 grad, but was missing one thing: the right music. While researching the available options, he found that many satellite radio station channels and custom music solutions reflected personal taste without taking other factors into account. “When you think about background music, personal taste is the worst thing to choose,” Newberger says.
His tests of research-guided restaurant music led to the launch of Ambiance Radio in 2010. Ambiance Radio uses proprietary software and
a technology system that creates customized music feeds hour-by-hour
that are tailored to each site’s business objectives, taking into
account demographics, psychographics, and traffic volume. The feeds
incorporate findings from academic and scientific research. Thus far, the service is installed in nearly 20 hotels and resorts across the country, in addition to select Quaker Steak & Lube and Schlotzsky’s locations, and Danny Meyer’s Union Square Café.
Newberger says the biggest mistake made by limited-service hotels is relying on a television as background noise. If a news channel is playing, for example, there’s a chance that political content might agitate or offend a guest who has an opposing view. “By putting the right music in a room,” he says, “you can transform it and make it feel fresher.”
Full-service properties that attract mainly business travelers during the week and welcome mostly families on weekends operate differently on, say, a Tuesday compared to a Saturday, which is why Newberger says the music should change based on who is in the space. If an adult contemporary station is constantly playing, “After a while, Mariah Carey and Shania Twain start to sound the same,” he says.
Regardless of property type, music also affects employees and their mood, which then impacts service. If frontline staff members hear the same music played over and over again, it’s enough to make them go crazy. “Employees like variety,” Newberger says.
Atmosphere is a key factor in guest satisfaction and staff attitudes, and background music can play a big role in achieving the right ambience in hotels.
— Megan Sullivan, Managing Editor, Lodging
|
<urn:uuid:78118598-f301-420b-b6eb-41f024c86d76>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.lodgingmagazine.com/blogs/blogs/f8c3a2eb-b373-4991-bacf-74720108293b.aspx
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.939932 | 553 | 1.6875 | 2 |
David Park: A Painter’s Life, Nancy Boas, University of California Press, 2012, 368 pages
In the prologue of David Park: A Painter’s Life, a newly published biography of the pioneering representational painter, author Nancy Boas describes the scene at Sotheby’s New York on May 15, 2007. That evening, a David Park oil, “Standing Male Nude in a Shower,” brought the impressive hammer price of $1,160,000. It was the first Park painting to sell for over a million dollars. As Boas notes, the 2007 auction indicated “the rising interest in his (Park’s) place among mid-twentieth century artists.” Since then four other Parks have cleared the million-dollar mark, including Park’s broadly brushed 1959 nude in an abstract/edenic setting, “Louise,” which brought a bit over $2.7 million in 2008.
In the same prologue Boas posits the notion that Park’s development as an artist represented “a formal and ethical critique of Clyfford Still, who taught at the California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco in Park’s era.” Boas has more to say about this later on; the polarities and overlaps between the priestly Still and down-to-earth Park form some of the book’s most original and interesting observations.
Speaking of Still, if you follow the art market, you likely know that a single 1949 Clyfford Still abstraction recently cleared $61 million at auction. In other words, if you use price as a measure of importance, Clyfford Still towers above David Park on a market basis. Still, a petulant artist who was described by the late critic Katherine Kuh as “an outspoken man periodically tormented by repressed fury,” also now has a museum dedicated entirely to his work. Clyfford Still may have his own posthumous apotheosis in the form of eye-popping prices and a one-man museum, but it is Park who has recently received heartfelt tributes in the form of two written accounts of his life and art.
In 2009 Park’s daughter Helen Park Bigelow published David Park, Painter: Nothing Held Back, a memoir which tenderly and insightfully narrates the story of Park’s life and art, with an emphasis on his later years as she recalls them. Bigelow’s book was followed, and complemented, by last month’s long-awaited publication of Boas’ full biography of Park. Together, the books vastly expand the possibilities of knowing the man behind the seminal paintings of the “Bay Area Figurative School.” Park was a bracingly original artist and his life story is as rich and touching as his art.
Boas’ book is the end result of decades of work; she began her interviews more than 20 years ago, before so many of those who had been close to Park passed on. David Park: A Painter’s Life is the first full biography of a postwar California artist, a long overdue counterbalance to the biographies of Jackson Pollock, Willem De Kooning, Mark Rothko and Arshile Gorky that have appeared since the late 1980s. Along with Phoebe Hoban’s 2010 Alice Neel: The Art of Not Sitting Pretty, Boas’ book also seems to signal an increasing enthusiasm for American postwar representational art. It’s about time.
Unlike many artist biographies, many of which seem to have author-driven agendas, this book does a wonderful job of letting the many voices Park’s friends, family and associates tell the story of his life and artistic development directly and accurately. Boas, a disciplined, straight-forward biographer, is just the right person to memorialize an artist who strove to free his work of “arbitrary mannerisms.”
A Painter’s Life offers countless fascinating insights into Park and his development, including revelations about the artists who he was exposed to and influenced by early on. Who knew, for example, that 19-year-old Park had been present at a 1930 lunch given for the visiting French artist Henri Matisse? Park must have loved the loved the advice that Matisse offered to the throng of California artists: “Talk less. Work more.” In the same year Diego Rivera and his wife Frida Kahlo spent over six months in Northern California, and Boas reports that Park soon after began to experiment with encaustic after seeing Rivera’s encaustic paintings in the homes of friends and acquaintances.
Boas also reports on Park’s rarely discussed experiments with non-objective painting. Although Park’s abstractions had their admirers — the artist Hassel Smith thought they were “great” and “handsome things” — Park’s close friend and colleague Richard Diebenkorn was more equivocal. “You didn’t learn things about space or painting in his non-objective work,” he commented, “you responded to the character — to the courageous personality.”
Courage — moral and artistic — is a theme in Park’s life, and Boas gives the first thorough account of the artist’s gutsy switch from abstraction back to representation. When Park showed his painting of a jazz band, titled “Rehearsal,” in a group exhibition at the De Young Museum in early 1950, its approach was so contrary to the dominant abstract style on display that it was barely noticed. “I thought it was a joke,” recalls artist Frank Lobdell. “The idea of somebody making such a drastic switch from one style to another just didn’t occur to you.”
Boas demonstrates that Park’s rise as a painter was gradual and hard won. His artistic ascent was made despite decades of financial hardship and, after a terrible 1942 accident at his night job at the General Cable company, severe back pain. It was only a year or two before his death that Park told his friend Dorothy Baker that “at last he’d found how to paint.” Park, who died at 49 of cancer, made his best works at the end of his career.
By committing himself to the depiction of the human figure, Park created a hybrid art that literally moved the abstract inventions of Clyfford Still, Park’s antithesis, into the background where they provided a sense of tone and setting. “The vast sense of scale in Still’s work finds and echo in Park’s ‘Bather and Ocean,’” reports Boas, who continues to suggest that Still’s romanticism and sense of “nature ecstasy” forms the setting for Park’s figure. “Park’s work has an accessibility which Still’s does not, It does not keep the viewer at arm’s length or make itself hard to understand.”
What David Park: A Painter’s Life accomplishes is to deepen our understanding of an artist who celebrated humanity, friendship and connection. Just as Park put the humanity back into an era of abstraction, Boas brings David Park the man into the foreground in a literary and historical sense. She has given us a detailed, truthful, credible picture of a man who tussled with the lofty claims made for abstract art. Somehow he made peace with abstraction, but he had to do it by putting human presence, in all its beautiful imperfection, into the forefront once again.
Park was a leader who led by example and by friendship. “He was a very modest man, excellent manners, New England still there,” recalls his daughter Natalie Park Schutz. “I have been fortunate: I get along with people,” is what he told his family members and friends when he faced his last illness.
When I asked Natalie Park Schutz how she felt about Nancy Boas’ book, she had high praise: “The single outstanding thing for me, a daughter, is that the enormity of his (Park’s) persona is there loud and clear. Nancy discovered so many people who held high opinions of David and reports glowingly on these, and they made my heart sing. Not just his loving daughters, but so many people valued David, and he was so worth it.”
Nancy Boas will be signing copies of David Park: A Painter’s Life
The Armory Show – Modern, New York
Hackett|Mill, Booth 156, Pier 92
March 7th 4-6 pm
March 8th 2-4 pm
There will also be a signing on March 16th, 5-7 pm
Hackett|Mill, 201 Post Street, Suite 1000, San Francisco, CA
For information and to RSVP email [email protected]
Books will be available for purchase
Books by this author
Follow John Seed on Twitter:
|
<urn:uuid:6a1ba076-f4ea-4cbe-84e6-e76cd031f800>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://arteconomist.com/?p=3558
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.972185 | 1,906 | 1.804688 | 2 |
October 30, 2009
US Senate Republicans and Democrats Outline Competing Agendas
Senate Republicans and Democrats have outlined their respective
legislative agendas for the new congressional year. Their priorities
are very different.
Republicans and Democrats in the Senate say they would like to work in a
bipartisan fashion to solve the country's problems, but they cannot even
agree on what the most important issues are.
The Republican majority believes the most important domestic issue is
reforming the social security retirement system to keep it solvent for
Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania is a leader in the reform effort.
"I do not think the American public will ultimately stand for a
do-nothing response to social security. I think everyone realizes we
are all living longer, everybody understands the baby boomers are
retiring, everybody understands there are fewer workers to pay for
retiree benefits, and we also understand that if we do not do anything,
either benefits will be cuts or taxes will be raised," he said.
But Democrats argue that there is no crisis in social security, that the
program will remain solvent for at least three or four decades.
They say reforming the nation's health care system should be Congress'
legislative priority. Senator Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, said
"in the four years since President Bush started his first term, the
number of uninsured Americans has increased from 40 million to 45
million. The cost of health care has sky-rocketed, and this
administration has done absolutely nothing to address it."
Republicans agree reforming the health care system is important, but
they say other issues deserve priority, including making permanent
President Bush's tax cuts, moving the nation toward energy independence,
and the war on terrorism.
Democrats agree the war on terrorism is important, but they also
emphasize education, employment, and support for U.S. troops.
Democrats argue that Republicans are shortchanging benefits for troops
returning from difficult missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, and they want
to change that.
Senator Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said "with one out of six,
it is estimated, soldiers who come home, who have some kind of mental or
psychological problem, that is natural, given what they have been
through, we are proposing that mental services be added to veterans'
benefits, and we are making sure that those who come home get adequate
health care and their families do as well."
Republicans insist they are not ignoring the needs of U.S. troops and
their families. On Monday, they introduced legislation that would
increase the one-time tax-free benefit paid to the families of members
of the military killed in the line of duty from $12,400 to $100,000.
Although Democrats have pledged to oppose Republican initiatives when
they run counter to their priorities, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist
issued an appeal to the minority party for bipartisanship. "Will they
fight us tooth and nail on all of our priorities? It is certainly
within their right to do so, but I hope we will continue to reflect our
desire, our willingness to work together," he said.
Democrats and Republicans did come together Monday to approve President
Bush's nominee to become Commerce Secretary. The Senate confirmed by
voice vote Kellogg chief executive Carlos Gutierrez.
Mr. Gutierrez, who fled Cuba with his family when he was a child,
becomes the first Hispanic-American to head the department.
The Senate Tuesday turns its attention to President Bush's nominee to be
Secretary of State. Senators will hold a day-long debate on the
nomination of Condoleezza Rice for the post, with Democrats expected to
use the occasion to criticize Bush administration policy on Iraq. Ms.
Rice, who served as National Security Adviser to President Bush in his
first term, is expected to be confirmed in a vote scheduled Wednesday.
|
<urn:uuid:bd755cf4-9230-4922-a4ee-3d4d1d4c4200>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.voanews.com/articleprintview/305103.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.956661 | 821 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Fidel Castro dusted off his military fatigues for the first time since stepping down as president four years ago, a symbolic act in a Communist country where little signals often carry enormous significance.
The revolutionary leader wore the cap and uniform — minus the star and laurels he held as commander in chief — at a speech early Friday to students at the University of Havana. The clothing was sure to revive speculation the 84-year-old is seeking a larger role in Cuban politics after turning power over to his younger brother Raul.
Castro repeated his warning that the world stands on the brink of a nuclear conflagration due to tension pitting the United States and Israel against Iran. Castro has repeated the message since emerging from seclusion in July.
© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
|
<urn:uuid:aa6d6401-b3a8-4e61-8a64-aab45a29f4ed>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/CB-Cuba-Fidel-Castro/2010/09/03/id/369151
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.961068 | 176 | 1.71875 | 2 |
SMALL and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of most economies.
They provide 80 per cent of new employment created, by Rex James's reckoning.
Moreover, recent research, which showed that SMEs contributed to two-thirds of the economies in Europe, reflected their global importance, according to Christopher Lowe.
But both men, who were former managing directors of National Commercial Bank (NCB), agreed that the SMEs' role in development extended beyond creating jobs.
Mayberry Investments and Jamaica Money Market Brokers were created by former bankers in the local financial sector, James recalled, while Edward Gayle turned into what is now known as NCB Capital Markets.
"SMEs have changed the way we look at the financial sector, they have been game changers," said James. "They play an important role in our development and not just mere employment."
The commercial bank's current managing director, Patrick Hylton, said that NCB has been targeting its lending towards SMEs in areas that lead to improved efficiencies in operations and energy.
What's more, many of the companies have been expanding the range of products and services they offer.
And while enhancing productivity and innovation are essential tools in establishing strong business models, Hylton's predecessor, Aubyn Hill, recommends that SMEs use more co-operation in order to develop into stronger, longer lasting organisations.
"One of the best creation of western capitalism is something called the limited liability company," he said.
He advises that friends, and sometimes families, should look at joining resources and setting up companies with shares.
"You don't have to take the risks that involved in running the company," Hill added. "You don't have to take all the financial burden, because you can't always find the cash."
He believes that the idea of creating wealth is more likely to be realised using this approach.
The four managing directors, past and present, were speaking at the NCB Nation Builder Award dinner, where Canco Limited was recognised as this year's winner.
Canco owns and trades Linstead Market Jamaica brand of products.
In its 26 years of operations, Canco Limited has grown to become a leading producer and exporter of canned ackees and callaloo worldwide.
Having expanded in 2005, in order to introduce new products to the local and international markets, in 2006, the company changed its trading brand from Country Choice to become Linstead Market Jamaica to offer its new products to include canned soups, seasoned coconut milk, jams, and chutney, while simultaneously expanding its local distribution arm.
The annual awards programme celebrates small and medium-sized businesses which demonstrate outstanding entrepreneurial performance and strong community involvement and impact.
|
<urn:uuid:3b898779-f319-4123-86f7-53d64dc6fab6>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/business/SMEs--more-than-just-a-job-creator_13123560
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.969663 | 559 | 1.617188 | 2 |
I can’t comment on the series in general as I haven’t seen it, and there is an annual access fee, but one of the free sample videos is on shaping a baguette. It’s worth a look. It explains the process in clear detail, but starts from the point where the dough (about 350 grams) has already been preshaped into a cylinder.
Do this by flattening the dough into a rectangle with the palm of your hand, then rolling up the rectangle tightly into a log shape, sealing it with your fingers as you go. Let it rest for 25 minutes or so before proceeding with the final shaping, shown in the video.
|
<urn:uuid:24e18715-ca0b-465c-8501-342e9bc632ae>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2010/12/29/sfbi-video-shaping-a-baguette/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.945891 | 140 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Mumbai: Gold smugglers have stepped out of 1970s’ Bollywood potboilers into present day reality with the government raising taxes to curb the import of the yellow metal.
According to data from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), an agency that monitors economic offences, the incidence of gold smuggling in the current fiscal year has zoomed at least eight times compared with the corresponding period the previous year.
As the government struggles to rein in a raging current account deficit that is likely to cross 4% of the national economic output this fiscal, it has increased the import duty on the precious metal thrice since last year.
India’s gold imports, next only to oil imports in terms of value, were responsible for a current account deficit of 4.2% of the gross domestic product in 2011-12, a 30-year high.
The increase in import duty on gold has clearly led to a price differential between Indian and international gold, and that, in turn, has led to an increase in smuggling. Spot gold prices here are as much as 5.7% higher than in Dubai, compared with a difference of 0.1% in 2008. Typically, gold is smuggled into India from Dubai.
In the first 10 months of 2012-13, till January, DRI has seized gold worth Rs.60.17 crore (200kg at the current price of gold) and cracked 36 cases of smuggling. In the corresponding period in 2011-12, it had seized gold worth Rs.7.42 crore and cracked 15 cases.
To be sure, the number is almost insignificant when compared with the value of India’s gold imports—$38 billion (around Rs.2.03 trillion today) till December.
And it refers only to seizures and the gold smuggled into India could be much more; DRI officials admit that they detect about one in every 10 cases.
“The duty rate hike in phases, from Rs.100 per 10g to 6% (about Rs.1,800 at the current price) now, has not really dampened the demand. In fact, raising of duty has only enhanced the profit margin of smugglers,” said a senior DRI official who did not want to be identified.
According to a Reserve Bank of India report on gold imports and gold loans, released in January, while the average gold price in 2012 was 2.4 times that of 2008 at Rs.29,302 per 10g, the demand was up by 1.6 times during the same period to 1,079 tonnes.
While the government’s actions are intended at discouraging import of physical gold, DRI and customs officials say the recent 2 percentage point increase in the import duty on the precious metal will make it difficult for enforcement agencies to contain bulk gold smuggling in India.
On 22 January, India raised the import duty on gold to 6% from 4%.
After restrictions were lifted on gold imports and a few commercial banks were allowed to import gold and sell the yellow metal to jewellers and exporters in 1997, the spread between international and local market prices shrank dramatically, but with the rise in import duty, it is now widening.
Explaining the modus operandi of gold smugglers, the DRI official said most of the smuggled gold is brought into India through air mostly from Dubai and Thailand, concealed in either cabin baggage or different parts of the body. People carrying this gold are called carriers, or mules, and they work in pairs. Going by the data collected by DRI, on average, each mule carries at least 5kg of gold per trip.
According to the DRI official, the return on investment for a smuggler in a year amounts to as much as 200% for such trips.
Here’s how the math works: At the current price, it costs Rs.1.44 crore to buy 5kg of gold in Dubai. The cost of an air ticket, hotel expenses and the commission of the mule plus hawala fees to send the money to Dubai after the gold is sold in India comes to another Rs.2 lakh. The same gold can be sold in Mumbai for Rs.1.51 crore, netting the smuggler Rs.5 lakh for a single trip.
Such an operation typically takes four days. Theoretically, this means a smuggler can churn his initial investment seven times a month. Over a year, that means a profit of Rs.4.2 crore on the original Rs.1.5 crore investment.
“As of now, gold smuggling is limited to air passengers and carriers, which has limitations in terms of volume and cost. The bulk smuggling channels (by sea and land) have not revived, but the recent increase in customs duty will provide the profit differential to revive it,” said a senior customs official who too did not want to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue. This person added that it would be impossible for enforcement agencies to contain smuggling through these routes.
Customs officials also claim their job has been made tougher by a 2011 Supreme Court ruling under which individuals arrested for violating the Customs Act can be released on bail. The apex court’s decision, both officials mentioned above said, has taken away the powers of the customs department to deter smuggling.
Ravi Krishnan contributed to this story.
|
<urn:uuid:6fb5c261-ff31-40e2-9b02-20b76db3401a>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.livemint.com/Money/l7VmuppBIUs8OVAagix6KI/Gold-smuggling-on-the-rise-as-imports-turn-costlier.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.956327 | 1,096 | 1.804688 | 2 |
At a Pidyon HaBen I have observed that the Minhag is to put sugar cubes and garlic cloves on the tray with the baby. What is the source of this Minhag? And why specifically sugar and garlic?
According to this it's because garlic and sugar are spices which last along time and get put in multiple dishes. This way, people can take some of the garlic and sugar home and thereby be able to partake in the mitzvah-food for a long time to come. A similar idea can be found here.
According to this it's because sugar shows that mitzvot are sweet and garlic is a symbol for fertility.
|
<urn:uuid:61193988-42d6-449b-abc4-a503972801d2>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/13461/what-is-the-source-for-the-garlic-and-sugar-at-a-pidyon-haben
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.972593 | 136 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Soil to stoops: Local food movement hits Philadelphia
A new farmers' market in downtown Philadelphia makes buying local easy for everyone.
Tue, Mar 31 2009 at 3:42 PM
There's a subtle irony embedded in our current national craving for locally grown food: Cities, the antithesis of the countryside, have arguably become the easiest place to indulge in it. The rise of farmers' markets and buying clubs has transformed urban food possibilities and the economic viability of small American farmers. It's a radical shift, and one driven not by market forces or government, but by the work of a burgeoning cadre of activists from coast to coast. Driven by the belief that everyone should have access to fresh, local food, these visionaries are changing the contents of city shoppers' carts from Philadelphia's tony Society Hill to the gritty edges of Oakland, California.
One Stop Shop - Philadelphia, PA
A couple years ago, Veronica Uy, a staffer for the Philadelphia-based food justice group the Food Trust, got an intriguing assignment: Visit the country’s biggest and best farmers’ markets—and help create something similar in the City of Brotherly Love.
It was a perfect fit for Uy, a Filipina-Canadian transplant to the States who developed a passion for food markets during a trip to Southeast Asia. She’d recently dropped a fledgling career as a computer programmer to work on food issues, and the project came with a double lure. Not only would a flagship market appeal to Uy’s foodie instincts, (she’s an avid home cook) it would highlight the local produce available in the city—and help publicize the fact that in Philly, most farmers’ markets accept food stamps and other government benefit coupons.
“I went to [the farmers’ market] at DuPont Circle in D.C., and I saw they had a full-service dairy stand, and it was a Pennsylvania dairy,” says Uy. “My heart broke when I saw how many Pennsylvania people were at other markets. I mean, why weren’t they coming to Philly?”
The answer, she found, was that many farmers comfortable with doing direct sales wanted to sell their products at bigger, flagship markets. Though Philadelphia already boasts 29 farmers’ markets each week during peak season, most are smaller neighborhood affairs; producers were skeptical that a market in downtown Philly would be worth the trouble. Backed by the local Farmers Market Alliance and a coalition of other groups hoping to give New York’s Union Square farmers’ market a run for its money, Uy’s first task was to prove them wrong.
It worked. On July 1, Philadelphia’s Headhouse Market opened for business. Stretched beneath a brick, open-air market shed—the Headhouse Shambles—more than two dozen vendors sold their wares. By summer’s end, organizers plan to be selling produce—including five dozen varieties of heirloom tomatoes—alongside cut flowers, fresh-baked pastries and street foods like tacos and Vietnamese sandwiches.
Mary Seton-Corboy, who co-founded the Farmers Market Alliance and helped bring the Headhouse Market to fruition, is no stranger to both sides of the market equation: supply and demand. As chief farmhand at Greensgrow Farm, a 9-year-old working farm in the Kensington section of Philadelphia, she understands that farmers need to be assured that they’ll sell most of their wares. She also knows that consumers, accustomed to supermarkets, expect an all-in-one shopping experience. It’s a feat that organizers are betting Uy can pull off.
“Nicky’s very consumer friendly, which is helpful because you have to bridge between the farmers and the consumers,” says Seton-Corboy of Uy, adding that it often takes a gentle touch. “It’s her job to try and explain what farmers’ markets are, and why there aren’t watermelons in May.”
One of the benefits of opening the Headhouse Market, says Uy, is the potential for a ripple effect once people understand that they can pay with food stamps. The press given to Headhouse because of its prime location could spur people of all incomes to seek out their smaller markets, too.
“We’d never be able to get a news crew to our neighborhood markets,” says Uy. “With the kind of coverage that we get for Headhouse, it’s much easier to let people know that we take food stamps.” (Though many farmers’ markets nationwide cannot accept food stamps because they now come on debit cards, the Food Trust funds wireless terminals at 15 of the 19 markets it runs in the city, including Headhouse.)
The biggest reward for Uy comes in small doses. Before the market opened, she pestered friends to come check it out. When she saw a good friend of hers on opening day, Uy thanked her for coming. “And she thanked me for giving her somewhere to shop that has everything she wants to buy,” says Uy. “That was one of best compliments I got.”
Story by Tracie McMillan. This article originally appeared in "Plenty" in June 2007.
Copyright Environ Press 2007
|
<urn:uuid:9954c1d3-1a6c-46f0-9b43-3f39fcf39b4b>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.mnn.com/your-home/organic-farming-gardening/stories/soil-to-stoops-local-food-movement-hits-philadelphia
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.96599 | 1,120 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Plans for the Wake County school system's first career and technical education high school are going forward, but school board members have some questions.
The board voted Tuesday night to approve an interlocal agreement requesting the Wake County Board of Commissioners to lease, renovate and purchase the former Coca-Cola bottling facility at 2200 South Wilmington Street in South Raleigh.
But some board members are worried that the program they initially backed to offer options for students who don't want to go to college has turned into more of an early college concept. In addition, board members are also uncertain about what grades should be offered at the school.
The concept for the school is for students to take technical courses that would allow them to graduate high school with a diploma, training for an entry-level technical job and a Wake Tech certificate.
Click here for the handout from Tuesday's board work session.
Deputy Superintendent Cathy Moore told the board it's the joint recommendation of the staffs from the school system and Wake Technical Community College to offer grades 10-12 at the school. The alternative would be just grades 11 and 12.
Moore said one reason for the recommendation is that a 10-12 school would result in better distribution of school district and Wake Tech staff. The sophomores would be taking high school courses while the juniors and seniors would primarily be taking college courses.
A school only offering grades 11 and 12 would mean almost all the staff would be from Wake Tech.
Moore also said that some acceleration opportunity will be needed in 10th grade because, as part of early college models, they need to be able to schedule for university-level courses in 11th- and 12th-grades.
In early colleges, students can graduate high school in four or five years with a diploma and two years of college credit. Students try to finish their high school courses by their sophomore year so they can move on to take the college courses.
Moore said that while most early colleges have ninth-grade, they felt it's "prudent" to leave the freshmen in the base school. She said that having 10th-grade at the CTE school will allow them to do the necessary acceleration to take the college courses in the upper grades.
Wake Tech is getting funding for its share of the program from the state's Career & College Promise program.
Moore noted that there's a minimum GPA requirement for the students to participate in the career and college promise programs in 11th and 12th grades.
Moore also said that if there's room they can let some rising 11th- and 12th-graders into the school.
Moore also said that Wake Tech prefers having three grades of 200+ students instead of two grades of 350 students because of all the lab work and internships that would be taken in 11th and 12th-grades.
All the talk about early college raised questions among multiple board members.
Board member Jim Martin said that he's a strong supporter of CTE and wants the school to open. But he said he wouldn't support offering grades 10-12 if it's an early college program. Martin has been an outspoken critic of the early college concept, saying it's expensive to offer and isn't the same as college.
“We need to be doing good high school instead of thinking we’re doing college in highs school," Martin said.
Martin asked if the school will offer high school CTE or college CTE. He said it sounds like they're providing the program only to those students who can accelerate and be ready for college.
Martin said he wants high school CTE offered at the school.
Bryan Ryan, senior vice president of curriculum education services at Wake Tech, pointed back to how Career and College pPromise has entrance and GPA requirements. He said if they don't provide assistance in 10th-grade then the students that Martin would like to attend might not be able to do so.
Martin responded that Ryan was responding from an early college mindset. He said they absolutely need acceleration if they're doing college CTE, but he wants high school CTE.
David Wehbie, the school system's CTE director, said the difference is that college CTE should build on what's taught in high school. He said that while high school CTE offers industry recognized credentials, the courses are primarily offered at colleges because they don't have the teachers and facilities at high schools.
Moore backed up Wehbie, saying it's a cost and facility issue so that's why they're harnessing support from Wake Tech.
Relating back to her experience as a high school principal, Moore talked about having to shut down an automotive program because she couldn’t find a person to meet state public school certification standards. She said colleges follow different guidelines for certification.
Moore also said that the district doesn't have the dollars to offer all the CTE courses at each school and to upgrade them as standards change.
“This endeavor allows us to pool resources in one place because, otherwise, kids who’d want to take these courses, they could still take them but they’d take them one or two at a time from a school on their own, finding release time and transportation to get to the Wake Tech facility that taught it," Moore said.
Board member John Tedesco said he shares some of Martin's concerns, particularly about limiting access to students based on GPA.
Tedesco talked about how impressed he was visiting the Iredell-Statesville CTE high school, which serves 11th- and 12th-grades. He said the superintendent and staff told him about accepting students who are multiple years behind in math and reading skills. He said that they use the school to help bring those students up.
Tedesco said he supported the Wake CTE school because he wanted to have multiple pathways for students because not everyone will thrive in a college environment.
Tedesco said if they exclude access based on a college-based initiative, they're defeating the purpose of the school.
Moore answered that they're talking about two different kinds of high schools with the Statesville school not being partnered with a community college credit for credit.
Moore called the Wake proposal a CTE high school with "an early college initiative." Moore said what they'd do is similar to what students in Wake can do now by taking CTE in ninth- and 10th-grades and then going to Wake Tech for 11th- and 12th-grades for courses to count as dual enrollment. She said it doesn't happen often because students have to seek own transportation.
Moore also mentioned that they need to abide by the requirements of the Career and College Promise program to get the dollars.
Tedesco asked if there's an option for non-early college students to gain access to the CTE high school to develop a set of skills for a productive career.
Wehbie answered that they need to recognize that the school district has a “very rich” CTE model, serving 43,000 students who represent a wide range of backgrounds.
Wehbie said the new CTE highs school would allow Wake to "ramp" things up for students to be able to earn community college credit and take courses not offered presently in high school. He said it would also allow them to work with the business community for job shadowing and career development opportunities "in a very concerted way."
Tedesco said Wehbie didn't answer his question whether children who are not career and college ready will have opportunity to access the program for a diploma and a certificate.
Moore answered that there's no academic requirement for 10th-graders to get into the school. She said staff will be able to see if the students are ready for the 11th- and 12th-grade courses.
Ryan added that a principal can recommend that a student proceed in the program regardless of the GPA if he thinks the student can handle the work
Board vice chairman Keith Sutton said "the rub" is the board was under the impression it was going to be a traditional CTE high school. He said it seems they're now finding a scenario where they're “chasing the money to make it fit” as opposed to the board’s original thinking of a CTE high school.
Board member Debra Goldman raised similar concerns, saying the concept of the school was "morphing" from what they originally intended. She said she was shocked when she first came to Wake and discovered the district didn't have a countywide CTE high school.
“We need to have in our minds an understanding of where the board was when we originally talked about this, which is purely providing a CTE high school for kids as an alternate pathway, an alternate means of success for them because, again, it all started with a very simple statement: Every child does not want to go to college," Goldman said. "We really need to focus the decision back on that.”
Amid the concerns, staff began to downplaying the early college connection.
Ann Dishong, the district's director of innovation, said that early college is just one pillar of he Career and College Promise program. She said another pillar is the CTE pathway that the school will follow.
"It isn’t an early college," Dishong said. "We are recommending 10-12 because we can accept any student.”
Dishong, bringing up the point Ryan made before, said the GPA requirement isn't a standalone piece. She said having 10th-grade, in addition to providing academic structure to help students be ready for the 11th- and 12th-grade courses, will make it more possible for principals to know whether students can meet the coursework even if they don't have the GPA.
Dishong said the school meets a need while not taking away from the district's "wonderful CTE programs."
Temporary Superintendent Stephen Gainey asked if Wake Tech could still make it work, staffing wise, if they don't do what's recommended. Ryan said they need to use the Career and College Promise funding to pay for staff and supplies.
“This is not an early college that’s supposed to streamline kids into a four-year university afterwards," Moore said. "We’re not precluding that possibility. But they are earning the Wake Tech credit as a part of the model.”
Board member Christine Kushner said they need to recognize how important it is that Wake Tech is partnering with them at a time when they're declining 5,000 students a year.
“I see this as a great first step in having these specialized courses centrally located in Wake County, which is a big county, which might be one of the reasons why we’ve never had a centralized CTE school before," Kushner said.
Board member Susan Evans said she wanted a clarification on what happens to students who don't care about getting a certificate but want to stay in the school. Wehbie said that certification is only an option for students and isn't required.
Sutton said that while he's still very supportive of the school, he wants to make sure that they're not pushing kids who aren't ready into accelerated level courses while also making sure the courses are rigorous and have high expectations.
“We don’t want to see this be a dumping ground for kids, but again also not take kids out of what we thought this would be in terms of this true CTE piece," Sutton said. "Maintaining that balance and making sure that we have that because even if a kid says 'I want to be a welder and don’t go to college,’ we want them to be a successful welder."
The board will vote Oct. 30 on what grades to offer.
Tedesco said he prefers having 11th- and 12th-grades. But he said he's for allowing sophomores if it provides broader access for students. He said he also still wants a pathway for students to enter in 11th- and 12th-grades who may not be necessarily choosing the college and career promise aspect.
Board chairman Kevin Hill said they can deal with those issues later, but they first need to partner with the commissioners by agreeing on the interlocal agreement. The agreement was unanimously approved later in the evening.
|
<urn:uuid:aabf55fd-4a56-4cd4-ba12-bacaa67ba7d7>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/wake-county-school-board-members-raise-concerns-about-cte-high-school
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.983957 | 2,539 | 1.59375 | 2 |
The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) mission statement is clear: “USADA is dedicated to preserving the integrity of competition, inspiring true sport, and protecting the rights of U.S. athletes.” http://www.usada.org/files/pdfs/press-kit.pdf.
Yes, USADA is funded with your tax dollars, “74% from the federal government and 26% from the USOC” in 2009. Id. But, the argument that USADA is somehow mismanaging or wasting those funds by investigating Lance Armstrong is logically incoherent. Their stated purpose is to preserve the integrity of competition. That is exactly what they are doing.
Is it the course of action opposite to that which they have undertaken which would demonstrate a waste of almighty tax dollars – if they failed to adhere to their stated purpose and ignored evidence of doping. Then, my friends, then you would have an argument.
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency brought formal doping charges against former cyclist Lance Armstrong in an action that could cost him his seven Tour de France titles, according to a letter sent to Armstrong and several others Tuesday.
As a result of the formal charges, Armstrong has been immediately banned from competition in triathlons, a sport he took up after his retirement from cycling in 2011.
In the 15-page charging letter obtained by The Post, USADA made previously unpublicized allegations against Armstrong, alleging it collected blood samples from Armstrong in 2009 and 2010 that were “fully consistent with blood manipulation including EPO use and/or blood transfusions.” Armstrong has never tested positive.
. . .
USADA’s letter, dated June 12, further alleges that Armstrong and five former cycling team associates — three doctors including the famous Italian physician Michele Ferrari, one trainer and team manager Johan Bruyneel— engaged in a massive doping conspiracy from 1998-2011, and that “the witnesses to the conduct described in this letter include more than ten (10) cyclists …”
The letter specifically alleges that Armstrong used EPO, blood transfusions, testosterone, corticosteroids and masking agents and that he distributed and administered drugs to others. http://www.washingtonpost.com. (All hyperlinks will be shortened hereinafter.)
First, a little background:
USADA is the quasi-government agency that oversees anti-doping in Olympic sports in the United States. It is empowered to bring charges that could lead to suspension from competition and the rescinding of awards. It does not have authority to bring criminal charges. Id.
So far, so good, right? They can suspend an athlete from competition, but they can’t throw you in jail or otherwise impose any criminal sanction against the accused.
Two points are important here. First, the evidentiary standard (or legal burden of proof) employed by USADA is lower than the standard in a criminal matter. Whether that is a good or bad thing, it should come as no surprise, depends a whole lot on one’s perspective. See http://www.utexas.edu/…dawer08.pdf, http://heinonline.org/…journals, and https://litigation-essentials.lexisnexis.com/….
The Anti-Doping Organization shall have the burden of establishing that an anti-doping rule violation has occurred. The standard of proof shall be whether the Anti-Doping Organization has established an antidoping rule violation to the comfortable satisfaction of the hearing panel bearing in mind the seriousness of the allegation which is made. This standard of proof in all cases is greater than a mere balance of probability but less than proof beyond a reasonable doubt. http://www.usada.org/files/pdfs/usoc-policies.pdf. (Page 4.)
Second, remember that federal probe that was dropped?
The federal probe had been headed by Food and Drug Administration agent Jeff Novitzky, who had previously led steroid-use inquiries that ensnared baseball’s Barry Bonds, Olympic runner Marion Jones and world-champion boxer Shane Mosley, among others.
The grand jury, which began its inquiry around May 2010, heard testimony from a number of Armstrong associates and teammates, including former teammate Yaroslav Popovych, exercise physiologist Allen Lim, Olympic medalist Tyler Hamilton and longtime liaison Stephanie McIlvain.
. . .
Despite the end of the criminal probe, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said in a statement that it would continue its own investigation into the use of banned substances in cycling.http://articles.latimes.com/2012/feb/04/….
Any of that evidence collected by Noviszky which may been found inadmissible at trail is probably going to be admissible here because the Federal Rules of Evidence do not apply. Rather, the less stringent AAA Supplementary Procedures is followed in such matters. (I’d love to provide a cite for this assertion, but I’ll be damned if I can come up with something that is worth your time reading.)
USADA has developed and instituted an adjudication program that is fair and credible when an athlete is found to be in violation of anti-doping rules and regulations. USADA’s adjudication process relies on an American Arbitration Association (AAA)/Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) arbitrated hearing under modified AAA Commercial Rules. http://www.usantidoping.org/adjudication.
Also, the sealed testimony from the Grand Jury may be obtained if USADA can make an adequate legal basis. “By law, such testimony usually remains sealed unless it is admitted as evidence in a case generated by the grand jury indictment.” http://articles.latimes.com/2004/jul/10/….
Whether or not USADA can make such a showing, I really have no idea. But, the point is this: it is in play, and it is damning.
I do not see this ending well for our Mr. Armstrong.
As an aside, if any or all of Armstrong’s Tour titles are stripped, who in the hell can they rightfully call the winner? The top five is a who’s who of the disgraced and implicated in professional cycling. Can anyone say Jan Ullrich won the Tour? It is a question worth answering.
Update: The relevant USADA document regarding the formal action against the accused in available in pdf form. http://www.scribd.com/doc/97022278/USADA-v-Armstrong-et-al.by
|
<urn:uuid:48f23975-869b-48dd-9c37-332f829fb8c0>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://drunkcyclist.com/2012/06/13/they-call-it-a-massive-doping-conspiracy-we-call-it-racing/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.944584 | 1,388 | 1.734375 | 2 |
For as long as most people can remember, the bus station at 53rd Street and Broadway has always been something people see coming into or going out of Bayonne – a once bustling place that over time grew dingy and sour, giving a poor impression of a city once known for its industry. Now the city is seeking to redefine itself as a good place for shopping or doing business.
The reconstruction of that corner that includes the new TD Bank, the nearby Quick Chek, the redevelopment of the Bayonne Diner and the recently approved project to convert the bus depot into a new, larger, and environmentally friendly Walgreens, a franchise that promises to reinvent one of the principle gateways to the city.
“We all sort of grew up with the Bergenline Bus Depot,” said Vincent Virga, president of the Bayonne Chamber of Commerce. “For a long time, it was nothing but a depressing piece of land there, a blank piece of clay that will now be transformed, and that is a good sign of things to come in this town.”
Bayonne, he said, is the next step in transformation of the Hudson County Gold Coast, something that is inevitable and positive as business and residents seek greener pastures in an urban environment.
“Just like that transformation, gentrification that is coming down the river, it is inevitable that it will continue along our Broadway shopping district,” he said.
The Planning Board gave its blessing to the project in August, allowing a new, greener and larger Walgreen drug store to be constructed where the bus depot exists. It is part of a general cleanup of the area that shifts focus slightly to the more modern business model Bayonne has been seeking for some time.
“This slow but steady gentrification that is naturally occurring in this city,” Virga said. “People always want to see things improved and happening yesterday. But what I’m seeing is that developers see value in this great city of ours. To me that’s promising. We live here and sometimes I think we take for granted what we have. We have a gem in this town. You have to look at the vision of some of these outside developers, spending and investing their money in our town. People have to see that this is a positive for us.”
He said the slow trickling into Bayonne along the Gold Coast from Fort Lee through Hoboken and Jersey City is the start of something great, and this redevelopment along the uptown portion of Broadway is the start.
“This will definitely revitalize that section of our shopping district which has been has been a little bit depressing,” Virga said. “This is similar to what is going on in Journal Square. People need to have passion, people need to be inspired, and this is something that will help to do that, and the transformation that is occurring in that section is going to be very good for Bayonne in general. This is good from a perception view point, it’s good from a pride standpoint and that’s the key. People have to believe there is possibility and hope in this town, and that’s what they see when entities like that are willing to invest in Bayonne.”
The Walgreens will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, comparable to a number of businesses in the area, including Quick Chek and the Broadway Diner. The new drug store will also bring about 30 new jobs to the city, and will result in the demolition of the current building, cleaning up or capping of the contamination that is associated with the property’s long use for automotive repair, such as leaking fuel tanks and other sources.
“Just like that transformation, gentrification that is coming down the river, it is inevitable that it will continue along our Broadway shopping district.” – Vincent Virga
This is one of the sites identified for Brownfield’s development under the city’s scattered site redevelopment plan.
An entirely new building will be constructed on the site, and will include landscaping, installation of lights and various barriers, and provide a pedestrian sidewalk to replace the deteriorated one that currently exists there.
Bradley G. Cleverley, engineer for developing the construction plan and environmental plan, said the former bus garage is currently being used for car maintenance and repair and is also a two-story office building which is currently vacant.
“As part of the development, the existing buildings will be demolished, the deteriorated asphalt parking lot will be removed, and the sidewalk and curb will also be removed,” he said. “The site plan will include a new Walgreens pharmacy, a new parking lot will be installed around the pharmacy, and new curb along Broadway and East 53rd Street. In addition, the uncontrolled access points to Broadway and East 53rd Street will be eliminated and a single entrance will be created on both streets.”
Pedestrians will also have access through an entrance at the corner.
The Walgreens will have a drive-thru window and will continue to provide access to neighboring Burger King through an easement off East 53rd as well as access from Broadway.
In an effort to further increase the environmental attractiveness of the site, street trees that do not exist now will be planted into some of the islands along the parking lot. Awnings will be installed over the glass front windows of the store to reduce some of the energy costs associated with natural sunlight and keeping the building cool, Cleverley said.
“I love the fact that this Walgreens is going there,” said Virga. “There is a transformation happening in Bayonne right beneath our feet and it’s going to be great to watch and see it.”
|
<urn:uuid:0d8b3f7c-8f52-4cf4-a560-1be9c4c3e8ba>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://hudsonreporter.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Going+green+%E2%80%93+Walgreens+that+is-Key+element+for+city+line+gateway+moves+ahead-%20&id=20954280&instance=secondary_stories_left_column
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.963313 | 1,201 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Accounts Receivable Factoring – A Viable Cash-flow Remedy for Tiny as well as Medium-Sized Enterprises
The gait of change in today’s craving sourroundings is inarguably staggering. Growth of e-commerce; alterations to craving structures; elaborating relationships; alterations to appropriation arrangements; entrance to collateral as well as the sources. All occurring during increasingly exponential rates. Fast. The being which there is positively many some-more computing energy in the normal cover laptop or mechanism currently than it took to put the male upon the moon ought to spell out how discerning factors transform, as well as either or not in some-more aged government or presumably the commercial operation craving owners we competence instruct to keep pace.
In particular, we have to keep sideways of alterations in your rival environment, as well as sojourn utterly familiar of mechanisms which will capacitate the reply discerning sufficient to keep we inside the game. This essay will crop up during positively the single of these mechanisms, entrance to collateral as well as by equates to of that, giveaway of assign income flow. In behaving so we’ll work an discerning framework, peppered with the small economics. Why? Intuitive research is undiluted for responding sold concerns; in this box What will excellent concede my organisation to hoop discerning modifications to rival trading resources as well as sojourn inside of the game? And I’ll work economics for the reason which of Steven Levitt, America’s many superb economist under-40, who together with Stephen Dubner considers which if probity represents how we would matching to the creation to operate, afterwards economics represents how it essentially does function.
By vocalization to accurate anchor points, critical concerns inspiring the entrance to collateral emanate is mostly explored as well as initiatives grown to concede the timely remedy. In short, it’s the fastest as well as many scold proceed to answer the subject we face, for the reason which it’s reduction formidable to know as well as doesn’t get bogged down in extraneous, nonessential evaluation.
Certainly the single of the anchor points in complicated association is entrance to capital, privately when it helps say positively giveaway cash-flow. In countless respects they’re the single sold as well as the matching thing, the eminence merely apropos entrance to collateral is the required predecessor to no price income upsurge (you can’t work it until you’ve got it). And everybody desires it. Payroll, supplies, overhead, as well as debtors receiving anyplace from 45 to 120 days to solve their accounts, requesting your organisation as the broker line of credit.
Access to collateral becomes an even incomparable complaint inside of the tiny commercial operation sourroundings described earlier, usually where speed to attention as well as the intensity to ‘tool-up (raise production) have been critical to assembly ever timorous smoothness timelines. Numerous of us have associating the exhilaration of apropos awarded the vast tender, anything which could fill the sequence book for the subsequent 6 months, discerning followed by the hangover which comes together with the fulfilment which the organisation will onslaught to account the plan formed upon existent as well as foresee income flow.
Small-to-medium enterprises confront sold troubles in propinquity to income upsurge as well as collateral entrance to account flourishing operations, towards the indicate usually where miss of entrance is an emanate which can bluster stability operations, even inside an augmenting marketplace. Balance sheets take time to create, as well as it is essentially opposite this confidence which banks will lend.
Creating initiatives to plunge in to this emanate includes acid during the small existent choices as well as formulating the comparison, nearing during the preference which unequivocally many appropriate enables the fortitude to the emanate during hand. In this instance, the some-more aged of bank appropriation opposite check factoring offers discernment in to practicable solutions for the collateral entrance / income upsurge challenge.
Everyday economics can surprise this comparison, quite the investigate of incentives – how people get what they want, or need, privately when alternative persons instruct or instruct the same thing. Let’s begin with banks.
Bank lending needs have been invasive as well as restrictive. They mostly provoke the feeling which we usually contingency unclothed all to steal the nickel. They would of course brawl this claim, though let’s lapse to the incentives what’s their inducement for lending we revenue? To consequence the lapse off your efforts. Absolutely zero short of this, as well as these days they additionally work lending as the push to win the many poignant ‘share of one’s wallet from their rivals, attempting to retain we as the consumer for life, flourishing with we as well as your commercial operation enterprise. Whenever we supplement the actuality which the over-abundance of people currently requiring credit exist in the marketplace, they can means to be selective as well as do the economically receptive indicate be hazard averse. Danger hatred drives the debt the bank puts upon your home to have certain they get paid, as well as is what drives them to lend opposite absolute change sheets. They crop up during change sheets in an accounting fashion, weighing up tangible, realizable, glass resources matching to income as well as genuine property, request the law as well as lend in suitability with how the outcome smoke-stack up opposite their risk matrix. Your stability success is of seductiveness to them usually for the border which it enables we to use (and in conclusion repay) your debt, generating an ongoing domain upon their investment.
An overly uncomplicated description, the indicate being to spell out which all of this takes time, as well as is structured about complicated law as well as analysis constraints. Plenty of time, as well as the lot of successful guidelines. 1st, for we privately to set up your change sheet, as well as second, to get it appraised to the indicate usually where your landowner could open or magnify your credit facility. For the generation of which time, the window of event to account which estimable project, production expansion, or operations inside an augmenting marketplace quickly passes, withdrawal we out of slot your focus price as well as if thriving, servicing an even incomparable debt we might not want.
Turning to check elements, the incentives might appear usually the same, though how they perspective obtaining their lapse is somewhat distinctive. While banks rest upon their astuteness in fairly presaging your capacity to compensate off the debt, check components rest upon their skills in fairly assessing the capacity of your patron bottom to compensate you. A diminution viewed risk hatred with check aspects plays the small portion, however it is how the cause views the ubiquitous commercial operation that’s graphic from normal lending. To begin with, elements commend your accounts receivables as assets, usually matching to the bank. The eminence is which an check component considers your receivables an simply realizable asset, as well as is rebuilt to squeeze the rights (and risks) of pciking up your superb invoices.
Place nonetheless an one some-more way, in trading conditions the check cause recognizes your receivables as resources carrying the destiny worth in income upsurge terms, as well as offering their comment of one’s shoppers is favorable, they might be ready to effectively yield the marketplace for those assets. This ‘market closes together with your contract compelling them the check carrying pronounced that; there is no delegate marketplace matching to junk holds or alternative derivatives.
Access to collateral by variables is some-more pricey than classical lending, as well as this is due to the hazard reward trustworthy not to you, though your consumer base. This unequivocally is not surprising, as well as we as well as I’d roughly positively do the identical. Returning once some-more to economics as well as the investigate of incentives, the receptive chairman final the reward for each one some-more section of risk they take on. A incomparable inducement to get the viewed incomparable danger. Inside the box of factoring, the reward is incomparable than homogeneous bank lending rates, as the dangers have been regarded as somewhat incomparable when the confidence will not be tangible property, rsther than the 1st upon all sides explain some-more than all of your receivables. Your risk bearing is diminution than pciking up the receivables your self (invoice factors have been incredibly great during trading operations) the aloft price charged by the component compared to the bank is usually the reward we have to compensate to diminution which exposure.
The disproportion which variables give is speed of entrance to capital, as well as what takes place after we default. Default upon the bank loan, we have been means to strew your business, even the family dwelling. Factoring is not unequivocally as drastic, notwithstanding the actuality which the sums of income concerned have been constantly smaller. There have been essentially dual sorts of factoring equipment obtainable, possibility as well as non-recourse, as well as again, the disproportion comes down to arrogance of threat, as well as the reward asked to pretence the risk of non-payment upon an invoice. With possibility factoring, we sojourn probable for non-payment by your customer, as well as with non-recourse, the aspect assumes the hazard as many as the point, as well as during an increasing premium.
In summary, there have been merits as well as pitfalls in both classical lending as well as factoring. They have been flighty trading occasions, as well as removing been burnt the accumulation of instances by bang instances from the progressing dual decades, banks have been distant the lot some-more risk averse, land parsimonious power upon their credit requirements. So in light of this report as well as facts, we lapse to the issue, sport to answer the query: Which of these approaches many appropriate delivers the coherence we call for to concede me the possibility to pullulate inside the fast-changing commercial operation environment?
For multiform firms, the answer lies with check factoring, which delivers in additional of $1 trillion in credit opposite the continental United States. As with all craving conditions you’ll find caveats, or described the opposite way, arrangements which if not ceaselessly monitored can spin out to be the comfy confidence sweeping which could presumably fundamentally be solemnly suffocating you.
It’s discerning to spin out to be in the habit of to stability entrance to income upsurge by factoring. It is additionally elementary to feel during palliate being wakeful of we have been corroborated by the large publicly traded establishment matching to your bank. Management as well as owners of Little as well as Medium-Sized Enterprises contingency ceaselessly remind themselves which the investigate of incentives operates for them also. Continuous analysis of your collateral appropriation as well as income upsurge arrangements is critical to have certain which the understanding we finish up with is the many appropriate for your firm, as well as not alternative individuals. It’s all about removing what we wish, or have to have, generally when alternative folks instruct or have to have the matching thing.
- How to Build A Profitable Web Business
- Interior Design Air Max Pas Cher Suggest That Could Save You Money
- Undertaking What Comes Naturally Within your Property Business enterprise
- Physical fitness Ideas To Help You Air Jordan Appearance Much better And Feel Better
- Watch Kids Choice Awards 2013 Live Stream
|
<urn:uuid:c4cebef9-b239-46a8-9902-8a16aefa78a7>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://xikv.com/pregnant/95566.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.968192 | 2,365 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Julian Assange, WikiLeaks editor-in-chief recently granted asylum by Ecuador, delivered a speech on August 19 calling for the US to end its war on whistleblowers and dissidents. He named Pfc. Bradley Manning, former NSA employee William Binney, former NSA employee Thomas Drake and former CIA agent John Kiriakou as people who had been victims of this war. He also urged the US government to dissolve an FBI investigation that has targeted founders, owners, managers or staffers of WikiLeaks.
I appeared on “The Big Picture” on RT last night to discuss Assange’s speech and the asylum decision. Mark Weisbrot of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) appeared during the same segment as well. Sam Sacks filled in for Thom Hartmann, who typically hosts the show.
Sacks stated in the setup to the discussion Binney, Drake and WikiLeaks staffers are “new faces” or “new victims” in an “assault spearheaded by the United States against those who are trying to bring corruption, war crimes, constitutional violations and corrupt and governmental abuse into the spotlight. They are whistleblowers and freedom of information activists who are exposing the corporate state, its assault on dissent and its ruthless expansion of influence around the planet.” Sacks noted the struggle is bigger than Assange and WikiLeaks.
“It’s the first time that somebody is seeking asylum, fleeing persecution from the United States government and going to a democratic country and getting political asylum,” Weisbrot said. He was actually granted diplomatic asylum, not political asylum but the essence of the point is sound.
Weisbrot added that the roles of Sweden and the United Kingdom had been “whitewashed.” They have not offered any reason for why they have to bring Assange to Sweden. “He’s not charged with any crime. They can question him in the UK. And very few journalists—and that I think is a sad thing about journalistic profession today—have even tried to get an answer from the Swedish government.” Also, “If this is supposedly about a criminal case, why are they letting it go two years without investigating it?”
I said on the program that the political climate in the US is ripe for an extradition of Assange. The FBI is clearly looking into individuals outside the WikiLeaks, as evidenced by a more than forty thousand page investigative file made public during the court martial proceedings against Manning.
I added at the end of the segment the asylum is a great opportunity for ”people to see the sort of beacon of democracy and freedom that the Latin American countries of the world are becoming, that they are willing take seriously international law and human rights while the United States shows an unremitting indifference to these ideals.”
|
<urn:uuid:b0cc3787-50dc-4407-8f55-5e9c98d866c7>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://dissenter.firedoglake.com/2012/08/21/war-on-whistleblowers-bigger-than-assange-wikileaks-video/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.969992 | 573 | 1.546875 | 2 |
View: Read Tim Donnelly's bill proposal allowing teachers to carry guns (AB 202)
Previous coverage: Assemblyman Tim Donnelly to introduce bill allowing teachers to carry guns
An Inland Empire assemblyman is seeking to expand a 1995 law that allows teachers to carry concealed weapons on campus.
Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, R-Hesperia, announced the introduction of Assembly Bill 202, or the School Marshal Plan, at a news conference Wednesday in the state capital. The bill also provides for the training of educators in the use of concealed
The proposed law builds on the 1995 Gun Free Zone Act, which permits teachers, administrators and school staffers to carry concealed firearms if their school district permits it.
"If you had someone who could bring an armed response prior to the authorities getting there, maybe 20 kids don't need to die today," said Donnelly, in reference to the December massacre of 20 first-graders and six teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.
The mass shooting prompted a national debate on both school security and gun laws.
"In 1995, they obviously felt it was important to not deny that right to teachers who feel that need," Donnelly said. "A.B.
A.B. 202 would also allow school districts to pay for the weapons training of qualified employees and would exempt those employees from the
concealed-weapons-permit portion of the state's Open Records Act.
"You create an invisible line of defense ... like the air marshal program," Donnelly said.
"The killer isn't going to know if there's one gun on campus or two or 10," Donnelly said.
Donnelly said he expects public debate at the district level over whether to pay for teacher training to put would-be shooters on notice that at least some teachers are armed.
Donnelly held his news conference only hours after the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee nearly 2,400 miles away held a hearing on firearms legislation.
In testimony before the House Democrats Steering & Policy Committee on Jan. 16, Newtown Superintendent of Schools Janet Robinson came out against the idea of arming teachers.
"I come from a military family. My dad was career military. My husband was a Navy pilot. We don't keep guns," she said.
"You know, I have great respect for guns," she continued. "It takes a great deal of training for a police officer to shoot a weapon in action. Teachers are teachers. And if you think about elementary teachers, elementary teachers just love kids. They're not gonna go packing and sit on the floor on the rug and read to the kids with a gun at their hip."
Ken Trump, the president of National School Safety and Security Services, a consulting firm, advises school districts against arming teachers and staffers for liability reasons.
"School districts considering arming teachers and school staff with guns," he said, "would take on significant responsibility and potential liabilities that I firmly believe are beyond the expertise, knowledge base, experience and professional capabilities of most school boards and administrators."
A.B. 202 has seven co-authors, mostly from Southern California, including Sen. Steve Knight, R-Victorville, and Assemblyman Curt Hagman, R-Chino Hills.
"There's not many people who think there will be a floor vote on this," said Mike Spence, Hagman's chief of staff.
But educators' rights under the 1995 law aren't well known, and Hagman hopes the coverage of A.B. 202 will change that, Spence said.
"I think it's a way of letting people know what their rights are and aren't," Spence said.
Donnelly, who has expressed interest in running for governor in 2014, said he disagrees that the bill's chances for passage are slim to none.
"I believe the Democrats care about the kids just as much as Republicans," he said. "I don't think this is a left or right issue."
Donnelly, newly re-elected to represent the vast 33rd Assembly District, which ranges from the San Bernardino Mountains to the Colorado River, said he's heard from "hundreds and hundreds" of teachers who already have concealed weapon permits.
Upland Unified School District interim Superintendent Sherri Black said the district has been looking into bolstering security procedures but had no interest in Donnelly's bill.
"A single security officer or somebody who is holding a gun, at this point, we don't see that as something we'd be interested in looking at," Black said.
This is not the first time Donnelly has been in the news on a gun-related issue. On Jan. 4, 2012, he was arrested after carrying a loaded handgun in his carry-on luggage when boarding a flight at L.A./Ontario International Airport before boarding a flight to Sacramento.
Donnelly did not have a concealed weapon permit. He pleaded no contest to two misdemeanor charges, was sentenced to 36 months of probation and had to pay a fine and fees totaling $2,215.
Staff writer Andrew Edwards contributed to this report.
Reach Beau at via email, call him at 909-483-9376, or find him on Twitter @InlandED.
|
<urn:uuid:af804094-2e5d-4968-a4c7-286dc2813031>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.sbsun.com/redlands/ci_22481776/teachers-need-gun-training-california-assemblyman-tim-donnelly
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.977175 | 1,081 | 1.734375 | 2 |
The DeGolyer Library at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, has published
Farewell: Remembering Horton Foote, 1916-2009.
Learn about the Horton Foote Papers in the DeGolyer Library at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and view a sample of images online.
We are very pleased to announce the publication of
The Major Plays of Horton Foote
by Robert W. Haynes, Ph.D.
During his lifetime, Horton Foote was a mentor to many younger artists. For years, he and an extraordinary poet, Shelley Shaver, corresponded with each other. In their letters, they discussed his plays and films and her poems. Horton Foote had expressed the wish that Shelley Shaver’s work would someday receive a wide audience, and now her work is featured online.
Read the poetry of Shelley Shaver and feel free to join in the discussion of her work by adding your questions and comments to her blog!
|
<urn:uuid:24190b8c-4a4b-4f44-b77e-24cc929f111e>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.hortonfootesociety.org/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.965749 | 202 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Google announced on Thursday that it will get into the cable TV business, saying its previously announced build-out of a fiber-optic network in Kansas City, Kansas, and neighboring Kansas City, Missouri, will include television as well as high-speed Internet services.
The move is a direct challenge to high-speed Internet and cable TV providers, who have long enjoyed a monopoly on their services in many communities across the country, and typically offer much slower Internet access speeds. And it could represent a major business expansion for the search giant—even though Google has painted the buildup as more of a charity project meant to drive tech innovation and get more people surfing the Web at higher speeds.
Google's services will cost $70 per month for Internet access with speeds of up to a gigabit per second—which, Google says, is 100 times faster than the average American's existing broadband connection—or $120 for Internet plus a cable TV offering that gives people the ability to control the TV from and watch on an included Nexus 7 tablet computer. The company also plans to give Internet access at typical broadband speeds for a one-time $300 fee.
Unlike dial-up or coaxial cable networks, building a fiber-optic network requires the laying of thousands of miles of glass-fiber cables, which are then routed to homes. Data can travel much, much faster over these glass-fiber cables than over traditional networks. Though one-gigabit Internet service is available in some places, it's costly and not generally a service that consumers can purchase.
Google has been working on the rollout of its network since early 2010, when it announced that it would be building high-speed broadband networks in the United States. Almost 1,100 communities vied to be the first city to receive the service, with Kansas City, Kansas, emerging as the winner. The service is also being offered in neighboring Kansas City, Missouri. Google has not yet said where it will build its next fiber network. Milo Medin, Google's vice president of access services, says the Internet service will have no monthly volume caps or overage charges.
A survey Google conducted in Kansas City showed that 17 percent of residents don't use the Internet, while 8 percent use dial-up or what Google termed "slow speed wireless connections." The company plans to make the service available before the end of the year. Kevin Lo, general manager of Google Access, says installations will begin after Sept. 9.
|
<urn:uuid:5e265fb9-f8b8-4b67-bbab-a4c9f312a574>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://m.technologyreview.com/business/40875/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.958847 | 507 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Last mission to repair the Hubble telescope Hubble space telescope discoveries have enriched our understanding of the cosmos. In this special report, you will see facts about the Hubble space telescope, discoveries it has made and what the last mission's goals are.
For their own good
Fifty years ago, they were screwed-up kids sent to the Florida School for Boys to be straightened out. But now they are screwed-up men, scarred by the whippings they endured. Read the story and see a video and portrait gallery.
Fill out this form to email this article to a friend
A stinky day to spend outside
By CAMILLE C. SPENCER and JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK
Published May 9, 2007
[Times photo: Mike Pease]
Kindergartener Maeghan Priest pinches her nose Tuesday to block out the smell and smoke as she and her class move between buildings at Sand Pine Elementary in Wesley Chapel. The Pasco County School District ordered a limit to outdoor activities.
WESLEY CHAPEL - Second-grader Joseph Perrotta clamped his T-shirt to his face as he walked across the Sand Pine Elementary School campus to his classroom.
His classmates behind him pinched their noses, held their breath and otherwise tried to fend off the smoke and odor that blanketed most of the region Tuesday.
"I don't want smoke to get into my lungs, " Joseph, 8, explained after entering the building. "I go to (the Museum of Science and Industry), and they have a lot of body exhibits, and I don't want to get dirty lungs."
That concern prevailed around Pasco County. From schools to outdoor restaurants, people worried about the health hazards of the thick haze that appeared overnight from fires to the north.
While wildfires cropped up in both Florida and Georgia, Pasco's smoke plumes wafted in from Bradford County, said Alex Gibbs, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Tallahassee.
At its peak early Tuesday, the smoke from a 16, 000-acre brush fire in Bradford, southwest of Jacksonville, flowed toward Marion and Citrus counties, and continued south into Pasco.
He said it should be clear by this morning, "but we may still have some lingering."
In an emergency 5-0 vote, the County Commission ordered a ban Tuesday on burning yard waste or other materials in the unincorporated areas of the county. Campfires and bonfires are banned, too, but residents may still use legal fireworks.
Superintendent Heather Fiorentino had all outdoor school activities moved indoors or canceled. The Florida High School Athletic Association called off all games, including the Pasco High baseball regional final against Bishop Moore High and the Pasco High softball state semifinal game against Okeechobee.
Schools also canceled outdoor recess. But the biggest impact was at P.E. time. Elementary schools don't have gyms, so they usually conduct the classes outside, in fields and on courts. Not Tuesday.
Instead, kids played Four Corners and danced the Hokey Pokey in their classrooms.
"You're limited in the activities that you can do, " said Chuck Boltze, Sand Pine P.E. teacher. "But we're pretty flexible. ... It's no different than (a) rainy day."
Elsewhere around the county, the smoke didn't deter some from enjoying the day.
"You can see the smoke and smell it, but my deck is full now, " Hooters restaurant general manager Steve Walker said of the lunch crowd. "People are tolerating it."
Some residents called 911 to report the smoke.
"Every other call ... they think a fire is going on, " said Jody Kenyon, supervisor for Pasco Fire Rescue Dispatch.
Pasco sent a 1, 500-gallon tanker and several firefighters Tuesday to help battle the blaze in Bradford County, said Cynthia Holland, personnel chief for the county's emergency services.
Health officials encouraged everyone else to stay indoors.
"I've seen a couple people with regular appointments this morning, and they've noticed an increase in coughing, " said Kevin Sierra, a doctor at Tampa Lung Specialists. "This stuff will linger. My advice is to stay indoors as much as possible."
Some Pasco residents who work outside weren't concerned. After 15 years living in Florida, Dan Zadorozny, a mechanic at Taylor Tire & Automotive in Port Richey, has gotten used to the smoky air.
"It's doesn't bother me, " he said, climbing beneath a Ford Taurus in the mid-morning haze. "It's like being in a campfire all day. What are you going to do? It's Florida."
Times staff writer David DeCamp contributed to this report.
When there's smoke
State and local health officials offered tips on how to deal with smoky air from brush fires:
- Limit time spent outdoors for children and people with existing medical conditions.
- Run your air conditioning with the fresh air intake closed. Make sure you have a clean air filter.
- Don't use anything that burns, such as wood fireplaces, gas stoves and candles.
- Don't vacuum. It stirs more particles into the air.
- If you see smoke, call 911 to report its location.
- If you have chest pain, rapid heartbeat, fatigue or shortness of breath, see your doctor.
Source: The state health department and the Pasco County Health Department
|
<urn:uuid:e74452e5-a317-4712-853c-15c9ae5fbd0e>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/05/09/Pasco/A_stinky_day_to_spend.shtml
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.963385 | 1,150 | 1.617188 | 2 |
WE-LEAD comes to Chicago! Keep checking back for more details!
Haiti's Next Leaders Find a Home at WE-LEAD
Empowered to Lead and Advocate for Development(WE-LEAD) is a USAID funded program that strengthens emerging leaders in order to foster and sustain a vibrant and multi-generational women’s movement in Haiti. These women are catalysts for the effective and sustainable development and will be an inspiration to future generations.
Major Strides made in Haiti
Debate Club and Cyber Center
The WE-LEAD Resource Center’s “Popular Education/Feminist Debate Club” currently welcomes 30-60 women each Thursday to freely discuss issues related to women and their rights. Debate themes vary but have included: religion and women’s rights, family planning, women’s sexual and reproductive health, gender based violence, leadership and the women’s movement, gender in literature, and current events.
The Resource Center has established a substantial women’s rights library, which features books and periodicals written by Haitian women on women’s human rights, gender, and the status of women in Haitian society. “Reading weeks” were launched during the second year of the program, focusing on topics such as the participation of women in the reconstruction process, and the feminization of HIV.
Computer Classes/Social Media
Since its establishment, the WE-LEAD Resource Center’s Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) training sessions have run at maximum capacity and have reached over 1500 women and girls, the majority of whom have then gone on to participate in various additional empowerment activities at the center.
WE-LEAD and local women’s groups have engaged in direct advocacy with members of the Haitian Parliament, opening a constructive dialogue between women leaders and a pool of sensitized deputies. Targeted advocacy meetings with influential members of the government will continue during the summer of 2012 as WE-LEAD continues to meet with groups of deputies during Fetes Patronales to advocate for women’s priorities.
Dialogue with Reconstruction Actors
WE-LEAD staff has initiated and facilitated new dialogues in key reconstruction areas between local women’s groups and representatives of large international NGOs and local authorities. In some cases these conversations generated new forms of collaboration between local NGOs and WE-LEAD, and in others it motivated local allies to create issue-specific specific advocacy campaigns. For example, Flore des Femmes, REFOJE, SOFA and Fanm Deside are currently working on a campaign against sexual harassment as a result of their engagement with WE-LEAD staff.
|
<urn:uuid:46261185-61c0-4be8-9fa9-7c11d7120475>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.heartlandalliance.org/international/wherewework/project-pages/haiti-we-lead.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.955667 | 545 | 1.6875 | 2 |
I don't have any experience with mysql and php... well I know how things work, I know html and I know AS2 scripting language. I used to mess with java too.
I need to come up with an engine for my website. where should I start? Is there a program that will help me build mysql database tables? I'm quite cool with phpmyadmin, but I need something to work on my pc. And than any recommended reading on php? I don't need any fancy features, just read and write to mysql database + math functions like sum up all the results from the survey and display bar charts. I can figure out things myself, just put me on the right track
|
<urn:uuid:36afa835-6cb9-484e-8e0a-bc478af292cd>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/showthread.php?446740-can-a-complete-newbie-build-php-mysql-system&p=3213719&viewfull=1
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.94796 | 141 | 1.5625 | 2 |
With the recent shooting at a school in Newtown Connecticut and the shooting in Aurora Colorado violent video games are in the news again. The old men in the old media are blaming violent video games as they always do when a shooting hits the national news.
Violent video games have been the target of old media and conservatives for years. They will spout dubious studies and claim there is a link. They will blame any act of violence on violent video games even if the perpetrator never played a video game in his life.
In 1954 Fredric Wertham published the book Seduction of the Innocent in which he blamed comic books for juvenile crime. From his book arose the comics code which castrated the comic book industry for decades. Decades before the film industry suffered similarly. In 1930 the Hollywood studios instituted the motion picture production code which like the comics code castrated the film industry. The Hollywood studios instituted it because of a growing moral panic about immorality in films and the film industry feared the government would step in and regulate the morals of the film industry them selves.
Both the comics code and motion picture production code restricted or out rite banned violence, sex, gore, the super natural, criticism of authority, how criminals where depicted, drug use (even if it was an anti-drug message), depictions of homosexuality, depictions of relationships between people of different races, etc.
Violent video games do not cause violence. I say that with certainly. It does not. I can back this up, with statistics.
Between 1960 and 2012 violent crime was at it's lowest in 1962 with 4.6 murders per 100,000 people, 9.4 rapes per 100,000 people and 88.6 aggravated assaults per 100,000 people. From there violent crime rose to 10.2, 36.8, 298.5 in 1980. Violent crime rate fluctuated until 1991 with 9.8, 42.3 and 433.4. It has sense been dropping until in 2010 where it was at 4.8, 27.5 and 252.3. Sense 1991 violent crime has been going down.
The SNES (Super Nintendo) came out in America in 1993, the Sega Genesis came out in 1989. Wolfenstein 3D came out in 1992, Doom came out in 1993. The first generation of 3D game consoles came out in 94, the second generation of 3D game consoles came out in 2000, the third and currant generation came out in 2005. Between those years and sense 2005 graphics technology on the PC side has increased and access to video games because of digital distribution has grown. Games have been getting more realistic and more violent sense 94. If violent video games cause violence in people you'd expect violent crime to rise not drop.
Of course correlation does not imply causation but if violent video games caused violence in people, violent crime rates should at least have stayed the same. The lowering of violent crime, increasing realism and access to games could just mean that violent video games have no impact on violent crime. Heres where my ability to back up my claims with statistics end but I do have logic.
With all the problems of out society becoming less active, spending more time in front of the TV and on the computer than getting out ans exorcising. Well violent people are doing the same. That is a side effect though, my main argument is that violent video games give an outlet for violence. People are violent, some people are a lot more violent than others. When people play violent video games, they're getting their violent tendencies out of their system. Instead of going out and getting into fights, attacking people, etc they are playing Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, etc. Because they are getting their violence out of their system with video games, they are not committing acts of violence in the real world.
© 2012 all rights reserved
|
<urn:uuid:8803f678-f3ab-4015-bdaf-03d4951b9666>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://lonewolfsden.net/2012/12/21/violent-video-games-reduces-violent-crime/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.944821 | 780 | 1.765625 | 2 |
TLC For Criminals Will Bring “Racial Reconciliation”
To create “racial reconciliation,” the city that protected an illegal immigrant child rapist who massacred three youths is offering its most violent criminals therapy, education and jobs in lieu of prison.Known as “hug-a-thug,” the goal is to rehab vicious gangbangers with tender loving care rather than the harsh punishment that they probably deserve. The program has failed miserably in two cities—Stockton, California and Cincinnati—yet officials inNewark will launch it this month, according to a local newspaper report.Newark Police Director Garry McCarthy claims it’s the next step in the “evolution of policing” because its “proactive” instead of “reactive,” whatever that means. It will also establish much-needed “racial reconciliation” in New Jersey’s largest city, the police chief says. The mayor asserts that the initiative is a “powerful new policing approach” that will fight crime.”Currently, we are locking up hundreds and hundreds of people who are involved in gangs,” Newark Mayor Cory Booker said. “Young men are going in and out of prisons and we, as a community, are not doing nearly enough to break this cycle of recidivism, which is consuming the lives of too many who are caught up in this dangerous lifestyle — and doing horrible collateral damage to Newark.”Here is how the new program will work; authorities will invite street gangs and drug dealers to meetings with community leaders and law enforcement officials who will “implore” them to stop violent acts in exchange for job offers and “other assistance.” Those who don’t agree will receive a stern warning that their group will be dismantled “by any means necessary.”A sanctuary for illegal immigrants, Newark made worldwide headlines a few years ago for shielding an illegal immigrant gangbanger who murdered, execution-style, three college-bound students at a schoolyard. A fourth student survived but was seriously wounded by the gunman. The assailant, a Peruvian national named Jose Carranza, had a lengthy record when he committed the gruesome crimes but the city’s sanctuary policies protected him from deportation.Carranza had been arrested on various occasions and had been indicted on more than 30 counts of child abuse, aggravated sexual assault of a child and weapons violations. Yet he was free on a $150,000 bond when he shot the four youths at a schoolyard in 2007 because the Newark Police Department has a don’t-ask-don’t-tell policy when it comes to inquiring about a defendant’s immigration status.A few months later the city was embroiled in a separate scandal involving longtime Mayor Sharpe James (72-years old and married) who got convicted of corruption for getting his young mistress heavily discounted public property that she later sold for large profits.
|
<urn:uuid:64f17d01-ee57-44ae-927a-4a0c2f0b720d>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://judicialwatch.org/blog/2011/03/tlc-for-criminals-will-bring-%E2%80%9Cracial-reconciliation%E2%80%9D/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.962907 | 616 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Career Guidance Handbook
Match Process: Regular
Program Director: Lloyd Rucker, M.D., UC Irvine Medical Center, City Tower, Suite 400, (714) 456-7539, [email protected]
Career Specialty Advisor: Same as Above
Residency Coordinator: Norma Hardgrove, UC Irvine Medical Center, City Tower, Suite 400, (714) 456-5691, [email protected]
List the fourth year elective courses you feel are most helpful to a student considering your specialty.
- Infectious Diseases
- Heart Station
- Occupational Medicine
- Sports Medicine
- Women's Health
- Medicine Sub-internship
- CAM Elective
- Ambulatory Oncology
Consider your fourth year of medical school as the first year of your residency. Subspecialty experiences that you can take in the 4th year will help with residency and supplement your residency experience. You may choose to focus more on the allied fields such sports medicine, dermatology, or even the general medicine ambulatory clinic.
What are the most important characteristics a student should evaluate in a residency program in your discipline?
- How satisfied the residents are with their training.
- The range and variety of patients in all the program's training sites, including access to both male and female patients.
- The opportunity to make management decisions and to have primary responsibility for your patients. In other words, that you work mostly with a single ward attending who gives you latitude to make decisions and not with an excessive number of private attendings.
- The board passing rate for the program should be at least 80%
- The rate at which residents who want to do so enter subspecialty programs and whether they are able to obtain excellent subspecialty programs.
- The program's accreditation status and the deficiencies which were cited at the most recent review.
- The presence at the home institution of that program of residency programs in at least two other disciplines other than Internal Medicine (such as pediatrics or ob/gyn).
- The financial and administrative stability of the program.
What are the pros of a career in your specialty?
- Interesting medical and intellectual and challenges, including a broad and rapidly evolving knowledge base.
- Contact with people and continuity of care
- Many possible career paths including careers with complicated procedures and highly specialized, hospital-based foci.
What are the cons of a career in your specialty?
- A very broad and rapidly evolving knowledge base must be skillfully utilized.
- Need to enjoy patient contact or it can be very stressful.
- Must be able to commit to considerable time staying current in your area.
How long is the training in your specialty and, in general, how vigorous?
Three-years for general internal medicine with one to four years additional training for subspecialties. The training is moderately to extremely rigorous, depending upon the program.
Internal Medicine also offers a Research Pathway for those who are committed to research careers and who are willing to cut out some clinical time in return for a commitment to three years of research.
What is the lifestyle experience in your specialty? All lifestyles across the board from part-time outpatient careers to very intensive, 100+ hours per week primary care or consulting practices. IM provides considerable flexibility and range of salary. In general, a full time practicing general internist can make between $130,000 - $250,000 and a sub-specialist could make up to $400,000 in a very busy, very hard working, 80 - 100 hours per week practice with considerable call, procedures and inpatient responsibilities.
How competitive are training programs in your specialty? What kind of record would a student realistically need to match? There are nearly 400 internal medicine programs in the country, and they do not all fill so a student interested in internal medicine who is willing to travel should be able to get a decent spot. To stay in California at a University based program or a strong affiliate, one would need a minimum of 210+ on USMLE Part 1 and a very strong pass in the medicine clerkship with good narratives on the Dean's letter for medicine and all other core rotations. For the top IM programs, think Part I of 230+ and honors in medicine and two other clerkships, plus some other activities which set one apart such as significant research, creative activities, or extensive public service.
In order to obtain a fellowship after residency, one should do one's residency in a University program or at a hospital with a strong and extensive affiliation with a University hospital.
Which disciplines should letters of recommendations come from?
You will need a Chair's letter from the Department of Medicine and one other letter from an Internal Medicine attending with whom you worked directly. The other letters can be from any clinician or researcher who knows you well and with whom you worked extensively during medical school.
At UC Irvine, contact Lloyd Rucker, M.D., Vice Chair for Education in the Department of Medicine for a Chair's Letter.
Should students approach faculty in the first and second year of medical school to do research and for letters of recommendation?
Research is helpful if it is meaningful and if the student contributes in an important way. A month washing test tubes as an undergraduate is not important. A summer spent in a lab that leads to a single poster presentation with the student's name as fourth author is slightly helpful. Several papers with the student as first author are extremely helpful.
Letters from first and second year experiences are much less important than those from faculty in the clinical years.
Will research in this field improve chances for obtaining residency?
If research is beneficial, what is the minimum length of time to obtain a meaningful experience? At least a couple months in a consistent effort which leads to important results and perhaps a presentation at a meeting or a paper.
Is it beneficial in obtaining residency in this field to complete externships? Externships may be helpful at the most competitive programs. Most students entering IM do not do externships at the program where they find a position and most students apply to 8 or more programs so it would be impossible to do externships at all of them. UC Irvine students who have gained entrance to the most competitive IM programs recently have not done externships at those programs. Externships generally won't hurt but don't count on them to get you into a program if you do not have the numbers and the evaluations.
Is there a benefit to completing more than one externship in this field? No.
Is it important for the USMLE Step 2 scores to be available for review? It is becoming more important for the most competitive programs. Most UC schools are requiring their students to take the exam early in the 4th year, so UC Irvine students will be competing against students who have already taken the exam. The Step 2 score is definitely becoming more important in the final decision process. Step 1 is more important for obtaining an interview. Step 2 CS is crucial and must be taken in time so that the scores are back well before the time of graduation.
|
<urn:uuid:76d93ad4-6ef1-41aa-802b-50926745b3b8>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.meded.uci.edu/education/residencyselection/medicine.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.95 | 1,458 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Glendale Active Living
Transportation Solutions is providing technical assistance to the City of Glendale to improve the pedestrian and bicycle environment and multi-modal connectivity within the city through a ”Putting Active Living in Place” project. Transportation Solutions is implementing three inter-related but distinct projects to increase walking, biking, and transit use in commercial centers and other locations of central activity.
Leetsdale as a Living Street
The City of Glendale has committed to installing pedestrian safety improvements at the intersection of Leetsdale and Cherry Street, which sees large volumes of foot traffic from the Greek Orthodox Church, Jewish Community Center and new King Soopers. Safety improvements include countdown timers, improved street signage and embedded lights in the crosswalks. In addition, funding for a covered bus stop on the north side of the street has been identified from the Transit Alliance. Both RTD and the Greek Orthodox Church (where the stop will be located) are supportive. Actual changes to the intersection are delayed due to ongoing negotiations between CDOT and the City of Denver (see ‘Deviations’ explanation in the next section).
Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge
This bridge will connect Kentucky Street to the Cherry Creek trail. After the collaboration of both the City of Denver and the City of Glendale and several personal meetings with Transportation Solutions staff, Denver Public Works committed (through an MOU) approximately $100,000 MOU to essential safety improvements at the intersection of Kentucky and Cherry Creek South Dr., where pedestrians and cyclists will access the planned bridge. Glendale’s Mayor Harte used Transportation Solutions’ annual event, The Road Ahead, to publicly cement the agreement with Denver’s Mayor Hancock. The bridge and intersection improvements will begin construction in fall of 2012 and the project will be completed by the end of the year, providing a needed connection to the trail for many Glendale residents.
Cherry Street as a More “Complete Street”
There is a great need to make Cherry St. pedestrian and bike friendly. Transportation Solutions held several meetings with Glendale staff to discuss approaches on how to do this. The project brought in national walkable communities expert Dan Burden in the fall of 2011 to conduct a “walkabaility” audit and to provide recommendations for Cherry Street and other pieces of the Glendale street grid. Recommended improvements include safety improvements at specific intersections and the overall street designs, such as safe crosswalks, bike lanes, and wider sidewalks. In addition, a multimodal facility located within the planned Riverwalk development project has been proposed to further integrate Glendale’s growing bicycle and transit networks within the greater Denver metro system. While the City of Glendale is very receptive to Dan Burden’s recommendations, they see the need to conduct a formal traffic analysis before reducing the number of vehicle lanes on Cherry Street. In the meantime, the City has decided to make Birch Street, the next one over from Cherry, a complete street that will connect to Cherry Creek Drive South, extending the street grid by two blocks.
|
<urn:uuid:093bac04-8b54-4ca7-b77b-4fa65b61b100>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.transolutions.org/programs-projects/glendale-active-living/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.938523 | 622 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Flagrantly unfair - 25 Comments
Howie Carr lapses into garbled journalism with his column on Gov. Deval Patrick’s tax plan (Jan. 16). The Census Bureau reports that Massachusetts residents paid 10.2 percent of their income in 2010. Massachusetts had lower taxes than 24 other states. This is hardly “Taxachusetts.”
It is true that the Massachusetts tax system is flagrantly unfair, however, with low- and middle-income folks paying a far larger share of their income in taxes than high-income people, as detailed by the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center.
|
<urn:uuid:16e7f081-2535-40e6-a313-783739590ed4>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://bostonherald.com/comments/1062236811?page=1
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.97185 | 124 | 1.804688 | 2 |
DailySteals + Fresh Food = Positive Impact
On an early Monday morning in March, members of the Daily Steals team took to the town to help out some people in need by giving out hundreds of pounds of fresh food. Assisting a local food bank, Daily Steals employees volunteered their strength to help lift and carry various boxes and bags of produce to local families who have felt the economic downturn a little harder than others. Working collaboratively with the food bank administrators, the Daily Steals team compiled food packages for approximately 50+ families. These packages included 50lb bags of carrots, potatoes, onions and sweet potatoes, along with cartons of apples, oranges and pears.
The experience was a success for everyone involved and left the Daily Steals team feeling positive for having helped give back to their neighborhood. “I felt like I was part of the community,” said Shannon, a Daily Steals employee. “I was glad to lend a helping hand.” Shannon, like the rest of the Daily Steals team, greeted families in need with a smile and helped them organize their heavy food, package it up and transfer it all to the trunks of their vehicles. The experience put things in perspective for Brian, a customer service representative who has done charity work in the past. “Life isn't as easy for most people, and we definitely take the little things, like food every night, for granted.”
Going into this charity event, the Daily Steals team knew they would be helping out those in need, but it was perhaps less expected that they themselves would have come out feeling helped too, having seen their community in a new light and realizing that positive change can be made with just a little effort. Customer service representative Aston said, “It was the type of program that left you wondering why this isn't done more often and in more places.” The Daily Steals team asks this same question and plans to make even more strides to help better the community in the future.
|
<urn:uuid:92c2bf05-5fb2-41f9-991a-8845eeb029de>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://home.dailysteals.com/blog/post/154
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.980381 | 411 | 1.578125 | 2 |
If you have arrived at this page, we assume that you’re are interested in The Family Foundation School and that you may have read some of the smear campaign that exists on the web about us. If not, a thorough search of the internet will unearth it. You need to sort out these claims. We are now telling you our side of this story.
Who evaluates and monitors the practices of the Family Foundation School including advertising?
· The Joint Commission for Behavioral Health Care
· The Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges
· The New York State Department of Education
Who evaluates and monitors their web sites?
· No One
Who are these critics?
A small group of disgruntled former students seem to be fueling the issue. Through their web page and FaceBook page, they have solicited more “testimony.” To the extent that we can count individual voices the complaints are about 1.6% of our more than 3000 students ever placed in our care.
We are constrained by both personal and professional ethics from commenting directly on the issues that brought these students to us. We would point out the obvious. We work with students who have behavioral difficulties including substance abuse, oppositional defiance, depression, and bi-polar disorder. No one working with this population can claim 100% success.
What about that Congressional Investigation?
There was no investigation into the Family Foundation School. There was a legislative hearing in support of a bill regulating residential treatment at which one of our alumni volunteered his testimony. He had been working with a advocacy group called CAFETY which had lobbied for the bill. As is common in such hearings there was no rebuttal or chance for cross examination.
At about the time he graduated, Cornell University developed Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI). TCI is a series of techniques to deescalate crises and failing that to safely restrain residents who threaten themselves or others. The Family Foundation School was an early adopter of this program. Since 2000, we have required all direct care staff to become certified in this approach. We support two TCI trainers on our staff.
Why do these alumni feel so strongly?
That’s not a question we can answer. The work we do is intense. We ask students to adopt some values that are not part of the current youth culture. If a student has started a recovery, and then slips back into old behaviors, the personal contradictions can be very painful. Reordering the past to relieve this cognitive dissonance is a possible outcome.
Also residential treatment is not inexpensive. Parents have often used college money and even trust funds left by grandparents to pay for college in order to attempt to get their children help. Twenty-somethings burdened with college debt may really resent this loss of capital.
Finally we have a bandwagon effect. These alumni repeat their “truth” to each other. The distortions of memory are intensified and emotions build. They convince each other.
Why don’t you sue for slander or libel?
The internet is the new Wild West. The laws governing its use and misuse are few and far between. We’d love our day in a fair court with real rules. The best legal advice we can get says that in any case of “internet speech” all the advantageous go to the libeler. We are trying to help families and will not waste resources in futile battles.
Like many others we underestimated the power of the new social media. Tactics like we are experiencing are common in the political world. Look at the White House, during the election no one had a better handle on social media than the Obama campaign. When Sarah Palin made her remarks about “death committees” as part the health care bill, everyone at the White House thought that it was so obvious an absurdity that they need not refute it. But conservative tweeted and blogged enough to get it taken seriously. The liberal camp does the same thing to mobilize public support. During the Bush years both personal and policy attacks were relentless from groups like moveon.org. Passion and repetition give lies life on the internet. Our only defense is a reply like this one.
How have you responded to Alumni?
In 2006, at our founder’s 50th wedding anniversary, we had an Alumni reunion. At that time we talked with many who had mixed feelings about the school. We listened carefully to them, apologized when appropriate, and took their criticism to heart. Alumni input has made us a better school.
We have met face to face with three of the four leaders of the disgruntled alumni and have talked with many that offer “testimony” on their website. Some have genuinely responded with a desire to work through their feelings toward us and have even adjusted their comments accordingly. For others, it is clear that nothing we can do other than close the school will satisfy them.
All other alumni have an open invitation to return and easy phone or email access to staff members. We form strong attachments to many of our students that do not disappear at graduation.
What are our policies concerning student behavior?
We provide a safe, structured environment. Like any social order we have rules and consequences. Parents seriously interested in entering their child in the school will find full discussion of our policies through our admissions process. There is no need to present them here. We need to note that all of the practices are reviewed by our accrediting bodies and that they interview students during their site surveys. Additionally, complaints from the smear campaign have reached Child Protective Services in New York. None of these went further than a preliminary investigation. These findings of course lead the smear campaign to claim that all of these bodies are incompetent since they disagree with the intent of the campaign. As Brian Lombroski, President of CAFETY has expressed his opinion regarding The Joint Commission: “it’s pretty meaningless without licensure. Better that you have it than not, but it’s kind of like having nice rims on the tires without doing anything to the engine when you’re trying to sell something.”
What should you do?
The decision to send a child to a residential school is a serious one. Read the material carefully. Remember how each side is held accountable.
Mostly we urge to come visit us with open eyes, open ears, and an open heart. If what you see, hear, and feel gives you hope, we would love to work with your family.
Turning Lives Around…
Some Context to the Smear Campaign (from the comments below)
Thanks for addressing the many lies and distortions being propagated by the alleged Truth campaign.
It is common knowledge that the campaign was started by a family member of mine who disagreed with my parental decision to enroll my daughters at the Family School. This family member has no children of her own, and maintained at best a superficial relationship with my children. She is estranged from her siblings and parents, who are all supportive of my decision to provide my daughters with the best help I could find. I can only describe my sibling’s behavior in pursuing and funding this campaign as disturbed and out of touch with reality. It is indeed unfortunate, both for the sibling and the apparently troubled individuals who choose to follow her lead.
The Family School helped my daughters turn their lives around and rebuild relationships between them and with me. They successfully transitioned from the school in June 2009 – one to a top-notch college and other to a top-notch prep school.
With my parents, friends, and partner, I spent perhaps hundreds of hours at the Family School during the 18 month period my daughters were enrolled there. I attended countless table topics, many sports events, choral performances, picnics -in short, with two daughters at the school and the many opportunities for parental involvement, I felt Family School was my second home for those 18 months. Every visit left me feeling that my daughters we receiving the best possible support, care, love and guidance available anywhere. On top of that, they received an excellent high school education.
My gratitude for the Family School is immense. I am an attorney and dedicated mom who left no stone unturned in trying to find the best therapeutic program anywhere to help my daughters. I searched from Vermont to Hawaii, making personal visits to several schools. No where did I find the unique opportunities offered at the Family School.
The Family School was undoubtedly the best thing I could have done for my daughters, and indeed my family. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart, and know that the truth will prevail – it always does. I pray that the troubled individuals relentlessly pursuing the anti-Family School campaign will find peace and move on with their lives, rather than remain stuck in their torrent of anger, denial, and confusion.
Peace to all.
Return to Index: The Family Foundation School Responds to its Critics
|
<urn:uuid:b8092db8-b18c-48a4-99d9-cca379c4741a>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://thefamilyschoolleadership.com/the-family-foundation-school-responds-to-smear-campaign/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.974354 | 1,823 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Gov. Paul LePage's veto of a $20 million bond for R&D this spring was criticized by both Democratic and Republican lawmakers. Many business leaders, well aware that Maine's investment in R&D is one-third of the U.S. average and one-sixth of the New England average, expressed disappointment in the governor's decision.
So it was an obvious question to ask UMaine Chancellor James Page: If he had the chance to sit down with the governor, what would he tell him about the relationship of R&D spending, either through a bond or through the General Fund, to the university system and to Maine businesses?
Page's reply was diplomatic, planting him squarely in the middle of the debate regarding LePage's R&D veto:
"I think everybody understands the value of R&D," he says. "The question is: Are we getting the right return?
"So in terms of the governor or any political leadership demanding a very thorough account of how these dollars are being spent — whether they route directly to a business or whether they route to a nonprofit or a university, and then whether the seed money provided to R&D eventually returns through businesses to the taxpayer — you could make good cases that both are appropriate.
What is critical is that we have a good solid accountability, because if we are going to continue to ask the taxpayers for more and more money, we have to show that it issues in patents and intellectual property that further more research, or which brings more money into the state in various forms … and in jobs. Are they actually being commercialized and turned into jobs? In a small state like ours, where $20 million is a lot of money, I think we need to be right down at the level of demonstrating that in 'Place A' that spending created 25 jobs and in 'Place B' it created a patent that will create some business opportunities and in 'Place C' it preserved the ability of an industry to stay in its lead position."
Implicit in Page's answer is the notion that recipients of R&D funding need to do a better job of showing Mainers how there has been a solid return on R&D investment. He cited the composites industry and wind power technology as two R&D areas that seem to offer tangible benefits to Maine industries.
"Take offshore wind power," he says. "This could be an enormous economic boon, if and when it's fully developed in the Gulf of Maine — of course doing it in a way that protects the fisheries, which are of equal importance to our state's economy. Assuming that is done, the work that has been done and is being done at [University of Maine's Advanced Structures & Composites Center] … that work could drive enormous, enormous investments to the benefit of this state."
James H. Page Chancellor of the University of Maine System
Education: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ph.D. Department of Linguistics and Philosophy; St. Andrews University (Scotland), master's in philosophy; University of Maine, Fort Kent, B.A. in history
While many people know of James Page's professional history with James W. Sewall Co., they are less familiar with his academic appointments. A summary:
1990 Teaching fellow Harvard University
1990-1992 Visiting assistant professor Department of Philosophy, Dartmouth College
1991 Visiting assistant professor Department of Philosophy, Macalester College
1992–1998 Assistant professor Department of Philosophy, University of Kansas
2001–2012 Principal and CEO of James W. Sewall Co. Working with The ConnectME Authority to assemble the first statewide map and database of available broadband services; partnering with the University of Maine DeepCWind Consortium to complete comprehensive geospatial database of the Gulf of Maine; and developing with the Maine Institute for Human Genetics and Health a map pairing social and environmental data with genetic data for use in cancer research in Maine.
1998–now Adjunct associate professor Department of Philosophy, University of Maine
Appointed as chancellor of the University of Maine System in March, James Page comfortably wears two hats — one labeled "business" and the other "academia." As the top administrator of the seven-campus university system, he brings to that role more than 10 years of experience as principal and CEO of James W. Sewall Co., a 131-year-old professional services consulting firm based in Old Town that specializes in forestry, engineering, geospatial science and environmental science. He's also an academic, whose teaching credits include the University of Maine's philosophy department, Dartmouth College and Harvard.
Just one month into his new job, speaking at a Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce breakfast, Page bluntly linked the university system's fortunes to those of his native state, saying: "The university system cannot succeed — will not succeed — if Maine doesn't succeed," according to a report in the Bangor Daily News.
How those two linked goals might be accomplished, not surprisingly, was a common thread in an interview with Mainebiz conducted at Page's office in downtown Bangor. The following is an edited transcript:
Mainebiz: Has your business background given you insights or approaches to being the "CEO" of a university system you might not have had if your background had been only academic?
James Page: I think so. There is a stereotype out there that when business people serve, either in positions like mine or on boards, that they try to import a profit-and-loss model into academia. And while everyone is concerned about the bottom line, I don't think that's the primary strength. I think the core value that people with experience like mine bring to the academic setting is our familiarity and experience with what it takes to build teams to implement plans. Implementation is a very hard thing to do properly, and most efforts to evolve or change systems fail, not because people don't have good ideas but because they're not experienced in developing the engagement with their people to implement those changes. I think that's the strongest piece that business brings to an academic setting.
The second piece, which is very important as well, is a familiarity with the business and social environments of this state. So that piece centers around work-force needs, around what people, who are investing through their tax dollars, expect of the university system in terms of meeting the needs of businesses for well-trained individuals who are well-prepared for all of their careers, not just the beginning.
I understand you are the first native Mainer to be in this position.
(Laughing). I was very surprised to find that out — that I was the first native Mainer. I was a little bit shocked. I'm very proud to be the first Mainer, but it adds an extra sense of responsibility. Maine people in general are very familiar with the items common to businesses throughout our society but also those that are common to businesses in this state — in terms of our history, our core strengths, our weaknesses. So there is a bit of a special responsibility in terms of building on that knowledge to engage, and engage properly, with our businesses here in Maine.
You had a challenge early on, the faculty's no-confidence vote involving USM President Selma Botman. After that vote, you pledged to work with both sides to move forward. Can you tell us how things stand now and what you see coming out of that?
The biggest positive coming out of that was the degree to which all parties — internal to the campus community and external in the business community and in the greater Portland community — are incredibly engaged, supportive of and concerned about the University of Southern Maine. That's very rewarding.
Now, as you have seen from the headlines, there are different opinions as to how the USM community moves forward, how that can be optimized. We are continuing to work with all the parties — a bit quietly now, it's in the summer — to get those issues worked through and to get the university fully engaged in doing those things it has to do. It has to be responsive to the community.
Are there other examples you might provide about initiatives in the UMaine system?
The initiatives I'm engaged with at the moment are broad and very system-wide. If you read them and study them, you will see that they are a road map for significant change.
In the May board of trustees meeting we settled on three priority projects to focus on. That has to do with a comprehensive system-wide review of administration; a development of system-wide performance metrics that we can use to guide investments; and the credit-transfer issue, enhancing credit transfers between the campuses and also between the community college system and the university system. With those initiatives you get a very strong picture of where the trustees are going and what my charge is.
How is the new Southern Maine Community College campus at the former Brunswick Naval Air Station working, with respect to offering an engineering-degree track through the University of Maine in Orono and eventually a master's degree?
That's the plan, and it's still in a fairly early stage and we haven't got its feet on the ground, as it were. But the general strategy behind it is exactly right.
You've been quoted saying the particular challenges the university system faces here in Maine are largely demographic: We have an aging population, fewer young people are graduating from our high schools. Could you talk about that?
First of all, most areas of the country are undergoing a demographic challenge … certainly in the Northeast. A report that we commissioned a couple of years ago shows that you have to go down to Maryland and out to Indiana before you find the trend line of high school graduates growing.
But in Maine, they are particularly acute for two reasons: 1.) We have a small population, so any time a percentage shifts here, it means more impact than, say, you'd see in a state like New York. Unless something odd happens, the decline in graduating high school students in Maine from 2010 to 2020 is 19.5%. So, this is really significant. 2.) The other demographic factor, of course, is the population that we do have is an old and aging population.
One of the opportunities we have, however — and one of the really shocking figures to me — I've gotten two numbers around this and I have to find out which one it actually is. But the point is made for either number. The lower number is 170,000 and the higher number is 250,000. Those are the numbers of Maine citizens who have some measure of post-secondary education — it might be a single course, or it might be a course shy of graduation. In other words, those who do not have a degree, or certificate, that would give them a return on the investment. That's enormous.
If we reach out and engage a reasonable percentage of those people, the opportunity for the university system is enormous. The ability to move those families forward economically, with numbers that large, is enormous … not to mention the opportunity to move their communities and ultimately the state forward.
Now there are some special challenges involved. Many of these people are employed in full-time jobs, they have families, they're not about to uproot themselves and move 75 miles to a campus. We have to find ways of delivery that can help them with this, but in this day and age with the technology we have, that's going to be a priority.
And ways of delivery include online or ITV (interactive televised) courses?
Yes. They would include online, they would be the outreach centers we have throughout the state…
Such as University College in Bath?
Yes. Also in Houlton, Rockland, Rockport and western Maine … there are nine of them.
So these are located where people who might be lacking a four-year degree could take a class or two at night, or online at home?
Online with an occasional visit to these centers … there's all kinds of ways to combine that. And I think there is an enormous opportunity for us all in getting to these folks and helping them to move their education forward.
One of the challenges of the UMaine system is its seven campuses are scattered across the state. What are your thoughts on that?
I am a big supporter of regional campuses. I have no interest, no intent, of advocating for the closing of any of our campuses. I think they perform in addition to their educational function; they have a social and economic function in their regions that you can't replace and are really critical. I think they can be managed differently, we can leverage our resources differently, especially given these technologies. If we have a first-class environmental scientist in Fort Kent, why can't they offer a course online or via video-conferencing, or one of these different methods, to students who are taking an environmental course in Machias?
In a state of 1.4 million people, we've got seven campuses, we have a number of community colleges, we've got the Maine Maritime Academy. Rather than just continue to think of them as 'silos' that have to be built up on, we have to think of ways of leveraging them across the state.
I'm wondering if you have had any concerns from folks who are well aware of your business background but might not be aware of your academic background?
Business people have lots of stereotypes of academics and academics have lots of stereotypes of business people. And when you are first in a room, when people are uncomfortable and don't know each other, those stereotypes come out. But you will be surprised how quickly those melt away once a real dialogue gets going. We're talking minutes, not days.
So having the conversation and finding the common ground is key?
Common ground, if you really get beyond the sound bites and the stereotypes, and you really begin to look seriously at the interests of the two parties, they overlap so very very much.
What's the secret about the UMaine system that you'd love to tell the world?
Just one? (Laughing)
I think that the University of Maine system, its campuses, its extension service — which was the first part of the University of Maine I ever knew about, growing up in Aroostook County — the outreach centers, the laboratories on the coast, the conversation hasn't kept [pace] with what an incredible asset this is for the state. It's really unique. In New York or Illinois or other places, there are other entities or organizations that play a lot of these roles. In Maine, the university system fulfills those roles.
That means it's also incumbent upon us, not just me, but all of the leadership, both administrative and academic, to show people, to engage them in that discussion, and not just tell them, 'Hey, we're the greatest,' but rather, 'Yes, there are these great things we're doing, but we want to enter into a partnership with you.' Because the UMaine system is an asset to the state, to all of the businesses and people of Maine, so that dialogue has to evolve to get those needs out there and to get a good feedback loop going.
Not simply for work-force training and business development. This goes right down to the extension service working with the needs of communities in food development, canning classes, these are incredibly valuable and important. And when people realize the ways in which the university is involved — and could be and should be involved in their communities, including the classroom and beyond the classroom — there's worlds of opportunities.
Does business have a role to play?
Absolutely. Business leadership, because of the economic pressures we're under and because of the role business plays in moving Maine forward, faces most of the issues we've talked about. I'll go out on a limb here: Jobs are the answer to many of our challenges in this state. And the people who are creating those jobs, who are investing and building the opportunities for those jobs — the business leaders of this state — have a critical role to play in how the university system, and therefore the state, evolves.
How different is this job from your previous one at Sewall?
The commonality is that whether you are in a business or you are in an entity like a large educational institution, it's still all about the people, the quality of the people, their engagement, their commitment. In both cases, it's exactly the same. And you are only as good as your people.
I just have a lot more of them here.
|
<urn:uuid:7bffd675-b2e4-4721-9f1b-fe398a8a0199>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.mainebiz.biz/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120709/CURRENTEDITION/307059993/1091/pbcs.dll
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.972225 | 3,386 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Boston University announced a diagnosis of mild chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in the brain of deceased enforcer Derek Boogaard (R), who died after mixing alcohol and painkillers in the summer. (Getty Images)
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – This is what NHL commissioner Gary Bettman cannot quite come out and say: Frankly, the league likes fighting. The fans like it, rising from their seats whenever two guys drop the gloves. The hockey community likes it, because it deters other barbaric acts on the ice. And it isn't going anywhere, because despite the tragedies and medical research and media attention, the players know there are risks and essentially sign a waiver as soon as they square off.
Bettman came close to saying all of that on Tuesday. But the truth isn't politically correct, and the league is always going to look hypocritical as long as it cracks down on concussions on one hand and allows players to beat each others' brains in on the other. The league looks even worse when Bettman says the data is inconclusive regarding the dangers of fighting – even though he's right.
After two days of discussing issues at the NHL board of governors meetings – including the realignment of the league, the looming labor negotiations and the future of the Phoenix Coyotes, all of which are addressed below – the hottest topic was what the power brokers did not even consider: a ban on fighting.
The end of the meetings coincided with the final installment of a three-part New York Times series on Derek Boogaard, who died accidentally May 13 at age 28 after mixing alcohol and painkillers. He was the first of three enforcers to die last summer, preceding Rick Rypien and Wade Belak. Rypien committed suicide. Belak reportedly committed suicide, but others insist he died in an accident. All three reportedly suffered from depression.
Boogaard's brain was donated to Boston University researchers, who announced a diagnosis of mild chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which they describe as a neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated brain trauma. They have now found CTE in four deceased NHL players: Boogaard, Reggie Fleming, Bob Probert and Rick Martin.
A reporter asked Bettman how many brains was too many.
"Do you know everything that went on in their lives?" Bettman responded. "Were there other things going on that could also cause CTE? And until you understand that what exactly causes CTE, it's speculation as to one or two elements in each case that were in common. The data is not sufficient to draw a conclusion, and our experts tell us the same thing."
That is true.
No one has been able to determine definitively the role that fighting played in the deaths of Boogaard, Rypien and Belak, despite the stories of the unique mental and physical stressors on enforcers.
[Related: NHL player's take: The politics of safety]
Experts consulting the NHL and the NHL Players' Association have said no one can draw a straight line from head trauma to CTE to mental problems because no one has proven what causes CTE, what its effect is or what the risk is of developing it. They have criticized BU researchers for making simplistic, sensational statements unsupported by science in the past, and it should be noted that BU seemed especially careful in how it worded its press release on Tuesday.
"It is important not to over-interpret the finding of early CTE in Derek Boogaard," said Robert Cantu, a co-director of BU's Center for the Study of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. "However, based on the small sample of enforcers we have studied, it is possible that frequently engaging in fights as a hockey player may put one at increased risk for this degenerative brain disease."
But that debate is on a scientific level. On a practical level, there is no debate that banging your head is bad for your brain. It's common sense.
And this is where the NHL runs into trouble.
Bettman said: "We do know that if we take the steps to reduce the incidence of concussions, that's a good thing for our players." But while the NHL has stiffened the rules governing boarding and illegal hits to the head, has revamped the supplemental discipline system and has seen concussions drop by about one-third this season, it has not stiffened the rules governing fighting.
"Our fans tell us that they like the level of physicality in our game," Bettman said, "and for some people it's an issue, but it's not as big an issue in terms of fans and people in the game to the extent that other people suggest that it is."
Bettman said concussions resulting from fighting have remained constant and therefore are "not an increasing problem."
[Related: Bloodstained hockey cards to be released]
Kevin Lowe, the Edmonton Oilers' president of hockey operations, said fighting is down and "seems to be regulating itself and policing itself." He said if there is going to be a change, the players would have to push for it, because the league's brass still sees a place for it in the game.
"Over the years, there has been a great deal of discussion about it, whether it's necessary," Lowe said, "and I think enough hockey people believe that it's still necessary."
Finally, Bettman said there is an obvious difference between hitting and fighting. Fighters are not unsuspecting victims. They are "willing combatants."
As for the aftermath of that combat, Bettman and NHLPA executive director Don Fehr released a joint statement after the deaths of Boogaard, Rypien and Belak saying they would evaluate their existing assistance program and determine "whether concrete steps can be taken to enhance player welfare and minimize the likelihood of such events taking place."
Bettman said he met with Fehr about the issue recently, and the league and union are both "looking into" hiring someone to independently evaluate their programs.
That's about all they have done and are going to do for now. Like it or not.
• Realignment: Now that the governors have authorized Bettman to realign the league into four conferences based on time zones, he needs to check with the NHLPA.
"It's something traditionally we've never discussed with the union," said deputy commissioner Bill Daly. "But this would be along the lines of a rule change that could be interpreted as a change of the terms and conditions of employment. And for that, we need to go to the players' association. They need to consent or not, but they can't withhold their consent unreasonably."
[Related: Realignment winners and losers]
Daly said he didn't anticipate there would be any problems. The union sent the league a letter a month ago and he spoke to a union representative twice in the last week. Daly said the league invited the union to make its own proposal, and the union did not do so.
Another issue left to determine is the playoff format. The top four teams in each conference will make the playoffs, and the first two rounds will be intra-conference clashes. Bettman said he would let the general managers decide how to handle the third round.
Some GMs still want to take geography into account.
"I think you'd stay East and West there," said Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke.
Other execs weren't so sure.
"I think you should recognize maybe the team that comes out of the strongest division maybe gets home ice," Lowe said. "Geographically, I don't think we need to keep the third series in the West. … [Teams] just want the good fortune of being there. If there's going to be less travel in the first two rounds and you have to travel a bit in the third round, that's not a bad thing."
One more issue: what the conferences will be named. Daly said the league had not even settled on the process to determine them.
"Ultimately it would be the board that would sign off on it," Daly said. "I suggested something to Gary today that he didn't like, so …"
So what was it?
"I'm not going to share it if he didn't like it," Daly said, smiling.
• Labor: The collective bargaining agreement expires Sept. 15, and talks aren't expected to begin on a new CBA until after the All-Star Game. Bettman and most executives declined to say much about the situation.
The owners aren't pushing for radical change like during the lockout of 2004-05, when they fought for a salary cap at the cost of a season, and Lowe said there "doesn't appear to be any doom and gloom on the horizon."
"From our perspective, we really knew where we stood the last time around as far as needing to fix things significantly," Lowe said. "Although there appears to be a need for some change, it's not as significant as last time around. So that's the optimism."
Still, there is uncertainty.
"It's a better feeling than last time around, but until we know what the other side is asking or expecting, it's kind of an odd feeling quite frankly," Lowe said. "I guess we'll know in a couple months where we stand."
• Phoenix Coyotes: Daly said the NHL remains committed to keeping the Coyotes in Phoenix. The NHL bought the franchise out of bankruptcy and has been trying to sell it.
"There are interested purchasers right now in the Coyotes," Daly said. "We're continuing to work with them, and we hope we get to a resolution. Obviously we've owned the club now for more than two years, so it's taken a while to get to the finish line. We're not there yet, but we're still working toward it."
Time is growing short, however. Though the league has set no deadline, Daly acknowledged that it cannot wait as long as it did last season when it waited until May 31 to move the Atlanta Thrashers. Winnipeg had an ownership group that was already running an AHL franchise in an NHL-ready rink. Quebec City has an ownership group and plans for a new rink, and Kansas City has an NHL-ready rink. But Daly said: "I'm not sure there is a comparable scenario."
AdvertisementThis Week - Subscribe Now
|
<urn:uuid:642e4e5c-df8e-4b6b-8724-f8dfc0e40dc0>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.thehockeynews.com/yahoosports/43396-Fighting-back-NHL-holds-ground-on-fisticuffs.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.979297 | 2,138 | 1.820313 | 2 |
British judge Brian Henry Leveson has called for legislation in the UK to underpin a "genuinely independent and effective system of self-regulation" for the press.
He said the press had "wreaked havoc with the lives of innocent people".
In his report on press standards and ethics, he said legislation would provide "an independent process to recognise the new self-regulatory body and reassure the public that the basic requirements of independence and effectiveness were met".
The judge said the press had ignored its own code of conduct and there had been a "recklessness in prioritising sensational stories" irrespective of the harm that may be caused.
He said politicians of all parties had developed "too close a relationship with the press in a way which has not been in the public interest".
His findings are based on months of dramatic evidence about the phone-hacking scandal from victims, media figures, politicians and the police.
In a damning report, the judge said the press had repeatedly acted as if its own code of conduct "simply did not exist", and "wreaked havoc with the lives of innocent people".
He proposed expanding Ofcom's legal remit so it became a "verification" body, able to recognise an independent regulator that had "credible" rules and powers to enforce them - such as huge fines.
Publications would not be obliged to sign up to the new body but would be subject to harsher punishment if the courts found they libelled people or breached civil law.
Justice Leveson also warned that turning Ofcom into a "backstop" regulator was an option if the industry refused to co-operate with his scheme.
The suggestions - in a detailed 2,000-page report that also heavily criticised politicians for becoming too cosy with the media - leave Prime Minister David Cameron with a major headache as he seeks to forge cross-party consensus.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg will make an unprecedented separate statement to the House of Commons after Mr Cameron responds to the Leveson Report this afternoon.
The Liberal Democrat leader is understood to favour statutory underpinning, while the Prime Minister is believed to be more wary of involving the state in policing newspapers.
Downing Street and Liberal Democrat sources sought to play down the significance of separate statements.
However the failure to agree on a single message suggests it will be much more difficult to achieve cross-party consensus on Leveson, which both Mr Cameron and Labour leader Ed Miliband backed at Prime Minister's Questions in the Commons yesterday.
Victims of press intrusion gave evidence at inquiry
In July 2011, it was reported that employees of Rupert Murdoch's News of the World tabloid had hacked into Milly Dowler’s telephone while police were still searching for her, giving her parents false hope that she was alive.
Her mother, Sally Dowler, told the inquiry that when she could again leave a message on her missing daughter's phone, she shouted: "She's picked up the voice mails! ... She's alive!"
Outrage over this case prompted Prime Minister David Cameron to commission the Leveson Inquiry.
The inquiry also investigated press coverage following the disappearance of Madeleine McCann during a family holiday in Portugal in 2007.
Kate and Gerry McCann said newspapers were sympathetic at first but coverage later turned hostile.
One story said the couple had sold their daughter into slavery, another that they had killed her and hid her body in a freezer.
The couple successfully sued several British newspapers over suggestions that they had caused their daughter's death and then covered it up.
Mrs McCann described her dismay when extracts from her private diary - in which she wrote to her missing daughter - appeared in the News of the World in 2008.
"I felt totally violated," she said. "There was absolutely no respect shown to me as a grieving mother or as a human being, or to my daughter."
Actor Hugh Grant testified that since "Four Weddings and a Funeral" made him a movie star, details of his hospital visits had been leaked, his garbage was rifled through, his ex-girlfriend and his infant daughter harassed.
He said an article earlier this year in The Sun and the Daily Express about his visit to a hospital emergency room was a gross intrusion of privacy.
"I think no one would expect their medical records to be made public or to be appropriated by newspapers for commercial profit. That is fundamental to our British sense of decency," he said.
Other people targeted included J K Rowling, Charlotte Church, and Charlotte Harris.
|
<urn:uuid:93fc6799-2949-4e4b-9026-290e13f7fac0>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/1129/355718-leveson-report-uk-press-abuses/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.982685 | 928 | 1.695313 | 2 |
I guess it's high time for the next story, especially when I've just finished new portion of illustrations for yet another children story. Today I'd like to talk a little bit about how is it like to draw for children's book.
Normally when you get such job, you are usually told what you should draw. Like: "we want a very cute kitten with white fur and blue eyes, background should be simple, in a dark color" - that's not a lot of info but it's good cause it gives you some freedom. I don't really like to draw very specific things, there is no room for creativity.
So you were told something vague about the cover, after some time you finished your job, everyone is happy (or not) and you can move to the inside. For me it was cover + 17 black&white lineart illustration. Just like those:
Nobody tells me what to draw on those inside sketches. I just get the text and pick something for every chapter. You would say that it's awesome, cause I get to draw what I want. I thought so too, but...
Well, the author of the story doesn't really care about the illustrations because I pick them. So she/he doesn't have any "vision" for the book as a whole. She writes without thinking about illustrations and therefore it's sometimes troublesome to pick anything at all!Me:
Hello, I'm sorry but I need your help, I cannot pick any decent looking illustration for chapter 4. Can we skip it?X:
We'd rather not do that. What's the problem?Me:
Fourth chapter is about the dog peeing on the floor and girl having to clean after it. That's not really a good material for a drawing.X:
But it's an important part of the story, to show the children that blah blah blah.... Please try to think of something.
What I did was a drawing with a dog sleeping on the floor with innocent face and girl holding a piece of cloth and looking tired but smiling on the puppy. Not so bad.
I'm sorry but can't we do something about those last chapters?X:
What's wrong with them?Me:
There are only cats talking in the garden. For three chapters. And even the topic of their conversation is the same for the whole time. X:
I painted cats on the first one, small cats with their conversation topic in some floating clouds like a short comics and on the third one I painted a situation from their talk instead of those cats. They were, for three days, talking about a thief stealing cookies from the bakery.
Well anyway, those were just two examples. But there are more and sometimes people who manage the project will help out and give some ideas or agree to change the text a bit (for example: I have cats in cages, talking. Who would want to have those cages on the illustration? Manager agreed to free the cats in text for the purpose of cuter drawing) and sometimes they won't and you are stuck with 3 chapters in a row where nothing happens and they are just talking at the table. Awesome.
Oh and in case you haven't seen it yet: there is a new tutorial at hakeme.com, check it out! [link]
Okay, gotta go back to studying. Exams are coming!
|
<urn:uuid:9ab126d5-8785-4aac-a0c3-4b05e4a00d9d>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://nimportant.deviantart.com/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.975849 | 691 | 1.546875 | 2 |
|Home | Bookmark | Tell||Active petitions in over 75 countries||Follow GoPetition|
Petition Tag - career
A petition to support SPEDA, the Single Parent Employment Discrimination Act to offer Single Parents the same protection offered to other minorities.
Michael Jackson is an American musician, entertainer, and businessman. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene at the age of 11 as a member of The Jackson 5 and began a solo career in 1971 while still a member of the group. Referred to as the "King of Pop" in subsequent years, five of his solo studio albums have become some of the world's best-selling records: Off the Wall, Thriller, Bad, Dangerous and HIStory.
In the early 1980s, he became a dominant figure in popular music and the first African-American entertainer to amass a strong crossover following on MTV. The popularity of his music videos airing on MTV, such as "Beat It," "Billie Jean," and Thriller—credited for transforming the music video into an art form and a promotional tool—helped bring the relatively new channel to fame. Videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream" kept Jackson as a staple on MTV into the 1990s. With stage performances and music videos, Jackson popularized a number of physically complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk. His distinctive musical sound and vocal style influenced numerous hip hop, pop and contemporary R&B artists. One of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, his other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records—including one for Thriller as the world's best-selling album—13 Grammy Awards, 13 number one singles in his solo career—more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era—and the sale of over 750 million units worldwide.
Jackson's highly publicized personal life, coupled with his successful career, has made him a part of popular culture for almost four decades. In recent years he has been cited as one of the world's most famous men.
Organizations offer a lot of scholarship money that we are not taking advantage of.
In 2004 there was a very high profile lawsuit against the NFL filed by Maurice Clarett, an Ohio State football player, who wanted to participate in the NFL draft even though he was still a sophomore in college.
This dramatic lawsuit brought national attention to the issue of NFL eligibility. Clearly, the restrictions on eligibility deny people their rights to choose a profession they want to pursue. As a result of these restrictions, athletes should be able to enter the NFL draft immediately after graduating high school.
The Maurice Clarett lawsuit is an example of the problems that can result in restrictions on NFL draft eligibility. In his case, he argued that antitrust laws were broken as the NFL has a monopoly on professional football. And he further argue that he, as a professional seeking to begin a career, was restricted and had no alternative companies for which to work. This concept of the NFL monopoly also is a violation of American free market beliefs wherein one is free to pursue the career they choose.
The NFL is the only league for professional football players and, as players are successful at young ages, they should be able to become professionals as soon as they want.
Like all monopolies, the NFL will continue to dominate the market and will take advantage of athletes, their contracts and the way they are regulated. Prices will be unfair and competition will be unbalanced because of the restrictions to age. This will be an industry not regulated by free market practices but by one dominant monopoly which seeks to make as much profit as possible.
The problem is that young talented athletes may lose precious years of their careers to these regulations. Furthermore, the competitiveness of the market will be distorted because the best young athletes will not be allowed into the game. This violates antitrust laws in egregious ways.
We feel the World Language Department at Milton High School failed to properly hire a Spanish teacher for the 2006-2007 school year. The originally hired teacher, Ms. Burnett, did not properly teach the required information during her one-term teaching career at Milton High thus leaving Ms. Barron in a difficult place when she came and took over through December 22, 2006. During her short teaching career, Ms. Barron was able to instruct us in the book Ven Conmigo through Chapter 3, Section 2.
On January 4, 2006, we received a review sheet stating what was going to be covered on the exam. It states Chapter 4 will also be included in the exam. Yes, we have a new teacher on the way, however, until he comes, we will have substitute teachers in the classroom. There is no way we will be able to learn everything we have to learn in time for the exam.
A. Pete Rose holds many Major League records including, most career hits 4,256, most career games played - 3,562, most career at bats - 14,053, most career singles - 3,315, most career total bases by a switch hitter- 5,752, Most seasons of 200 or more hits – 10, most consecutive seasons of 100 or more hits – 23 most seasons with 600 or more at bats – 17, most seasons with 150 or more games played – 17, most seasons with 100 or more games played – 23, the record for playing in the most winning games - 1,972, and the only player in major league history to play more than 500 games at five different Positions- 1B (939), LF (671), 3B (634), 2B (628), RF (595)
B. On top of all those records Pete Rose Broke, he also won three World Series rings, three batting titles, one most valuable player award, two gold gloves, the rookie of the year award, and 17 all-star appearances starting at his 5 different positions I mentioned.
July 18, 2006
The Eagles treatment of Michael Gardiner is harsh, uncaring and unforgiving.
It is also downright hypocritical!
Regardless of having the best midfield in the competition, it is a simple fact that no football club has ever gone all the way without key position forwards producing the goals.
The Eagles won two premierships with Suma up front, and the only other time they looked dangerous was when Scott Cummins won the Coleman.
Despite this, the Eagles had failed to recruit the forwards needed.
They went into the Grand Final with no recognised forwards! Gardiner was thrust into the role, under the most pressure imaginable, and when he failed to produce was made the scapegoat for their loss.
Is it any wonder that he suffers from Depression.
Both Ben Cousins and Michael Gardiner failed to fully answer questions regarding their alleged involvement with alleged criminals.
Several Eagles have committed off-field "indiscretions," including Ben Cousins and Ashley Sampi. Why is Michael Gardiner the only one to have his career ended.
When confronted with a booze bus, Ben Cousins ran away. At least Gardiner stayed around for the cops, and has promised to make restitution.
Michael is apparently suffering from depression, an insidious illness not fully understood.
The Eagles response: "we're going to support Michael by destroying his career.."
I am asking all WA football fans to sign this petition.
I am also urging all Eagles Member to "GO GREEN" for Michael at the round 17 game with Adelaide. Please take, wear and wave everything GREEN that you have. You can still scream for the team, but the GREEN will also show your support for Michael.
Thanks for your support.
Update: June 6, 2006
The online petition helped our protest movement a lot and attracted lots of attention. More than 5000 people signed the petition and it was submitted to the Department of Health. We are still awaiting the final result of our protest movement.
March 19, 2006
This petition has been started by Overseas Doctors Working in UK to appeal against the new unjust rules imposed on them by the United Kingdom authorities.
This online petition will be submitted to the Secretary of State for Health by April 15th, 2006 and complements the peaceful protest march scheduled to be held by overseas doctors in London as well as the paper petition being collected by various overseas doctors associations.
Ever since the inception of the National Health Service in UK, Overseas Doctors/ International Medical Graduates (IMGS) have contributed to it by their hard work and dedication. They filled a hard felt need for skilled doctors to provide the British public with quality health care. They came here as they were promised quality training and Equal Opportunities in job selection.
Now, the UK government has introduced new regulations effective from July 2006, which has effectively curtailed all training arrangements for overseas doctors in one go. Instead of Permit Free training, they will be required to have work permit for any post they apply.
Also, employers will have the right to preferentially employ UK/EU graduates in favour of non-EU doctors, irrespective of skills or qualification and irrespective of visa status. This effectively ends the Equal Opportunities policy and favours discrimination.
This policy was announced without any consultation or grace period and has left thousands of IMGs high and dry. While some form of manpower planning was definitely required in view of the job crisis facing junior doctors, the precipitate manner in which this has been done is highly objectionable. The implications are far reaching. These include:
·New doctors who have invested time and money to come to UK, believing the promise of Equal Opportunities find that their career is ruined.
·For those already here, they will have to stop their training here halfway and go out of UK or try for non-training posts, with no career progression.
·Those who are finishing their training will find that all their training and qualifications do not matter in job selection and they will never use their hard earned skills at Consultant level.
This petition is addressed to Rt Hon Patricia Hewitt MP, Secretary of State for Health requesting her to give this matter her urgent attention.
We request Ms. Hewitt to make an urgent solution to the immense disruption to career, personal and family life which overseas doctors are facing as a result of these new rules. Many of these doctors have been working hard in the NHS and serving the British public for several years.
This petition appeals to the good sense of the authorities to :
·Repeal these unjust rules.
·Reintroduce the Equal Opportunities Policy in medical job selection and end discrimination based on country of origin.
·Start a process of consultation for finalising a consensus.
This petition from the students of the Graduate School of Education and Human Development, Department of Counseling/Human and Organizational Studies at The George Washington University calls for a new computer to be purchased for the Chi Sigma Iota, Rho Theta Chapter of GWU to be placed in the Community Counseling Services Center.
Because there is no single place where standard databases (including membership, new student, and internship databases) can be housed, a new computer is essential.
Furthermore, because of the numerous valid career assessments that are currently available via the Internet, the new computer will serve as a tool for those needing career counseling services. Minimum requirements needed for the requested computer include Internet access, a spreadsheet program, and a word processing program.
People who support Clay Aiken in his singing career and as the 2003 American Idol.
We support Clay Aiken as the 2003 American Idol. We believe he is the most talented singer on the show and deserves to be the winner. Even if he does not win, we will continue to support his singing career. We have formed this petition to show him how many people support him and his singing career.
Students are required to take a 30 level Math course to recieve a diploma. However, the requirement for Science courses is only 15 credits. After completing a 10 level Science course, students may choose to focus their education on physics, chemistry, or biology. This should be the same for Math. The curriculum contains so many formulas and calculations that the only reason someone would be required to know ALL of this is if they became a math teacher. Math courses should be seperated into smaller sectors or categories so that a student may enroll in the course that best fits their career plans. For example, a student aspiring to be a writer would not be required to learn the equations needed to become an engineer. Rather, they could take one of these specific category math courses (a basic math course for example that will teach only things to get you by in life) and be able to focus on their english or social social studies courses.
Many people go on to forget or not apply most of these teachings, unless their career choice involves math. Even still, those that require math for their careers only require knowledge of certain portions of the teachings, hardly ever all portions.
|
<urn:uuid:fd3dc543-fba1-4ecf-8c5f-4faace140da7>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.gopetition.com.au/tag/career
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.973942 | 2,645 | 1.835938 | 2 |
You can make a simple detergent that works well in dishwashers by mixing a cup of borax and a cup of baking soda or washing soda and storing it in a tub. Use a tablespoon or two of this mixture (depending on the size of your dishwasher) along with a bit of Oxiclean or a commercial detergent to run a load of dishes.
Personal finance and frugality blog The Simple Dollar recommends this recipe and also notes that it is virtually identical to their recipe for powdered laundry detergent. In both recipes the small amount of Oxy Clean acts as a surfacatant and becomes the active detergent. If you want a "finisher" such as Jet Dry, just add a teaspoon of vinegar; don't worry, your dishes won't smell like vinegar.
Have you ever your own cleaning products? If so, sound off in the comments below.
Make Your Own Dishwashing Detergent | The Simple Dollar
|
<urn:uuid:55c64acc-4ed0-4dd8-8a8f-7c27197a53c4>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://lifehacker.com/5880183/diy-dishwasher-detergent
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.933203 | 193 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Most Active Stories
Drawing up their business was harder than they thought
Four years ago, Erick Cleckner was sitting next to his friend, Dave Chenell, in a class at Syracuse University. But they weren't exactly paying attention.
"[We were] just drawing in our notebooks instead of taking notes," remembers Cleckner. "And we were arguing about whose drawing would win a fight."
Their debate about whose character would triumph didn't end when class was dismissed. Cleckner and Chenell started working on a digital battlefield where their sketches could actually engage in battle.
This time they took the teachings from mentors and advisors seriously. But creating their own business startup was harder than they thought.
"It’s funny because when we first started we thought we were going to launch in six months and then it took three years," says Chenell. "It was a wakeup call to how hard it really is to start businesses. The whole process just takes a lot longer than you think it will."
The site is now up and running with about 20,000 users.
The premise is pretty simple: You take a picture of a doodle and upload it to the GraFighters site. After spending a few minutes telling the game where your character's arms and legs are, the computer animates it and determines its attributes, like strength and intelligence, based on the drawing.
Then it's time to take on other characters in the GraFighters universe. Fights take about 20 seconds and your creation earns points if it wins.
But launching a site doesn't mean the hard part is over, especially for a startup. Constantly raising money is just one of many challenges.
GraFighters tried to initially raise cash through the online donation site KickStarter, but they fell a little short. That is, until they got a present.
"We got an email a couple months later from a guy who said he’s from Europe and he'd love to invest and he signed it ‘Father Christmas,’" says Chenell. "We thought 'This isn’t real. This is spam. What is this?'"
But the gift was real. Father Christmas cut the team a check for $200,000. Still, that cash infusion only lasted so long.
"Then it was reality and we actually had to raise money and find people and pitch," Chenell says. "That was just a whole different world for us. We thought it was just going to come again in an email, but it doesn’t really work like that."
"When you first launch a company you're just flush with excitement; it's all about new possibilities," says Donna Harris of the Startup America Partnership. "You think you're going to take the world over, but the majority of startup experiences aren't like that."
Startup America is a foundation-backed group that helps cultivate entrepreneurship across the country.
Half of all startups don't last five years, according to Harris.
"There’s a point that happens where sort of the reality of the work that’s involved sets in," she says.
The best way for startups to push through slumps, recommends Harris, is for companies to surround themselves with other startups.
"So that they have people who have more experience than them that know what they should and shouldn’t be doing to grow their business," says Harris.
The GraFighters team is now doing just that. Their office in the Tech Garden incubator is not only down the hall from BrandYourself, a startup and fellow accelerator program participant, but several of the guys are housemates.
GraFighters is also working to add a marketplace to their site for users to buy weapons and special moves for characters in order to start bringing in revenue. Because making doodles come to life is exactly what the three entrepreneurs see themselves doing five years from now.
|
<urn:uuid:cb77dda6-9575-43e9-9108-6a16d1c5ee78>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://innovationtrail.org/post/drawing-their-business-was-harder-they-thought
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.978333 | 809 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.