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Four years before Hadiya Pendleton, a 15-year-old honors student, was shot and killed in a Chicago park after school on Tuesday, she had starred in a YouTube video urging fellow students to avoid gangs.
The shooting of Ms. Pendleton, who had recently returned with her high school drill team from Washington, where they had performed at President Obama’s inauguration ceremonies, has fueled the debate on gun control and gun violence.
On Thursday, the Chicago police said they were getting tips they hoped would lead to the arrest of the gunman who shot at a group of high school students, mostly members of the volleyball team, huddled under a canopy to avoid heavy rain.
Ms.Pendleton was struck in the back as she fled. Another student was wounded. The police said that they had no motive for the shooting but that it was possible the gunman mistakenly believed the students were members of a rival gang.
Her death was at least the 40th homicide in Chicago this year. In 2012, there were more than 500 homicides in the city.
As my colleagues Steve Yaccino and Catrin Einhorn report, the death of Ms. Pendleton, a sophomore at King Prep High School, shook the school community and added to the national conversation on gun violence that began after the mass school shooting in Connecticut on Dec. 14.
As we previously reported on The Lede, Senator Richard J. Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, cited Ms. Pendleton’s death during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on gun violence on Wednesday. The White House press secretary, Jay Carney, called her killing another example “of the problem that we need to deal with.”
On Thursday, news broke of another shooting, this time outside a middle school in Atlanta. According to a report in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a 14-year-old boy was wounded in the head by another student, who was quickly arrested by an armed school resource officer.
Ms. Pendleton was a sixth grader in 2008 when she appeared in the antigang video with a handful of other students. Speaking into the camera, with two other students at her side, she says, smiling:
“Hi, my name is Hadiya. This commercial is informational for you and your future children. So many children out there are in gangs, and it’s your job as students to say no to gangs and yes to a great future.”
The camera then shows children pretending to be victims of gang violence, sprawled in a stairwell, against a locker, lying on the floor. One of the girls, standing next to Hadiya, concludes their public service announcement by saying:
“So many children in the world have died from gang violence. More than 500 children have died from being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Ms. Pendleton had just finished an exam and, the police said, was standing under the canopy at the park with a group of teenagers, mostly members of the school volleyball team, when a man jumped over a fence and began firing.
The Chicago Tribune reports that the police said the gunman apparently mistakenly believed they were members of a rival gang. The police said the teenagers targeted had no gang connection.
The park where Hadiya Pendleton was gunned down while she & her friends took shelter from the rain http://t.co/tlJiP46g
Students took to social media, posting messages and images on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook to mourn their friend.
For YouTube, an alumni group put together a tribute video for Ms. Pendleton.
On Twitter, they started a hashtag, #HadiyasWorld.
#HadiyasWorld I love you beautiful Rest in Paradise Hadiya #DailyTweet http://t.co/T6njfxOb
Last pic I ever took of Hadiya with the team http://t.co/SkRd6Iiq
Goodnight Hadi, I love you. #hadiyasworld
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Through support of the Partnership for Food Safety Education, America’s leading corporations can make a philanthropic investment that strongly signals their commitment to a safe food supply and the health of consumers.
The Partnership is a one-of-a-kind public-private nonprofit that provides critical information to consumers, connects nationwide food safety and health educators to one another for information exchange and collaboration, and elevates the importance of consumer education in the chain of prevention in food safety.
Every year, one in six Americans gets sick from foodborne bacteria, and we all know it’s in the news more and more. The Partnership not only brings together all the players at the table, it has a national reach with 10,000 field educators who reach people of all ages in communities across the country.
The Partnership has a structure for partners that offers great benefits and makes it possible for large and smaller private companies to be active partners.
Being an active partner means your company has significant visibility within a highly respected and representative public-private partnership with a reputation as a credible program resource for industry, health educators, the media and consumers.
Benefits to being a Sponsoring Partner include everything from being at the table when the Partnership holds special workshops and meetings, to recognition on the Partnership’s website and social media outlets, to acknowledgement on its very popular weekly email to more than 10,000 educators and consumers. At the top donor level, your organization will be recognized as sponsor of extremely popular curriculum products for kids and their teachers.
A full list of the benefits of being a Sponsoring Partner can be found here.
For more information on becoming a Sponsoring Partner, or to discuss other program sponsorship opportunities, please contact:
Shelley Feist, Executive Director
Partnership for Food Safety Education
sfeist at fightbac.org
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Jack Kirby (left) and Jerry Siegel. Both of their estates are in litigation to recover the copyrights to the comic book characters they created.
The comic book business is not the animation business, but both depend on the work of artists whose legal relationship to their creations is often misunderstood or ambiguous. Paul Slade has written a long article on the legal challenges that comics creators have launched against their employers in an attempt to regain ownership of their creations. It brings to mind the quote attributed to Balzac, "Behind every great fortune there is a great crime."
(link via Journalista. Image via Booksteve's Library.)
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August 22, 2012
I've been suspicious for years now. Just from paying attention to the sites that come up in the search engine results pages (SERPs), I've seen differences. What I was finding was that the top sites didn't always have the exact keyphrase multiple times in their copy. It appeared that (with all of Google's updates over time) we've moved away from needing to use the keyphrase as-is and more toward using the individual words within the keyphrases as we write.
While I was suspicious, what I was able to confirm (during an email conversation with Google's Matt Cutts) didn't take me by surprise. As a matter of fact, this is what I've been teaching for at least 10 years now because it makes sense. Google has always preached "natural" and "relevant." After they started incorporating synonyms several years ago, changing the way they recognized keywords seemed like a logical course for them to follow as far as copywriting goes.
If you've learned SEO copywriting from me through my Step-by-Step Copywriting Course, you should be good to go. If not, you'd better keep reading. You'll want to start changing your strategy pretty quick-like.
As-Is vs. Individual Keywords
In the beginning (as the saying goes) were keywords (that grew into keyPHRASES). And from early on, those who were paying attention found that Google (and other engines) ranked pages that mention the keyphrases multiple times throughout a page.
The headlines, subheads, Alt tags, copy, and other pieces of text were all prime candidates for keyword insertion. That's because Google was only able to do exact or partial matches.
But since Google has gotten more synonym-savvy over the last couple of years, there's no need to cram keyphrases everywhere you possibly can. In fact, you may be surprised at what Matt Cutts has to say about this point.
So, instead of always using "blue suede shoes" as-is (the entire, original keyphrase together), you can also use just "blue" and just "suede" and just "shoes" within the copy. This is precisely the SEO copywriting technique I've included in many of my books and seminar sessions for years.
I'm going to paste the conversation between Matt and me below so you can read exactly what was said.
In Google's Own Words
KARON: I've been noticing a trend over the last couple of years (maybe longer) as far as SEO copywriting goes. It seems the pages that are ranking well are not always using the keyphrases as-is, but are using the individual words within the keyphrases separately. For instance, instead of always using "blue suede shoes," the page will also use "blue" and "suede" and "shoes" individually.
Can you confirm and/or comment on whether keyphrases always need to be used in their original form and if it helps or hurts to also use the words within the phrase?
MATT: Keyphrases don't have to be in their original form. We do a lot of synonym work so that we can find good pages that don't happen to use the same words as the user typed.
In general, though, if the words are on the web page (not in a spammy way, of course), that makes our job easier because we don't have to rely on synonym matches to find good documents.
KARON: Has proximity of the keywords on the page also gone by the wayside? And, while we're on the topic, is it still best practice to include keywords in certain locations on the page? For instance:
3. Alt tags
4. Anchor text link
MATT: People can overdo it to the point that we consider it keyword stuffing, and it hurts. I would just make sure you do it in natural ways where regular people aren't going to find it stiff or artificial. That tends to be what works best.
KARON: So, then, you're saying perhaps put the original keyphrase on the page once or twice (to help Google out), and then just use the individual words within the phrase throughout the rest of the copy? If so, that's what I've been suggesting for years.
In light of all the recent changes with Google, would using the keyphrase numerous times (which is what everybody has gotten used to doing over time) hurt the page's ability to rank? I'm not talking about the infamous keyword density. For years most people have been taught that you do keyword research to find what people are searching for, and then you use those phrases (provided they are relevant) within your copy, within anchor text links, etc., etc. Still true or...?
MATT: Correct, as long as it's done naturally, not artificially or in a spammy way.
As I've always said, "Never sacrifice the quality of your copy for the sake of the search engines." It's just not necessary. The next time you write a new page of copy, test this approach to writing for the engines and see if you get as good (or better) results than before. I'm betting you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Karon Thackston is the President of Marketing Words, Inc., and has over 25 years of combined experience in marketing, advertising, copywriting, and SEO copywriting. Want to learn more about excellent SEO copywriting and content marketing strategies? Subscribe to Karon's Marketing Words Copywriting Blog today for insightful articles and more.
If you learned from this article, be sure to sign up for the High Rankings Advisor SEO Newsletter so you can be the first to receive similar articles in the future!
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SAO PAULO (AP) — Officials in Brazil's most populous state say they will start forcing adult crack addicts to go to rehabilitation centers in an effort to curb growing use of the drug.
The Sao Paulo state plan was announced Thursday and is scheduled to begin in 10 days.
Addicts who refuse treatment can be committed against their will by an anti-drug commission of judges, prosecutors and lawyers.
Demand for crack has grown in recent years and addicts have occupied open-air "crack lands" in cities such as Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
A recent study by the Federal University of Sao Paulo found that Brazil is now the world's largest consumer of both cocaine and its crack derivative. About 6 million adults have tried cocaine in some form.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
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Eva Knott 7:03 p.m., May 17
Dennis Howard has his sight, all 5 percent of it, set on sailing around the world on his 20-foot sailboat, The Avalo. The 62-year-old former hospital executive turned musician spent much of his life on the water. That changed five years ago when Howard discovered that the pressure he felt inside his head was caused by a rare form of glaucoma.
Four years ago, Howard met Dr. David Gritz, an associate professor of ophthalmology at New York City's Montefiore Hospital. Gritz removed Howard's right eye to alleviate the pressure and performed an operation that has allowed him to keep the remaining vision in his left eye.
"The way I describe it; imagine covering your right eye and looking through a drinking straw with your left. That's what I see," explains Howard. "It's a running joke that I can read a license plate from across the street, but I can't see the truck. It's not much vision, but I am really grateful for it."
Howard says that while learning to deal with his new disability he nearly gave up on sailing. But he refused to let his despair get the best of him.
So, a year and a half ago Howard decided to change the rigging and the sails on his 20-foot sailboat and start prepping for what will be his biggest journey to date.
"My goal is to inspire people with any kind of disability, whatever it is, to show them that there are possibilities," says Howard from his boat docked near Humphreys in San Diego Bay.
Howard plans to embark on his trip in late October. His first stop is Puerto Vallarta. Once there, he will wait until the cyclone season ends and sail to the Marquesas Islands.
"I'm not out to set any records. I just want to show the possibilities."
You can catch Howard playing guitar on Fridays and Saturdays at the Shelter Island Wine Pub.
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On May 11, 2013, Stanford University held its second TEDxStanford, produced by the Office of Public Affairs. From cutting edge science and medicine that is changing lives to behind-the-scenes of Stanford’s hottest labs and most innovative classrooms, TEDxStanford featured everything from your brain on technology to student breakthroughs in energy design, and wildlife studies from the ocean to the African plains. The day included original dance and music, plus a gallery of interactive art. Read more about the event here.
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TED has created a program called TEDx. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. Our event is called TEDxStanford, where x = independently organized TED event. At our TEDxStanford event, TEDTalks video and live speakers will combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events, including ours, are self-organized.
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Photograph of a view of a Vermont Avenue horsecar on tracks in front of an empty lot, ca.1886. Two horses draw a Vermont Avenue streetcar along tracks next to a street, in front of an empty lot. Two uniformed men stand on the car, one at its rear and one at the reins, while a passenger sits in the rearmost row of seats. The side of the car reads "Washington, Figueroa, Ninth & Spring Sts". A fence crosses the lot in the left background.; Photoprint reads: "This conductor, Eugein Alexander, was a roommate of mine in 1891 at 89 Clark Ave., Detroit, Mich".
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I’ve been interested in gadget manufacturing for a while now and, as I reported a few months ago, things are pretty bad but they’ve been worse. Now, however, we’re seeing clusters of suicides at Foxconn as well as an undercover “report” from Foxconn’s “Hell Factory.” I’m calling bull.
First, consider that Foxconn has 400,000 employees in Shenzhen alone. Cleveland, Ohio has 478,403 residents as of the 2000 census and I suspect that’s gone down. You’re not amazed by the number of suicides in Cleveland, right? It’s par for the course. People go nuts in Cleveland, even though they have a great meat market and the Cleveland Clinic is really nice. People don’t want to live, sometimes, right?
As for working conditions – the dead eyes, the exhausted employees, the beatings – well, that happens in Cleveland, too. When a mass of humanity coalesces into one place all sorts of things happen. People get tired. People die. People are abused. People abuse.
Look: we built Foxconn. Sure, Taiwan built the factory proper, but we build the demand. We want free feature phones and we want them now. We want $500 laptops. We want 60-inch TVs for $999. We want, we want, and we want. Steve Jobs isn’t standing on a table with a whip, exhorting these employees to apply the ceramic back to the iPhone HD more quickly. These people, as many reporters better than I note, (read Factory Girlsand Country Driving) need these jobs and they do everything we do to get a better deal. Foxconn is successful because it can mobilize an army to manufacture your cellphone. But China is changing and they won’t be able to pull many more shenanigans. The workers are gaining power and when that happens, watch out.
Manufacturing is a shitty business. It really is. Every factory I’ve visited, from fine watch factories in the mountains of Germany to a place where they make promotional USB keys, is soul-taking and deadening. Those who lament that manufacturing jobs have left the US never worked in manufacturing. Ten out ten college graduates don’t want to sit and solder 5,000 USB connectors to 5,000 PCB boards a day. Heck, we can’t even get Americans to work in slaughterhouses.
But the factory gives the employees a living wage, offers them respite from the poverty and strictures of the countryside, and creates the potential for advancement. They didn’t have that before they walked through the factory gates.
We used to manufacture things in America until we got smart. Then we sent manufacturing further and further afield and, I would wager, none of us understand the true nature of manufacturing. Two generations have gone by since the last real steel barons led the world in production and we look back on those days with nostalgia. My grandfather Herman worked in the Wheeling Steel plant. They lived in company housing, ate company food, and lived a company life until they made a little money and moved into town. I doubt he was fulfilled, but it was a job. His step-son, my father, graduated from college and went to work for the government at a warehouse – one step away from manufacturing. Now I, his coddled son, get to dick around on the Internet all day. Give the Chinese another fifty years and they’ll have shipped all their manufacturing to Mars and they’ll dick around on the Internet as well.
Go ahead: Cry for the folks at Foxconn. Rail against the injustice. But if you follow the money, you’ll realize the injustice stems from our desire to have more in more ways. So much crap comes out of China it boggles the mind. But someone is buying that crap. Someone, somewhere, is taking what China makes and they’re taking it every second of every day.
Our neophilia knows no limits. The Evo 4G just came out today. Hoopty doo. It’s another phone that was built by another person on an assembly line in China. Want to know why more amazing stuff doesn’t leak out of Foxconn? Because the employees don’t care. A phone is a phone is a phone and they can’t afford a new one anyway.
I always say this: vote with your dollar. Don’t upgrade your phones every five months. Don’t throw away your old PC. Work with what you have. There is no sane reason for a laptop to cost under $300. But they exist. Manufacturers figured out that people who see devices as disposable will buy more and more of them. Do research, buy what you think is best, and hold onto it. Then Foxconn can shut down.
Then what happens to those 400,000 people? I don’t know, but we’d better be ready for them because they kicked our ass in manufacturing and they’re about to kick our ass in everything else as well.
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MONTEBELLO - The California Highway Patrol says traffic is light during the morning commuter rush on the Los Angeles area freeway where a big-rig gasoline tanker torched an overpass.
State Route 60, the Pomona Freeway east of downtown, was shut down for three days after Wednesday's inferno because part of the fire-damaged Paramount Boulevard bridge in Montebello had to be demolished. No one was hurt.
The freeway reopened on Saturday.
Just before dawn Monday, the first workday since the reopening, CHP Officer Jennifer Connolly says Pomona Freeway traffic is flowing at posted speeds.
Elsewhere, she says traffic is generally light on many Southern California freeways six days before Christmas.
Still, California Department of Transportation maps show Interstate 10 is loading up with a brake-tapping ride into downtown Los Angeles.
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This is a printer-friendly version of this article. Click here to return to Rain Taxi.
Graywolf Press ($15)
by Adam Fieled
Landis Everson is a visionary poet. But that doesn't mean he leaves earthly desires, pleasures, fears and pains untouched—they are, in fact the basis for his visions. For Everson, the daily world allows the poet to receive insights that, mixing innocence and experience, might be called "divine." The paradox of innocence and experience comes to terms with sensuality, love, and loss in Everson's poems. They are directed, much as Blake's poems were, by a recognition that the small matters of our lives can have a numinous quality.
The visionary quality of Everson's poems is complemented and magnified by an easy formal elegance, a sparing approach to language that leaves room for subtle ornamentation. In "Famine", Everson has a dream-vision of deer entering his dark bedroom:
The moon through the window throws cold light
Upon their curved backs, making a forest
Of crossed antler shadows on sheets
That until now have been flawless and starved.
Everson, allowing us entry to a specific moment by writing in the present tense, crafts a song of innocence tempered by hard-won experience. Deer, representing nature in its most unmediated form, inspire Everson's vision of innocence led away from famine. The famine being effaced seems to be a spiritual state of being or consciousness—it could be bitterness born of experience, the "cold light" of the moon, or a sense of seclusion—and with the end of famine, the rebirth of innocence, complexity creeps in and flaws appear. Human salvation is messy and equivocal, whether salvation takes the form of a vision or a poem; Everson takes account of this messiness, in such a way that it would be hard to miss or ignore. The wisdom of experience cannot be forgotten, even when innocent joy returns.
Everson is a poet with a substantial history. A witness of the Berkeley Renaissance, he was romantically linked with Jack Spicer, and had ties to Robert Duncan and Robin Blaser. The connection to Duncan is especially apparent, as they are both poets of transcendence, ethereality and, paradoxically, domesticity. It is at home that we find the greatest intimacy, and Everson is a poet of intimacies completed; as he writes in "Closet," "I see / the stars right through the back / of your head." Closet, in this context, can mean a space for storing articles or a space for denying one's sexuality. Everson lets the ambiguity linger in the air, but his own affect is visible and brimful—the closet is clearly not for him. In Everything Preserved, Everson has crafted a voice that blends the best parts of innocence and experience. His poems feel like acts of generosity, and the mythology built into them by the poet's history add to their already formidable aura. It is a joy to find a Blakean sensibility still alive and kicking.
Rain Taxi Online Edition, Winter 2006/2007 | © Rain Taxi, Inc. 2006/2007
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I change up the order I call on them (of course!) so that it is more fair, since I can only have a certain amount of students at certain stations. The T stands for Teacher station and those kiddos met with me during that breakout session. I like this chart because I can clearly see what session they have already been to and whether or not they have done the required Read to Self or Work on Writing for the day. This is where it gets a little confusing, but you can arrange this any way you like. To make it easier to understand I'm going to list out by days exactly which group I met with.
Day 1 (3 breakout sessions) - Met with Reading Group 1 (highest needs), Reading Group 2 and Reading Group 3. Only 3 breakout sessions so that I have time later on for whole group writing (journals).
Day 2 (3 breakout sessions) - Met with Reading Group 1 (highest needs), Reading Group 4 and Reading Group 5. Only 3 breakout sessions so that I have time later on for whole group writing (journals).
Day 3 (4 breakout sessions) - Met with one Writing Group per session.
Day 4 (4 breakout sessions) - Met with one Writing Group per session.
Day 5 (usually 3 or 4 breakout sessions, but this day is more flexible) - Progress monitored individual students.
Here is my morning schedule:
7:40 - 7:50 Morning Announcements/Jobs
7:50 - 8:30 Calendar, Morning Message
8:30 - 8:45 ELA lesson (ex: focus letter, sing letter song, read poem of the week)
8:45 - 9:00 Breakout Session #1
9:00 - 9:30 ELA lesson (ex: writing for focus letter - P is for ______, shared writing)
9:30 - 9:45 Breakout Session #2
9:45 - 10:00 ELA short lesson (ex: learn word wall word, maybe do a sight word journal page)
10:00 - 10:15 Breakout Session #3
10:15 - 10:45 Lunch --- yes, we had lunch this early.
10:45 - 11:15ish (we had restroom break on the way back to class) Breakout Session #4
Please don't get overwhelmed by this! My main concern last year was that I wouldn't stick to the schedule and if I'm a few minutes late here and a few minutes late there then it would throw off the whole schedule. I'm not going to lie, that did happen, but for the most part the students became familiar with the routine to know exactly what to expect and how to clean/move to the carpet efficiently. You have to remember that with Daily 5 a LOT of time is spent in the very beginning training them and retraining, modeling and remodeling (and modeling the incorrect behavior).
The schedule above is only one of the days. On other days, you might show the students how to correctly write the focus letter during one of the ELA lessons, or maybe work on poetry folders during that time. It gets easier! That's the good news! The hardest part is the beginning so persevere!
I'll stop here for today. I plan on posting different ideas you can do for each Daily 5 choice. Hope this has been helpful and let me know if you have any questions!
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As this Story of Faith in Action (SOFIA) illustrates, Operation Thanks-Giving blessed both giver and receiver. Thanks to Marianne Griebler and Denise Brown for their work telling the story. Find this and other SOFIA stories under “Outreach” at www.elca.org/stories. Find all the “Hand in Hand” blog digest posts related to Operation Thanks-Giving at http://blogs.elca.org/handinhand. Read on and enjoy an extra helping of thankfulness this Christmas season. –Sue Edison-Swift
Edwin Holmvig-Johnson’s first Thanksgiving as a missionary was also his first away from home.
Edwin is a Young Adult in Global Mission with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). He teaches reading and writing to children in primary school in the U.K.
“My homesickness had been fairly stable up until that week,” he said. “The weather was gray and it starts to get dark here around 4:00 in the afternoon. It was a hard week.”
Then, a package from the ELCA churchwide organization in Chicago arrived.
Edwin opened it expecting to find official forms needing his John Hancock. Instead he found a package filled with handmade cards, compliments of the first annual Operation Thanks-giving, a new ELCA missionary support initiative.
“There were these fantastic cards and greetings from a congregation (Trinity Lutheran Church in Vale, N.C.) that I’d never met on the other side of ‘the Pond.’ It felt wonderful to know that I was being thought of and prayed for and made it easier to keep going,” Edwin said.
For her part, Ginger Crisman, evangelism committee chairperson at Trinity, was inspired by the idea of involving her congregation in Operation Thanks-giving. Early in November she supplied 150 worshipers with colored paper, crayons and pens prior to Sunday service. The Rev. John Locke encouraged each card-marker to say a prayer for the recipient of their creations.
Worshipers from age 3 to 83 put their artistic talent to use, creating about 93 cards for ELCA missionaries and 93 cards for military service personnel. “It was everything we hoped for,” Ginger said. “God works in big and little ways. This was a little way.”
“Show the Missionaries Some Love”
The Rev. Twila Schock, ELCA program director for Global Mission Support, knew this “little way” could have a big impact.
In 1994, Twila was a first-year missionary in Slovakia. The excitement of the assignment was wearing off by Thanksgiving, Twila recalled, when everything (language, shopping, daily routines) just seemed hard. But a Thanksgiving care package she received turned out to the best cure for homesickness.
Earlier this year, Twila shared her story with Sue Edison-Swift, associate director for Global Mission Support, and that was all Sue needed to hear. “We’ve got to show the missionaries some love,” she said, and the first annual Operation Thanks-giving was born.
Operation Thanks-giving took a page from Hand in Hand, the theme for the Global Mission Support newsletter. Card makers were asked to use their hands to draw and decorate turkeys on the cards.
This Thanksgiving, 258 ELA missionaries in five countries received a package of cards crafted by 15 congregations and two units at the churchwide organization. Some congregations choose to send cards directly to missionaries they support.
Having Faith in the Work that God Can Do
Those cards deeply touched Emily E. Ewing, a missionary in Rankovce, Slovakia, worlds away from her hometown of Vail, Colo.
“The fact that people I don’t know and who don’t know me sent me the cards was big for me,” she said. “It just shows so much faith in the work that God can do with each of us and faith in our church, as well, that they will send cards knowing that they’re going to someone who is far from home, following God’s call.
“It was really cool that so many people believe so strongly in the work God does with the church that they would send cards.”
On November 15 during Sunday school at St. John Lutheran Church of Farmersville in Easton, Pa., 22 people each made three cards for missionaries and military persons serving in Baghdad.
“We often hear about the needs of military units who are deployed over the holidays. I had never considered the same type of need for missionaries,” said the Rev. Roxi Kringle, pastor of St. John.
The excitement surrounding Operation Thanks-giving was contagious. “The (Sunday School) room was buzzing by the time I got down,” Pastor Kringle said. “A couple boys asked their recipients to write back. The thank you notes the church received from Iraq had the class beaming.”
A Wonderful Sense of Connection
Michael and Terri Church, a husband-and-wife pastor team serving as English-language mission developers in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, saw Thanksgiving arrive as they struggled to become acclimated with a new culture.
Hoping to downplay their loneliness by discounting the holiday, they decided to make Thanksgiving just another day. “Under my breath, I quoted a favorite line from (the movie) ‘Rocky’: ‘To you it’s Thanksgiving; to me it’s Thursday,’” Michael said.
What a difference a day can make.
“Friday’s mail brought our Operation Thanks-giving cards,” Michael said. “Completely unexpected, out of the blue, came these wonderful handmade cards from complete strangers, in Lutheran churches all over the country, reminding us that we weren’t alone, and that there were people at home giving thanks to God for all their blessings — and even that we ourselves, as missionaries, were one of those blessings. It gave us a wonderful sense of connection to our country and to our church.
“Thanks again to everybody who took part in it,” Michael added. “May God be with you all!”
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For those who are home, and for those who are on the way. For those who support the historic and just return of the land of Israel to its people, forever loyal to their inheritance, and its restoration.
1. It is worthwhile returning to the weekly Torah Portion of the prophet Isaiah (42:7) that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cited in his speech marking the release of Gild Shalit: "To bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house." It is also important to cite the beginning of this portion: "To open eyes that are blind." At the same time as we enjoy the deep and genuine happiness following the release of Gilad, there is a need to look at the prisoner deal with eyes wide open, and importantly, to remove the veil of illusion from the eyes of the public, an illusion that has thickened over the past several years thanks to the irresponsible media campaign surrounding this deal. A campaign which culminated with its end.
2. And then they started speaking about the issue of the deal's price - the anchorwoman who, for years now, has been signing off every one of her broadcasts with the shrill voice of a wailing singer, while lowering her tone to the appropriate level of grief when she tells us the number of days Gilad has spent in captivity. This after she has interviewed yet another supporter of the "deal at any price" camp. And then there is the anchor who has become a regular and comfortable home for the spokespeople of Hamas. And then there was the anchorwoman who pummeled Netanyahu on his "inability to act" and did not agree to give any airtime to opposing views, if only to create the appearance of public debate. Suddenly, the shackled mutedness that was imposed on the public debate was lifted, and, for the first time, we heard balance, and a rational debate about the important consequences of the prisoner exchange deal on society and the country. Suddenly, the media started to do its job. Suddenly, as the very fact of the prisoner exchange deal was announced. Only after the details of the deal were ironed out was it permissable to create the impression of a public debate.
Furthermore, the media did not even have a choice, seeing as the list of prisoners to be released was published, casting a pall over the families of victims of terror, leading some to petition against the release of terrorists at the High Court. Suddenly, the "security prisoners" became "terrorists." The story of Gilad Shalit is an extended Yom Kippur [Day of Atonement] for the vast majority of the Israeli media. The herd of broadcasters, anchors, and editors, who did not receive instructions from anyone, but, wonder of wonders, time and again, appeared as a cartel imposing its veto on any opinion it found unfavorable. The media's lack of national responsibility stood out again in the unrestrained adoption of the one-sided campaign for Shalit's release; the one-sided and single-tracked line we saw this past week. Hamas watched and rubbed its hands with glee. Hamas knows that in the next abduction, God forbid, it can rely on the Israeli media to brainwash the masses with a flood of emotions and suppress any serious public discussion, as well as pressure the government until Israel's balance of deterrence has collapsed. Considering this backdrop, the media's agreement last week to respect the Shalit family's privacy is nothing short of a joke. Is it not possible to trust the media to behave responsibly and maturely? And so, without a written code of ethics or agreement, we are witness to the media closing ranks every day on its way to drugging the public consciousness.
3. The Jewish philosopher Walter Benjamin wrote in the 1930s about the efforts of the Fascists to aestheticize politics, in order to blind the eyes of the masses from the horrors of war. Benjamin could not have imagined similar efforts by forces on the opposite side of the political map, who use the same Fascist technique, but in the opposite direction: the aestheticization of the Shalit prisoner exchange deal and channeling it into one emotional direction, a pornography of emotion designed to blind the eyes of the public from examining the price of the deal, and its implications for the public's future. We know the irresponsibility of the media even from the days of the euphoria of the Oslo Accords, when anyone who criticized the Accord as a peppered sieve pockmarked with colossal errors, was crucified on the cross as the lowliest of warmongers. This was true also of the expulsion from Gush Katif. The majority of the Israeli media plays, at these critical moments, an almost one-sided role. By the way, Walter Benjamin said that the remedy to the aestheticization of politics is the politicization of art. Today we may add: the politicization of the media.
4. "Around the noble family and its son there was an unprecedented dance of ghouls. Restrained judgment was replaced by emotional breakdown. The universal discussion was replaced by the personal, private discussion." This, according to Ari Shavit [of Ha'aretz] in a realistic, sober article. Yet his criticism reveals the mistake that he, and those of his circle, are wont to make: the most important word missing from his criticism is "national:" the national discourse was replaced by the personal discourse. The universal discourse was not necessarily absent from this issue - it was present in full force by the one-sided intensification of the rights of the one over the rights of the many. But speaking of nationalism in Shavit's newspaper is like speaking of pornography in an ultra-Orthodox newspaper.
5. A thought about the treatment of Netanyahu as a Litmus test for public opinion. The wreath laid on Netanyahu's head - by those who until very recently wished to tar and feather him in the town square - is a fleeting illusion, a mirage that will dissipate one week after Shalit's release. Then, the media will return to confuse our minds about "bold moves" that need to be carried out, and about our "diplomatic paralysis" and the other well-known expressions from the school for adventures and collapse. Netanyahu knows that many of those who are praising him now have not changed their spots - they are still political adversaries in the guise of journalists advancing a derelict political agenda, and they will revert to type immediately, on the day after. And that type is: pathological hatred of Netanyahu as the representative of the 'other Israel', an alternative elite gradually replacing the previous elite that has degenerated.
6. The next media campaign already started this week: the campaign to humanize Hamas. A campaign which says: Look, we held negotiations with them, and it is possible to trust their promises. Indeed, we can trust their promises, like the promise to abduct more Israelis. To these voices of abandon we should show the Hamas charter, a charter available to all, translated in full on the Internet. The charter was created in 1988 by Ahmed Yassin. This is Hamas' most important ideological document, and its leaders emphasize their total comittment to it as their current political platform. "Jihad is its [Hamas'] path and death for the sake of Allah its most sublime belief." Pity about the partial quote. It is imperative to read the entire charter in order to open eyes that are blind. It is a Nazi document through and through, with the added ingredient of fanatic religious radical Islam. Israel is portrayed there as the central enemy of all Islam, which will not rest until "it eradicates it the way it eradicated others that preceded it." This is the true face of the captors of Gilad Shalit, not the face we were presented with during Channel 10 TV's Shlomi Eldar's flattering interview with Hamas' Mahmoud A-Zahar. By the way, the same A-Zahar stated several years ago, in an interview with Gaza media, Hamas' total commitment to its charter, and emphasized that the organization would not change one word in it. Another verse from this week's Torah portion: "Hear, you deaf; and look, you blind, that you may see." - Isaiah 42:18
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I visited Hevron in November 2000 after the outbreak of the Rosh Hashanah War to see what could be done to assist in the face of the growing daily attacks on the community. After returning to work for the community in the summer of 2001, a bond and a love was forged that grows to this day. My wife Melody and I merited to be married at Ma'arat HaMachpela and now host visitors from throughout the world every Shabbat as well as during the week. Our goal, "Time to come Home!"
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McEwan Hall, Edinburgh – Pencil and grey watercolour washes
I pass this building often and have always wanted to paint or draw it. My problem is, like many 100 year old buildings, the architectural details are overwhelming. If you look too closely at it more and more bits and pieces appear. My problem is what to leave out. I’ve tried to solve this in two ways. Firstly, I concentrated on one section of the structure – in this case towards the left hand entrance. Secondly, I overplayed the tree in the foreground by making it really stand out. I actually started this last year and found the unfinished attempt while looking for something else. Hope it works.
The McEwan Hall was presented to Edinburgh University by a famous politician who made his fortune in the brewing industry. Edinburgh was/is world famous for her beers and McEwans ales and, later, McEwans Export were among the leading brands. The hall was completed in 1897 and has recently undergone a great deal of restoration. The paved square, at the front, is a wonderful place to relax – except when the skateboards take over. The hall is one of the leading venues for concerts and conferences while the university uses it for graduation ceremonies. One Moleskiner, a long, long, long time ago, was capped in this place.
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Maquan Elementary School is located in Hanson, MA and is one of 4 elementary schools in Whitman-hanson School District. It is a public school that serves 475 students in grades PK-2.
Maquan Elementary School made AYP in 2011. Under No Child Left Behind, a school makes Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) if it achieves the minimum levels of improvement determined by the state of Massachusetts in terms of student performance and other accountability measures. See Maquan Elementary School's test results to learn more about school performance.
Student Economic Level (2011)
In 2011, Maquan Elementary School had 13% of students eligible for free or reduced price lunch programs. Massachusetts had 34% of eligible students for free or reduced price lunch programs. Eligibility for the National School Lunch Program is based on family income levels.
The Whitman-Hanson spends $10,670 per pupil in current expenditures. The district spends 62% on instruction, 35% on support services, 3% on other elementary and secondary expenditures. More about Whitman-Hanson District
In 2011, Maquan Elementary School had 17 students for every full-time equivalent teacher. The Massachusetts average is 14 students per full-time equivalent teacher.
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Payments worth tens of thousands of pounds should be made to heads of high-performing schools who oversee a sustained increase in pupil numbers without harming exam results, it was claimed.
Researchers said cash bonuses were needed to “incentivise school expansion” and ensure head teachers are rewarded for the extra stress and workload associated with taking more pupils.
The recommendation was made as the study concluded that the best schools had failed to expand over the last decade, denying many parents places at their preferred secondary school.
This year, almost 75,000 children in England – more than one-in-seven – were rejected from their first-choice secondary.
According to researchers, the top-performing schools “have grown barely faster than other schools” in the last 10 years.
The incentives for schools to expand were “weak at best”, with fears that some of the best teachers would see their workload soar and headline exam results drop.
The study – commissioned by the Department for Education – recommended reforming school funding and head teacher pay “so that schools reap financial rewards from expansion”, including additional cash for buildings and refurbishments.
It added: “Head teachers of high-performing schools successfully overseeing a capacity expansion for five years would receive a substantial one-off bonus, centrally paid by the [Education Funding Agency].
“We would want to define ‘successfully’ to mean no substantial decline in performance.”
Researchers from the University of London’s Institute of Education and Bristol University analysed secondary school admissions between 2001 and 2011.
The study revealed that schools had been more likely to cut their numbers than increase capacity over the last decade.
It found no evidence to suggest that schools which took on more children did so because of decent exam results, insisting that expansion was often driven by changes in the local pupil population.
The study failed to identify the size of bonuses needed to tempt head teachers into expanding.
But it found that there was already an “association between gross pay and school size”, with heads receiving around £3,000 more per year for every additional 150 pupils admitted.
It said this “existing size premium” was unlikely to be enough to provide a proper incentive for heads to grow their school, suggesting a far bigger bonus pot may be needed.
Last night, the DfE insisted that school funding was already being overhauled to ensure schools with the largest numbers of pupils receive more money.
The Government’s new academy schools also have more freedom to pay head teachers bigger salaries.
A National Audit Office report last week found that one-in-10 academy principals were already paid more than the maximum normally allowed for their region – typically £105,000 across England, rising to £112,000 in inner-London.
"The reformed school funding system being introduced from 2013-14 will ensure that the vast majority of funding follows pupil numbers, so that schools will be rewarded directly in cash terms for taking extra pupils," the DfE said.
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A few people have asked me for a tutorial for this pouch or pencil case with a central zipper and lining so I'm happy to oblige :) These are great for using up small fabric scraps. If you alter the sizing to suit your needs, these are so useful for all sorts of different things, make up brushes, storing your undies etc when travelling - Livvy wants me to make her a larger one to put her loose papers etc in for school rather than using an ugly plastic wallet.
Apologies for the poor lighting, it is such a dull grey day here today.
For this tutorial I'm going to make a pencil case size so you will need the following:
OUTER FABRIC - cut one piece measuring 21cm by 21cm - I used some of Anna Maria Horner's Bohemian fabric in a lovely aubergine colour, although the washed out photos don't do it justice at all.
LINING FABRIC - cut one piece measuring 21cm by a width of 20cm - the width of the lining is slightly less as you will be fitting this inside the finished outer case. I like to use linen as it adds a bit of weight to the finished case - I also used some black iron on interfacing to stiffen this pretty purple linen.
TO MAKE THE OUTER CASE
Turn under (wrong sides facing) half a cm on two opposite ends of your outer fabric and press:
Tack/baste one of your turned under ends to the zipper - I used basting tape to save a bit of time.
If you are not familiar with basting tape, it is basically just a self adhesive tape, cut a strip to the required length, press to the edge of the zip (the good side) and peel away the backing paper. This leaves you with a self adhesive strip you can press your folded under edge of fabric to as below:
Now machine stitch in place using a zipper foot:
Again using the basting tape, I attached the other end of the outer fabric to the zipper - this will automatically form a tube shape and you will need to open the zipper to enable you to machine stitch it in place - a little bit fiddly when you get to the end but not too bad:
Now we are going to sew up the side seams. Pull the zipper about halfway and turn your tube inside out - DO NOT FORGET TO HAVE THE ZIP PARTIALLY OPEN - otherwise you won't be able to turn your outer case right side out after you have sewn the side seams - I hate having to unpick when I forget to do this - it is so easily done if you get distracted :)
I use a safety pin to help hold the ends of the zipper close together and a measuring gauge to centre my zip - press lightly and then you don't really need to pin before sewing the side seams.
Use a 0.5cm seam allowance and backstitch at your starting, stopping points and over the zip.
Put the outer case to one side whilst we make the lining.
TO MAKE THE LINING CASE
On the two sides which measure 21cm , turn under and press 0.5 cm (wrong sides together - you can see the black interfacing I used):
Turn over so that the wrong side of the fabric is face down (not shown) and using the measuring gauge again fold the two turned edges towards the middle as shown - if you were to peek inside you should see the right/good side of your fabric.
Press the folded edges and sew the side seams - 0.5 cm.
Trim the seamed sides of both the outer and lining cases with pinking shears, this is when you cut off the excess zipper too..
Remove the safety pin and turn the outer case right side out - gently push out the corners with a point turner, chopstick or your fingers if you have nothing else to hand :) I like to gently press the outside case at this point too.
Now insert the lining case inside the outer case as shown below - the wrong side of your inside case will face the wrong side of your outer case and enclose the raw edges of the seams:
I use my point turner to gently ease the lining case right into the corners don't worry if you find the lining case is a little too bulky to fit the width nicely, just stitch another seam line slightly further in from the previous line of stitching and trim again - not too much though otherwise you could end up making the lining too small to fit well!
Added another photo as light is better today and want to show just how lovely the fabrics are really :)
Now hand stitch the lining to the underside edge of the zipper - I don't turn it inside out to do this I just kind of roll it over so that I can access it easily - I hope that makes sense! I like to use invisible thread so that my stitches don't show even if I accidentally let the needle go all the way through to the outside of the outer case but it's entirely up to you :)
That's it, you're done, do let me know if something doesn't make sense but hopefully the photo overload should do the trick. I hope people aren't offended that I tend to go into such detail on my tutorials, it's just that if you are an absolute novice then more info is definitely better.
I usually like to add some beads and ribbon to the zipper pull but this particular zipper didn't have a hole in the pull so I couldn't but it was such a great colour match I wanted to use it.
A note on buying zippers, I bought a huge job lot on ebay ages ago, a complete mixed bag of colours which means I usually have a suitable colour zipper on hand plus it worked out a lot cheaper that way. The company is Zipperstop and they are based in New York. Here is a link to their ebay auctions for bulk buy zippers. They ship worldwide and now also seem to stock all sorts of other bits and pieces too.
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In a recent posting on The Huffington Post, emcee Brother Ali tackles a topic that has been gaining momentum in both queer and mainstream press: homophobia (and, by extension, hatred) in hip hop.
The piece, titled "The Intersection of Homophobia and Hip Hop: Where Tyler Met Frank," is an honest confession of Ali's former ignorance in the usage of the term "faggot" in his lyrics, as well as in his private life. In the opening paragraphs, Ali discusses his own usage of the term:
In fact, on my debut album, Shadows On The Sun, I displayed a
few cringe-worthy slur moments of my own. I tossed it around with the
reckless abandon of a young man lacking the empathetic sensitivity that
only manifests through life-altering interactions and experiences. By my
2009 album, Us, I had evolved into manhood and dwelled on the
cusp of self-actualization. This shift in perception allowed me to
freely address through lyrics the hypocrisy of a supposedly free society
that forces some men and women to keep certain dimensions of their
lives imprisoned -- including their sexuality.
Ali goes on to describe a situation in which a fan overhears (and subsequently contacts him about it) him trying to educate a colleague about the colleague's own homophobia. This is where the piece gets interesting. Ali admits his fault in using "faggot" and more so, acknowledges the fact that even though he is now apologizing for it, his words and music will always be out there.
My use of the f-word more than a decade ago in the song "Dorian" off Shadows On The Sun
continued to echo in a space in which I no longer dwelled. That word
and that mind-set would continue to be perpetuated through me, a man who
had grown to understand more, but whose actions had left an indelible
print that could not be erased.[...]My world was pretty small and bleak when I wrote that album.
Since then I've been fortunate enough to tour the world, read James
Baldwin and develop deep friendships with musicians whom I love and
respect and who are openly gay.
In short, the world gave me another chance. But those words are there forever.
Ali goes on to discuss how denigration is used as a way to prove manhood in hip hop and in culture in general. Men are faggots because they don't stand up to culturally or socially appropriate measures of masculinity or heterosexuality. Not because they are gay. And therein lies the explanation around the usage of "faggot" and "gay" by pop culture in general. The argument that when someone says, “That’s gay,” they don’t mean “that’s homosexual in character,” they mean “that’s dumb/stupid/forgettable/ridiculous.” Like when Tyler the Creator reportedly used the term faggot more than 200 times on his album Goblin
. I have never made any effort to listen to Tyler’s music. Why? Because I read in the gay press that he used the term all the time. He didn’t lose a fan. He just didn’t gain one.
However, I was (and am) willing to give Tyler the benefit of the doubt, because of his very vocal support for his friend Frank Ocean, who recently came out. Ali, however, is there to remind his readers not to let him off that easy.
When addressing the criticism in an interview with NME, Tyler absolves himself of any responsibility by claiming that he's not aiming the word at gay people in particular, but just using it as a synonym of weakness and stupidity. "I'm not homophobic. I just think 'f****t' hits and hurts people. It hits. And 'gay' just means you're stupid. I don't know, we don't think about it, we're just kids. We don't think about that s--t. But I don't hate gay people. I don't want anyone to think I'm homophobic."
Congratulations, Tyler. You still are homophobic. You may be friends with Frank and defend him and applaud him in the press, but your lyrics and your statement are still homophobic. Because you "don’t think about that shit" is not an excuse. It just makes you intellectually lazy.
It reminds me of that scene in Louis CK's show Louie where he and his friends ask their lone gay comedian buddy about the use of the term faggot. No one wants to stop anyone from expressing their opinions and their ideas. Even when we don't agree with them. Just know what those words mean.
So yeah. Tyler, you didn’t lose a fan, you just lost the opportunity to gain one.
But Ali? You most certainly gained a fan. A vocal one.
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Ruling Allows Patients to Sue Over Unexplained Prescription Refusals
According to an article published in American Medical News journal, patients have the right to take the District of Colombia, Department of Health Care Finance to court for failing to explain prescription refusals under Medicaid coverage. Patients claim the district is not telling patients the reason for refusals and doesn’t allow for appeals, which they feel violates their patient rights.
The article noted that there are a number of reasons for prescription refusals, and often times it is related to pharmacy or doctor errors. Bruce J. Terris, A patients’ attorney in a 2010 lawsuit regarding Medicaid coverage claimed that if patients were better informed about the process of prescribing medication and the potential mistakes involved, they could use this knowledge when confronting the district. Terris stated, “The need to tell the patient what is happening is a basic right of people. If the government turns you down for something, you should know the reason for it.”
For the most part, the denial of prescriptions is not initiated by the district, but by an error with the pharmacy’s electronic system. The 2010 lawsuit was dismissed because the patients hadn’t suffered any injury, but the decision was reversed due to the possibility that injury could occur without the necessary prescriptions. The U.S. District Court made the ruling to allow the District of Colombia Dept. of Health Care Finance to be sued in an effort to protect patient rights and prevent injury from a lack of medication.
According to the article, in recent years patients have had the right to take private health insurers to court for denying a claim. Patients feel the same should be true for the Medicaid program when medication is denied and the explanation is unclear.
Related Articles“Magnet” Hospitals Report Superior Operational Excellence and Lower Mortality Rates
Financial institutions achieve operational efficiency through technology
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To serve the pubic better, Palmer Township has adopted the following policies related to damage caused by snow plowing and snow-related issues:
Clearing snow away from hydrants
- The Palmer Municipal Fire Department is asking all residents with a fire hydrant fronting or on their property to adopt the hydrant during the winter months. Please shovel any snow that may accumulate around the hydrant. In addition, please do not allow children to climb on or bend the hydrant marker. This marker enables our firefighters to locate the hydrant easily should they need to respond to a fire in your neighborhood. In a fire situation seconds count and if the firefighters cannot find the hydrant or have to dig it out the lost time could result in severe damage to your or your neighbors' home. Thank you for your help with this very important matter.
- During the winter season, it is the Public Works Department's policy to begin salting and cindering as soon as it is necessary. We will begin plowing the street, when needed, within two hours after the snow has stopped falling. The snow removal policy dictates that the first priority is emergency and school routes and all major arteries. Second priority is all alternate streets including cul-de-sacs and dead ends.
- All residents and their guests should park their vehicles in their driveways whenever a snowstorm is expected. Vehicles parked along the roadway make it very difficult for the snowplow operators to properly clear streets on non snow emergency routes. If the vehicle is within the road right-away it will be plowed in. If the vehicle is not removed at the time of the final pass to widen the road the snow will remain in the road because the plow will not return once plowing is completed. Please note - Vehicles parked along snow emergency routes which are not moved during a snowstorm are subject to towing and ticketing per the township ordinance if a snow emergency is declared.
- After the initial pass, the plow will return to widen the path. It is impossible for the equipment operators to avoid pushing some snow into cleared driveways, aprons and sidewalks. If you must clear your driveway prior to the completion of snow plowing, please keep in mind that the snow that is in front of the plow, will unload wherever there is a cleared area. This is why snow is left in a cleared driveway as the street is plowed. Clearing an area on the side of the driveway from which the plow approaches will provide an area for the snow to unload before it reaches your driveway. This area needs to be at least five feet long and two to three feet wide. DO NOT SHOVEL, PLOW OR SNOWBLOW THE SNOW INTO THE ROADWAY.
- Where streets do not have curbs please remember to mark the edge of your property with reflective markers to avoid any yard damage by township snowplows. These reflectors will enable the drivers to see where your property starts.
- Palmer Township code 160-20 states that sidewalks need to be cleared of snow and ice 12 hours after the precipitation has stopped falling. The township enforces the 12 hour rule loosely, but we expect to see people out within 24 hours making sidewalks passable. Snow and ice that is compacted needs to have cinders, sand, or salt put on the area to facilitate safe passage.
Please remove snow from all storm drains. This will allow for any additional precipitation or thawing snow to drain properly.
Mailbox Replacement When Damaged by Snow Plowing
- Palmer Township will first attempt to repair broken mailbox posts. If the post is broken beyond repair, it will be replaced with a pressure treated 4" x 4" mailbox post kit. A cedar 4" x 4" mailbox post is available for the replacement of a cedar, metal, plastic, or other material post which is more expensive than a pressure treated post. If a resident is not satisfied with what the township provides, he/she may purchase his/her own post kit and submit the paid receipt to the township. The township will then reimburse the resident an amount equal to the cost of our standard replacement post kit once the township installed post is returned.
- If it is determined that the original placement of the mailbox post possibly led to it being damaged, such as the mailbox itself protruding into the cart-way, township crews will adjust the placement of the new post or existing post to help prevent future damage.
Yard Damaged by Snow Plows
- Property owners who identify the edge of the roadway with vertical marking devices. (Example: metal posts with reflectors on the top, wooden stakes, fiberglass rod, or other device with reflective type placed at regular intervals along the edge of roadway that will be visible night and day to the snowplow operator. This device must be a minimum of 36" tall.) Within a reasonable amount of time following the end of a snow event, Palmer Township will pick up any snowplow damaged yard material that remains. In the spring, Palmer Township will restore the area damaged by placing new topsoil and reseeding the affected area.
- In cases where the property owner DID NOT identify the edge of the roadway with marked devices as indicated above, Palmer Township will not be responsible for any damage to these properties.
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The covering letter
A resume needs to be accompanied by a covering letter. The covering letter must include several elements, such as what makes you a great applicant for the specific Australian Apprenticeship position you are interested in. Click here to see a sample covering letter.
The brief covering letter should be addressed to the right person within the company. That person may be listed in a job advertisement, or you will have identified the right person when you were researching and contacting companies that are likely to employ Australian Apprenticeships in your area of interest (see “Getting Started”).
The covering letter should include:
- a statement outlining your interest in becoming an Australian Apprentice with the company
- a copy of your resume
- a copy of the Australian Apprenticeship Job Description for the type of job you are interested in, and if possible the Job Pathway Chart for the industry
- a copy of government incentives and other information for employers provided to you by your local Australian Apprenticeships Centre
- We suggest that you advise the employer in your covering letter that you will contact them in few days time to discuss your letter with them. Then post the letter
After forwarding your resume and covering letter, contact the employer in five to seven days time to discuss your interest
For more information about covering letters go to the My Future.
Tips for marketing yourself on the phone
Take a look at www.myfuture.edu.au
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The bulletin of Atlanta University
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NUMBER 122. ATLANTA, GEORGIA. NOVEMBER, 1901. (Thirty-third Year.) ATLANTA UNIVERSITY. The higher education of carefully selected Negro young men and women, in both academic and industrial lines, is emphasized by this Institution as necessary for the elementary and industrial training of the masses. "Men of light and leading" in other spheres of activity are also greatly needed by the race that has so long sat in darkness. Earnestly Christian, as required by its charter, yet entirely unsectarian, the Institution is controlled solely by its own board . of trustees, on which several denominations are represented. Some 300 students are enrolled under 27 officers and teachers. From the col-lege and normal courses 412 graduates have been sent out, nearly all of whom have readily found permanent employment in teaching or other useful occupations. Situated only about seventy miles from the centre of the Negro population of the country, in one of the largest Southern cities, and at the railroad centre of the South, its location is of strategic importance for promoting the educational advancement of the South. Its plant includes sixty-five acres of land, five large brick buildings, library of 11, 000 volumes, apparatus and other equipment worth not less than $250,000. With practically no endowment, with no aid from public or denominational funds, receiving about one-fourth of its support from its own students, the Institution appeals for an endowment of $500,000, and, until that is secured, for $25,000 annually to meet current expenses. Gifts of any amount are welcome, but special appeal is made for subscriptions of $100 and upwards, and for $40 scholarships. Remittances may be addressed to Pres. Horace Bumstead, D. D., Atlanta, Ga. On The Campus The beginnings of the year, in respect to weather, have been remarkably fine. There was no oppressive heat at the opening, and nature has been at her best so far this season. Rev. Edward T. Ware, after being with us five Sundays, left for Cleveland, Ohio, Nov. 7. He will speak in that city, and in various cities in Pennsylvania and New York, until Christmas, in behalf of this institution. Hon. Robert L. Smith of Oakland, Texas, passed through our city Oct. 21, on his way to New York. He is now, in company with President Bumstead, speaking in behalf of this institution in various churches within and near New York City. It was the privilege of Pres. Bumstead, in October, to attend, and speak at, the meeting of the National Congregational Council at Portland, Maine, and to attend the Yale Bicentennial. Further reference to both of these will be found on our second and third pages. The two new recitation rooms in Stone Hall, which were not ready at the opening of the session, are now in use, and are proving very helpful in our school work. Apparently no more will be needed for some time, but, when they are necessary, we see no way to meet the call except by the erection of a new building. The foot ball team has lost over half of its players of last year, but has good material. The season is short, the third and last game being scheduled for Nov. 23. The first two games were both close and interesting, and were won by our team, which defeated the Atlanta Baptist College 5 to 0, and Clark University 11 to 0. One very encouraging feature in our work this year is the large number of boarding boys in South Hall. It is decidedly in advance of any previous year since we had the grammar grades, and even in advance of the last years when we had these grades. This fact, and the marked increase in the number of college students, make us enter upon the work of the present year with renewed courage. New of our Graduates '84—Rev. John W. Whitaker, for a number of years pastor of the Congregational church in Savannah, has resigned, that he may assist Principal Washington in his work at Tuskegee. '85—Rev. L. B. Maxwell, who has been ill at,, his home in Decatur during the summer, has gone to California in company with Mrs. Maxwell ('86), for the sake of his health. '91—Rev Silas X. Floyd delivered an admirable address at the Ga, State Industrial College, before the Y. M. C.A., during their commencement week in June, on the Gospel of Service. '94—Mrs. Anna S. Ingraham is temporarily assisting Mrs. Anna W. Richardson ('85), principal of Lamson School, Marshallville, who is ill. '97—Miss Alice B. Clithrall, for a num-ber of years a teacher in the Columbus public schools, is now in one of the Atlanta public schools. '98—Miss Rosa M. Weaver is now teaching in her home at Tuscaloosa, Ala., instead of in Birmingham as last year; and Miss Mamie E. Hamilton has become a teacher in Knox Institute, at Athens. '99—Miss Addie E. Lee is teaching in one of the Atlanta public schools. '01—Of the college class, Miss Mary R. Greenwood has a position in the Atlanta public schools; Miss Ada Hawes is teaching in the Fla. State College at Tallahassee; Miss Mary F. Monroe is a teacher in Jeruel Academy, Athens; John W. Kinney is in charge of the industrial work at Haines Institute, Augusta; Peter H. Williams teaches in the High Point Normal and Industrial Institute, High Point, N. C.; Miss Daisy C. Hayes is not permanently employed, but assisted us temporarily here during the opening days of the school year. Dr. Henry B. Hodge, who was a member of our Freshman class in 1894, and who graduated at the Leonard Medical School in Shaw University in 1898, died suddenly in Gainesville. Fla., Nov. 15, 1900. He had entered upon the practice of medicine at that place.
|Title||The bulletin of Atlanta University, 1901 no. 122|
Universities & colleges
|Description||The bulletin of Atlanta University was a publication sent to faculty, friends and alumni of the institution; Telling of the institution's progress and present needs. This issue is November 1901, no. 122.|
|Holding Library||Robert W. Woodruff Library of the Atlanta University Center|
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When celebrated Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou organised and directed the inaugural ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the results were extraordinary, and redefined what the world has come to expect from opening ceremonies at the Olympics.
Britain appears to have taken a hint from Beijing, as the UK too has roped in an award-winning filmmaker.
Reports say Oscar-winning British film director Danny Boyle will orchestrate the inaugural ceremony at the upcoming 2012 Olympic Games in London.
The Independent (UK) reports that Olympics organisers have spoken to the maker of Mumbai-based Slumdog Millionaire about directing the opening ceremony, to take place at the newly constructed Olympic stadium. The report clarifies that no contracts had yet been signed.
In the past, the 53-year-old Boyle has spoken positively of the upcoming London games, and is yet to issue a denial over this latest claim.
His work on Slumdog Millionaire is being cited as an example of his ability to bridge cultures and create pan-global works of art.
Incidentally, Indian-born sculptor Anish Kapoor will design the ArcelorMittal Orbit, a 115 metre spiral sculpture of the Olympic rings being built outside the stadium.
Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters
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Speaking of “street”, how come they never have street race like the famous Monaco GP?
They close the damn roads for those f**kin cyclists to do their stupid pointless mass rides all the time, why don’t they close the road for cars which it was actually built for.
Umm the Sydney 500 is a Street race, done on the Streets of Olympic Park in Sydney. How much more street do you want? We dont have any scenic roads that could double as street circuits in Australia like they do in Monaco, so this is as close as we get.
So why don’t they let those cyclists use that instead of closing the harbour bridge?
Imagine a race on the harbour bridge… Doesn’t get much cooler than that.
Those f’in cyclist is one less car you have to sit behind in the traffic.
Bingo! THe more cyclists there are, the less cars are on the road, and the less jammed up traffic is on normal days. Cyclists don’t hold Dave W up, it’s his friends pushing in front in cars. You know, the type that charge up the left lane and push in, or the cars that queue across traffic lights rudely.
If motorists would be more considerate, the traffic wouldn’t be so bad.
And cyclists make for extra traction!
You try getting stuck behind a cyclist during rush hour. You’d be a saint if you don’t utter a single curse.
But that wasn’t my point. They’re already allowed on the road, so what the hell is the point of that critical mass ride apart from clogging up the damn road?
Chill out dude. Don’t know why you seem so argumentative with everyone on this forum.
Sorry but what did you base that statement of yours on? I disagree with one person and suddenly I’m “argumentative with everyone”? lol
That’s the way Dave.
“lol” – lots of laughter – is good for you. It’s cathartic, and you feel better about the world around. Peace dude – it’s the only way.
So you’re telling Dave and everyone else just to laugh when people make baseless statements?
Not at all. You’ll note that Dave ‘lol’ed (if that’s a verb) first.
Ok, but you didn’t answer his question.
As below. Chill out mate. Where are you going in a hurry? To sit in front of a desk at work? Sit in a car listening to your faviourite music or sit in the office listening to ANOTHER silly phone call?
Mate, you might hate your job or co-workers, but I happen to enjoy my work (for the most part) and I get along just fine with my co-workers.
The less time I spend on the road, the less fuel I use, the less I pollute, the more time I can have talking with my co-workers over a cup of coffee before starting my day. I’d rather do that than getting stuck in rush hour traffic behind some cyclist.
Besides, I don’t see the appeal in riding a bicycle during rush hour traffic with so much toxic fumes from cars/bus/trucks/motorbikes. You’ll be fit, that’s for sure, but inhaling toxic fume is anything BUT healthy.
You should try riding, it might take away some of your anger and frustration. You’ll be a happier person and have a great set of legs for the ladies to admire!
Getting stuck in traffic behind a cyclist is wishful thinking… You’ll be stuck behind something with four wheels belching exhaust fumes. For the record, I don’t ride my bike to work, I take the train instead, precisely to avoid aggressive, impatient drivers.
I’m a swimmer and I happen to have a pair of decent looking legs.
And just because I complain online, it doesn’t mean I’m an aggressive driver. It’s because I’ve been keeping it bottled inside that I come across as being aggressive online.
It’s great that you don’t ride to work, one less road hazard people have to deal with.
Why don’t you move closer to work if you like it so much. You’d use less fuel, get stuck in less traffic, spend more time with co-workers, pollute less for other cyclist.. whatever turns you on “mate”.
Btw, I don’t hate my job but I’d rather spend time with my family who I love more than co-workers where I don’t come to just make friends but absolutely get along.
Btw2, if you were stuck behind a cyclist, I bet you’d have a better chance of getting past it than even a Smart ForTwo.
Btw3, chill out. You’re ONLY GOING TO WORK. You don’t win the Employee of the Month for getting there in the quickest time possible.
Btw4, I’d like to ride 2 hours one way to work but when there are impatient people who just has to win that Employee of the Month award, I don’t and choose to pollute the environment by driving a car adding to the traffic conjestion.
Can’t afford it mate, expensive area.
You say you’d rather spend time with your family but at the same time, you don’t mind spending 4 hours commuting to and from work breathing in toxic fume everyday? Your logic defies me.
I’m not after any award, I just have an excellent work ethics, unlike many bludgers out there who just want to clock in and out and off to the pub on Friday.
BTW, this is how you spell “congestion”.
Druing rush hour in Sydney you won’t be stuck behind that cyclist for long at all because they will disappear into the distance in front of you….
But just long enough to make you miss the damn green light while he uses the pedestrian crossing to jump the light.
Bogan fans will be spitting vitriol at its first race .
You’re the biggest bogan of the lot!
Pomp elitist still needs to blow his horn daily on car forum to feel good about life.
YOU guys will be in the front row come race day gushing hate at poor old nissan , hope they win a few , no not so good they will get stoned .
Presumptuous aswell as pretentious, eh?. Actually I’m stoked Nissan and Mercedes are joining in, I love all good cars, not just Ford and Holden.
You label the fans of the latter ‘bogans’ because they are not a sub-premium marque like VW? No wonder you’re a laughing stock here. You’re fitting the bogan criteria more closely with the quality of your comments. Thats an indisputable fact.
Your only stoked because by 2018 there will be no crummerdore or falcoon to cheer on , better get a nissan cap quick .
ok…Nuff said lol.
Fail Golfmother! I’m loving the fact we have Nissan back in. I’m a massive Jimmy Richards fan (though according to you he’d be a bogan because he drove a Holden once). Pull your head you muppet…you give all VW owners a bad name
Should be good by 2018 , Epica vs mondeo , you might need lessons in FWD handling .
Yer the real AWD nissan, banned cause the dino’s got lost at the first corner .
Epica – do we need to point out the obvious?
If you don’t even know when a model is discontinued, I’m impressed you know GM and Fords future product plans lol. Must be some groovy acid.
Yes Toxic budgie we know the malibore is a facelifted epica ,
Its obvious you dont have a clue because otherwise you would realise Ford also had their car effectively banned when the international group A effectivly got removed.
You are also foolish to think Nissan will wipe the floor next year. Ill tell you what will happen, it will be 888 racing all over again.
Sure Nissan is tipping Kelly Racing a bucket load of cash, they might be there or there abouts at best. The consistency will like always come from the much too good 888.
Those guys could prep shopping trollies and still bring it home first to the line
Daewoo Epica was on a different platform. Malibu is on Epsilon II . you don’t know squat pal.
And for those playing at home or without a clue, the epsilon platform is the platform engineered in Germany which the Insignia sits on.
Therefore Golfmother has just rubbished german engineering
Exactly Andrew M. Just like now and over the last few years, the COTF will be whichever team/driver combination that can make the most of a heavy regulated and almost identical race car. That team is the most professional team in the category, 888 race engineering. It wouldn’t matter what “brand” (I use that term very loosly, even with the current V8 Supercars) they have, they would still be out the front.
Fake elitist ….30k hatchback!
“Pack of Ar$eholes” Part II?
Depends if if a Nissan gets declared the winner whilst lodged in a concrete barrier again….
You should read this month’s Wheels magazine. There’s an article on Jim Richards taking the new GT-R to Bathurst for a hot lap, how the bogans there booed the GT-R before seeing him behind the wheel and about that incident in 92. It’s a good read.
Ive seen plenty of interviews with Jim Richards on the “incident”.
EvenJim didnt think they had won, and was surprised when it was announced.
Jim is a top bloke, Ive met him a couple of times, he is as the nickname says a true gentleman.
I still remember all those years ago when he stepped aside from his Porsche to give the drive to Alex Davison because he just believed he was too good not to have a seat
Fact is, how the winner was decided had nothing to do with Jim or Nissan, but if he was driving a Holden of Ford, the crowd wouldn’t have booed and he wouldn’t have said what he said.
Don’t forget…his good mate and former F1 champ, Denny Hulme, passed away in that race! The idiots booing him coupled with those tragic circumstances led to the famous quote.
I think the motorsport fanatics in this country are a lot more informed than they were back in the day. At least I’d like to think so!
Seen the Nissan running around today on tele,looks good,maybe just a little plan but still looks the goods in COTF form.
That brings an end to Holden Vs Ford,next year it will be Holden Vs everyone else with 15 Holdens,6 Fords,4 Nissans,3 Mercs.
Thats right, there will be more Holdens than the rest put together.
I still think it will be 888 Redbull racing versus the rest again. or maybe 888 Vs FPR.
Its unbelievable to think that when the cars today run a lot of controlled specs and components nooone else was able to chalk a win on the board.
Im sure the Nissans wont look so plain when they are dressed in their Jack Daniels colours and Norton colours.
Well the Norton nissans should look better, im not much of a fan of black cars, they hide too much on the cars detail
Yea the two horse race was a littile disappointing this year,between Wincup and Davidson they won 2/3′s of the races with Winterbottom and Lownes winning the rest.
Hopefully the new formula will shake it up abit.
The Holden domination on car numbers is abit of a shame,as on channel 7 today when Larkham was explaining next years format he put it like this
3 E class mercs
Like he was trying too hide that fact.
I didnt see Larko try and dress it up, but I did realise the whole telecast in general was trying to centre around the F Vs H still being very much there, so I also reckon they were trying to hide the un balanced field.
It was also very close to being only 4 Fords as DJR were said to be pretty close to a Mazda deal. Then if charlie didnt take his licence to FPR it could have also easily been 3 Fords
I cant wait to see the fords get there a*rses kicked .
Like a VW in a road race
It ain’t going to happen.
The prob i see if the merc or nissan dominate they will say parity is not right because there the only ones there so they cant realy judge them with other same cars they will just handy cap them to bring them back a bit. Like look at 888 they win all the time but cause theres dozens more commodores they just say there the best and doing a good job.But what if nissan are doing good job and there cars winning all time theres no other nissans to judge them buy so they will just say there got avantage.Its not going to be ezzy for merc and nissan thats for sure
The GTR will rape every single V8 rubbish ever created
and who wants to watch that?
Now we just have to wait for the bogans who administer this abomination of a racing genre to remember what they used to do back in the 90′s – penalise these cars because they’re too good with sandbags in the boot, parachutes on the roof, speed limiters, 4 speed boxes.
Why? So the stupid taxis can keep winning to satisfy the local bogans.
Bring back REAL internationally competitive racing – let Whincup in his Black and White Cab have a crack against a works Nissan GTR.
That’s what I’d love to see!
AMG / Nissan: finish first or last it does not matter, it shows how popular our sport is and maybe we will see more brands sign up for the following year.
We will all look forward to seeing all the new cars and colours on the grid in March.
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| 0.951966 | 3,137 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Advanced Micro Devices prepares for the launch of its much awaited line of quad core central processing units, the Phenom class of products, but until then the hardware manufacturing company tries to capitalize as much as possible on the low cost and entry level performance market segments with a new range of offerings.
So, a new line of energy efficient central processing units from AMD is going to hit the market sooner or later and with it, a new branding and
naming scheme is also expected to become reality. The new series of central processing units from AMD is aimed at users that are going to build their own custom desktop computer system and all the products from the new range are coming with a power envelope of 45 watts being well suited for quiet systems, entry level solutions and computer systems that are trying to exceed the EPA's ENERGY STAR (Version 4) specification.
The 45 watts envelope represents the maximum potential thermal dissipation and not the actual expected to be encountered dissipation under real world workloads and operating conditions, so the new central processing units may in fact run with a significantly lower footprint than advertised.
According to the news site arstechnica
, the new range of products includes both single and dual core architectures, so the performance level is above the lower end of the spectrum. As the top of the line we have the Athlon 64 X2 BE-2400 which is priced at $104 and runs at 2.3GHz while single core solutions are ranging from the Athlon 64 LE-1620( running at 2.4GHz and priced at $53) to the Athlon 64 LE-1600 that runs at 2.2Ghz while having a price tag of $47.
The Sempron class of central processing units, representing the new entry level processors from AMD is present here too with the Sempron LE-1250 that runs at a clock speed of 2.2GHz and has a price tag of $53, while lower end CPUs are available as well for users needing the maximum performance-per-watt ratio. For these users AMD recommends the Sempron LE-1200 running at 2.1GHz and coming with a price tag of $48 and the Sempron LE-1100 that runs at a frequency of 1.9GHz while being priced at $37.
On the naming side, AMD looks like it got tired of the X2, X4, LS, GS and GP model codes, so the company decided to simplify its naming scheme in order to avoid confusing its customers. For quad core processors we will have the Phenom 9 series of products, while the three cored ones will be known as the Phenom 7s and the list goes on with the dual core Athlon 6 series, stopping at the single cored Athlon LE-1 and Sempron LE-1 series of entry level offerings.
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| 0.941037 | 575 | 1.65625 | 2 |
|The list was edited according to the names sent to us by the martyrs' relatives and friends, but there were many victims left no survivor of a family member alive, to commemorate them. This is the reason that the list should not be treated as complete. Let their memory be blessed for eternity together with all the Jews of Tomaszow Mazowiecki.|
|the editor of the list|
JewishGen, Inc. makes no representations regarding the accuracy of
the translation. The reader may wish to refer to the original material
JewishGen is not responsible for inaccuracies or omissions in the original work and cannot rewrite or edit the text to correct inaccuracies and/or omissions.
Our mission is to produce a translation of the original work and we cannot verify the accuracy of statements or alter facts cited.
Tomaszow Mazowiecki, Poland Yizkor Book Project JewishGen Home Page
Copyright © 1999-2013 by JewishGen, Inc.
Updated 14 Feb 2003 by OR
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Turning on the faucet in your RV and enjoying a drink of clean, disease-free water takes a little planning and work. However, veteran RVers say these extra precautions are worth it to avoid illness and ensure you'll enjoy your travels.
RV author and expert Bob Difley tells RVBoondockingNews.com that there are several ways to ensure a clean and safe water supply. RVers should only fill their tanks with water from sources that are confirmed potable and they should try to use their own hose, when possible. It's also important to keep your water hose off the ground to avoid contamination. And, remember to use a fresh water supply hose instead of a regular garden hose that may contain chemicals, according to NewRVer.com.
Difley also reminds RVers to wash
their hands after using a dump station and before filling the fresh water tank. The water tank itself should be sanitized at least every six months with bleach. This process is a bit time-consuming but necessary to guarantee a safe supply.
Many RVers, including Difley, suggest using a water filter system as well. There are many types available, including ones that mount onto the faucet itself and pitchers that have built-in filters. These remove any dirt, debris and bad tastes from the water.
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| 0.965143 | 272 | 1.765625 | 2 |
May 27--Norman Harvel is growing old under a mountain of debt.
At 60, Harvel faces medical and credit card bills topping $80,000. Yet Harvel is unable to work, having been injured at a job site more a decade ago. The former building maintenance worker now lives on $904 a month in Social Security disability benefits.
"I was so sick and tired of getting the bills, so I would throw them away," Harvel said from his tiny basement apartment in Dundalk. "I've had to try to tell myself that it's something I will wake up from."
In Maryland and across the country, baby boomers and other older Americans are drowning in debt, say credit counselors, elder law attorneys and economists. A growing number of older people in the Baltimore region are seeking financial assistance and help finding work, as well as filing for bankruptcy, say those who work with senior citizens.
"It's supposed to be the golden years, but it's not, at least financially," said Nicholas Del Pizzo III, a Dundalk attorney whose clients include many financially struggling seniors seeking bankruptcy help.
From 1992 to 2007, the percentage of households of people in their mid-50s and older with housing and consumer debt rose from 53.8 percent to 63 percent, according to the Washington-based Employee Benefit Research Institute's research using government data. The problem is even more acute for those 55 to 64, with 81.7 percent carrying debt.
Over the same period, the average overall debt for these 55-and-older households more than doubled, to $70,370, according to EBRI.
In Harvel's case, he piled up debt over years of taking care of his sick wife, Loretta, who died last year at 63. She had diabetes, was on dialysis and required two open-heart surgeries, Harvel said.
Health care bills are a leading factor contributing to the indebtedness of graying Americans.
Workers are paying more for employer-sponsored health insurance, while costs for medical care are skyrocketing. Eligibility for Medicare doesn't begin until age 65, and it does not cover such expenses as hearing aids, dental care and long-term nursing care.
Meanwhile, more older homeowners are carrying mortgage debt into retirement. Making matters worse, declining housing values have cut into what had been a safety net for older Americans and retirees: their homes.
Some older consumers also are saddled with credit card debt. Among Americans 65 and older, for instance, the average amount of credit card debt rose to $10,235 in 2008 from $8,138 three years earlier, the largest percentage increase among all age groups, according to a survey by Demos, a New York-based public policy institute.
Moreover, other older Americans are haunted by student loans years after they, or their children, left school. Adults 50 and older owe 17 percent of the nation's $870 billion in student-loan debt, according to a March report by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
The financial crisis also depleted savings and retirement accounts, contributing to a "perfect storm" of precarious finances among older Americans, said Marceline White, executive director of Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition.
One illness or emergency can throw a senior into debt, White said.
"If everything goes perfectly, they could manage," she said. "If something goes wrong, something unexpected happens, they don't have the liquidity to move on."
While recent government data shows declining consumer debt as families cut back on spending and saved more money, not all older Americans can follow suit. Not only are most older Americans past their prime earning years, but many must dip into their savings to stay on top of bills -- while those still working may make less than they did in previous years.
Low-income seniors with excessive debt are having a hard time digging out in an environment in which "job growth is slow and salary increases are minimal," said Craig Copeland, a senior research associate at EBRI, who wrote the study on debt among the elderly.
David Jones, president of the Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies, said debtors age 60 and older now represent the fastest-growing segment seeking help at member offices across the country.
The trend has been especially evident in the last two years, a period in which the eldest of the baby boomers began retiring, Jones said.
"There were a lot of people in this population that decided to retire without the same kind of assets that previous retirees had," he said. "In fact, we began to see people with $60,000 in nonmortgage debt."
In general, the association said, the average client at its nonprofit local credit counseling agencies has gotten older: 44.5 in 2011 versus 41 in 2007. The average client also was middle class and seeking help for reasons such as a job loss, reflecting the aftermath of the financial crisis, Jones said.
While some older Americans are able to delay retirement, not all can. Unable to find work or other sources of money, many seniors can't manage their debt on a fixed income.
"These people don't have the same options that others do," Jones said. "They can't in many cases find a job, and if they do, they have to work at a job at a lot less money than they're used to."
Norman Zimmering, 81, exhausted his savings trying to pay off medical bills for his wife, Harriet, who died in 2009. She had a heart condition as well as dementia, Zimmering said.
"Most of my money was spent on hospitals, nursing homes and whatever medication," said Zimmering, who lives in a sparse apartment in Reservoir Hill.
Soon after his wife's death, Zimmering said, he was laid off after 11 years as a security guard at the Sands Expo Convention Center in Las Vegas.
Unable to find work and keep up with medical bills, some of which he paid for with credit cards, Zimmering filed for bankruptcy last year, listing $42,020.87 in liabilities, mostly medical bills. A judge discharged his debts last year.
"I kept repeatedly getting big bills and big bills. I tried very hard. I couldn't do it any more," he said. "I had to go into bankruptcy."
Zimmering moved to Baltimore a year ago hoping to find a job here either as a security guard or piano tuner, but so far he hasn't had any luck. He said his age and bad credit because of the bankruptcy hurt his employment opportunities.
"I even tell people, 'I don't care what you pay me, as long as it brings in some revenue and keeps my dignity,'" said Zimmering, whose primary source of income is $1,027 a month in Social Security.
Louise Carwell, a lawyer who works with low-income seniors at the Maryland Legal Aid's consumer law unit in Baltimore, said her clients are dealing with a wide range of debt, from credit cards to medical bills.
Many seniors in Baltimore also are behind on property taxes, which puts their homes at risk of going to a tax sale.
Carwell and other public-sector attorneys who work with the elderly say indebted seniors want relief, a trend that has increased in the last several years.
"The anxiety that they get or they create within themselves from debt collectors, that's really punishing," Carwell said. "That's why a lot of my folks file for bankruptcy."
Bankruptcy filings among seniors have risen markedly in recent years, according to recent studies. In general, the median age of people filing for bankruptcy has risen, to age 43 in 2007 from 36.5 in 1991, according to research published last year by John A. E. Pottow, a law professor at the University of Michigan.
Adults 65 and over are the fastest-growing age group among people filing for bankruptcy protection, according to Pottow's research. He found that older debtors carry 50 percent more credit card debt than younger debtors. Seniors cited credit card debt as a reason for their bankruptcy more frequently than did younger bankruptcy filers, according to his research.
Mary Aquino, a staff attorney with Legal Aid's Baltimore County Elder Law Program, said she recalled a 75-year-old client who was nine months behind on her mortgage, with $10,000 in credit card debt and an additional $36,000 in student-loan debt. The woman's sole income was a monthly $1,100Social Security check.
"She's hoping to file for bankruptcy and keep her home," said Aquino, noting that student loans are usually not discharged in bankruptcy.
Harvel, too, wants relief from his mounting debt.
Besides getting dozens of late and collection notices for his and his wife's medical bills, Harvel is being sued by a funeral home, which provided services for his mother, grandmother and brother, all of whom died in the same month last year. Harvel said he put up the money for their services, using all his savings and cashing out some savings bonds. But he still owes $986, plus interest, court and attorney fees.
Harvel expressed a mix of guilt and remorse for racking up so much debt but said he simply does not have the means to pay it off.
After being homeless for eight months, Harvel now has a place to live, thanks to the Baltimore County Department of Aging.
A bankruptcy, Harvel said, would give him a fresh start and peace of mind. After Harvel put away about $200 to pay for bankruptcy in recent months, Del Pizzo, the Dundalk lawyer, agreed recently to file the paperwork pro bono.
"Maybe I'll start seeing a little bit of sunlight," Harvel said.
Hanah Cho wrote this article as part of a MetLife Foundation Journalists in Aging Fellowship, a project of New America Media and the Gerontological Society of America.
Where to turn for help
Maryland Legal Aid provides legal services for low-income people and the elderly. It has offices around the state. 866-MD LAW 4U (635-2948)
Baltimore County Department of Aging: 410-887-2594
Baltimore City Office of Aging and CARE (Commission on Aging and Retirement Education) Services: 410-396-2273
Maryland Access Point, a web portal that provides information and services throughout the state for the elderly. http://www.marylandaccesspoint.info
(c)2012 The Baltimore Sun
Visit The Baltimore Sun at www.baltimoresun.com
Distributed by MCT Information Services
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The renowned party island of Mallorca has seen a 132% increase in hospitalisations over the two years to the end of March 2012, while Ibiza has seen a 40% increase. These account for just over 10 of the reported 70 cases a week of British people hospitalised globally, according to the FCO.
Many of the Spanish island cases involve UK teenage holidaymakers falling ill or having accidents while under the influence of of drugs and alcohol, according to consular staff. The figures are likely to be the tip of the iceberg, said the FCO, as they only show those cases reported to the Spanish consulate.
The FCO said it has seen a recent change in the demographic of people travelling to Ibiza and Mallorca, with more young people in their late teens around going on holiday without their parents for the first time. An increase in independent travel also means youngsters are often not subject to the beady eye of a tour representative looking out for them.
"Young people tend to be more daring, taking part in sporting activities or renting quad bikes, and are more likely to engage in risky behaviour," said an FCO spokeswoman.
Not all illnesses and injuries are down to heavy partying, however. The report, British Behaviour Abroad, which is compiled annually from worldwide cases needing consular assistance, also noted that there has been an increase in cruise-ship visitors visiting Spain since the Arab Spring. Many of these tourists are older people, some with existing medical conditions that will not be covered by travel insurance.
"We witness many cases where people have invalidated their policy – perhaps by not declaring a pre-existing medical condition or not checking their policy covers a particular activity, such as hiring a moped," said minister for consular services Jeremy Browne. "Unfortunately they are then surprised that the Foreign Office cannot pay for their bills and flight home."
Many holidaymakers to the EU mistakenly believe that the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) will cover them for all medical costs abroad. Recent figures from insurer Axa show that repatriation can cost around £30,000 for an air ambulance back from Spain while a night in a Spanish medical centre can cost over £1,000. In the Spanish islands, the cost of a rehydration drip can cost about €695.
A separate report on holiday costs from the Post Office may provide further incentive for holidaymakers to take their annual summer break in the UK – despite the atrocious weather. Bournemouth has been judged one of the better-value resorts in Europe
The Dorset holiday destination came fifth out of 12 European resorts included in the survey. The research, which assessed the cost of 10 typical holiday items, including suncream, ice cream, soft drinks, insect repellant and family meals out, found that Bulgaria, where the basket of holiday items cost £110.17, offered the best value for money while Spain's Costa del Sol was the next least-expensive destination at £121.11. In Bournemouth, holidaymakers would pay £147.23.
However, while a Coca-Cola costs just 86p in the Algarve, holidaymakers will pay more than double at £1.75 in Bournemouth, £1.95 in Turkey, £2.16 in France and £2.24 in Crete.
Despite the economic turmoil in Greece, which holidaymakers might expect to result in lower prices, Greek resorts were the most expensive. Crete was the priciest resort, according to Post Office Travel Money, with the basket of items costing £189.15, while Ayia Napa in Cyprus was £170.89.
Although the pound is at its highest level against the euro and other European currencies, only half of British families are planning to go away this summer.
Research by Ipsos Mori for Europ Assistance found that just 51% of Britons are planning a summer break, compared to 58% of all 3,500 Europeans questioned for the survey. Of these 41%, the same number as last year, are planning just one break, while those intending to go away more than once is down to 17% this year from 25% in 2011.
Holidays are also becoming shorter; the proportion of fortnight-long holidays has fallen to its lowest point at 37% of those planned and there has been a corresponding increase in one-week holidays – now also at 37%.
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Apple licensed an iOS software patent to Nokia and IBM reportedly related to scrolling, especially the part where over-scrolling reveals a textured background.
When Apple and Samsung reached a settlement over a patent battle last summer and withdrew complaints from the U.S. International Trade Commission, Apple not only paid up a one-time check but also forked over ongoing royalties to Nokia. One of the items Apple licensed to Nokia and IBM is reportedly the iOS scrolling patent. This by itself demonstrates that Apple lost a major fight as the Cupertino company was never so willing to give away code, especially if that bit was referring to iOS.
What's even more interesting is that Apple reportedly offered the license to the same patent to Samsung during failed settlement negotiations in November 2010. This, of course, in a context in which the late Steve Jobs wanted to destroy Android because he regarded it as being a stolen product. Theres no information on why those specific negotiations failed (or whether others are ongoing with lawsuits between the two companies now existing on almost every continent).
In the Nokia-Apple war settled last summer, which took place in a courtroom instead of the market, Nokia had initially sued Apple at the end of 2009 over ten GSM, UMTS, and Wi-Fi related patents allegedly infringed by Cupertino in its iPhones; Apple got back in the game with a lawsuit against Espoo for alleged infringement of thirteen Apple patents.
This article originally published at Pocketnow here
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Global Partnership Works to Increase African Maritime Safety
By Seaman William Selby
Special to American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, May 21, 2008 A multinational, multi–agency effort is working with West and Central Africa partners to increase their capability and capacity in maritime safety and security, a senior member of that effort said yesterday.
Africa Partnership Station is part of a larger initiative called Global Maritime Partnership, which was created to fight maritime threats in certain regions, U.S. Navy Capt. John Nowell, commodore of APS, told online journalists and bloggers in a conference call.
“When you look at things like narcotics trafficking, illegal fishing, and illegal oil bunkering, no one country can go at these threats by themselves, so you need a partnership,” Nowell said.
Africa Partnership Station provides a persistent presence in the western and central regions of Africa to help in building the regions’ capability to deal with those threats, he explained.
The APS task force has a staff of commissioned officers and enlisted servicemembers from 11 nations.
“Collectively, this team allowed us to engage with 15 West and Central African nations using multiple platforms,” Nowell said. “We were able to train over 1,500 students in 1,700-plus courses of instruction and in more than 15 discrete courses of instruction, like martial arts, small-boat operations or maritime law.”
In addition to those courses, Nowell said, APS has been able to focus on the training for maritime safety and security, conducting humanitarian assistance and community outreach.
“[APS] has distributed more than 1 million high-nutrition meals, delivered more than $3.4 million worth of medical equipment, … and built a dual-use health clinic, as well as [conducting] medical and dental outreach,” Nowell said. “Maybe more importantly, just as we take a train-the-trainer approach when we’re working with the navies or coast guards here, our health professionals trained 185 midwives and 164 nurses, so that can become self-sustaining.”
Because many of the African countries do not have maritime professionals, APS has tapped the U.S. Naval Reserve community to help with capability and capacity building, Nowell said. Reservists can be deployed to these countries anywhere from several weeks to five months to help with coordination and labor that’s involved in the Maritime Partnership Program, he added.
U.S. Navy Seabees and U.S. Coast Guard personnel are in Africa working on several projects that include building clinics and a school, and conducting some law enforcement operations such as vessel boarding, search and seizure, Nowell noted.
In addition to being in western and central Africa, Global Maritime Partnership has started to engage eastern and southern Africa, as well.
“We’re not quite to the stage of … the Africa Partnership Station approach there yet,” Nowell said. “Some of that is just the maturity of the engagement, and some, frankly, is also the issue of resources. Right now it’s West and Central Africa, and then as additional assets become available, we will continue the engagement on a more limited basis off East and South Africa.”
While APS hasn’t moved to the inland countries yet, Nowell said, U.S. Army and Marine Corps involvement could lead to that.
“The Army expressed interest, and we will probably have Marines on board [the USS Nashville] do some training,” he said. “So while we’re not necessarily doing that with the inland countries right now, that doesn’t mean you couldn’t.”
(Navy Seaman William Selby works in the New Media branch of the Defense Media Activity.)
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BARUCH STUDENTS SHARPEN THEIR PENCILS: IT'S TIME TO PREPARE TAX RETURNS
BARUCH COLLEGE, NEW YORK, NY - Baruch College students are working overtime for the next few weeks. In addition to their schoolwork, many are devoting long hours to helping their fellow New Yorkers prepare their tax returns. For Baruch accounting students, trained and certified by the IRS, tax preparation is a breeze, but it's a difficult chore for the elderly and for immigrants with limited knowledge of English.
This year, 130 Baruch students, working at six locations around town, will assist New Yorkers with federal income tax forms 1040, 1040A and 1040EZ, as well as with New York State and local forms IT 200 and IT 2001. The students, who work under the umbrella of the National Golden Key Honor Society, are happy to provide the service.
"I have been volunteering since my freshman year," says Rossana Romero, the Baruch junior who is one of this year's VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) coordinators. "We primarily help low-income people, families, and immigrants and the elderly." Rossana adds that in some cases, the students have even helped their clients secure Social Security numbers.
Headquartered at Baruch College's Main Building, 17 Lexington Avenue (at 23rd Street), the program has branch locations in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. Housed in churches and community centers, the off-campus sites function primarily on weekends. Assistance is provided on a first-come, first-served basis and no appointments are necessary. For further information call: (646) 312-4570.
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No matter how many digital and social channels emerge, the telephone remains one of the most important and valuable customer service tools.
Many businesspeople view phone calls as a distraction, preferring to communicate with their customers and clients on email, instant messaging or SMS. But when it comes to providing a human touchpoint for your business, it’s hard to beat the immediacy and connection delivered by
Founder and CEO of International Customer Service Professionals (ICSP) Tricia Olsen says: “A telephone call should not be a bother, it’s an opportunity. If people are apprehensive about taking calls, it’s because they haven’t been given the skills.”
According to Olsen, the average phone call only lasts around 40 seconds.
“A telephone call indicates a sense of immediacy and urgency,” explains Olsen. “That’s very important because we are so time poor. Who would want to drive to six stores to find out if they have a certain item in stock or drive to a restaurant if they don’t know whether or not they have any tables available? If you send an email or enquire online, the customer also does not know if the person is at their desk or has received their message.”
A well-designed website supported by well-trained sales assistants can pre-empt many customer enquiries; however, customers may still need to chat to someone on the phone before they are ready to make a purchase. “The telephone is a vital channel for every business,” says Olsen. “There’s no point in having a state-of-the-art shop if you don’t back it up with state-of-the-art service.
“When hiring a customer service representative or salesperson, start by choosing someone who likes people. They need to have high emotional intelligence and remain optimistic and resilient, especially when the customer says ‘no’.
“If the interviewee doesn’t have previous customer service experience, you can use behavioural interviewing techniques to identify their attitudes and behaviours in other situations.”
Two of the most common reasons that customers call are for sales (or to clarify details that will lead to a sale) and for complaints. Here are Tricia Olsen’s tips for best practice in handling telephone enquiries.
Sales call checklist
1 Value the phone call – get excited! Be in the right frame of mind before you take the call.
2 Answer the phone with a professional, friendly greeting. Give the caller the company’s name and your name. “Thank you for calling Tim’s IT Supplies. This is Angie.”
3 Be flexible. Olsen says that businesses should be cautious about using sales scripts, as you can risk sounding robotic. If you want to use one, it should be used as a framework to ensure you don’t miss out key details like getting the customer’s contact details or order particulars, rather than recited word for word. “This product comes in black, white and green. Which colour would you like?”
4 Actively listen. Make notes and paraphrase what the customer says to demonstrate that you have heard and understood. “So, you need to arrange delivery to a different address for this order only, is that correct?”
5 Don’t assume that you know what the customer wants. Questions should make up approximately 75 per cent of your sales calls, to identify problems and offer solutions.
6 Know your product. Needing to ask someone else creates an impression that you may not be trained.
7 Use the customer’s name. This creates a greater impression of active listening, grabs the customer’s attention and brings their focus back to the call. However, don’t repeat their name too often and don’t be too familiar – ask for permission before using a first name or an abbreviation. “Do you prefer Abigail or Abby?”
8 Record all the information from the call. This is your customer intelligence – a database of notes about the customer and which products or services they are interested in. Being able to refer back to something specific from their last call demonstrates listening and care, and can really impress your customers when you understand their likes and dislikes. A database of call records also ensures that your customer intelligence isn’t lost if a customer service representative or salesperson leaves the company.
9 Deliver / follow up on the call. For example, if the customer is having difficulties completing an online sale, ask if you can talk them through it while they are on the phone. Get the caller’s name and contact details so you can send them appropriate marketing material and include a personal note, rather than a blank compliment slip. If you promise to call a customer back, make the call, even if you just need to tell them that you’re still working on their enquiry and will keep them informed. DWYPYWD – do what you promised you would do!
1 View a complaint as an opportunity. Around 70 per cent of customers who didn’t like your product or service won’t tell you so,
they simply won’t use you again. If someone has a complaint, use it
as a learning opportunity for continued improvement.
2 Be empathetic, compassionate and understanding. Use active listening to work out what the real issue is and to demonstrate that you understand and care. Walk in the customer’s shoes – what does it feel like?
3 Don’t take it personally. A customer who has a bad experience may simply want to vent. This may be triggered or exacerbated by stressful life events completely unrelated to you and your company.
4 There are no difficult customers, only difficult behaviours. This person might be someone you would really like, if you met in different circumstances. When people become angry, they are acting this way to take control of a situation and get a result.
5 Get the customer talking to the right person. If you need to escalate a complaint, make sure you direct the customer to someone who has the knowledge and authority to address their concerns.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and the interviewees, and not of Australia Post.
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Archive for the ‘Prenatal Yoga- Third Timester’ Category
If you cannot go to a prenatal yoga class due to personal reasons, there is still a good chance to practice it at home provided that you are guided accordingly by experts. Stretching and breathing during pregnancy are two of the most important exercises to give a stronger vitality to babies and to your health as well as you carry a life inside you. Yogic breathing will help you find comfort, peace, and ease of mind. Yogic stretching will give you a stronger body as preparation for childbirth. Let us take a look at how pregnant moms could properly do prenatal yoga at home.
How to Practice Prenatal of Postnatal Yoga at Home
Search for the Most Relaxing Part of the House
Breathe in and breathe out. Feel the warmth or coolness of the air around the house. Since yoga is a form of motivational exercise, you need to execute it in a place where you feel relaxed, soothed, and comfortable. It may be inside your bedroom, in the living room, or perhaps in your balcony or garden. Wherever you feel that your spirit can be at ease, execute your yoga there.
Read and Practice the Proper Yoga Positions for Each Trimester
Consider learning the proper yoga positions for each trimester. The baby is growing and that means that his/her needs are also changing. Take time to read or consult a prenatal yoga expert. Do not just rely on what you see on exercising television channels, but you have to carefully understand the complexities of performing such activity as the baby starts to grow bigger. Consult your physician too. You have to be informed of your condition to better assess what position is okay and what is not. Ask for some assistance and do not put your babies at stake.
Know the Do’s and Don’ts of Prenatal Yoga
Since you are going to conduct the exercise just right at your home, there are several do’s and don’ts that you must not leave unnoticed. Being pregnant must not limit you to sleeping and eating. Breathing and stretching are two of the most important exercises that a pregnant woman needs to do. It has been proven that most moms who practice yoga before, during, and after childbirth are experiencing easy and convenient delivery. Medical experts and physicians are recommending the execution of prenatal yoga to strengthen a woman’s bones and muscles and improve blood circulation for the baby’s vitality.
Are you pregnant and looking for an exercise to stay fit while at home? You may try prenatal yoga which offers many health benefits for you and your babies. However, before considering this kind of physical activity, you must gather first all prenatal yoga information and safety tips to maximize its welfare for your pregnancy.
What Are the Benefits of Prenatal Yoga?
Prenatal yoga is a moderate form of exercise which involves focused breathing, mental centring, and stretching. It is believed to be safe for pregnant women who have no yoga experience or done little before. It is recommended to do prenatal yoga after the first trimester of pregnancy. Below are among of its benefits:
- Sleep Improvement
- Lesser anxiety and stress
- Reduced preterm labor and pregnancy-induced conditions that delay baby’s growth
- Strengthens and tones muscles for giving birth
- Supports posture and enhances blood circulation
What Are the Safety Tips For Prenatal Yoga?
Having apt knowledge on how to protect your and your baby’s safety is important in yoga. Mother-to-be should seek the advice of their prenatal health-care provider to discuss their medical history and possible health risks of yoga to their pregnancy. Realistic goals must be set to achieve the real benefits of this exercise and determine the frequency of workout and poses to be done. Furthermore, pregnant women should not overdo the exercise to avoid unwanted risks and bad effects.
After considering these safety tips in yoga, you are now ready to do the exercise at home. So, it is really safe to do it especially on your own?
Practicing yoga at home is said to be a safe activity for mothers carrying their beloved and precious babies provided that they are equipped with enough knowledge about the do’s and don’ts. Pregnant women should have the right equipment including chair, two folded blankets, and yoga strap. They should also have comfortable clothing that would allow them to move and stretch easily.
Prenatal yoga could be practiced at any hard flooring. You just need to allot more space for your mat while performing different poses. Mother-to-be can also practice yoga near the television and DVD player. They can purchase CD or DVD for yoga music that would add up to their wonderful feeling while exercising and relaxing. Create your own routine provided that the positions are just right for you and your baby’s needs.
Keep in mind that practicing prenatal yoga requires self-discipline and proper training. Just remember to be safe for yourself and your baby whether you do it at home or in a yoga school. It’s good for you! You can now improve the bond with your baby and reduce the stress during pregnancy!
Selecting a partner for you and your baby’s over-all vitality is the most crucial part. We are all aware that attending a prenatal yoga class is one option or method to strengthen the immune system and muscles of a pregnant woman and protect as well the beautiful life inside her tummy. Spiritual disciple is also the term for prenatal yoga. This does not help pregnant moms physically, but it helps them achieve the utmost satisfaction on several life aspects – physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. Maintaining a good meditation while in the midst of pregnancy is very essential.
Here, we are going to discuss some points to ponder before you enter a prenatal yoga class. Seeking for an expert’s help regarding the proper execution of prenatal yoga exercises is important. From all walks of life, yoga is needed to avoid harmful environmental and natural effects to the body.
How Can I Search for the Best Prenatal Yoga Class?
Do not overlook the value of using the power of the internet. It might be very hazardous for pregnant moms but it does not mean that you need to do it and spend too much time in front of your monitor. Ask for a family member’s help or assistance. There are several prenatal yoga classes that are being advertised online. Plus, you could visit the nearest yoga centers in your area. Ask and talk to your physician about your current condition and they could let you know which proper class you may attend.
Attending yoga class or even doing it right at the comfort of your homes is one of the most important recommendations of physicians to pregnant women.
Yoga instructors are experts in the said field. You could let them know about your condition and your health status and they can identify your needs immediately in practicing yoga per se. Prenatal yoga classes have different styles and structures along the way. But, to better complement both the execution of the yoga exercises to your body needs, getting useful tips from the experts is absolutely necessary.
Prenatal yoga contributes a lot of positive aura and effects to a woman’s vitality. The excellence of a certain yoga class depends on the effectiveness of yoga instructors. Thus, socializing with other pregnant moms during the class fosters a better feeling and sense of community for child-carrying women. Thus, prenatal yoga classes eliminate anxiety and depression among pregnant moms. Know your limitations too and equip yourselves with enough knowledge about how prenatal yoga works for your body.
You wouldn’t want to add up more pain to your physical strength during pregnancy, would you? Practicing prenatal yoga is the best way to relieve yourself from back pains, muscle tensions, and abnormal heart rate that might badly affect the baby inside you. Doing a prenatal yoga will make a pregnant woman feel more comfortable about her pregnancy not just because it can build a stronger body against pains, but because it can positively pamper their emotional and mental aspects too.
In this article, we are going to tackle the importance of practicing a safe prenatal yoga or exercise. We will highlight as well the healthy benefits that doing such activity could offer pregnant women.
There are also several yoga classes where pregnant moms could attend to. They have wide variety of options with regards to what kind of yoga exercise suits your condition. All yoga class instructors are experts when it comes to the proper execution of each exercise or position. They will let you know the best approaches in practicing yoga.
Best Practices and Precautions in Practicing Prenatal Yoga
There are different pregnancy periods or stages. In executing prenatal exercises, there is a so called trimester-by-trimester guideline. This means that the yoga practice will gradually increase as the division of child delivery stage (after the first, second, and third months) gets nearer or closer. As the baby grows, the ideal form of exercise to be done would still be based on the current condition of the pregnant mom. Here are some of the best practices and precautions in doing prenatal yoga as the child delivery stage gets nearer.
Do’s and Don’ts in Prenatal Yoga
- Side stretching can help reduce the heavy feeling in your abdomen. The overcrowded mood can be narrowed by doing a gate pose.
- The cat-cow position or doing a head down back to the belly can help get the desired position of the baby before the delivery stage arrives. This position is also recommended by physicians to pregnant moms if the delivery needs to be extended due to the existing or current position of the baby. This is to secure the ease of child delivery as well.
- Do not overstretch. It can make a pregnant woman’s ligaments and joints to soften or weaken due to overstretching.
- Do not twist your belly during the yoga exercise. It can lead to the compression of internal organs and worst, it can affect the uterus.
- Do not breathe fast like in any other exercise schemes. You may practice birthing breath instead.
Yoga is one of the safest, easiest and best exercises during pregnancy. This is a natural method that prepares pregnant women for motherhood and childbirth. When you practice yoga diligently it ensures better strength, vitality for your growing body and also aligns your body with smooth and graceful movements. At the same time it ensures and develops positive thoughts, awareness, acceptance of the surroundings, peace, and tranquility and harmonizes all family members too. Yoga teaches excellent breathing and relaxation methods that you can use during pains and labor-time thus, reducing feelings of unease and stiffness in your upper and lower back which is a common pain endured by most pregnant women due to the baby’s weight.
It is recommended to find an instructor who understands the needs of a pregnant body. Prenatal yoga classes assist you and teach you safe practices during all stages of pregnancy. More so, always consult your doctor or midwife if yoga will be beneficial for you or not. In some cases, if a pregnant woman suffers from high blood pressure, or has any other pregnancy-related complications, it is vital to get your doctors go-ahead before starting or continuing the yoga sessions.
Once you are in your third trimester, you may find prenatal yoga more tiring than you did in your second trimester. This could be because of your growing belly and heaviness. Normal routine things like tying your own shoe-laces, walking up the stairs or turning over in bed may not seem that normal anymore, in fact it could all feel even more awkward than before. Thus, you can now lighten up with your yoga poses, especially ones that compress the belly, but that does not mean you have to stop doing it at all. You can do prenatal yoga as long as you feel up to it and do take extra precaution when you near your due date.
Working women may not have a chance to take up prenatal yoga exercises until after their maternity leave. They need not to worry as they too can do some light, gentle yoga postures and stretches.
Modification of your yoga postures is a must in your third trimester as it may not be possible for you to deeply take a pose. Again you can just relax and use some assistance like props such as a block or chair. Make sure to balance your legs to hip-width distance to adjust your swollen belly. Of course, because of your growing belly, you will feel the shift of center of gravity, so take care and slowly go in and out of a posture. Avoid postures that need your knees to be higher than your pelvis during the last two months of your pregnancy. This could make it difficult to balance your baby’s position in the uterus. By the third trimester you should have made a special bond with your baby growing inside, so while you do your poses, intuitively work-upon the needs of your child and your body.
Being Mentally Prepared:
Yoga not only helps you at a physical level, but also prepares you at a mental level wherein you are ready for childbirth. This is because yoga teaches you to listen to your body as well as to be less anticipating during childbirth. All of this is done by paying attention in your breathing techniques, like taking long deep breaths through the nose and exhaling through the mouth.
Adaptations during Third Trimester:
It is recommended to decrease the count of inversions when you are nearing 36 weeks of pregnancy. Avoid any poses that may alter the baby’s position in the wrong way as by this time the baby will be moving into the birth position. Unless your baby is breech you should avoid with exercises like Bridge Pose and Legs Up the Wall as these postures can help the baby to turn. Added to that poses that are done on all fours also aid in turning a breach child. Squats are considered to be safe until the end of your pregnancy, except if there is a risk of pre-term labor. Downward Dogs pose is a mild inversion, substituting hands and knees pose which may be avoided as well.
Normal Precautionary Measures:
Throughout your pregnancy, the body triggers a hormone called relaxin, which softens your inflexible parts (like bones and ligaments) to make space and accommodate the baby and prepare for child birth too. However, overstretching can make the softened ligaments very vulnerable, so you should avoid going deeper into a posture unless you are accustomed to it, as overstretching the ligament could lead to severe injuries that may not heal easily. Last but not the least; be especially watchful of your knees too.
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Tel Aviv — A growing gap between the size of the Orthodox Jewish population in Israel and the number of women who are receiving exemption from military service on religious grounds has prompted a move in the Knesset to clamp down on those who may be lying about their beliefs to avoid army service.
In recent months, the Israel Defense Forces has employed private investigators to track some women who were exempt from military service. The IDF concluded that some were lying about their piety, including some who were caught breaking religious Sabbath laws.
An IDF spokesman said that of those getting exemptions on religious grounds “many of these girls take advantage of the IDF’s current policy in order to dodge their IDF duty.”
Military exemptions for men are limited to Haredi who are studying full time in yeshiva. But with women, both the Haredi and Modern Orthodox communities tend not to serve, although many Modern Orthodox women choose to perform civil national service instead. Women who want an exemption on religious grounds need only inform a rabbi in a rabbinical court that they are observant, and then they are freed from service without any conditions about how they must use the time they would have spent in uniform.
In recent years, a discrepancy has arisen between the size of the observant population and the percentage of 18-year-old women who are supposedly religious. Around one in five Israelis is an Orthodox Jew, but some 36% of all women due for enlistment claim exemptions on religious grounds, prompting concerns in the IDF that receiving exemptions has become too easy. An IDF spokesman told the Forward that the military is witnessing a “widespread phenomenon where many girls who are not religious — and in some cases, aren’t even Jewish — are exempt from their service based on their claims that they are religious.”
Currently, once the IDF has given a woman a dispensation, it cannot reverse it, even if officials find evidence to suggest that it was granted on false pretenses. The IDF’s only recourse is to bring suit, which it’s usually reluctant to do, taking the view that it has little to gain.
But in early December, the government’s legislation committee approved a bill that would empower the IDF to challenge an exempted woman until her 20th birthday and bring her before a panel of military officials and rabbis to prove her piety. If the panel concludes that she received her exemption on false pretenses, it would have the power to draft her.
The bill has emerged as the IDF’s top brass is voicing its concerns about the disintegration of the draft culture in Israel. In early December, IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi told a conference of school principals that he is worried that there could unfold a “reality in which perhaps only a few will enlist in the IDF.” This also comes as the IDF is opening doors that had been closed to women. Walda Boldesko, 22, recently became one of the first women ordnance officers in an IDF combat unit, and some women have begun taking part in reserve duty.
One of the proponents of the bill, Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman, who heads the government’s legislation committee, regards it as a common-sense move to remedy abuse of an existing law. His spokeswoman, Tamar Steyner, told the Forward that he “thinks that a girl who avoids the army by claiming to be religious when she is not raises a very serious situation.”
The main religious-Zionist faction in the Knesset’s Habayit Hayehudi, or Jewish Home, a coalition party, agrees. Party chairman Daniel Hershkowitz told the Forward that a woman’s avoidance of army service on false pretenses “is a criminal violation and should be enforced as any criminal violation.”
Theoretically, given that the bill is a government initiative, it should pass easily when it comes up for two Knesset votes early next year. But the Haredi parties inside the coalition, United Torah Judaism and Shas, are determined to defeat it, and without their combined strength of 16 seats, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would lose his majority in the Knesset. A United Torah Judaism insider told the Forward that the party is threatening to create a coalition crisis if the bill goes ahead.
When it comes to drafting men, Haredi rabbis have argued that it is inappropriate for their followers, but they have not advanced the argument that it is wrong, period. In contrast, they consider it unacceptable in principle to draft women into the army, meaning that their objection holds for any woman, religious or secular.
As a consequence, Haredi politicians have reluctantly accepted that there is a female draft in Israel, but they stand firmly opposed to any modification to make it wider — even if by just enforcing existing rules. “It’s the status quo,” Yerach Tucker, spokesman for United Torah Judaism lawmaker Moshe Gafni, said. “There is a coalition agreement not to touch the status quo. Today this, and tomorrow something else — we don’t want to touch it.”
United Torah Judaism, he said, objects to the idea that a woman should be subjected to checks on her observance if she receives an exemption. He said that being exempted from army service should be the right of women who are not completely observant but who have a concern for modesty — what Gafni termed the “traditional sector.” In the Knesset, he called the dispute “an ideological battle against traditionalists.”
Shas spokesman Roi Lachmanovitch told the Forward that his party fears that, in effect, the army will end up passing judgment on a woman’s piety, and that the rabbis on the panels will be sidelined.
As Haredi lawmakers are voicing fury over the bill, some lawmakers from the opposition Kadima party are saying that it does not go far enough. Kadima’s Israel Hasson is advancing a rival bill that would require women who want exemptions to prove that they studied in a religious school for at least three years.
This has raised a new objection from United Torah Judaism — that newly religious women could end up being drafted. “A ba’alat teshuva [newly religious woman] who did not go to school in a religious place and who is new to being Haredi could be forced to serve,” Tucker said.
But Hasson said that an objective criterion such as proof of religious schooling is necessary because if the IDF tries to establish whether people are genuinely religious by a less clearly defined standard, it will open up a can of worms. “In the 62 years, the State of Israel hasn’t been able to decide who is a Jew, and now the army is expected to decide who is a religious Jew,” he said.
Contact Nathan Jeffay at [email protected]
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Posted on | April 4, 2012 by J.C. von Krempach, J.D. |
Allegedly it was Winston Churchill who said: “Never believe statistics you haven’t made up yourself.”
The EU Fundamental Rights Agency provides us these days with a brilliant example how to use bogus surveys and statistics in order to manipulate the public opinion. And while doing so, they provide the 70%-government-owned bogus NGO “ILGA Europe” with yet another money injection…. clever, isn’t it?
The following is taken from the website of European Dignity Watch.
EU Fundamental Rights Agency fabricates victims of LGBT “discrimination” in a new survey April 04, 2012
The EU Fundamental Rights Agency has decided to spend €370.000 of taxpayers’ money on a new LGBT survey on ‘discrimination against LGBT people’ in Europe. Given the way the survey is designed the result is preset: Almost every LGBT person faces ‘discrimination’. The claims are predictable: laws need to be changed, privileges granted, dissenting opinion prosecuted as ‘hate speech’. Now the ‘facts’ have to be fabricated. FRA and ILGA Europe have taken up work.
In a few months from now, the EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) will publish an alarming report, affirming that the rampant discrimination of homosexuals and lesbians is one of the most serious social problems in the EU, and that radical legislative measures are necessary to address it. We may safely assume that the report is already in the course of being drafted. What is still missing, however, are the “facts” on which the report will be based. These still need to be fabricated.
To this end, the Agency has commissioned a “European LGBT Survey” that is carried out by the market research institute Gallup jointly with the controversial LGBT pressure group “ILGA-Europe”.
ILGA Europe is controversial because it claims to be an independent “non-governmental organization”, while in actual fact it receives roughly 70% of its funding from the European Commission, and additional funding from the Dutch government. The rest of the funding stems from three wealthy individuals (George Soros, Sigrid Rausing, and one anonymous donor). The “European LGBT Survey” provides yet another pretext for shovelling taxpayers’ money into ILGA’s pockets: according to the organization’s budget planning for 2012, “ILGA-Europe in partnership with Gallup has won the FRA tender in the amount of 370 000 Euros on conducting a survey on the discrimination and victimisation of LGBT people in the European Union.”
The survey can be found on the internet at:
A short glance suffices to understand that the purpose of the survey is not to find any real facts about real discrimination of real LGBT persons, but to provide for the FRA’s pre-fabricated report and political agenda a false appearance of “being founded on serious social research”. The speculation is that the public will be impressed by the alarming “facts and figures” the Agency is going to publish in its report, without anyone asking how these data were attained…
Just consider the following:
1. Only LGBT people are allowed to answer the questionnaire:
In any serious-minded survey, researchers would do their utmost to ensure that those participating in the survey are truly representative of the general population (in terms of age, sex, social status, education, religion, etc.) in order to capture the general perception of an issue in society. This would not prevent them to then analyse the answers given by a particular segment of society (e.g. LGBT people) and compare them to those given by the rest of the population. Indeed, such a comparison would have the merit of providing insight on how a given group’s self-perception compares to the way the group is perceived by the rest of society.
In the case of the “European LGBT Survey”, however, the opinions and experiences of the non-LGBT majority of society count for nothing. They are simply not allowed to participate. Whoever states that he is not LGBT gets the following message:
“Thank you for your willingness to participate in the survey, however, you are not within the target group of the survey, so you won’t be able to fill out the rest of the questionnaire. Many thanks for your interest in the European LGBT Survey!”
This means that from the very outset the survey has not the purpose of finding out the views and experiences of society in general, but only of LGBT people. Indeed, the opinions of LGBT people seem to be the one and only source of truth. Will anyone be surprised, then, that the result of this survey will be that “there is widespread discrimination against LGBT people”? Everyone knows that LGBT people generally view themselves as victims of discrimination, and it is hard to understand why 370.000 Euro must be spent on a Gallup survey to make this ground-breaking “discovery”.
It would be far more interesting to know whether the rest of society shares the perception of LGBT persons being victims of discrimination, or whether, as might well be the case, they view LGBT people as a particularly pushy pressure group in search for privileges that are difficult to justify. But such results, it appears, would not be useful for FRA and ILGA.
2. Only highly motivated “LGBT victims” are likely to respond to the survey:
The Survey not only excludes all non-LGBTs, but it also de facto excludes all LGBT persons who do not consider themselves victims of discrimination.
The Survey contains about fifty questions. Even if a respondent answers all questions very quickly and without taking time to reflect, it takes certainly not less than half an hour to complete the questionnaire. But it is hard to imagine that any LGBT person would spend half an hour or more to fill out a questionnaire, only to inform the FRA that he/she does not believe to have been a victim of discrimination. In other words, only persons who are highly motivated to convey the message that they have been discriminated against are likely to participate the survey.
It is thus easy to predict that, based on this survey, FRA will soon inform us that “99,9 % of LGBT persons report to have been victims of discrimination”. The way this survey is organized, any other outcome would be truly surprising.
3. The survey is anonymous and not based on verifiable facts:
The survey is anonymous and there is nothing to prevent one and the same person from replying to the questionnaire twenty times or more. In addition, when respondents are asked to report their experiences of “discrimination”, they are not asked to provide any verifiable facts. This means that the survey could, in the worst of cases, be used by a small group of activists to report a huge quantity of completely fictitious incidents of “discrimination”. But even in the best of cases, this survey would inform us of the participants’ sentiments and perceptions rather than of any real discrimination.
This is in stark contrast to the more facts-based approach chosen by other researchers. For example, the “Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians” has recently published an Annual Report for 2011, in which it meticulously lists more than 600 incidents in which Christians have been the victims of discrimination, harassment, and violence. For each of these cases, all of which have occurred within the last year, the report indicates time, place, and the essential facts. This makes allegations credible and verifiable.
With regard to the discrimination allegedly suffered by LGBT people it must be observed that already in 2008 the FRA produced a lengthy report in which it deplored the high incidence of discrimination against homosexuals. But the data collected from official sources (e.g. from police or judiciary instance) did not at all support that conclusion; indeed it rather seemed to demonstrate that crimes or harassment that had a clearly ‘homophobic’ background were rather infrequent. The FRA sought to explain this discrepancy with the statement that “fewer registered complaints clearly does not mean that there is less discrimination”, hinting at the possibility of “underreporting”. But even that appeared a rather unlikely explanation, given that of the few cases in which complaints about “homophobic discrimination” had been filed, most had been dismissed as unfounded by the competent authorities, which must rather be seen as evidence for “overreporting”. This provoked one commentator to scathingly ask “what the statistics would have to look like in order for FRA to conclude that ‘homophobia’ currently is not a major problem” , and to suggest that “no data and no statistics would ever be allowed to lead to that (unwelcome?) conclusion. From the way statistics are used (here) it can safely be concluded that the contemporary concern over ‘homophobia’ is completely unrelated to any verifiable facts and figures. Much of this homophobia talk results from an ideology that generates its own reality.”
The “European LGBT Survey” seems to be part of this scheme. It offers no account of real discrimination or harassment suffered by real people, but informs about the perceptions and sentiments of people who, if they really exist, prefer to remain anonymous. This is not a sufficient basis to justify any policy choices.
4. The questionnaire uses suggestive questions. Some of them are out of bounds.
Last but not least, the questions contained in the questionnaire deserve criticism for the way in which they are drafted. They are suggestive questions, which are likely to direct the respondent to give answers that he would not give spontaneously:
“What would allow you to be more comfortable living as a lesbian, gay or bisexual person in the country where you live?”
Answer 1: “Anti-discrimination policies referring to sexual orientation at the workplace.”
Answer 2: “Measures implemented at school to respect lesbian, gay and bisexual people.”
Answer 3: “Public figures in politics, business, sports, etc. openly speaking in support of lesbian, gay and bisexual people.”
Each answer can be ranked from “Strongly disagree” to “Stronly agree”.
The question is not open (i.e. it does not allow the respondent to answer what he thinks that would be helpful), but pushes him to give his assent to “anti-discrimination policies” and “measures implemented at school”. However, no explanation is provided as to what these “policies” and “measures” consist of. In other words, FRA will ultimately be able to quote the Survey as lending support to whatever policy or measures it may want to propose.
Some of the questions are, in addition, revelatory of a political agenda that by far exceeds the legal competences of the European Union:
“Better acceptance of differences in sexual orientation by religious leaders.”
Indeed, the above question seems to suggest that FRA wants to regulate the content of religious doctrines, or to outlaw all religions that do not comply with the Agency’s own views on homosexuality. In this way, one has reason to wonder whether the Agency, whose task it is to protect fundamental rights, is not in danger of undermining one of the fundamental rights (i.e. freedom of religion) that it should protect.
Finally, some of the suggested solutions to ease the situation of LGBT people clearly are outside the competence of the EU and even have nothing to do with “discrimination”:
“The possibility to marry and/or register a partnership”
“The possibility to foster/adopt children”
“Recognition of same-sex partnerships across the European Union”
Marriage and adoption is not a competence of the EU but of Member States. It seems hard to justify that the EU finances (through the FRA) a Survey that suggests policies that are outside its competences.
The Survey currently carried out by Gallup and ILGA at the request of the FRA is a scam and has no credibility whatsoever. Its approach is ideologically biased and hopelessly unscientific, and its apparent purpose is to manipulate the public opinion, passing off the opinions of a small but noisy pressure group as social “facts”. It is regrettable that the Fundamental Rights Agency has decided to spend 370.000 Euro of taxpayers’ money on such an absurd project, and that none of the supervisory organs of the Agency has prevented this from happening. The money could have been used for better purposes. But now that the survey is going to be carried out, we should at least not commit the error of taking it seriously.
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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Mobile Clinic Brings Health Services to Seat Pleasant's Uninsured
Seat Pleasant, Md.
—The Governor's Wellmobile Program, a fleet of four 33-foot long vans equipped as traveling health clinics, opened it newest location May 1 at the John E. Feggans Center in Seat Pleasant, Md. The clinic plans to offer services to uninsured members of the community from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. the first Thursday of every month initially, and eventually increase to twice monthly visits.
“With one in five residents uninsured and geographically cut off from surrounding population centers by the beltway on one side and the Anacostia on the other, Seat Pleasant is in urgent need of basic prevention, education, and primary health care,” said. Rebecca Wiseman, PhD, RN, Wellmobile Program director and assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Nursing. “But the main reason we are here is that the community has worked long and hard to make it happen.”
The Governor's Wellmobile Program has been operated by the University of Maryland School of Nursing since 1994 through a combination of state and private funding. It uses family nurse practitioners and graduate-level nursing students to provide primary health care services to underserved and uninsured residents of Central Maryland, Western Maryland, and along Maryland's Eastern Shore. In 2007 alone, the program saw more than 7,000 patients and saved the state over $2.7 million in averted emergency room fees.
The idea of extending Wellmobile services to Seat Pleasant grew out of the City of Seat Pleasant-University of Maryland Health Partnership. The Partnership, launched in 1999 with the University's Department of Public and Community Health and since expanded to other academic units, focuses on providing health-related services for residents while creating learning and research opportunities for students and faculty.
“It's tragic that in this city of 5,000 there is not a single physician,” said Dr. Jerrold Greenberg, professor emeritus of the University of Maryland School of Public Health, and a driving force behind the project. “Barriers to health care often result in people not getting the care they need. By eliminating the barriers of cost and the need to travel, it is expected that more people in Seat Pleasant will obtain the services they so desperately need and deserve.”
The Wellmobile will function as the hub of a community partnership that takes a holistic approach to health and can offer a broad array of coordinated resources for Seat Pleasant residents through collaboration among various government and non-profit entities. For example, Wellmobile representatives will work with the Prince George's County Health Department to offer HIV/STD testing—a priority given the city's large adolescent population. Additional services will be provided in conjunction with the School of Public Health, the School of Nursing, the University of Maryland Baltimore County, and other entities.
“This is a major accomplishment for our city considering the challenges we are facing in Prince George's County,” said Seat Pleasant Mayor Eugene W. Grant. “The Wellmobile will improve the overall health of our community and reduce their dependence on the hospital emergency room as a provider of last resort.”
For more information about the Wellmobile Program, contact Dr. Rebecca Wiseman, 410-706-5395.
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.nursing.umaryland.edu/news/1972
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| 0.951399 | 674 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Climate scientist Hans Schellnhuber is threatened with a noose while giving a lecture. (link to the video). Are scientists our new enemies, the target of a new crusade?
At the beginning of the third century A.D., Tertullianus, champion of Christianity against Paganism, gave us a startling revelation of the breakdown between the old and the new cultural vision. He wrote something that we remember today as, "Credo quia absurdum" that is, "I believe it because it is absurd." These are not exactly Tertullian's words, but this sentence nicely summarizes his thought. Tertullian was using absurdity as a weapon against the old paradigm. He was an apostate, a revolutionary, a subversive.
Rethinking about those ancient times, it is impressive to note how similar they are to the paradigm breakdown of our times which is often expressed in terms of what we call "conspiracy theories". Up to no long ago, the breakdown against the old cultural vision was expressed in complex and structured ideological forms: communism or socialism for instance. But what we are seeing now is nothing structured or complex. It is simply the denial of everything that could give the impression of being "scientifically demonstrated". From chemtrails to climategate, we see the spreading of an attitude based on the concept that "if it is science, then it is a hoax." If Tertullian were alive today, his search for the creative absurdity would be expresses, perhaps, maintaining that the planes flying above us are spreading terrible poisons over the atmosphere or that the idea of that human produced CO2 is warming the planet is an elaborate hoax designed to frighten us.
It is weird; sure. But for everything that exists, there is a reason for it to exist. That is true also for conspiracy theories, now and in old times. At the time of Tertullian, the material prosperity of Rome and of the Romans was often seen as the result of the favor of the Pagan Gods. When this prosperity disappeared, it was a shock: the old Gods didn't favor Rome any more. The result was a movement of ideas that saw the ancient gods as "evil," just as those people who kept worshiping them. We remember the story of the pagan philosopher, Hypatia, killed and dismembered by an angry mob. That happened a couple of centuries after Tertullian, when the break between the new and the old paradigm was not any more the domain of isolated subversives; it had become a wave of rage - a true tsunami.
Today, we find symptoms of exactly this kind of breakdown; of a tsunami of rage mounting in our society. Think of our prosperity: we tend to attribute it not to Pagan Gods but to our technological prowess. We worship the ability of scientists to create new and better machinery. We tell each other that any and every problem can be solved by scientists inventing a clever way out. Not enough oil? Let's drill deeper, invent better biofuels, create nuclear fusion in a bottle. Not enough food? Let's invent new fertilizers, genetically modified organisms, new pesticides. Pollution? Let's have new and better filters for car exhausts and incinerator smokestacks. Cancer? Soon we'll have the magic pill that cures it.
But now something different is happening, something unheard before. The scientists are telling us that there are no quick fixes for problems such as resource depletion and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. That the more we grow, the more the problem gets serious. That we risk wiping out humankind from the planet by doing exactly the same things that we have been so proud of being able to do, so far. That we need to change our ways before it is too late.
It is the complete breakdown of the old paradigm. For most of us, it is totally disorienting to hear that we did everything wrong, and to hear it told by very people, the scientists, who had shown us how to do what we have been doing. That can only be seen as a betrayal and there is no wonder that the rage mounts against those treacherous, unfaithful, evil scientists. Such stories as the "Climategate" are signs of this rage. It is a terrible rage, something that cannot be explained except by the loss of a common frame of thought. It is a society that is losing the master-pupil relation. That is, losing wisdom, sapience, auctoritas.
When people lose wisdom, the easiest way out appears to them to find an enemy, Our new enemies seem to be the scientists. We haven't seen yet climatologists being lynched by angry mobs, as it happened to Hypatia long ago - but we seem to be getting close to something like that. The rage of those people whom we call "conspiracy theorists" is still at the formless stage of denial of everything, but it may well develop in forms that we might describe as some sort of a new crusade where, this time, the enemies are the scientists. It would not be the first time that scientists become the target of political movements, from the times of McCarthyism in the US to the "Cultural Revolution" in China. Those movements eventually subsided, but maybe we haven't seen the anti-science rage appearing in full force, yet.
The transformation of the Roman Society from paganism to Christianity took centuries and involved all sorts of violent struggles until it settled into a new paradigm and a new sapience. A thousand years after Tertullian, the world saw that flowering of thought that we call scholastic philosophy; which involved rediscovering the old sapience and merging it with the new. We are seeing today the start of a new cycle and, in time, we will have to rediscover a new sapience and a new auctoritas. What we see today obscurely, as in a mirror, then we'll see face to face.
(thanks to Ludovico Pernazza for pointing out a mistake in this text; now corrected)
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://cassandralegacy.blogspot.com/2011/10/i-believe-it-because-it-is-absurd.html
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BREAKING: Reed Fought Workers for Corporations as Attorney (UPDATE 1)
By Matthew Cardinale, News Editor, The Atlanta Progressive News (November 12, 2009)
(APN) ATLANTA -- Former State Sen. Kasim Reed may have received the endorsement of Atlanta's biggest labor union, but what these labor leaders may not know is that as an attorney, the Mayoral candidate has defended big corporations against cases being pursued by apparently victimized workers, including compensation disputes, sex discrimination, race discrimination, and violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Atlanta Progressive News used the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) database to identify federal cases where Kasim Reed served as an attorney for corporate defendants; he is listed as Mohammed Kasim Reed [his full name], an attorney at Paul Hastings Janofsky & Walker. After working for Paul Hastings, Reed went to work for Holland & Knight.
According to a 2006 article from the Black Commentator, the job description for Mr. Reed published on Holland & Knight's website read: "M. Kasim Reed represents employers in employment law matters, including sex, age and disability discrimination, civil rights litigation, and contract-related disputes
He has extensive experience representing employers before various state and federal courts, as well as before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and other federal and state administrative agencies."
Incidentally, since that time all references for Reed have been apparently removed from Holland & Knight's website, which is unusual, especially when a firm should be proud to have a former employee running for Mayor of Atlanta.
One of the most controversial clients that Reed represented was the national restaurant chain Cracker Barrel, which historically would neither serve Black customers nor employ homosexuals.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People filed an amicus brief on behalf of two workers, Serena McDermott and Jennifer Gentry, who represented a class of workers at Cracker Barrel.
This essentially means Reed went up against the NAACP to protect Cracker Barrel.
The suit was "filed under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and was served on Cracker Barrel on May 3, 1999. The MCDERMOTT case is styled a collective action, alleges certain violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act and seeks recovery of unpaid and overtime wages," according to an 8-K filing with the Securities Exchange Commission by Cracker Barrel obtained by APN.
"On March 17, 2000, the Court granted the plaintiffs' motion in the MCDERMOTT unpaid wage case to send notice to a provisional class of plaintiffs. The Court defined the provisional class as all persons employed as servers and all second-shift hourly employees at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store restaurants since January 4, 1996," according to the filing.
"McDermott and Gentry allege that certain tipped hourly employees were required to wait 'off the clock,' without being paid the minimum wage or overtime compensation," according to Allbusiness.com.
In a second case, Reed defended construction company Parsons Brinckerhoff against a sex discrimination case brought by Patricia Kay Wilson of Roswell, Georgia.
In a third case, Reed defended real estate investment firm Hayman Company against a race discrimination case brought by Deloris Swann.
Previously, APN reported that during the Spring 2009 quarter, Reed received more campaign contributions from real estate interests, developers, and construction companies than any other candidate for Mayor including Lisa Borders, and more than twice as much as Norwood.
Perhaps Reed's record of defending real estate, developer, and construction interests in court is part of what made him such an attractive candidate to those interests. It should be noted that Reed's corporate donations, including those in the above sectors, came from all over the US, including cities like New York, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia.
In a fourth case, Reed defended ATC Health Care against a claim brought by Marjorie Smith, alleging ATC's violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
In an additional case, Reed defended music industry giant BMG against a copyright infringement claim brought by Willie James Baker.
This is probably just a small sample of similar cases where Reed defended corporate interests against apparently victimized workers, as this is merely his federal cases while working at Paul Hastings, and does not include any Holland & Knight cases.
EDITOR'S NOTE: A reader emailed concerned about our reference to Reed as "Mohammed Kasim Reed" in a paragraph about his listing in PACER. The reference was made in case anyone wants to replicate our research on PACER; they will not find any references to "Kasim Reed" on PACER. The reference was not in any way intended to be racially charged, but simply a reference of fact.
About the author:
Matthew Cardinale is the News Editor for Atlanta Progressive News and is reachable at [email protected].
Revised syndication policy:
Our syndicaton policy was updated June 2007. For more information on how to syndicate Atlanta Progressive News content, please visit: http://www.atlantaprogressivenews.com/extras/syndicate.html
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It’s only a matter of hours and the Olympics Games kick off with one of the most anticipated (at least in cycling circles) principles: the road cycling. The race is going to be the pinnacle of the season, both in terms of its length (over 250 km) and it how fierce the battle will be fought for the coveted Olympic gold medal. As everything that could be said have been said in the last couple of weeks in every corner of the internet, we pulled together a few interesting and maybe lesser known facts about the race.
Photo: nelson oliveira / twitter
Most riders will ride on their usual bikes, the ones they ride on during the season. This will mean that certain teams will have an eclectic selection of bikes while the riders will be wearing the same jersey. A good example is Belgium, where Greg Van Avermaet and Philipp Gilbert will be on their BMC bikes, Tom Boonen and Stijn Vandenbergh will ride his Specialized while Jurgen Roelandts will be in the saddle of his Ridley.
Photo: @SophieSmith86 / twitter
Specialized decided to spice things up a bit and gave an orange Venge to all sponsored riders – it certainly is a distinct colour!
Team GB bikes
Photo: Cycling Weekly
Team GB opted to rode these strange looking bikes and they did so for a good reason. The bike was based on the bikes the track team has been using for years now and UK Sports Institute tweaked the bikes to accommodate gears and brakes while keeping it as aerodynamic as possible. The bikes might look a bit ugly but they are a part of the famous ‘marginal gains’ strategy, making sure that no stone was left unturned before the all important race on Saturday.
The brand police have not spared the cycling events. There are very strict rules that regulate logo allowances for bikes. A few example:
- One identification of the manufacturer is permitted on each side of either the stem, the handlebars OR the extensions, IF different from the manufacturer of the frame. Only the identification of the manufacturer of the stem, respectively the handlebars or extensions, is permitted.
- All crank sets may carry the identification as generally used on products sold through the retail trade during the period of 12 months prior to the Games.
- One identification of the manufacturer and one model name is permitted on each side of the frame. Only the identification of the manufacturer of the frame and the name of the frame model are permitted.
So expect bikes to be less busy visually than normally this weekend.
What does a track cyclist do among the starters of the road race? The culprit is a weird UCI rule that forces any rider doing the keirin race on the track to ride another event in the games. Normally, that other event would take place on the track but the German and the French teams didn’t pick up on this rule until it was too late and they had to shoehorn these ‘extra’ riders into other disciplines’ teams. While the German Hulk, Forsterman will give mountain biking racing a go, Bourgain has to start the race tomorrow or else he forfeits his right to participate at the keirin. Since his race efforts normally last for a minute, he will abandon the race tomorrow within minutes, as soon as the peloton rides past the Buckingham Palace. One can only hope that the UCI will sort this our for the next Games.
Photo: @TobyDeFrance / Twitter
Since the departure of Fiat from cycling sponsorship, Skoda have become the dominant car provider of pro teams – but not at the Games. All teams have been issued with BMW 3 Tourers, which will be an interesting sight, only Saxo Bank uses BMWs and they usually opt for X1s and X3s as team support vehicles.
Nationalities vs Teams
Photo by Brendan A. Ryan
While cyclists would ride for their country tomorrow, it will be interesting to see how (if at all) team loyalties will play a role. The most prominent example is probably Bernie Eisel who himself isn’t likely to win the race, therefore he might be willing to help out Cavendish and Team GB here and there. The same applies to Rigoberto Uran, who also rides for Team Sky – his help can come useful during those nine, cruel laps on Box Hill. It’s probably safe to say that no other team can match and rival Team GB’s unity and probably strength. The Belgian team is very strong on paper but it’s a question how much they will be willing (or able to) help each other. We’ll have the answer to these questions by this time tomorrow. Until then: GO CAV, GO TEAM GB!!
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<urn:uuid:c1673f84-75a2-42b1-9e6c-f9e5319f898c>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://blog.evanscycles.com/road_cycling/road-cycling-at-the-games/
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| 0.957879 | 979 | 1.828125 | 2 |
Detroit, Michigan is great city that can be greater.
The cliché is that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. In Detroit, we see the grass as emerald everywhere else and not only brown and dormant on our side of the fence, but that we have no grass at all. It is just not true. The city and its surrounding areas have so many great assets that we often do not appreciate. I believe that in southeast Michigan and possibly throughout all of Michigan, we have the greatest mass inferiority complex ever. We need to get over it. We need to embrace the many things that make our state and our cities great, face our shortcomings with the understanding that we can overcome them, and then boldly move forward to make our cities shine and our state second to none.
We have so much to be thankful for. We have one of the finest arts facilities in the country, if not the world, in the Detroit Institute of Arts. We have a premier destination for history in The Henry Ford. We have great architecture, great live theatres, professional teams in the four major sports, and other entertainment venues. Our state has a great coastline, over 11,000 inland lakes, and lush woodland. Michigan has an excellent university system and is the headquarters for many major companies. These are just a few of things that make cities and our state great.
As a state, we need to stop relying so heavily on the automobile, both for our livelihoods and for our own transportation system. We need to have comprehensive transportation plans that include the automobile and truck, must also invests heavily in rapid urban transit, high speed rail between major cities, and allows cars to share the road with bicycle and other forms of transportation.
Michigan is a great place to live and Detroit is the city that I love to live in. By applying urbanist principles to our city, we can make it an even better city to live in.
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.urbanismtoday.com/html/detroit.html
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| 0.96225 | 394 | 1.632813 | 2 |
As mentioned on this IP blog on 30 October 2008, a new Chinese patent law has been anticipated for some time. On 27 December the law was finally passed and it will come into force on 1 October 2009. Some of the most important changes seen from a European point of view will be summarized below.
The introduction of “Absolute Novelty” means that prior use, oral presentations and other non-printed publications, which have taken place outside China, may now also be considered when assessing the application. In addition, earlier filed but not yet published applications will now be relevant in the assessment of novelty, regardless of who has filed the application. Under the existing law the applicants own prior applications were disregarded in this respect.
Another important change is that parallel importing will now explicitly be allowed. This means that if the owner of a Chinese patent has sold a product in another country, the buyer can legally import it into China. Moreover, under the new law, the so-called “Bolar exemption” has been implemented and covers both medication and medical apparatuses. These may thus legally be used in experiments with the purpose of achieving a marketing authorization.
For many applicants it is normal practice to apply both for a patent and for a utility model in China. In this way it is possible to benefit both from the swift grant of the utility model and from the good protection achieved with a regular patent. Under the new law the utility model must be abandoned before the patent is granted to avoid double patenting.
Those performing research and development in China will also benefit from the fact that it will no longer be required to file a patent application in China before filing abroad. However, a so-called Secrecy Examination must now be requested, the details of which are not yet in place. Whereas the requirement in the existing law applied to Chinese companies only, the new law applies to all inventions made in China.
Design applications are also covered by the Chinese patent law and it has been decided to allow more than one design in each application on the condition that they are all incorporated in the same product. In return, the application must now contain a brief description of the design.
All in all, the new law will make the situation in China much more like the situation in Europe, and it has clearly been the intention of the legislators to make use of the system easier.
Vibeke Warberg Rohde, European Patent Attorney
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<urn:uuid:68736af7-ddc7-45da-86db-0307238172f1>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.awapatentipblog.com/2009/03/
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| 0.959518 | 492 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Resident Assistants (RAs) are the foundation of the Residence Life Program. RAs must be carefully selected from a pool of qualified candidates; the selection process has many steps to evaluate these candidates.
The first step to becoming an RA is the RA Application. The application contains several parts that help candidates introduce themselves to the professional Residence Life Staff. Each applicant must submit biographical information, answer several short essay questions, submit character references and provide a resume with cover letter.
After all applications are turned in, each applicant is required to attend an individual interview an Area Coordinator and two current RAs. These are real job interviews, and are often students' first contact with these specific members of the Residence Life Staff. It is important to be formal, practice for the interview and dress appropriately. This is the time that an applicant can advertise him/herself and ask questions about the position.
After the individual interview, all of the candidates must attend the group interview. The group interview is a morning-long event that places each candidate into problem-solving situations with other candidates. This is a time where staff members evaluate each candidate’s leadership skills and how each candidate responds in a group dynamic. The activities are usually fun, active and a bit less formal than the individual interviews.
After all candidates have completed these interviews and meet all other requirements, the professional Residence Life Staff discusses each candidate and decides on who to hire. Each candidate will receive a letter informing them of the decision made on their application. This decision can come in one of three forms:
1) the candidate will be offered the position and will be informed which area coordinator they will be working with
2) the candidate will be offered an alternate position — while not hired immediately, this candidate would be considered in the case of future openings
3) the candidate will not be offered a position
If a candidate receives an offer letter, a form will be included for the candidate to accept or turn down the position; the candidate must return this form to the Residence Life Staff.
All RAs must attend training before the start of the next semester. If a candidate receives an offer letter, further instructions on training and beginning the position will be communicated to this new RA.
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.delval.edu/for-current-students/leadership/resident-advisors/ra-selection-process/
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en
| 0.939428 | 458 | 1.53125 | 2 |
|20030139219||Entertainment park with integrated storyline||July, 2003||Kurzweil|
|20070207867||LINEAR MOTOR DRIVEN AMUSEMENT RIDE AND METHOD||September, 2007||Hunter|
|20090118024||Amusement Ride System||May, 2009||Yule|
|20060094518||Manually self-operated butt-kicking machine||May, 2006||Leavitt|
|20070093306||Water flow control system and apparatus||April, 2007||Magee et al.|
|20080188318||Ride system with motion simulation and video stream||August, 2008||Piccionelli et al.|
|20070072690||Inflatable and expandable slide and pool construction||March, 2007||Berenson et al.|
|20090143155||Water Slide Audio Visual Entertainment System||June, 2009||Werner|
|20030171155||Platinum snow||September, 2003||Miller|
|20070129158||Springpole recreational apparatus||June, 2007||Watts|
|20090075740||UNDERWATER AND MIDAIR OBSERVATION APPARATUS||March, 2009||Kojro|
This application is based on and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/239,002, filed on Sep. 1, 2009 and entitled A WATER DEVICE FOR USE IN A WATER GAME, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to a water-based entertainment device. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to water device for use in a water-based game that allows one or more users to race a stream of water.
2. Related Art
Summer fun has commonly revolved around water-based entertainment. Whether it involves pools or the simple sprinkler in the backyard, parents have often relied on water to entertain children during the hot summer months. Unfortunately, however, even going in the pool or playing in the sprinkler can become routine.
Accordingly, it would be beneficial to provide a new and entertaining water-based game.
It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a water device for use in a water-based game that allows one or more users to race a stream of water at variable speeds.
In an embodiment, a water-based device is provided that includes a valve device having an inlet and an outlet, wherein the inlet is configured to be coupled to a water supply. The valve device is further configured to control the flow of water. A hose is coupled at a first end to the outlet of the valve device, and the hose has at least one inner channel through which the water is able to flow. The hose may be configured with a plurality of openings along one surface. In an embodiment, the hose is a flat hose, and the plurality of openings are along a top surface. Further, a starting member is provided that is coupled to the valve device and that is configured to cause the valve device to stop the water from flowing through the hose. Moreover, a finishing member is provided that is coupled to a second end of the hose, and an indicator is provided that is coupled to the finishing member that indicates when the finishing member is touched by a user or when the water reaches the second end of the hose.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention which refers to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is an illustration of a water device for use in a water-based game in accordance with an embodiment of the present application;
FIG. 1A is an illustration of a portion of the water device shown in FIG. 1 and includes an aperture adjusting member, in accordance with an embodiment of the present application;
FIG. 2 is a more detailed view of a valve device thereof;
FIG. 3 is a more detailed view of a finishing member thereof; and
FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate alternative embodiments of the water device in accordance with the present application.
In an embodiment, a water-based device is provided that includes at least a hose through which water flows. The hose may be configured, for example, as a flat hose or the like, although other shaped hoses may be suitable in accordance with the teachings herein. Further and in an embodiment, a plurality of openings may be provided in the hose on a top surface, through which a portion of the water sprays. The height at which water sprays through the openings may depend upon, for example, the number of openings and/or the respective diameters thereof. In an embodiment, the water-based device is used as a game, as users race against the flow of water from the point where the water starts flowing through the hose to the end of the hose.
In one or more embodiments, the flow of water through the channel(s) is controlled by a valve device that is operatively coupled to a water source, such as a garden hose. The valve device may be mechanical, hydraulic, electric or a hybrid device. Moreover, the valve device may be activated by an automatic controller. In an alternative embodiment, the valve device is a ball valve that controls water by using a ball that rotates. The water flows freely through the valve when the hole is aligned and when the ball rotates and the hole is not aligned the water flow is stopped.
In an embodiment, the starting member is provided that is coupled to the valve device and may be used as a starting point in a race, for example, against the flow of water from one end of the channel to another. The starting member may be configured with a rocker switch that is coupled to a shut-off valve provided with the valve device to affect the control of water. For example, the starting member may be configured to rock back and forth along a pivot point such that the shut-off valve alternates between the open and closed position, accordingly.
In an embodiment, a finishing member is provided that is coupled to the flat hose at an end opposite to the starting member. The finishing member may be used as an ending point in a race, for example, against the flow of water from one end of the channel to another. The finishing member may be configured with one or more step pads that, when touched, activates an indicator. The indicator indicates that a user has reached the end of the flat hose. In an embodiment, the indicator is also configured to indicate when the water flowing through the channel reaches the end of the flat hose. Moreover and in an embodiment, the indicator indicates whether the user reached the end of the flat hose before the water, or vice-versa. In an embodiment, the finishing member may be provided with a shut off valve that, when actuated, precludes the water from reaching the end of the flat hose. When a user who is racing the water reaches the end of the flat hose before the water and the user touches the finishing member and causes the shut-off valve to close, the water flow is stopped and the indicator indicates the user won the race. Alternatively, if the water reaches the end of the flat hose before the user reaches the finishing member, then the shut-off valve is not closed and the indicator indicates that the water won the race.
FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a water device 10 used in a new water-based game in accordance with an embodiment of the present application. The water device 10 preferably includes a valve device 12 connected to a water supply at an inlet thereof and a flat hose 14 at an outlet thereof. A starting member 16 is preferably connected to the valve device 12 to control the flow of water from the valve device 12 to the flat hose 14. A finishing member 18 is provided at the end of the flat hose 14 and an indicator 19 may be triggered by the finishing member to indicate when the user finishes.
The valve device 12 preferably is connected at an inlet side to a water source, for example, a standard garden hose as illustrated in FIG. 1. The valve device 12 preferably provides for at least three different flow rates through the valve and to the flat hose 14. In one embodiment, three different paths are provided through the valve device 12 to provide the three different flow rates. In another embodiment, an adjustably sized path is provided through the valve device 12 to vary the flow rates. A selector 12a may be provided on the valve device 12 to select the desired flow rate. Preferably, the flow rates correspond to a low, or slow, rate, a medium rate and a high, or fast, rate (See FIG. 2, for example). Additional flow rates may be settable, if desired.
The flat hose 14 preferably includes a plurality of openings 14a that are formed on a top surface thereof, such that water will shoot out the top of the flat hose as the water flows down its length. In one embodiment, the height at which the water projects is adjustable based on one or more flow levels provided by valve device 12. In alternative embodiments, the height at which the water projects is set based on the size of openings 14a that are provided on the top surface of flat hose 14. Users may adjust the diameters of the openings 14a by inserting or removing aperture adjusting members 15 into openings 14a (see FIG. 1A). By modifying the diameters of the openings 14a, such as via aperture adjusting members 15, the speed of water flowing through the flat hose may be altered and the height at which the water sprays through the apertures 14a may be adjusted.
In an embodiment, the water-based device is used as a game, as users race against the flow of water from the point where the water meets the at least one channel to a finishing member, including the point where the channel(s) end.
The starting member 16 is preferably connected to the valve device 12 and is illustrated in further detail in FIG. 2. The valve device 12 may be used to cut off any water flow from the valve device, regardless of what flow rate is set. In a preferred embodiment, the user will step on the starting member 16 at the start line. As long as the pad 16 is pressed down, there is no flow. When the user removes his foot, the flow from the valve device 12 begins at whatever flow rate has been selected. In an embodiment, the starting member 16 is mechanically coupled to a shut-off valve (not shown) that is provided with the valve device 12 and engaged when the user has his foot on the starting member and is disengaged when the user removes his foot from the starting member 16.
In an embodiment, the starting member 16 is provided on either side of the valve device 12. By providing the starting member 16 on either side of the valve device 12, two users can use device 10, such as to race simultaneously against the flow of water and/or against each other.
The progress of the water is evident as the water exits the openings 14a along the top of the flat hose 14. The starting member 16 may include any suitable sensor or may be a physical pad or lever that is manually actuated by a user. Moreover, the starting member 16 may include an electrical powered switch that actuates a solenoid within the valve device 12.
The finishing member 18 is preferably positioned at the end of the flat hose 14 band is illustrated in more detail in FIG. 3. As illustrated, two step pads 18a are formed on either side of the finishing member 18. In a preferred embodiment, when a user touches the pad 18a, an indicator 19 is activated to indicate that the user has reached the end of the flat hose 14. Alternatively or in addition, the indicator 19 is preferably utilized to indicate whether the user or the water reaches the end of the flat hose 14 first. As illustrated herein, the indicator 19 is a flag, however, any suitable indicator may be used. For example, the indicator 19 may sound one or more audible alarms (not shown) that represents the user has reached the end of the flat hose 14. The alarm may be mechanical, such as a bell that rings when water reaches the end of the flat hose 14, or may be electric or electronic, such as a light or digital indicator. The indicator 19 may illuminate one or more light elements, including LEDs (not shown) that represent that the user has reached the end of the flat hose 14. Moreover, a second step pad 18a may be provided on the other side of the flat hose 14 to allow two users to race each other. In this case, the indicator 19 may indicate which user finished first. In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 3, for example, the finishing member 18 may include openings 18b. These openings 18b may be used to spray the user who finishes second with water as a “penalty spray”. Alternatively, the first finisher may be sprayed if desired. Different speeds of the water in the flat hose 14 are obtained by selecting different flow rates through the valve 12.
In one embodiment, a light may also be provided in the valve 12, preferably at the outlet thereof. In this case, the flat hose 14 is preferably substantially translucent such that the light at the outlet of the valve device 12 is visible in the water as it advances down the flat hose. The light preferably includes one or more LEDs, however, any light source may be used.
In an embodiment, the flat hose 14 is configured with two inner channels to enable users to race against two streams of water. Moreover, starting member 14 may be provided with two valve devices 12 to respectively adjust the flow of water within each channel to accommodate users of varying speed and skill level. For example, two racers use device 10 to race against the flow of water. One user who is twelve years old may set one of the valve devices 12 to a fast rate, while a second user who is six years old may set the other valve device 12 to a slow rate. In this way, the water in the channel associated with the twelve-year-old flows faster than the water in the channel associated with the six-year-old, and the race against the water becomes relative to the user and more fair, as a result. It is possible, in this configuration and example, that the six-year-old racer will arrive at the finishing member after the twelve-year-old, but may still win the race in case the water in the channel associated with the twelve-year-old reaches the finishing member before the twelve-year-old, but the water in the channel associated with the six-year-old reaches the finishing member after the six-year-old. Moreover, in this or other embodiments, the starting member 16 may be configured with two shut-off valves that are operable to respectively control the flow of water through each channel. Further, openings 14a may be provided on hose 14 on both channels, thereby indicating for each respective racer a relative position of the water in the hose.
In another embodiment, the hose 14 may be configured with a plurality of chambers, each chamber including at least one of the openings 14a. FIG. 4A illustrates an example of this alternative embodiment and includes the hose 14 provided with a plurality of chambers 30a-30d, each including three openings 14a. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the chambers 30 are separated by respective valves 32a-32d, which may be configured as baffle valves. When the pressure in one chamber 30 reaches a high enough level, the respective baffle valve 32 opens, thereby allowing the flow of water into the next adjacent chamber 30. This enables a timing of water flowing through the hose to be modulated. In the example shown in FIG. 4, valves 32a, 32c and 32d are closed, and valve 32b is open. Thus, and as illustrated, water has entered chamber 30c (the next adjacent chamber), and water is shown flowing through the openings 14a within chamber 32c. In this way, openings 14a can be configured to appear to turn on and turn off at distinct times. Of course, the hose 14 may be configured with more or fewer chambers 30 than are illustrated in FIG. 4.
FIG. 4B illustrates another alternative embodiment, wherein the hose 14 is configured with individual valves 34 that are provided with openings 14a and that allow or prevent the water from spraying through the openings 14a. In the example shown in FIG. 4B, valves 34 are illustrated in a closed position and water is not flowing through the respective openings 14a that are provided with valves 34. Valves 34a, on the other hand, are illustrated in an open position, and water is shown flowing through the respective openings 14a that are provided with the valves 34a. Valves 34 may be configured as small electrically controlled valves, but may be any suitably configured valve. By providing for individual control of each of the valves 34, 34a, flow of water through any of the openings 14a is individually controlled. For example, the valves 34, 34a may be controlled to provide for a flow of water that has an appearance of a wave flowing out of the top surface of the hose 14.
In yet another embodiment, valves 34 may be actuated or otherwise turned on and off by a magnet element (not shown) that travels at least a portion of the length of the hose 14. The magnet element may be provided to shuttle up and down the length of the hose 14 as a function of water pressure, as the water flows through the hose 14. As the magnet passes by each respective valve 34, the valve 34 actuates to an open position and enables the water to flow through the respective opening 14a. By using a magnetic element to control the respective valves 34, the water will appear to “snap up” through the openings 14a in a markedly defined way. Furthermore, as water pressure decreases, the valves 34 return to a closed position. The magnet element may return to the starting member 16 via a cable or other suitable mechanism (not shown).
The device 10 of the present application has been described for use in a game, if desired, the device could simply be used as a sprinkler type cooling device. In a preferred embodiment, the water will continue to flow in the flat hose 14 after the users finish the race such that they can continue to enjoy the device as a sprinkler. In addition, there is no requirement that the race actually be run at all since the device can simply be used as a sprinkler entertainment device if desired.
Although the present invention has been described in relation to particular embodiments thereof, many other variations and modifications and other uses will become apparent to those skilled in the art.
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Working in partnership with 49 state municipal leagues, the Center for Federal Relations serves as both a resource and an advocate for the more than 19,000 cities, towns, and villages the organization represents. Advocacy efforts focus on advancing NLC's annual legislative agenda, monitoring regulatory action, and championing legal issues of national importance to local governments.
NLC’s federal advocacy efforts are central to its mission to protect municipal interests, seek federal funding to support local investments, and ensure national attention is focused on the needs of cities and towns across the country. Leadership—with input from members, Policy & Advocacy Committees, and Federal Relations staff—sets the organization’s annual legislative agenda, which helps to guide advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill.
Because federal rules and regulations often affect local government operations, budgets and development, NLC works to ensure that federal agencies consider the local government perspective when developing regulatory policy.
Recognizing that the federal court system is responsible for much of the law affecting cities and their scope of authority, NLC's Legal Advocacy Program is a complement to the organization's legislative outreach on behalf of cities. Through the Program, NLC serves as an advocate for local governments on legal issues of national importance and provides support to cities and towns involved in significant litigation or administrative adjudication that could affect municipal organization, operation, powers, duties, or financing.
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Even if his daughter was fearless, Paul Hanson was not. He supported Dianna's lifelong love of big cats, as well as her single-minded mission to work with them. Yet despite her assurances, he worried.
His nightmare came true Wednesday, when a 350-pound African lion killed Dianna Hanson at Project Survival's Cat Haven in Dunlap, California, where she was working as an intern.
"I always had a premonition that someday I would get a call like this," her father said Thursday. "But I just thought it would be much further in the future than 24."
That's how old the Seattle native was when the lion opened the gate of a pen at the big cat sanctuary, then moved into a larger enclosure, according to the local coroner.
Dianna Hanson was cleaning the enclosure the two lions had been in not long before, Fresno County coroner Dr. David Hadden said, citing investigators. Somehow, one of those animals -- a 5-year-old lion named Cous Cous -- escaped and attacked her.
"(Hanson) died very quickly and did not suffer," Hadden said.
A preliminary autopsy showed Hanson died of a "broken neck and other neck injuries," according to the coroner. The animal inflicted other injuries "post-mortem."
Paul Hanson,told CNN's Erin Burnett he had been told that his daughter wasn't mauled, saying she had no blood, "no rips or gashes."
He and his family are grieving, taking comfort in the fact that Dianna Hanson died doing what she loved -- taking care of big cats such as Cous Cous. Looking back at photos Dianna had posted on Facebook over the past two months, when she'd begun working at the expansive northern California facility, Paul Hanson said he and his wife agreed that this was the happiest they'd ever seen her.
"And that's the only way I can bear this," he said. "Because this was her dream. She was living her dream."
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Now that Zack has made it possible to create 3D plasmoids I had to try writing one myself, too.
It renders a virtual Earth model on your desktop, with subtle rotate animation and a day/night cycle, using NASA's Blue Marble imagery. And it has a rather crappy atmosphere as well.
It requires a shader-capable videocard to work, so minimum requirements are GeForce FX or Radeon 9500 although you'll want to use a bit better card than those for any smoothness.
It doesn't have any useful functionality, but if you just want to waste your processing power, then it does a pretty good job ;-)
The code can be found in KDE's SVN in playground/base/plasma/applets/bluemarble/.
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“The world possesses many great wine rivers that have writ their legends large in the epochal story of wine and the vine: the Loire, the Rhine and Mosel, the Rhône, the Dordogne, the Saône, the Douro.
Among this exalted company, the Russian River deserves a place.” A Wine Journey along the Russian River, Introduction.
This book by Steve Heimoff, West Coast editor of the Wine Enthusiast, is what inspired me when I was looking for a wine tasting theme, in order to raise money for Gunn High School's excellent music department. As he explains in his introduction, the Russian River is unique in several respects, perhaps the most important one being the distinct weather zones it passes through. It is remarkable that some days, Jenner, which is at the mouth of the river, is 60 degrees cooler than Cloverdale, located north of Healdsburg in the Alexander Valley. Consequently, Bordeaux varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grow best in the warm Alexander Valley AVA. West of the river, the Dry Creek Valley AVA is best known for Zinfandel. Then, south of Healdsburg, the river suddenly turns west towards the ocean. This part of the river defines the Russian River Valley AVA where the weather tends to be cooler, especially near the Pacific coast, and where Burgundian varieties like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay excel.
Here are the wines that we tasted:
• 2004 Jordan Chardonnay Russian River Valley
Jordan Winery was founded in the 1970s by Tom Jordan, a geologist and owner of an oil and gas exploration company in Colorado. Tom Jordan had the vision to create a world-renowned Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon modeled after First Growth Bordeaux, in a wine region that was little-known at the time. Now, the winery also produces Chardonnays that are crafted in a style similar to the white Burgundies. I found the 2004 Jordan Chardonnay Russian River Valley to be a well-made wine with a golden color and a classic California Chardonnay nose of ripe pear and apple. On the palate, it was creamy and not overly woody with a well balanced acidity.
• 2005 Hanna Sauvignon Blanc Russian River Valley
Hanna Winery has 252 acres of vineyards in the Russian River Valley (for Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir), Alexander Valley (for Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot) and Sonoma Valley (for Bordeaux varieties, Syrah, and Zinfandel). The 2005 Hanna Sauvignon Blanc Russian River Valley is sourced from the cool Slusser Road vineyard, a low to no irrigation vineyard with a soil of deep rocky clay loam. The wine was very pleasant with an aromatic nose of grapefruit and pineapple and a crisp and fresh palate.
• 2005 Elizabeth Spencer Rosé Sonoma Coast
Elizabeth Spencer Wines is a two-person operation run by wife and husband team Elizabeth Pressler and Spencer Graham. He is a former wine distributor and she is a former winery sales manager. The 2005 Elizabeth Spencer Rosé Sonoma Coast was inspired by the Rosé wines of the South of France. The fruit comes from vineyards located north of the San Pablo Bay outside of Petaluma. The wine was cold fermented to preserve the wine's bright fruit flavors. It showed a deep pink color and a unusual smoky nose. On the palate, it was dry, fruity, with a zingy acidity.
• 2003 Porter Creek Pinot Noir Fiona Hill
Porter Creek Vineyards is a father and son operation. The winery is certified organic but Alex Davis the winemaker also uses biodynamic preparations to farm the vineyard and is working towards biodynamic certification. He produces vineyard-designated Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah and Viognier from the Russian River Valley and a Carignane old vines from Alexander Valley. The 2003 Porter Creek Pinot Noir Fiona Hill comes from the steep, hillside Fiona Hill vineyard located at the entrance of the winery. It had a medium brick-red color and a nose of fresh sweet cherries. On the palate, the wine had a earthy character with some good acidity and a smoky finish.
• 2004 Merry Edwards Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
Merry Edwards Wines was founded by Merry Edwards who started making wines more than thirty years ago because she was fascined by food chemistry and yeast fermentation. She mostly produces Pinot Noirs from the Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast appellations plus a small amount of Sauvignon Blanc. The 2004 Merry Edwards Pinot Noir Russian River Valley is a blend from five Russian River Valley vineyards separately vinified. It had a deep garnet color and an aromatic nose of sweet red berries. On the palate, it was rich and well-balanced with a complex finish. This was the group's favorite Pinot Noir.
In terms of pairing, “At home I serve my Russian River Valley Pinot with all manner of fowl: quail, squab, Guinea hen, duck, goose and pheasant.” wrote Merry Edwards on her website, “The wine's substantial fruitiness pairs well with any meat that favors a fruit stuffing or sauce, like rabbit or pork. My husband Ken's paella with lobster and saffron is a delicious foil for this main course of Pinots.”
• 2002 Lancaster Estate Red Wine Alexander Valley
Located at the southern end of the Alexander Valley, Lancaster Estate was founded by Ted Simpkins, a senior executive with Southern Wine and Spirits with a vision of producing world-class Bordeaux-style wines. The 2002 Lancaster Estate Red Wine Alexander Valley is a blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, 4% Malbec, 2% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot. I decanted one of the two bottles that we were going to taste and served the two wines, decanted and non decanted, side by side. Overall, the wine had a dark color and a nose of blackberry and blackcurrant. On the palate, it was rich with an opulent texture. But the decanted wine was found smoother, more polished than the non decanted one. We also noticed that the decanted wine was warmer, which was maybe the main reason the two wines were different.
• 2002 Chateau Souverain Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley
Chateau Souverain, now owned by Beringer Blass Wine Estates, is recognized as one of Sonoma County's best wineries, producing high quality wines at a very reasonable price tag. The 2002 Chateau Souverain Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley
showed a deep purple color and a nose of dark berry fruit. On the palate it was full bodied, balanced, with a reasonably lengthy finish. As for the Lancaster Estate Red, the group preferred the decanted bottle although the aromatic differences between the decanted and the non decanted wines were more subtle.
• 2004 Hartford Zinfandel Russian River Valley
Hartford Family Wines is a Russian River Valley winery specialized in the production of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Old Vine Zinfandel. The 2004 Hartford Zinfandel Russian River Valley comes from dry farmed, low yielding old-vine Zinfandel vineyards (average vineyard age being about 75 years). The wine had bold aromas of red berries on the nose, an intense, full-bodied palate followed by a very long finish. This was everybody's favorite Zinfandel.
• 2004 Amphora Zinfandel Mounts Vineyard
Amphora Wines is a Sonoma County family-owned winery that produces handcrafted Dry Creek Valley wines including Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, and Syrah. The 2004 Amphora Zinfandel Mounts Vineyard was hand harvested from 35-to-40-year-old head-pruned vines from Mounts Vineyard on the west side of Dry Creek Valley. The wine had a dark purple color and a nose of black fruit. On the palate, it was dense with some good acidity and a nice long finish of licorice.
“Suddenly, a huge wave, the kind they call a sleeper, easily twenty feet high, came in and exploded, one of those rogues that gather strength above long offshore troughs and then break with tremendous force against the steep beach face. This one was so near that it soaked my pants. Startled, I backed off and headed home.
It was sunny when I left. At Cazadero, the sky suddenly darkened and the rain came pouring down—but that was exactly as it should be. Ten minutes later, at the Farmhouse Inn, the sun reemerged and lit up the vineyards, bare of grapes till next year.” A Wine Journey along the Russian River, last chapter.
Technorati tags: wine food & drink
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Democratic hopefuls see political gain in gun fight
The “It” issue energizing the Democratic base heading into the 2012 election was gay marriage — whether President Barack Obama would ultimately support the concept, whether the first statewide ballot initiatives supporting it would pass and whether the party could channel the passion around this latest cultural barrier into electoral gains.
With victories notched last November, the Democratic rank and file — and a number of prospective 2016 hopefuls — are channeling similar energy and expectations into gun control. The Newtown massacre is the impetus for proposals that governors, widely believed to be considering presidential campaigns, have pushed through quickly this week and the issue in general is becoming a mantra for party hopefuls trying to bottle the latest political zeitgeist.Continue Reading
Democrats are hopeful that new gun regulations will pass at the federal level, but there’s greater optimism about state action in an age of Washington gridlock. It remains to be seen whether a divided Congress will act on any post-Newtown public safety proposals. But that’s a hurdle that doesn’t exist in Democratic-controlled states such as Maryland and New York — which are not-so-coincidentally home to two prospective presidential candidates.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a relative newcomer to the issue of gun control in a state where the nation’s top gun control advocate, New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, long ago staked out turf, ushered through a bill called the toughest in the nation since Sandy Hook on Monday. Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, a former Baltimore mayor who has long talked about tighter gun laws, is introducing his own proposals this week.
“This is a way to appeal to progressive Democrats without any downside because the polls are overwhelming,” said former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, who urged Obama to act forcefully on guns in the wake of the Aurora, Colo., movie theater massacre last year.
Officials in both parties will now wait and see whether the national proposals introduced by Obama on Wednesday can make it through Congress. But in the meantime, Democratic governors are seizing the moment on an issue that has typically been seen through a federal lens.
Nathan Daschle, former executive director of the Democratic Governors Association, said that state-based action, instead of waiting for Washington, is not just a province of Republicans — who in recent years have been the officials espousing a states’ rights argument.
“While the national parties probably view the respective roles of the federal and state governments differently, that break doesn’t necessarily translate to governors, who as a class naturally believe that important change can be made at the state level,” Daschle said.
“On social issues, Democratic governors have been more than willing to play a lead role, as they showed with marriage equality. There aren’t many issues on which governors of either party would simply wait for someone else to act. The rewards for leadership [and the penalties for failure] are too great.”
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From the program: Asset Based Financing Strategies 2013
Released on: Mar. 25, 2013
Asset-based financing is a key source of credit for small and medium-size companies and for some larger, publicly traded companies as well. In contrast to equity financing where ownership in the company is diluted, asset-based financing allows companies to use their own assets to generate cash flow.
In structuring these loans, lenders and their counsel must consider all senior interests in the collateral, as well as the practical difficulties in ...
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Dani Rodrik writes:
Why Did Financial Globalization not Deliver the Goods?
‘Cause let’s face it, it didn’t. It didn’t boost investment and growth in emerging market economies; it led to increased volatility; and it played an important supporting role in the current subprime mortgage mess.
I have a new paper with Arvind Subramanian which scrutinizes the reasons.
[Long quote omitted]
The paper does two things. First, it evaluates and critiques the latest generation of work in favor of financial globalization–mainly the writings of Rick Mishkin, Peter Henry, and Kose, Prasad. Rogoff, and Wei. Second, it argues that we need to understand the difference between saving- and investment-constrained economies in order to make sense of financial globalization. In investment-constrained economies–where investment is low not because of poor access to credit but because of low perceived return–capital inflows are at best ineffective, at worst harmful.
The distinction between saving- and investment-constrained economies is indeed important. The question I have is, how do you become an investment-constrained economy in the first place? Is it pure and simple financial repression, or are there any other factors at work?
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FDA Lets Scientists With Drug Company Ties Evaluate New Insulin Product|
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is under fire again today for allowing scientists with direct financial ties to a drug manufacturer to serve on an advisory committee charged with evaluating that company's product.
At a meeting today of the Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee that considered the safety and efficacy of Pfizer's proposed insulin inhaler, at least three of the committee's nine members had direct ties to Pfizer, the product's manufacturer, or its technological partner, Nektar Therapeutics. One other member-the acting chairman-holds stock in Pfizer.
Dr. Talmadge E. King of San Francisco General Hospital has consulted with Nektar in the recent past. He was granted a complete waiver to participate in the meeting. Dr. Dara P. Schuster of Ohio State University has consulted and spoken on behalf of Pfizer. He also was granted a complete waiver. Dr. Nelson Watts, usually the committee's chairman, was allowed to participate in the meeting without a vote despite earning $5,000 to $10,000 a year for serving on Pfizer's speakers bureau. And Dr. Paul Woolf, who chaired the meeting, was granted a "de minimus" waiver for owning under $25,000 in stock in Pfizer.
According to today's FDA presentation, the data behind Pfizer's claim that insulin inhalers will be safe and effective for people with Type I diabetes is unclear. Yet the ease and desirability of switching to an inhaler from subcutaneous injections will make this product extremely attractive to millions of Americans suffering from diabetes, whether Type I or Type II. That's why it is critical that the advice given the FDA by its advisory committees be free from conflicts of interest or even the appearance of conflict of interest, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).
"The public's faith in the integrity of the process is undermined when one-third of an advisory committee's membership has significant financial ties to the company seeking the product's approval," said Merrill Goozner, director of the Integrity in Science project at CSPI.
In the past, the FDA has claimed that it cannot find suitable expertise without ties to industry and that all of the most qualified people have such ties. Yet every medical school in the country has experts who both practice and conduct research in the fields of endocrinology and pulmonary medicine (relevant here because they were considering the safety of the chronic use of inhalers).
"It is ludicrous that the FDA could not find highly qualified experts in these fields who did not have ties to the manufacturer," said Goozner.
Because of the FDA's use of conflicted scientists on its advisory panels, the House of Representatives in June voted to require the FDA to end the practice and seek out unconflicted advice. The Senate should pass a similar measure next week when it considers the FDA appropriations bill.
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Hi my name is Ashley Sheets. I have three amazing kids at home Travis, Breanna, and Keira. I also have two that are not with me now yet they are in my heart and mind everyday, which names are Destiny, and Ethan . I also have an amazing better half and his name is Adam besides my kids really the love of my life. Each day I find myself more thankful than the last that I was blessed enough to be a mom and when we lost Ethan last June to Dandy Walker it really opened my eyes and changed my perspective on life as I knew it and I am still changing today, I find comfort in helping others others and I am hoping his memory lives on in the lives of other people with Dandy Walker.
Dandy-Walker Syndrome is a congenital brain malformation involving the cerebellum (an area at the back of the brain that controls movement) and the fluid-filled spaces around it. The key features of this syndrome are an enlargement of the fourth ventricle (a small channel that allows fluid to flow freely between the upper and lower areas of the brain and spinal cord), a partial or complete absence of the area of the brain between the two cerebellar hemispheres (cerebellar vermis), and cyst formation near the lowest part of the skull. An increase in the size of the fluid spaces surrounding the brain as well as an increase in pressure may also be present.
The syndrome can appear dramatically or develop unnoticed. Symptoms, which often occur in early infancy, include slow motor development and progressive enlargement of the skull. In older children, symptoms of increased intracranial pressure such as irritability and vomiting, and signs of cerebellar dysfunction such as unsteadiness, lack of muscle coordination, or jerky movements of the eyes may occur. Other symptoms include increased head circumference, bulging at the back of the skull, problems with the nerves that control the eyes, face and neck, and abnormal breathing patterns.
Dandy-Walker Syndrome is frequently associated with disorders of other areas of the central nervous system, including absence of the area made up of nerve fibers connecting the two cerebral hemispheres (corpus callosum) and malformations of the heart, face, limbs, fingers and toes.
Treatment for individuals with Dandy-Walker Syndrome generally consists of treating the associated problems, if needed. A surgical procedure called a shunt may be required to drain off excess fluid within the brain. This will reduce intracranial pressure and help control swelling. Parents of children with Dandy-Walker Syndrome may benefit from genetic counseling if they intend to have more children.
The effect of Dandy-Walker Syndrome on intellectual development is variable, with some children having normal cognition and others never achieving normal intellectual development even when the excess fluid buildup is treated early and correctly. Longevity depends on the severity of the syndrome and associated malformations. The presence of multiple congenital defects may shorten life span.
The NINDS conducts and supports a wide range of studies that explore the complex mechanisms of normal brain development. The knowledge gained from these fundamental studies provides the foundation for understanding abnormal brain development and offers hope for new ways to treat and prevent developmental brain disorders such as Dandy-Walker Syndrome.
Click the VOTE button to give Ashley 100 Crowdrise Impact Points (CIPs). Vote for the Volunteers and Fundraisers that are answering the call to service, raising money for charity, and making an impact for their causes.Or do what I do and vote strictly based on height. Come back and Vote every month. CIPs can be redeemed for Crowdrise Rewards and can earn you the highly coveted, highly respected Crowdrise Royalty Status.
If you're seeing the grey VOTE button, you should feel great about yourself. It means you already voted for Ashley this month. Come back next month and vote again if you still love Ashley. Thanks to your vote, Ashley earned 100 Crowdrise Impact Points (CIPs). CIPs can be redeemed for Crowdrise Rewards and can earn you the highly coveted, highly respected Crowdrise Royalty Status.
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The amendment would give the state government power to create charter schools. The state government had been creating charter schools over the objections of local school boards until the Georgia Supreme Court ruled the Georgia Charter School Commission unconstitutional in May 2011.
“Local school boards do not have the legal authority to expend funds or other resources to advocate or oppose the ratification of a constitutional amendment by voters,” Olens’ Wednesday letter to Barge said. “They may not do this directly or indirectly through association to which they may belong.”
During a conference call Thursday, Olens said his letter to Barge did not “break new legal ground” because public entities have never been able to spend tax dollars to voice their opinions.
“The government can’t tax you and then use your tax money to tell you how to vote,” he said.
Olens said Barge requested the advice late last week and that a second letter will be sent out in the next two weeks clarifying some more specific questions regarding the request.
He declined to comment on whether school boards who have already signed resolutions regarding their support or opposition to the amendment are in violation.
“I can’t answer because they are fact-intensive questions, and I don’t have the facts,” he said. “I’m not going to get into answering hypothetical questions about what does and doesn’t violate the law. … We’re currently working on advice to the state school superintendent on what enforcement mechanisms may be appropriate or necessary. ”
State Department of Education spokesman Matt Cardoza said Barge has not released a statement in response to Olens’ letter but that it was forwarded to each of the state’s public school district superintendents.
While neither Cobb nor Marietta’s school boards have come out for or against the charter school amendment, members of each board have said they are not in favor of it.
Cobb board chair Scott Sweeney, who hasn’t said if he supports the amendment, said he understood and respected Olens’ letter.
“What is clear from the letter is that an elected board rendering an electoral opinion, unanimous or otherwise, is not permitted when district funds or resources are used,” he said. “Nothing precludes any board member acting as an individual from expressing their support for or opposition to ballot initiatives.”
Vice chair David Morgan has said he is in favor of the amendment. His wife, state Rep. Alisha Thomas Morgan (D-Austell), is co-sponsoring House Resolution 1162.
Cobb Superintendent Dr. Michael Hinojosa said he respected Olens’ statements, adding that “nothing has surprised me in this whole charter school amendment matters.”
“All along, I’ve known there would be some strong emotions with this,” he said.
Hinojosa said he’s talked with a board member about having a public discussion on the amendment, but it has not been put on the board agenda.
He has said he is not in favor of the amendment and in June made a contribution of $500 to Vote SMART, which is campaigning against the resolution.
Marietta City Schools board chair Jill Mutimer and vice chair Randy Weiner said the letter by Olens didn’t surprise them.
“The same principles apply to any similar issue, such as SPLOST votes and bond referendums, of which we have been a part of in the past,” Mutimer said.
Added Weiner: “The MCS board as a whole is familiar with this practice and will abide by Olens’ statement.”
Mutimer said that while the Marietta Board will not declare a position, “every individual is entitled to his/her opinion and has the right to share it.”
To date, all but the board’s newest member, Brett Bittner, have said they oppose the amendment.
In a previous article, Bittner said, “I can see pros and cons on both sides, and I’ve not come to a concrete decision yet.
Marietta Superintendent Dr. Emily Lembeck said she agrees with her board and plans to abide by Olens’ guidelines.
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Employee handbooks have long been a topic of discussion within companies, with some subscribing to the “must have” opinion, and others to the “let’s be cautious” side.
The “must haves” contend that an employee handbook is a boon to any company as it communicates, in written format, not only company policies to employees, but also the company’s mission, objectives and philosophy. Those urging caution emphasize that any document conveying such important information must stay current with legislation and employment practices and also include disclaimers that protect the company.
In conducting research for this article, I reviewed articles espousing both philosophies. The large majority of writers agreed that an employee handbook, cautiously written and regularly updated, was a good thing. They also felt that an employee handbook, filled with key information about the company, its procedures and philosophies, and providing guides for employees on benefits, compensation and other items of major interest, showed employees that
the company respected and valued them, and deemed them capable of managing many of their work-related affairs.
While handbooks can contain a myriad of topics, many HR and legal professionals would suggest the following as the minimum:
- Introduction to the company, with welcome statement from senior management, disclaimer statement (noting that handbook is a guide, not all-inclusive, and not an employment agreement), handbook acknowledgment form, at-will-employment statement and overview of the company, its mission, objectives and culture.
- Employment and legal procedures and policies, with open door policy, adherence to legal statutes (FMLA, EEOC, COBRA, HIPAA e.g.), employee status, job posting procedures, recruitment and hiring, position descriptions, training period, performance reviews, personnel records, disciplinary procedures, complaints and grievances, and termination guidelines.
- Work hours and compensation, including normal work hours, flextime, compensation guides and pay periods, overtime, and working from home guides.
- Employee benefits, e.g. health, dental, life and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance, short/long term disability, pension program, workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance, FICA and social security, tuition assistance, employee assistance program, and FSAs.
- Time out of office, e.g. holidays, annual -personal – sick –bereavement – military – or court – leave, leave without pay, absences, inclement weather policy.
- Employee expenses (and reimbursement for), such as for relocation, travel and entertainment.
- Employee conduct and general office procedures, including personal conduct, fraud, no-smoking policy, drug-free environment policy, dress code, housekeeping, correspondence, mail, office resources, office security, supplies, telephone, and email usage guidelines…
Policies that are overriding and may not fit into these categories, e.g. a statement that the company is competitive within the industry with wages and benefits, could fit in the introduction, or with other similar policies in a separate section.
A good employee handbook is one that communicates clearly, makes employees feel a part of the company, protects both the employees and the company, is updated regularly and reviewed by legal counsel, and is made available to all employees upon hiring and when the book is updated. The handbook is not a set of rules, but guidelines for employees and management, and it is not set in concrete. Employees need to know that all items in the handbook are fluid, and may change at any time. Additionally, employees should be required to sign a statement that they have read the handbook, and that they understand its contents.
Currency, consistency and plain language should be the hallmarks of any employee handbook. Keep it simple, and employees will read it, and understand. Just what you want.
Guest Article By: Bettie Biehn is President and Founder of Career Change Central, LLC, an excellent source for customized, well-written and attractive resumes and cover letters that focus on the client’s skills, experience, knowledge and background and also pay attention to what the prospective employer needs and wants. Bettie also provides career coaching to her clients.
Bettie’s background includes many years as a senior HR professional, nonprofit director, trainer, hiring manage, in-house recruiter and writer. She is a published author, for three years contributing a monthly column to a nationally distributed, award-winning trade journal.
Bettie has recently taken her business to a full-time venture and invites you to visit her website, Facebook page, and Google+ page. She is also active on Twitter. Bettie’s URL for her website is www.careerchangecentralllc.com, and you can reach her at 202.550.0999 and [email protected].
See all posts on communication
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Conference teaches educators new skills for the classroom
Carolyn McCullough, a senior mathematics-secondary education major, presented a research poster entitled "Exercising Hands and Minds" at the 2012 IATE Fall Conference in Lisle, Ill.
November 26, 2012
Bradley University and its Peoria professional development schools made a huge showing at the Illinois Association of Teacher Educators Fall Conference this month in Lisle, Ill.
Eleven teacher education professors, two English professors, one community leader, 13 practicing teachers/administrators, 10 student teachers and 16 teacher education majors attended and 27 Bradley students, professors, and representatives from Bradley’s PDS sites presented at the conference.
The theme of the statewide conference was “Common Core Standards: Restructuring Teacher Preparation for 21st Century Skills.”
Reflecting on the experience, 93 percent of Bradley PDS Partnership attendees reported that they learned something new about teaching and learning at the conference, and the same percentage said that they learned something they could use in their classroom. Moreover, 67 percent felt they had opportunity to network with other professionals and 71 percent would like to participate in a future bus trip.
David Thompson, who co-presented a concurrent session with Dr. Celia Johnson entitled “Incorporating 21st Century Skills: Strengthening Common Core Standards and Technological Literacy in the Social Studies”, said, “The conference truly helped connect me even more to the professional side of teaching through meeting with other pre-service teachers, teacher educators, and leaders in education.”
Katie Johnson, a secondary education-mathematics major who presented a concurrent session entitled “Perspectives on Question Asking in Secondary Classrooms” with Dr. Patricia Chrosniak and Robert McMahon-Lovell, stated that the “IATE Fall Conference is a great way to get information about what is new and upcoming in Illinois education. I will definitely try to go again next year.”
Bradley PDS teachers in attendance also recognized the value of the conference. Shanica Davis '98 and Alona Dawson '94 MA '99, both interventionists at Glen Oak Community Learning Center wrote, “The IATE Fall Conference was an excellent opportunity for preservice and veteran educators to network and stay abreast on the latest trends in education. We are appreciative of the partnership between Bradley University and Peoria Public Schools. Their collaborative efforts allow us to better serve our teachers in the 21st Century classroom.”
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Positive Outlook as St. Lawrence Seaway Opens the 2012 Season.
The steel and construction industries pushed the demand for North American commodities such as iron ore, stone and cement, and provided the 2012 shipping season with a solid start. The St. Lawrence Seaway reported that year-to-date total cargo shipments for the period March 22 to April 30 were 4.4 million metric tons, up 2.24 percent over the same period in 2011.
“Coal shipments, the Seaway’s second largest commodity by tonnage for more than a decade, registered a 40 percent increase in April to start off the waterway’s 2012 navigation season strong,” said Rebecca Spruill, Director of SLSDC’s Office of Trade Development. “Overall tonnage numbers reflected a modest jump over last year’s figures with the Seaway’s historic commodity leader—iron ore—posting strong gains (up 8 percent) to offset overall poor grain performance (down 9 percent).”
The North American steel industry is showing signs of continued improvement. Iron ore shipments through the Seaway rose to 1.1 million metric tons, which included transshipments to Quebec for international export. Bulk materials, which include among other items, construction materials such as stone and cement, increased by 15 percent to 1.2 million metric tons in April compared to the same month in 2011.
Coal shipments increased to 600,000 metric tons compared to the same period last year. Midwest Energy Resources Company which has a facility at the Port of Duluth-Superior expects to export 1.5 million metric tons of coal this year as they continue to build on their market strategy to expand their service area into Europe. Salt tonnage posted a 28 percent rise over last year to 328,000 metric tons as North American cities replenish their reserves for road salting next winter.
U.S. ports along the system are bullish on the season ahead. “Although it is still very early in the shipping season, the outlook is good,” said Joseph Cappel, director of cargo development at the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority. “In 2011, port tonnage surpassed 11.5 million tons for the first time since the 2007 season. That is a good indication that the economy is turning around in our region. For 2012, we can expect that iron ore and pig iron volumes will be solid in support of the steel industry. Construction aggregates like liquid asphalt, limestone and cement are also predicted to remain steady. We also hope that we can continue to support the wind industry by discharging blades, towers, nacelles and hubs for local wind farm projects.”
“Duluth is off to a strong start with heavy-lift and project cargoes this year,” said Adolph Ojard, executive director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority. “We’re expecting nearly 20 ships with heavy machinery and other energy-related cargoes through the Port of Duluth-Superior during 2012, the majority of which will include components for U.S. wind energy projects.”
“The Port of Oswego Authority received the largest single shipment of aluminum to ever cross our docks – 10,000 tons arrived in the middle of April,” said Jonathan Daniels, executive director. “We felt that 2012 was going to be a solid year, but the first shipments have exceeded expectations and the projections are strong.”
Cargo volume at the Port of Cleveland rose 25 percent in April compared to the same period a year ago, as an uptick in manufacturing led to an increased demand for steel. “In April we received a charter vessel from Brazil carrying steel billets – a cargo we haven’t seen in more than five years,” said David Gutheil, the port’s vice president of maritime and logistics. “We are optimistic that our volumes through 2012 will remain strong as a result of both the growth in steel cargoes and our focus on marketing the port’s capabilities.”
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By Pat Lopes Harris, Media Relations Director
It should come as no surprise that a university president who sends 220 letters to Silicon Valley business leaders on his first day in office would help design a plan calling for more collaboration between industry and higher education. SJSU President Mohammad Qayoumi traveled Aug. 17 to Sacramento to watch as the “Innovate 2 Innovation” action plan was delivered to a gathering of California legislators by a remote control medical robot. Remotely piloting the robot from Santa Barbara was Yulun Wang, precisely the type of high-tech entrepreneur the plan seeks to nurture. Smiling from a monitor on the robot’s head, Wang put a face on the report’s mission and purpose — to restore California’s unparalleled reputation for scientific research and high technology. Qayoumi and Anne Marie Bergen, teacher in residence, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, led the report’s education action team. The project was coordinated by the California Council on Science and Technology, a nonpartisan, impartial, non-profit created in 1988 by a unanimous vote of the California Legislature. CCST offers expert advice to the state government and recommends solutions on science and technology-related policy issues.
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Leon Panetta rolled out this afternoon some of the first details on the new FY 2013 defense budget, the first one since FY 1998 to actually decline in nominal terms (though FY 2011 and FY 2012 were “real” cuts, as they did not keep up with inflation).
The Secretary didn’t have much choice about the base budget for FY 2013; the 2011 Budget Control Act pretty much froze the fiscal options and the base budget request stays within that framework, as Congress intended. While Congress may mix and match the details, many of which are still to come, they cannot quarrel with the cap, so the total is unlikely to change.
There is some promise, and some danger, in the longer-term plan the Secretary unveiled, however.
The promise is the indication that the big ship DOD is slowly turning toward the future, though the strategic framework for that shift remains to be filled in. some of that shift looks a bit like what my colleague Matt Leatherman and I wrote a year ago in Foreign Affairs.
Reducing ground forces is something that needs to happen and always does at the end of war(s). US ground forces remain globally superior and are globally deployable, unlike those of any other country. There is a reason, however, that the Constitution calls for Congress to raise and support armies,” but “to provide and maintain a navy. Ground forces are easier to raise and historic uneasiness about a large standing army remains. Moreover, with over 500,000 reserve and guard forces (well used the past ten years), the capacity to “go active” is large.
Moreover, the expeditionary capability that has thrived in the past decade – the Special Forces – are slated to grow, matching the sense that rapid, small missions are the more likely use of our military, rather than regime-change, stabilization/occupation, nation-building missions like Iraq and Afghanistan. Major stabilization (and related sizeable COIN) mission seem to be fading, which is a good thing. What is unanswered, is where and why all these Special Forces need to be used; that debate remains to be had.
The Navy and the Air Force thrive, relatively. These are much harder to reconstitute. What is less clear is why the number of carriers is magic at 11. With two major theaters for deployment (Gulf and Pacific) and a global dominance in overall naval forces and battle groups, the Secretary could have gone further. But at the root of naval forces is the reality that the US has been a naval power for over 100 years and is likely to remain so. Air power has less of a history, and is not as clearly tied to strategic goals (I will leave the “anti-access” issue for another day.)
The danger is that the long term budget trajectory the Secretary forecast is unrealistically high. Trimming (and it is “trimming”) $487 billion from a large defense plan over the next decade leaves Pentagon planners with the unrealistic expectation that, after the current and next year, budget growth will return, barely at the rate of inflation. That expectation will lead to unrealistic planning for the future: the out-years of this budget are completely at risk.
Sequester will not happen (though we will hear a great fracas about it over the next ten months). It never has in any meaningful way, and the threat is more useful than the actual implementation.
But defense budgets will come down deeper than the Secretary thinks. They will come down because Washington is going to have to find about $4 trillion in spending and revenue changes over the next ten years if the nation’s debt is to stabilize at 60% of GDP. To find those cuts, everything, including defense, will still be on the table, even after this budget. And defense budgets will come down because they always do after combat (or “cold combat” in the case of the 1990s), in fact, at a rate of about 30% in constant dollars over ten years.
The Panetta budget does not get close to that; his “cuts” are roughly 8% of projected defense budgets. Even if one generously offered to include projected war funding as part of the baseline (and there is no real baseline for wars after FY 2013), the new slope for defense looks like just over 20% of the projected budgets.
A lack of fiscal realism could have harmful consequences for long-term planning. That said, the Secretary’s announcement is a step in a different, more realistic direction, with more to come than he thinks.
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One of the aspects of my new small school I just adore is the amazing amount of freedom with scheduling and space – it allows for real teachable moments that are engaging and organic.
Last week, knowing we were going to be starting our Butterfly Life Cycle Unit soon, I wanted to introduce my class to the school garden – specifically the milkweed. I didn’t have to schedule or arrange a time with others – out on the playground – I saw the garden was free and gathered up my friends in the outside classroom. My old school had a garden too… with a massive calendar for teachers to sign up for time slots. It worked, but required an enormous level of organization and planning – two things I’m not known for.
Sitting in the garden, with the wind blowing in our hair, I lined them up on the stone path that zig zagged throughout the flower boxes. Walking by the milkweed, I pointed out the places where a hungry caterpillar had most likely nibbled away at the plant. Then, like a real science teacher (gasp!), I tore a leaf off, bent it in half, and exposed the milky juice inside. This was a revelation to my sprouts.
Continuing on our journey we passed the ‘Pizza Garden’ where herbs and spices for school lunch pizzas are grown. I ripped off a little thyme, rubbed it between my fingers, and let each child sniff the sweet pizza smell. This was real, meaningful learning at it’s best.
I love my new small school and the freedom it gives me to be spontaneous and find teachable moments everywhere.
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Hyundai Plans An Electric Car For 2015
Hyundai officially announced that in maximum five years they will start the production of an electric vehicle. The car’s development process already started, the Korean engineers working at the batteries that will power the model.
Seen as a threat by Volkswagen and Toyota, the Korean Hyundai-Kia Group must also confirm the power they showed so far in the coming years. In order to do that, the Asians will have to focus more on the eco vehicles segment, a segment that will surely witness a growth in the near future.
Hyundai will profit from the good image they created themselves and in 2015 will launch their first production electric car. The announcement is an official one, made in the same time with the launching of the new ix35. It seems that the Korean group already works at the technology of the cells that will power the electric vehicle. The tests will begin in maximum two ears, once the lab stages come to an end.
The Korean automaker produces hybrid vehicles since last year, using petrol or LPG, which can function with the help of electric units. The hybrid vehicles production started in Korea, the next aimed targets being the European and North American markets. Step by step, Hyundai might become one of the biggest players of the segment, next to Toyota.
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I'm looking for suggestions for element themed songs (hydrogen, helium.. etc) which are NOT Tom Lehrer's Element Song..?
posted by gravelshoes
on Jun 7, 2012 -
How do I access the bottom buttons of the RAW image editor in Photoshop Elements? The window is too wide, and can't be resized to fit my screen in Windows 7. [more inside]
posted by sunnychef88
on Jul 15, 2011 -
reminded me - I've been wondering what are the most useless
naturally-occurring elements Are there any elements that have no known biological or commercial uses? And don't even make pretty shiny minerals?
posted by moonmilk
on Jan 10, 2011 -
What element has had the greatest effect on human development, and consequently would have been the greatest hindrance if there hadn't have been any handy deposits of it? [more inside]
posted by sodium lights the horizon
on Jan 10, 2011 -
I'm trying to find coffee mugs that have individual elements on their sides for a birthday gift, but have not been able to find them. Can you help? [more inside]
posted by Dr.James.Orin.Incandenza
on Aug 5, 2010 -
I want to make a soundtrack for the Warhammer 40K universe. Maybe you can help. [more inside]
posted by kbanas
on Jun 9, 2010 -
Does anyone know where I can find a diagram outlining the predicted availability of elements for industrial purposes? I'm looking for something that would predict the number of centuries each substance could be mined before it would only be obtained through recycling.
posted by Smart Dalek
on Jan 22, 2010 -
What's the best workflow for posting edited RAW files to Flickr from Photoshop Elements 8? [more inside]
posted by edrnjevich
on Jan 9, 2010 -
I need to enhance facial detail in a 70 year old B&W 120 negative. The negative is both underexposed and out of focus. I am using PS Elements 3.0. I also have Photoshop 7. I will be using a Canoscan 8400F scanner. I can go to a local pro and have the negative scanned on his Epson V750 for $$$$$ if needed. What are good texts that can explain the mechanics of image enhancement? Any advantage in upgrading Elements? My computer does not have an internet connection and I do not need any of the net connected features that seem to be the reasons for upgrading Elements. I can also live with the 3.0 poor cataloging.
posted by Raybun
on Dec 21, 2007 -
How can I make text in one cell on one html page appear in the same cell on a different subpage? [more inside]
posted by sevenless
on Aug 24, 2006 -
It would be nice if there was some favelet, firefox extension, or web-based app that would 1) scrape an html page for all the spans and ids on the page 2) compare this list to the stylesheet and 3) point out the elements that aren't in use any longer.
I haven't found anything like this, and I'm wondering if anyone else has.
posted by jragon
on Aug 11, 2004 -
You know that graphic element used on maps to show North, South, East and West - doe that have a name
? (I can't think of it for the life of me...
posted by lilboo
on May 13, 2004 -
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(CNN) – While Members of Congress have a slightly higher honesty rating than last year, the lawmakers are still considered the least trusted professionals by the American public, barely edging out car salespeople for the lowest spot, according to a new Gallup survey released Monday.
Congress has had consistently low approval ratings over the years and 2012 is no exception, with more than half of Americans–54%–saying lawmakers on Capitol Hill have low or very low ethical standards and only 10% saying the elected officials have high or very high standards.
– Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker
The poll numbers come as Republicans and Democrats are locked in a bitter battle in Congress over how to reach a deficit-reduction agreement before an end-of-the-year deadline. If they fail to act, a large amount of tax hikes and spending cuts will kick in at the start of next year, a fiscal shift that could put the economy into a recession.
Out of the 22 professions measured, nurses topped the list, with 85% of Americans saying they have high standards. Pharmacists, medical doctors, and engineers also have high marks.
Car salespeople don't fall too far behind members of Congress, as 49% of Americans say they don't trust car dealers, according to the survey.
This year's rating is marginally better than last year, when a whopping 64% of Americans considered the lawmakers dishonest and only seven percent–the lowest point in the survey's 15 years–said members of Congress were honest.
Senators hold slightly higher trust among the public. Fourteen percent said lawmakers from the upper chamber are honest and have good ethics.
Gallup interviewed 1,015 adults by telephone from November 26 through November 29, a few weeks after the campaign season ended on Election Day. The poll has a sampling error of plus or minus four percentage points.
– CNN's Ashley Killough contributed to this report.
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Chemical Peels For Acne
Chemical peels are something I’ve never really been that attracted to in part because, chemical peels can really be botched, easily botched, and for any complexion above extremely light, it can be bleaching and damaging to say the least. Chemical peels are most commonly thought of for aging. However, more and more, younger people are using chemicals to treat everything from acne to rosacea to produce smooth skin in general.
It can yield some amazing results if you use it right, because it kills bacteria. When you burn the face and peel away a few layers of skin, you tend to kill off bacteria that may contribute to acne and cause acne rosacea. So it’s something to consider.
However, before you go running to get a chemical peel, consider all of the facts! For one thing, consider the price. You can get a cheaper chemical peel. But the damage that may be incurred if done wrong makes it worth it to pay more, hundreds more even.
But you also have to have the right expectations. Yes, you burn your skin. Yes, it is red, irritated, and not happy immediately after. But this does not mean that you will see immediate results. Accutane causes quite a few problems as well, and it can take as much as 6 months to really show results, and that’s if it shows results at all!
With a chemical peel, you should have pretty severe acne or use something else. Honestly, I think you should use something else in general. However, if you are going to use a chemical peel, it should only be for extremely severe acne. Still, skin will be red, peeling, and many other things that honestly speaking some would compare to acne in general for a while after while skin heals and repairs itself. And you should not go out into the sun without serious protection as the skin will be extremely sensitive.
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Just when you thought Brewdog's wind ups of the holier-than-thou (with 18%, 32% and 41% beers) had reached the end of the road ... they excel themselves yet again by lobbing weapons grade magnesium into the calm waters of righteousness.
A beer served in bottles made from stuffed animals has been criticised as "perverse" and "pushing the boundaries of acceptability".One can only applaud in awestruck admiration. Bravo, gents. Bravo.
The End of History, made by BrewDog of Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, is 55% and £500 a bottle.
The bottles have been made using seven dead stoats, four squirrels and a hare, said to be roadkill.
Advocates for Animals policy director Libby Anderson told the BBC Scotland news website: "It's pointless and it's very negative to use dead animals when we should be celebrating live animals. This seems to be a perverse idea.Err, they sold out in just 4 hours.
She added: "I think the public would not waste £500 on something so gruesome and just ignore it."
However, [Brewdog co-founder, James] Watt argued that criticism of the beer's high strength was "totally misguided".Thereby showing immense self-control as he suppressed his urge to collapse in hysterical laughter.
He said: "This artisan beer should be consumed in small servings whilst exuding an endearing pseudo vigilance and reverence for Mr Stoat. [...] I can think of no grander way to celebrate these animals than for them to be cherished by the lucky owners.
These guys have necks of pure polished brass and a huge wooden spoon to boot. We are not worthy.
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chipset is coming to Android tablets.
So says Intel CEO Paul Otellini. In the company's first-quarter
earnings report on Tuesday, Otellini announced that Intel had
received the source code for Android version 3.0 (Honeycomb) for
tablets from Google, and the
company is working on porting the operating system over to the x86
Intel "expects to be able to ramp those [Android tablet]
machines over the course of this year for a number of customers,"
Otellini said on a conference call with reporters. And in a
separate interview with Forbes, Otellini said we may see those
as early as May.
While Intel's chips have dominated the desktop and notebook
industry, the company has not had so much luck with mobile devices.
Instead, ARM architecture predominates among smartphones and
tablets, through ARM-based chips made by various companies
including Qualcomm, Texas Instruments and, most recently,
Part of what has kept Intel's processors from making gains in
the mobile market may be the same thing that makes it so strong in
the desktop and server areas.
"The big issue is power consumption," Richard Fichera, a
semiconductor analyst from Forrester Research, told Wired in an
interview. "ARM was designed from the beginning to be low-power
consumption, while Intel's x86 came from a whole different design
Intel, however, has taken strides in reducing power consumption
with its Atom series of processors: the 2009 Atom debut found power
reduced by 20 percent from the previous generation of
"Intel has radically improved their performance per watt on
their server and desktop chips," Fichera said, "but this is a
threshold they need to break past to move this architecture into
Last week, Intel debuted its "Oak Trail" series of Atom
processors -- the latest in the company's series of low-consumption
chips -- though some say they
don't measure up to ARM offerings.
"Intel's core strengths are building advanced manufacturing
processes and optimizing processor architectures,"
wrote Romit Shah, an analyst with Nomura Equity Research. "That
said, we believe the x86 architecture is not competitive versus ARM
in low power applications such as mobile handsets and tablets."
Intel's low-consumption Atom chips are currently implemented in
notebooks, not smartphones or tablets.
Otellini also signalled Intel's move into the smartphone space
should be expected in the future. "I would be very disappointed if
we didn't see Intel-based phones for sale 12 months from now," he
Some of these mobile moves has been hinted at before by Intel,
with little to show for it. Last July,
Intel CTO Justin Rattner told Wired that January of 2011
"would clearly be the window of opportunity" for the company to
bring its processors to mobile devices. January's Consumer
Electronics Show in Las Vegas -- the premier annual event for
electronics industry debuts -- came and went, with no sign of
Intel's processors in smartphones or tablets premiered at the show.
Many of the devices introduced are using Qualcomm's Snapdragon
processor, which is based on the ARM version seven instruction
"We're not a strong player in phones yet, but we will be,"
Otellini told Forbes. "We were able to bring volume economics and
technology to [PC markets], and you'll see us do the same here…
drive the power down, drive performance up, drive costs down, in
typical Intel fashion--boom, boom, boom."
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Posted by: SwgbintAdrdina in: Uncategorized
It’s very common mothers and fathers entrepreneurs to make virtually nothing, or make nothing, after which you can they’ll quietly leave. So, as they make the whole set of usual mistakes that newbies make, they’ll quit and pronounce it as a not doable, or something like that. But that’s all rubbish since several people small children they make great incomes online. It’s additional than possible to make millions online. Another thing you want to do is not make some of those mistakes which takes the wind from a sails. So that maybe what we you should plan on writing about now, avoiding some common mistakes that may be deadly.
A lot of people keep selling in markets that profitable, understanding that suggests poor consumer research. All marketers have to make decisions as outlined by specific data about a market, and then any knowledge it’s likely you have which is not dependant upon specific marketing research do not suffice. The single thing to understand and realize is this : solid research about a potential new market will help you to decide if you must proceed for it, or. A part of the process, if it is a chance, will likely be to study regarding the market demographs of individuals who make-up that market. These are your audience, and more than who they are, you can tailor your marketing so it is competitive with possible in the case of communicating with them.
You have to have patience while you are beginning online promotion. The single most often-seen mistakes is the way customers are not patient, and in addition they move from a single project to the next and do not make them profitable. Just recognise that some things are not to be assisted to happen faster, generally speaking. It will take time for them to build lists and buzz surrounding you, your product or service whilst your services. You will find there’s terrible misconception that you could enter in to IM to be a newbie making money overnight - doesn’t happen. It’s totally normal for everything to require some more time than you realized to get done. Also, it is quite normal for somebody don’t see any money from anything for months.
One very huge mistake is becoming interested in a place that you really hate to even think about. This is exactly highly misunderstood point that some don’t even pause to consider. It always isn’t a tough thing to choose a marketplace for a product or service you should promote also, you like. Should you like a subject matter, you should have more enthusiasm hard and that will help you to work together with it better.
There are even more means you could make great money through the web. Most people get needed for Online promotion given that they need to earn more income to make their lives easier. Sadly, most of these people will quit way before their efforts are able to work while they commit an identical blunders and get too mad and leave behind it.
You’ll want to certainly concious of probably the most common mistakes you will want to stay clear of. Providing you bust your tail in order to avoid simple mistakes of this nature and as long as used some good judgment, there is absolutely no believe that you shouldn’t capable of earn a good nice living online.
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Semifuse PTCs are resettable current fuses based on conductive polymer Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) technology. The PTC fuse will happily carry its rated "hold" current value until it is exceeded. If over-current occurs, the PTC resistance increases dramatically to limit the through current to safe levels.
The PTC will remain in this "off" state until the applied voltage is removed and the PTC has cooled down. The Semifuse PTC then "resets" to its pre-fault level ready to protect again.
Semifuse PTC fuses are available in a wide range of current values, voltages and formats. So whether you need a low-profile "strap", through-hole Printed Circuit Board (PCB) or SMD design, Semifuse is all you need.
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Lord, speak to me in such a way
That I may surely know
The purpose that You have for me;
The path that I must go.
Then, when the pathway is made clear,
And the journey I begin;
When fear and doubt start creeping in
Please speak to me again.
Remind me of Your presence, Lord,
Each mile along the way.
Let not my steps grow weary
Keep speaking, lest I stray.
The roadblocks will be many,
Dead ends I’m sure to see;
But I’ll reach my destination, Lord,
Because You spoke to me.
Here is my attempt at the challenge from Blueberry Goes Poetic:
My effort to write something that represented some type of story based on religion, culture and life was difficult. It was arduous to choose from so many myths and complex dogmas I have in my life. They were taught to me by a mother who was obsessed with religion; a step below fanatical. She practiced a combination of Catholicism, Santeria, Espiritismo(Santeria – lite) Judaism and lots of fixated Mythologies. I lived in a Hasidic Orthodox Jewish neighborhood which added to my confusion. I went to Catholic school by day and studied the Torah by night. I grew up thinking everyone was multi-religious. So in respect to the first religion I was taught through Baptism I chose to write a poem from my Catholicism.
Peace be with you, Isadora
Poetry Picnic Week # 6 : “Stories from Mythology, Culture and of Life”
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A Death Knell for the Newspaper Business?
Transforming industry kills latest victim: Editor & Publisher.
Trade magazines can be a barometer of the health of an industry. Journalistically, they cover the health, troubles and trends in an industry. As businesses, they sell advertising to an industry’s suppliers. In a complex symbiotic relationship, trade magazines rely on suppliers to an industry for their own health, while suppliers rely on the business health of the readers of a trade magazine.
When all is in harmony, it’s a virtuous circle. Businesses thrive as the industry’s trade press provides rich information that fuels still more success. This creates demand and interest among still more suppliers, who grow as they find new customers. As the suppliers grow and proliferate, they spend more money on marketing in the trade press, which thrives, and which then provides more information to the market.
Yesterday, Nielsen Business Media reported that Editor & Publisher was shutting down.
Clearly, Nielsen concluded that the supplier community serving the newspaper industry can no longer sustain a media business that reports on the newspaper industry. When you get to the point where the suppliers have dwindled—or not enough of them believe in the value of using a third-party media source for the marketing—you’ve got a problem.
And that tells us a lot about the state of the newspaper industry.
Say what you will about the value of newspapers, and in their heyday—virtually the entire 20th century—they were all powerful. Even now, the journalism produced by newspapers is unmatched. As a force for democracy, and an essential ingredient for a thriving society, newspaper journalism is as vital as ever and lives on—just online.
As a technology, however, it’s all over. Newspapers are dinosaurs. Take the “paper” out of “newspapers.” The world has passed the technology by. What used to be fresh at the doorstep in the morning is now, at best, several hours old. The Web does all the things newspapers used to do, circa 1920, but better, plus a hundred other things too.
This process of transformation is causing enormous disruption and pain. But in its wake come thousands of small entrepreneurial businesses as well as leaner, better old-line newspaper companies that are Internet-centric.
One victim of the transformation is Editor & Publisher, which is a bit ironic, given that E&P itself transformed into an online-centric business several years ago. In recent years it has been an award-winning, game-changing media brand. Just not enough of a business for Nielsen Business Media. But its editor, Greg Mitchell, is well regarded, and what didn’t work for Nielsen perhaps could work for Mitchell in another context.
Great editors, after all, are brands unto themselves.
Post Comment / Discuss This Blog - Info/Rules
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Britain’s former prime minister, Tony Blair, came in 2011 to speak at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, as part of the annual Town Hall Lecture Series, benefiting the Ringling College Library Association. He was one of five to speak that year — one more name to add to the extensive list of history’s leaders, opinion-shapers, movers and shakers who speak for the 33-year-old program that takes place from January through April.
Typically, the impressive crop of speakers follows a standard format: Each speaks for 40 minutes followed by a 20-minute Q&A, featuring audience-submitted questions. But Blair requested to speak for 20 minutes and have a 40-minute Q&A. Kathleen Weiner, Town Hall chairwoman at the time, was nervous that the flow would be thrown out of kilter.
Thinking a relaxing pedicure would help calm her anxiety, Weiner headed toward the nail salon to ease her mind. The tension subsided, but, then, she dropped her cell phone — the only line of communication with Tony Blair and his people — into the bubbly footbath. The loss of her phone made her unreachable until five minutes before stepping on stage to lead the Q&A. The lecture went just as smoothly as all of the others in the series.
“He was phenomenal. I really had nothing to worry about,” Weiner says, recalling one of her favorite memories.
Each year, there’s one woman responsible for contracting speakers and executing the program, and each chairwoman has more than a few stories to share.
“I could write a book,” says Olivia Thomas, 2010 lecture chairwoman. “And not just the year I chaired, but I could write a chapter on every single speaker I’ve ever seen.”
The committee women, many of whom became involved through Junior League, help with planning and details years before and after they chair the event.
The annual series began in 1981, with a group of dedicated women under the guidance of first Chairwoman Doris Stelzer.
Although the group originally consisted of non-working women, these days, most have full-time jobs on top of their full-time volunteer job as chairwoman.
For instance, Thomas is president and CEO of Safe Place Rape and Crisis Center. She chaired the 30th anniversary of the lecture series.
“When I was chair, I got a vitamin D deficiency because I never went outside,” Thomas laughs, but she’s not kidding.
She would spend all day at the computer working well into the night and on weekends planning the series. The highlight for her was bringing in former President Bill Clinton because he was surprisingly charming. After he spoke, it made it easier to bring in prominent figures for future lectures.
But one of Thomas’ favorite stories isn’t about a particular speaker; it’s about vending machine full of ice cream.
Former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf was speaking at the round-table media Q&A, but with the combination of his thick accent and loud vending machine, people were having trouble hearing.
“Kristine Nickel (2012 chairwoman) was motioning me to turn off the vending machine, so I’m crawling on my hands and knees to unplug it,” Thomas says. Then, Thomas went about her day until she received a call from Nickel that evening saying, “Olivia, we never plugged that vending machine back in.”
They both pictured melted ice cream pouring out and worried about how mad the Van Wezel staff would be at them. Thomas resorted to calling the front desk to tell someone they need to plug it back in. “It was like an anonymous bomb threat or something,” she laughs. But no one ever said anything about it.
Not all the stories are funny. Nickel, president and managing partner of Nickel Communications, had a what-am-I-going-to-do moment with speaker Bill O’Reilly at last year’s event.
It was 10 minutes before the media Q&A round table, and O’Reilly asked Nickel what members of the press were present. When she got to journalist Eric Deggans of the Tampa Bay Times, O’Reilly became enraged. Deggans allegedly called O’Reilly a racist in a past encounter.
“Here’s this multimillion dollar TV personality pouting upstairs, saying he doesn’t want to do this press conference,” Nickel says. But, as it turns out, the two discussed their problems in front of everyone and reached reconciliation.
“Two weeks later, I’m surfing the TV and O’Reilly actually has Deggans on his show,” she says.
So far, with only one lecture under her belt and with four left to go, this year’s chairwoman, Stephanie Grosskreutz, doesn’t have many stories — yet. She began the planning process in the summer of 2011 and announced the 2013 series season at the last lecture of 2012. According to her, after 33 years, the process is a well-oiled machine. It’s each chairwoman’s duty to find a balance among the types of speakers for their year.
“You want a few recognizable names, then some that aren’t so recognizable,” she says, “Those are the ones people leave saying, ‘That was amazing!’” Grosskreutz says.
Of course, every year they make offers or put together a bucket list of speakers the group would love to have, which right now includes: Hillary Clinton, Bono and Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg.
The most difficult aspect of successfully executing the program is arranging the speakers’ contracts. Since this year’s lectures began Jan. 15, the stress of contracting is over and it is easier for Grosskreutz to enjoy the series.
“It’s very exciting,” Grosskreutz says. “Of course, every night I say a little prayer that all of my speakers stay healthy!”
And if the previous chairwomen’s stories are any indication, Grosskreutz will be a wealth of stories come the last lecture, which will also be when the 2014 chairman, Jay Logan, makes his series announcement and RCLA history as the first male to chair the Town Hall lectures.
IF YOU GO
Dr. Robert Gates: Tuesday, Feb. 5
Dr. Benjamin Carson: Wednesday, Feb. 27
Capt. Mark Kelly: Monday, March 11
Tom Brokaw: Monday, April 8
When: 10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Where: Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 North Tamiami Trail
Cost: $200 to $600 per subscription
Info: Call 925-1343 or visit rclassociation.org
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4 "Gloria Musicae Celebrates America"
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
19 Steel Magnolias
4 10th Anniversary Perlman Gala Concert
Miller shares Longboat lore
David Miller gave the Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key a history lesson Thursday, May 16, when he shared his memories of early island life.
Kiwanians get club recognition
The Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key recently received "Distinguished Club" status from Kiwanis International for its efforts during the 2011-12 year.
Hat's off to Dee Pelton, volunteers
Dee Pelton held a luncheon that will be tough to top.
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Now that you have a cuddly infant in your arms, what do you do? Since
these cute bundles do not come with manuals, moms must learn it all themselves. What can you do to keep your baby safe and secure? One thing that can help to prevent accidents is to child proof the home.
Like babies, diapers could also stand to come with a manual or two. But don't worry! Changing Your Baby's Disposable Diaper will help every new parent out. If you really hate the fuss of diapers though, you may just want to consider going diaper free (yes seriously) with your little one. Find out more about this new and natural technique for dealing with your baby's waste.
Getting your baby to stop crying can be difficult sometimes, whether your a new parent or an old pro. Read Soothe Your Crying Baby for some great tips on stopping those tears.
Since getting your newborn to
burp is often a challenge, you can learn some different burping positions
that will give positive results! If baby does not burp, she may be suffering
from gas. Once again, try out some of our suggestions to help relieve
Having trouble getting your baby to bed? Before bedtime, how about calming baby with a relaxing
baby massage! A relaxed baby is a sleepy baby.
Need some tips? Chat with other new moms in our forum.
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The radiation oncology physics residency program at the Karmanos Cancer Center (KCC) is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Educational Programs. The program is based within the Gershenson Radiation Oncology Center and affiliated with the Wayne State University School of Medicine. Our Radiation Oncology department has a long history of medical physics education and training, a medical physics graduate program and medical residency program housed in the same department, and a wide variety of equipment and special procedures available to the residents.
The program is two years in length and provides graduates with the clinical skills for independent practice in radiation oncology physics. All residents are required to complete their didactic medical physics education prior to entry into the residency program.
The resident will:
- Participate in all aspects of clinical radiation oncology physics,
- Demonstrate competency in a broad range of topics through clinical performance, as well as periodic oral examination,
- Be well prepared to sit for the certification examination of the American Board of Radiology in Therapeutic Medical Physics,
- Have the opportunity to participate in special clinical projects during the program, consisting of novel research or projects involving clinical implementation and/or development of new technology or procedures.
All resources of our educational programs along with all graduate student and medical resident activities and conferences are available to the medical physics residents. This educational environment is a key strength of our physics residency program.
In addition, the wide variety of clinical resources, equipment, and special procedures performed here assure that the resident receives a well-rounded clinical training experience. The Karmanos Cancer Center is widely recognized as a leader in cancer treatment and research and is designated as a Comprehensive Cancer Care Center by the National Cancer Institute.
Visit the American Association of Physicists in Medicine Career Services website at (http://careers.aapm.org/). Applications are accepted from October through December and residents start July 1st.
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Music, Music, Music!
September 02, 2010
"Without music, life is a journey through a desert." Pat Conroy
Create your own oasis!
Riverside Branch has a great selection of music CD's available for checkout. Did you know that we also have sheet music that can be checked out? Whether you are just learning to play an instrument or want complex classical music, come check us out. Sheet music can be found in Adult Non-Fiction, Dewey classification numbers 782 through 787.
In addition, our website has ten databases dedicated to music. One of my favorites is Contemporary World Music. This database has tens of thousands of tracks that deliver the sounds of all regions from every continent. If you prefer something more familiar, take a look at The Classical Music Library and the Jazz Music Library. You are in for a treat.
If you can't find what you are looking for, our staff will be happy to help you. Enjoy!
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One coffeehouse customer’s random act of kindness went viral—resulting in hours of free beverages for hundreds of fellow patrons who couldn’t resist the urge to pass along the generosity.
On the morning of Dec. 21, a customer at a Tim Hortons in Winnipeg Canada decided to pay for the order of the person behind them in line. The customer on the receiving end was so moved they, in turn, decided to pay for the customer behind them in line.The trend continued for three hours and exactly 228 customers.
"It isn't uncommon for Tim Hortons customers to pay for the next person in line, but this was a real gift," Michelle Robichaud, a spokeswoman for the company, told the Winnipeg Free Press. "It was a boost of goodness, especially with everything happening in the world. ... We don't know who started it, but that's the beauty of this act of generosity. It was the start of something wonderful."
"There was a lot of energy in the store," manager Tony Thompson told the paper. "Our team was really excited and shouting out the number of pay it forwards all morning."
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I've started to take a look at Dependency Injection Containers (IoC), mostly because we have started using them where I work and also just out of general interest and trying to get my mind around how they work. During my investigations I came around a load of .net IoC frameworks, a lot of them had their own pros and cons, and a lot of people were hard core supporters of certain frameworks. Currently where I work we have chosen to go with Castle. While on this site I am also looking at Ninject. Please bear in mind that I am new to the whole IoC principle and still have a lot to learn. So any input or knowledge will be taken on board!
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(This posting combines dispatches from CIP Fellow Winifred Tate, who is in Colombia, and CIP Intern Marcela Guerrero.)
On June 8th, the High Commissioner for Peace, Luis Carlos Restrepo, sent a directive [PDF format] to international humanitarian agencies and embassies establishing strict limits on what international agencies and diplomats are entitled to do, and what language they use to describe it.
The list reads like a Macondian effort by a beleaguered administration to impose the fiction that they maintain absolute control of the country. But it has serious consequences for the vitally important work of the United Nations, journalists and humanitarian agencies – local and international – supporting work for peace and human rights in Colombia.
First, the document prohibits any public servant or individual from establishing contact with illegal armed groups, making a single exception for the International Red Cross. Even though Restrepo assures that the press will not be subject to the new measures and that international organizations will be allowed to carry on with their programs, no exceptions are mentioned for journalists conducting interviews, other international humanitarian agencies involved in work in remote rural regions where illegal armed groups maintain almost total control, or the hundreds of people who are forced into contact with such groups in the course of their work on any given day.
Restrepo goes on to write that the government will not accept any projects intended to “commit the future action of the National government in terms of peace agreements with illegal armed groups.†This is a marked departure from President Uribe’s constant insistence that the international community offer financial support, but not critique, his current demobilization process with paramilitary groups.
The directive forbids the use of expressions like “armed actors,†“actors in the conflict†and “non-state actors.†Terms like “peace community,†“territory of peace,†or humanitarian zone†are also unacceptable. Instead of “civilian protection,†one must use “measures for self-protection of the civilian population.â€
Restrepo once again attacks the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó, saying that its model of non-violent resistance “generates confusion,†and that such peace and humanitarian projects cannot exclude, or question the action of, the armed forces and justice system. Ana Teresa Bernal, director of the Colombian NGO Redepaz, states that this document is mainly aimed against civil-society peace initiatives – currently more than 400 in the country. Bernal told Inter Press Service that, for the Uribe government, this document is an “integral part of the warâ€.
In addition, Peace Commissioner Restrepo insists that international agencies not plan “humanitarian†activities that imply contact with the armed groups. The goal of such a directive could not be more clear in a country where the main goal of international organizations is to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis. As stated by Diego Pérez, a consultant to Suippcol – a network of Swiss NGOs that work with grassroots groups in Colombia, “helping the conflict’s direct victims – among whom can be found not just civilians but combatants who have been wounded or put out of combat – is impossible to do without coming in contact with the parties to the conflict.â€
The repeated warnings against contact with armed groups sound more like accusations against international organizations and other NGOs. Indeed, the government’s distrust for human rights and peace organizations has never been a secret. In particular, the reports and information published by these groups often disagree with official sources; hence the addition of a new directive which “recommends†that donors only support the formulation of projects with official “true facts.†In other words, as long as the information used by NGOs coincides with government figures, the project will have complied with the guidelines. Needless to say, this is an unreasonable request when, among other examples, the government only recognizes only half of the 700 persons who are displaced every day.
In a particularly Orwellian turn of phrase, High Commissioner for Peace states that “accepting the existence of the armed conflict implies negating the proper channels of democracy,†and in effect supports the illegal armed actors in their quest for power. Notwithstanding, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights’ representative in Colombia, Michael Frühling, recalled at a June 13 press conference that the term “armed conflict†is part of the basic agreement between the Colombian government and his office.
The guidelines specifically state that “any kind of activity that could imply any contact with armed groups is unacceptable to the national government,†so presumably any travel or development projects outside major cities in areas where armed-group roadblocks are common is out of the question. What is more, projects already in place led by the UN and other independent international organizations become questionable under the new parameters. According to Diego Pérez, this statement ignores existing G-24 donor-country declarations (London in 2003 and Cartagena in 2005) as well as the recommendations issued by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and declarations by the European Council of Ministers regarding aid to Colombia.
Restrepo does not simply address international support, however, but also rules out any possibility of regional peace dialogues without the president’s authorization. Thus, local projects – such as the Nasa indigenous group’s “Life Projects†in Northern Cauca, which must inevitably require some contact with armed groups due to their heavy presence in the region – as well as other development and peace programs where leaders have no choice but to speak with armed actors in order to save lives or to preserve their projects, would clearly lose ground. Even the role of the Catholic Church in any sort of peace effort has been expressly limited.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Carolina Barco admitted at a press conference that perhaps the High Commissioner for Peace was remiss in distributing this document to embassies and international agencies, suggesting instead that he should have discussed the concerns in private meetings. She did not address the content of the directive, however.
Luis Carlos Restrepo did come forward in its defense and reiterated that the statement’s purpose was to ensure that international cooperation “speaks the same language†as the national government. Restrepo called it a “technical†document that “defines concepts and criteria to be used in projects that include the government as a counterpart.†According to the peace commissioner, many requests for projects that arrive in his office involve the direct or indirect participation of armed groups. The argument goes that contact with armed groups endangers the organizations initiating such relationships, the people in the region and – most importantly – delegitimizes the government. However, if the number of programs that fit this profile is as high as Restrepo asserts, it is worth asking whether it is possible to plan projects without taking armed groups into consideration, or whether the criteria that define “involvement†of armed groups is too broad or imprecise.
Shortly after the document was made public, several Colombian NGOs released strong responses. However, the international community was reticent to offer a public reaction. Alfredo Witschi-Cestari, resident coordinator for the UN system in Colombia, stated to the press that he had no official declarations to give. Likewise, European embassies maintained silence, and of course the U.S. embassy had nothing to say.
Only UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) Colombia office director Roberto Meier expressed clear disagreement with the directives. Meier contended that the terminology in question has been in place for about 50 years, has been internationally approved, and that any attempts to change it should be addressed to the UN General Assembly. Meier states that the guidelines are “non-binding†as they have not been directed through the appropriate channels; however, he added that any attempt to enforce them may force UNHCR to pull out of the country.
Concludes CIP’s Winifred Tate, writing from Bogotá: “Reading this directive was particularly instructive having just returned from a five day trip through Putumayo, the southern state along the border with Ecuador currently under dispute between paramilitary groups and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC.
“I was lucky in my travels not to come into direct contact with illegal armed actors, but according to well-informed local sources, I ate lunch on several occasions with paramilitary commanders sitting near by table. During my trip, I met many dedicated local elected and appointed officials, as well as religious and community leaders, who would like nothing more than not to have to face daily contact with illegal armed groups in the course of their work. I’ll be writing more about my trip in the next week, but be warned: my account will include discussion of the ‘armed conflict,’ ‘armed actors’ and ‘non-state actors.’â€
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Global environmental challenges
As Americans forgo expensive vacations, costly dinners and shopping mall splurges, many are opting instead for the quiet simplicity of fishing, according to the sport fishing industry and reports from bait shops and fishermen.
My colleague Jason Szep has done a report on this which you can read here.
As a life-long angler and fly fishing addict, I have long held that my passion is a green one. Anglers and hunters spend money on license fees that is ploughed into conservation programs. Guide services provide income and employment which gives local communities, tax payers and voters a vested interest in conservation.
There are also organizations like Trout Unlimited that are dedicated to freshwater conservation and get much of their support from anglers.
But I also know that my hobby has added considerably to my personal “carbon footprint.” As Jason notes in his report, falling gas prices have lured more anglers out on the road. If you fish or hunt, you probably drive — a lot.
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It seems many political disagreements on the internet are about style, rather than substance and who am I to buck the trend? Elizabeth Warren caused a lot of knee jerk reaction with her offhand remark on why no one got where they are on their own. But for a fresh round of teeth-grinding, here Obama goes saying things that are true:
…look, if you’ve been successful, you didn’t get there on your own. You didn’t get there on your own. I’m always struck by people who think, well, it must be because I was just so smart. There are a lot of smart people out there. It must be because I worked harder than everybody else. Let me tell you something — there are a whole bunch of hardworking people out there. (Applause.)
Nothing he’s saying here is controversial. I, too, am struck by those hypothetical idiots who think that we live in some sort of perfect meritocracy where humans don’t interact with other humans. If I could just find one of those people, I’d pound so much sense into them…
Look (there I go talking like Obama), we don’t have a meritocracy and it’s just as well. It’s not like it’s morally any different for someone to succeed because of the parents and location they were born with or for someone to succeed because of the intelligence they were born with. None of us deserve what we have. I benefited from things invented ages ago. My industry benefits from the hollowed out corpses of failed startups that left behind good technology. And that’s why… why what? Here Obama goes conflating society and the state:
If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business — you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen. The Internet didn’t get invented on its own. Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet.
Here is how these arguments go: you have what you have because [some thing that people in your life did] and/or [some thing that people you've never met did] and/or [some thing the government did], therefore… [insert pet conclusion]. All these different things are lumped together so your patriotic duty to pay taxes and your duty to give back to society are one in the same.
But it’s not like we couldn’t have roads or bridges without government. More importantly, it’s not like when your parents or your friends help you with your business that’s really government doing it. It’s like the state is Jesus. It forgave your sins… even though your sins weren’t against it in the first place.
Obama is arguing for slightly higher taxes on some against those who want slightly lower taxes overall. Both sides in question agree on some taxes and neither side has a magic formula to determine how much. And neither do I. And that’s the thing. What he’s presenting isn’t purely substance, it’s largely style. And here I am responding in kind.
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Someone once said the world is run by those who show up. With a few exceptions, the natural food industry didn’t show up at the national National FFA convention in Indianapolis.
I’m back from the annual trek to the National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis, where more than 50,000 high school students in blue corduroy jackets, along with several hundred ag teachers, gathered in late October. For those unaware, FFA is the major social and educational organization for high school students interested in a future in agriculture.
A large part of the FFA convention is the Expo Hall where the major ag-related companies actively court the youngsters with glitzy booths and lots of giveaways. Think Expo West with a younger, more sober and extremely polite crowd.
I returned to FFA this year, along with a couple of young bison ranchers, to hold down the National Bison Association booth. Needing to take a break from booth duties at one point, I wandered the show floor to see how many natural and organic industry representatives were on hand.
I wandered… and wandered… and wandered.
Big Ag's future farmer influence
I wandered past the 4,200 sq. ft. Monsanto pavilion, where students lined up to take a journey into a land where American farmers feed the world with GMOs. I turned left at the Sygenta island, where booth attendants in white lab coats helped students peer through microscopes to glimpse a better world through chemistry in agriculture. I strolled past the DuPont Crop Production Center with its high-tech display.
Finally, at the end of Aisle 1500, I found representatives of Organic Valley Cooperative and OCIA organic certification agency camped out like soldiers at the Alamo.
Glenn and Luann Hoff, two Organic Valley farmers, were holding down the co-op’s fort as I stopped by. “This is our third year here,” Glenn told me as he handed a packet of string cheese to a passing student. “We love talking with these kids, and showing them how organic dairy farming has grown.”
I watched for a few minutes as Glenn and Luann visited with students who were hungry for much more than just a taste of organic mozzarella.
Back at the National Bison Association booth, I spent the rest of my day visiting with students who are actively seeking a career path in which they can be part of a sustainable food system.
Showing up for ag's future
Folks, we really have to step up our game. The students at FFA are the next generation of farmers and ranchers. They are rock solid. Many are looking for options to conventional agriculture.
Someone once said the world is run by those who show up. With a few exceptions, the natural food industry didn’t show up at FFA.
Natural food manufacturers consistently moan that tight supplies and high prices of ingredients limit their capacity to grow. Unless we invest in the next generation of American farmers, that problem will persist.
Organic Valley probably won’t sell one more gallon of milk next year because of their booth at FFA. OCIA likely won’t see a burst of new applicants for organic certification.
That’s not the point. The real point is much bigger and much more long term.
It’s time to show up.
Dave Carter studied journalism at University of Northern Colorado but found his true calling working with farmers and ranchers at the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union for 25 years. He’s now the executive director of the National Bison Association.
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(MENAFN - Arab Times) Tensions in the Middle East, as well as speculation, are behind recent increases in oil prices, two Gulf oil ministers said on Tuesday.
"There is a lot of tension in oil-producing countries," said the energy minister of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammad bin Dhaen al-Hamli, on the sidelines of the International Energy Forum in Kuwait.
"That I think is reflected in oil prices," he told reporters.
Bahrain's Abdul Hussein Mirza said crude prices were volatile due to geopolitical concerns and market speculation that should be tackled.
"The volatility is not due to supply or demand. It is due to speculation mainly, and the geopolitical situation," he said.
He called for "some control on speculation" and an agreement over "measures that can be taken to reduce the speculation in the market," he said.
Asked if he thought oil prices were too high at their current levels at around 106 for the West Texas Intermediate, Mirza, whose country has dwindling oil resources, said a 100 per barrel is the "fair" price for crude.
Oil ministers and delegates from the 88-member IEF are holding their biennial three-day gathering in Kuwait to discuss the role of the forum in tackling market volatility.
Tensions have escalated in the Gulf due a standoff between and Iran and the West, which imposed sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear programme that the West fears could be leading to developing atomic weapons.
Iranian officials threatened to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz if sanctions imposed by the European Union affect its exports of oil.
On March 1, WTI crude hit 110.50 per barrel, the highest since May 2011, while Brent North Sea crude rocketed to 128.40 a barrel, the highest since July 2009.
The United States meanwhile is pressing Saudi Arabia to boost oil output to fill a likely supply gap arising from sanctions on Iran, Gulf sources told Reuters, adding that such an increase is unlikely before July.
"There were talks held between Saudi and the US and the US asked if Saudi could be accommodating once the sanctions take effect in July. And the Saudi response was that it was ready to meet demand in the market if required, but would not like to take part in the politics," one Gulf official said.
A European Union embargo on Iranian crude takes effect on July 1. US and European financial sanctions have made it difficult for other importing nations to process payments for Iranian crude.
"There will not be any surprises in Saudi production over the coming few months, we are yet to see what demand in April will be. But generally production will stay up or down 200,000 barrels per day from the current 9.8 (million bpd)," the official said.
"The situation is still not clear, by July there will be a clearer picture," another Gulf source said.
Kuwait has actively endeavored to bring fruition to the dialogue between energy producing and consuming nations ever since its inception in Paris in 1991, said His Highness the Amir, opening the 13th ministerial meeting of the International Energy Forum (IEF) here Tuesday.
Welcoming delegates of the forum, being held under the theme "Effective Dialogue, Best Means for Energy Security," His Highness Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah said in a speech that Kuwait has been taking part in this dialogue since 1991, becoming eventually a member of the forum's executive council, all the while keeping in mind the importance of the forum as a viable vehicle for purposeful dialogue between energy producing and consuming nations.
The forum takes its paramount significance in that it embraces under one canopy organizations that look after the interests of energy consuming nations, such as the International Energy Agency, and those that address the concerns of the producing nations, such as OPEC, both these organizations being active participants with the IEF, indicated HH the Amir.
He further emphasized that Kuwait has always paid heed to forums such as the IEF, which brings together consuming and producing nations, national and local energy companies, international oil firms, in addition to world organizations that focus on oil and energy issues, he said, adding that for that reason and others Kuwait believes strongly in exchanging expertise and viewpoints on energy issues.
Kuwait's dedication to dialogue on energy issues is manifested in its visible role in OPEC, which pursues a policy of stabilizing oil prices and supplying energy to international oil markets at manageable prices, enabling the producing countries thus to employ oil revenues for their economic growth and future development plans, said HH the Amir.
Furthermore, he pointed out that the oil industry worldwide faces great challenges in the near future that might be instigated by gyrations in oil prices, economic downturns, ensuring safe open- sea navigation, fighting piracy, illegal immigration, seaport and airport safety, and the need for enormous investment in the energy sector to counter increasing demand for energy.
Sheikh Sabah noted that Kuwait envisioned for the future using oil wealth to realize objectives of sustainable development and growth, with the emphasis on nurturing human resources, while at the same time protecting the environment through the judicious use of oil in an environmentally-friendly manner and working toward the production of alternative energy sources.
He concluded his speech to the forum by urging its participants to seek workable solutions that induce stability to world oil markets and further cooperation among energy consuming and producing nations and oil companies and energy research centers.
Minister of Oil Hani Hussein stressed the importance of consolidating efforts of energy producing and consuming countries in order to guarantee safe, clean and secure energy to people around the world.
During his speech at the 13th International Energy Forum, Minister Hussein said, "We are proud of the fact that Kuwait is hosting this distinctive event which is born out of 20 years of dialogue, and is considered the first since signing the forum's charter. We are pleased with this big participation of 600 delegates that represent 76 countries, 15 international organizations, and 32 oil companies."
"The last 20 years have witnessed a remarkable development of dialogue between producers and consumers, in which the international energy forum had a prominent role in bringing points of view closer and creating a climate of joint understanding between producers and consumers on various energy issues," pointed out Hussein.
He added, "Those efforts were culminated by signing the forum's charter in Riyadh a year ago. Therefore, holding the 13th forum in Kuwait, which is the first since signing the forum's charter, is without any doubt an important step in the path of further documentation and consolidating of this dialogue."
"The importance of this forum is highlighted by its coinciding with essential political and economic developments that influenced the stability pace of energy markets, oil prices, and global economy recovery," stressed the Minister of oil.
Minister Hussein explained, "Our interest in dialogue stems from the vital role of energy in all aspects of our daily life, as well as it is being the main engine for global economy. However, there are still unfortunately more than billions of people around the world who are deprived of energy.
Kuwait Petroleum Corp and France's Total on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding to be partners in a Kuwait-China oil refinery joint venture, the French energy giant said.
The joint venture, in partnership with China's Sinopec, will develop a refinery with a processing capacity of 300,000 barrels per day, in addition to a petrochemical complex, Total said in a statement on the sidelines of the International Energy Forum in Kuwait.
The complex to be built in Zhanjiang, in China's southern Guangdong province, will process Kuwaiti crude oil.
Kuwait Petroleum International (KPI), KPC's international arm, and China's state-owned Sinopec signed an agreement more than two years ago to build the 9 billion (6.9 billion euro) complex.
"This agreement will be the keystone of a long-term relationship with KPC," Total chief executive officer Christophe de Margerie said in the statement.
"The project is in line with our strategy of expanding in growth markets, based on a few highly competitive and integrated platforms," he said.
KPC chief executive officer, Farouk al-Zanki, also hailed the state-owned group's new cooperation with Total.
"Total, with its long experience in the downstream business in China coupled with know how in refining and petrochemical operations, will add value to the China project," he said in the statement.
The Total chief told reporters in Kuwait on Tuesday that the French group's share of the whole venture will be at 20 percent, while KPC will hold 30 percent.
"In the end, Total will have 20 (percent of the complex), KPC 30 (percent) and Sinopec 50 (percent)," he said.
South Africa hopes to have a plan by the end of May for replacing Iranian crude that currently makes up a quarter of its crude imports, the country's energy minister told Reuters.
The United States has pressured many of Iran's biggest oil buyers in Asia to reduce their purchases in a Western push to starve Tehran of funds for its disputed nuclear programme.
Iran is South Africa's leading crude supplier, making up about 29 percent of imports by Africa's biggest economy, according to the US Energy Information Administration.
US energy officials visited South Africa in January but did not make any formal request to halt or reduce Iranian crude imports, South African officials say.
"I would be lying if I said that the United States is putting pressure on us to cut Iran imports... but we are considering different avenues now," Elizabeth Dipuo Peters told Reuters on the sidelines of the International Energy Forum in Kuwait.
"We have given ourselves till the end of May to come up with alternatives, and we are engaging in talks with everyone, including Iran," she said in an interview, adding that she had recently visited Tehran to discuss the issue.
Oil traders say Iran may have to offer steep discounts to keep its customers buying as pressure from Washington and Europe on Iran builds.
Iran has not offered South Africa cheaper oil to persuade it to buy more, Peters said, but South Africa will need to find cost-effective alternatives to wean itself off Iranian oil.
"Price is certainly a concern for us and looking at the other options we have to consider the price," she said.
Many refineries in the country, including the privately-held Engen refinery, are designed to treat Iranian crude and adjusting them to handle others would be costly.
"We are worried about (Engen) that's why we are engaging in talks with the owners and everybody else," she said, adding that Venezuela could offer a viable alternative to Iranian crude.
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http://www.menafn.com/menafn/1093493001/Tensions-hike-oil-%C3%A2%E2%82%AC%C2%A6-US-seeks-output-rise
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en
| 0.96606 | 2,183 | 1.523438 | 2 |
A master plan for Technocity, the estimated Rs 5,000-crore IT township coming up over 450 acres at Pallipuram near here, is now ready.
When fully commissioned, Technocity would be an integrated IT township, encompassing IT/ITES infrastructure and residential apartments.
Shopping malls with multiplexes, hospitals, hotels, educational institutions and other support facilities would be other attractions. It will have up to 30 million square feet built-up space with multiple buildings for tenant organisations.
Other than IT, it would play to host enterprises in the biotechnology, nanotechnology, high-end manufacturing sectors, as well as research and development.
Tata Consultancy Services will set up a Rs 1500-crore Global Learning Academy here in the 82 acres of land already allotted to them.
Purportedly one of the largest in Asia, it would be able to train and accommodate at least 16,000 IT professionals at a time. Infosys, which has a 50-acre special economic zone in phase II of Technopark, will set up a second campus in 50 acres here.
Separately, Technopark would be developing a 50-acre campus for companies planning to set up their IT/ITES units in the Technocity campus.
SunTec Business Solutions is a home-grown company that plans to set up a campus in the 10 acres of land allotted to them.
Major educational and research institutes such as the Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management-Kerala too want to move in. Asian school of Business has its campus in phase I of Technopark, but is now in the process of setting up a facility in Technocity.
Technopark has nearly 270 companies providing direct employment to more than 37,000 IT/ITES professionals. Another 1.5 lakh are estimated to benefit indirectly.
“We have been getting enquiries from across the world seeking information on investment potential and possibilities,” says K.G. Girish Babu, Chief Executive Officer, Technopark.
Keywords: Technocity master plan,
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<urn:uuid:dc2f7a51-3dd7-4c2e-b9f3-c12743e785df>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/states/article3795758.ece?ref=wl_marketing
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en
| 0.940034 | 430 | 1.59375 | 2 |
This book continues to provide an overview of the inter-relationship between ethical medical practice and the law. Thus, the emphasis is on those aspects of medical practice that are governed, to a large extent, by the moral law. However, medical law, as a whole, is still a developing discipline which is being increasingly shaped by the courts and there is extensive coverage of seminal and recent judicial decisions, with particular attention being given to those which define the limits of professional freedom in the light of the increasing importance attached to personal autonomy. The book incorporates a strong element of comparative medical law, having a particular interest in the shift of influence from other Anglophone jurisdictions to those in Europe. The text is directed in the main to students and practitioners of law, but the overarching importance attached to ethical principles broadens its appeal to all those involved in the control and delivery of modern healthcare.
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mason-McCall-Smiths-Medical-Ethics/dp/0199282390
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en
| 0.970422 | 176 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Eighth Grade Class Trip
For most students, the eighth grade class trip is the pinnacle of their CLCS experience. Students work closely with a parental committee to plan the week-long trip and to raise funds. Past destinations have included Virginia Beach, Williamsburg, and Washington, D.C.
During the week, students and their chaperones bond during fun activities like a trip to Busch Gardens amusement park. They also enjoy educational visits to sites like historic Jamestown and the Norfolk Naval Base. Students grow closer through daily devotional times and a special formal dinner. This class trip gives our students a wealth of good memories.
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.clcschool.org/?page_id=399
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en
| 0.95022 | 129 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Mark Lennihan, File, Associated Press
NEW YORK — The tremors from Europe's financial upheaval have reached U.S. shores, rattling consumers and companies.
The consequences have been limited so far. Yet the United States and Europe are so closely linked that any slowdown across the Atlantic is felt here. U.S. makers of cars, solar panels, drugs, clothes and computer equipment have all reported effects from Europe's turmoil.
Worries that Europe's crisis could worsen and spread are spooking investors and consumers just as the holiday shopping season nears. Some fear U.S. consumers could rein in spending. Europe's sputtering growth is already dragging on some U.S. companies' profits and could further slow the U.S. economy.
The crisis "seems to be coming to a head right at the time the U.S. economy is at its most vulnerable," said Mark Vitner, an economist at Wells Fargo.
It's affecting companies like Marlin Steel Wire Products, a 34-employee business based in Baltimore that's been seeking a $4 million contract from a German manufacturer for an industrial steel wire project.
Marlin's CEO, Drew Greenblatt, says the German firm is in "pause mode" because of Europe's turmoil. The German company had promised the order by early November.
Marlin's overall sales are growing briskly. But sales to Europe have been sinking.
"If they were ordering like they customarily do, we would have hired more guys," Greenblatt said.
The European Union is the No. 1 U.S. trading partner. Nearly $475 billion in goods crossed between the regions in the first nine months of 2011. About 14 percent of revenue for the 500 biggest U.S. companies — roughly $1.3 trillion — comes from Europe.
The U.S. economy is especially vulnerable to the European crisis because it's growing so weakly and facing other risks, such as weak hiring, stagnant pay, high energy costs, a wide trade deficit and potentially steep government spending cuts.
"It won't take much to tip us into another recession," said Sung Won Sohn, an economics professor at California State University, Channel Islands. "If Europe gets into any deeper trouble, it will take us and the rest of the world down, too."
The European Union said last week that the region could slip into a "deep and prolonged recession" next year. The Eurozone is expected to grow just 0.5 percent in 2012. That's far below the 1.8 percent growth predicted in the spring.
Wells Fargo estimates that the U.S. economy will grow 2.1 percent next year, 0.4 percentage point lower because of Europe's slowdown. Goldman Sachs thinks the region's slowdown could shave a full percentage point off U.S. growth.
Even if Europe doesn't fall into a downturn, its turmoil is affecting U.S companies and consumers in several ways:
— Stock-market gyrations unsettle consumers and make them more cautious about spending.
— U.S. companies with big European operations are suffering from lower sales, prices and profits.
— Banks worldwide are cutting lending and hoarding cash to create more cushion for potentially deep losses on their holdings of Greek, Italian and other government debt. U.S. and overseas banks are keeping about $1.57 trillion in reserves at the Federal Reserve — a jump of nearly $580 billion in the past year.
— Uncertainty about how much damage Europe could cause is making corporations reluctant to spend their piles of cash to hire and invest.
Not every U.S. company is hurting in Europe, of course. McDonald's Corp., Kraft Foods Inc., Sara Lee Corp. and Oracle Corp. recently reported strong results there. But General Motors Co.'s third-quarter profit fell 15 percent, due mainly to slower sales and higher costs in Europe.
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<urn:uuid:35188eac-f96d-4cf7-a3b7-f94a76daa15e>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700197510/US-companies-are-feeling-impact-of-European-crisis.html
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s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
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en
| 0.948893 | 981 | 1.84375 | 2 |
Eighteen Treatises from the Mishna, by D. A. Sola and M. J. Raphall, , at sacred-texts.com
§ 1. When one person says to another, "Receive this Get for my wife," or, "Bring this Get to my wife," he may, if he likes, take it back again; 1 but when the wife said [to the messenger], "Receive for me my Get," the husband cannot resume it. Therefore, should a husband say to the messenger, "I do not wish that you should receive it for her [as her messenger], but go and give it her [as my messenger]," he may, if he likes, resume it again. Rabbon Simeon ben Gamaliel saith, "Also, when the wife said, 'Fetch me my Get,' the husband cannot take it back."
§ 2. A wife who had said, "Receive for me my Get," must produce two [sets or] pairs of witnesses; two must testify [and say], "She uttered this [order] in our presence," and two more to say, "The messenger received the Get, and tore it up 2 in our presence;" the same witnesses may however testify to the truth of both assertions, or one of the first and one of the second pair of witnesses may conjoin with them a third person to bear testimony. A betrothed girl may either receive her Get herself, or her father may receive it for her. R. Jehudah saith, "That right cannot be possessed at the same time by both parties; but her father only has a right to receive her Get." Any female who is too young to take proper care of her Get, cannot be divorced at all.
§ 3. When a female minor said, "Receive my Get for me," the Get is ineffective until it has reached her hands. Therefore, should the husband wish to revoke the Get, he is at liberty to do so, because a minor has not the power of appointing a messenger [or deputy]; but if her father said [to the messenger], "Go and receive my daughter's Get," the husband cannot revoke it. When a husband says,
[paragraph continues] "Give this Get to my wife in the place N. N." and the messenger gave it her elsewhere, the Get is void. [But if the husband had only said] "My wife is in the place N. N." and the messenger gave it her in another place, it is valid. When a woman says, "Receive for me my Get in such a place," and the messenger received it for her in another place, it is void; but R. Eleazar declares it valid. If she said, "Bring me my Get from such a place," and he fetched it from elsewhere, it is valid.
§ 4. When a wife says, "Bring me my Get," she may [if married to a priest] continue to eat heave till the Get has been delivered into her hands. When she said to a messenger, "Receive my Get for me," she may not, from that instant, eat any longer of the heave. If she said, "Receive my Get for me, and bring it to the place N. N." she is permitted to eat heave till the time the Get can have reached that place; but R. Eleazar prohibits it immediately. 3
§ 5. When a husband says, "Write a Get, and give it to my wife," or, "Divorce her," or, "Write a letter [אגרת] and give it her," they are to write the Get, and give it her. If he said, "Release her," or, "Provide her her maintenance," or, "Do with her as is customary," or, "Do with her as is proper," what he has said amounts to nothing. Formerly, it was held that when a criminal was led out with an iron collar [to the place of execution], and he said, "Write a Get for my wife," they should write it, and deliver it to her. It was afterwards decided, also those that are about going to sea, or to travel with a caravan [in the desert]. R. Simeon Sazuree saith, "Also those who are dangerously ill."
§ 6. If a person who was cast into a pit, called out from thence, that whoever should hear his voice should write a Get to his wife, they shall write it and deliver it to her. When a person in health says, "Write a Get for my wife," he must be considered as if joking with her. It once happened that a person in health said, "Write a Get for my wife," and then went on his roof, from whence he fell and died; Rabbon Simeon ben Gamaliel saith, "The sages decided upon that occasion, that if he fell down with premeditation [on his part] the Get is valid, but not if the wind blew him down." 4
§ 7. If a husband says to two [men], "Give a Get to my wife," 5 or to three, "Write a Get, and give it to my wife," they shall write,
and deliver it to her. 6 If he said to three, "Give a Get to my wife," the latter can depute others to write it, because he constituted them a tribunal. Such is the dictum of R. Meir, and this doctrine R. Hanina of Ono 7 brought with him from prison; 8 [he said] "I have received a tradition, that when the husband said to three men, 'Give my wife a Get,' that they may depute others to write it, because the constituted them a tribunal." R. José saith, "We tell this emissary, 9 We [also] have a tradition, that when a husband had said even to the Great Tribunal in Jerusalem, 'Give my wife a Get,' the latter are bound to study [the laws of Get], 10 write a Get, and deliver it to the wife." When a husband says to ten [men], "Write ye and deliver a Get to my wife," one of that number shall write, and two others sign it, but if he said, "Write it all of ye," then one shall write, and all must sign it. Therefore, if one of them should die, 11 the Get becomes void.
293:1 That is, he may revoke the commission he gave. Note that in this as in the following sections, this revocation is admissible only before the Get was delivered to the wife.
293:2 This relates to a time of persecution, when the Get was torn up as soon as a divorce had taken place.
294:3 That is, immediately the messenger left her to proceed on his mission.
294:4 Or that he fell owing to any other accidental circumstance.
294:5 Without adding that they were to write it.
295:6 And require no other writer or witnesses.
295:7 The name of a place.
295:8 Where R. Akivah was incarcerated, and from whom he learned the above narration.
295:9 Viz. R. Hanina of Ono, who was deputed to communicate this doctrine to the sages.
295:10 If necessary, or if they had no practice in the writing of a Get. [See Maimonides’ Commentary, ad literam.]
295:11 Before the delivery of the Get.
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/etm/etm140.htm
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en
| 0.986278 | 1,578 | 1.78125 | 2 |
The Port of Luderitz, named after a German merchant Adolf Luderitz, is Namibia's second port and was 'discovered' by Europeans in 1487 when the Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias arrived on his epic voyage of discovery.
The port was established by German settlers in the 1800s and has had a topsy turvy existence - becoming all but abandoned as a commercial port by the early 1990s and it is only since the new Namport administration took over in 1995 that Luderitz has begun to resurrect itself as the gateway to the south of Namibia. The town bearing the same name also used the opportunity to reinvent itself as a tourist attraction, making good use of the unique German architecture and other colonial attractions. Whilst tourists visiting other parts of Namibia might come to play poker at the country's casinos, or witness the extraordinary wildlife as part of a safari tour, those staying in Luderitz often have a rather different agenda. Many of those who make a trip to this area come to experience the tranquility of this quiet harbour town.
Since 1995 investment has improved harbour facilities and Luderitz now handles modern coastal traffic as well as the needs of the offshore sector, including the diamond mining and fishing industries.
Since Namport took over the administration of Luderitz from South Africa, considerable investment has begun to improve the port and its facilities. This has included dredging the approach channel to the harbour as well as the 198m wide turning basin to -8.15m CD and the water alongside the new quay to -8.75m CD for the first 300m. The length of the entrance channel to the jetty is 708m with a width of 60.9m. The concrete quay has a depth alongside of -6.1m CD.
The largest vessel permitted is 150m, with a draught of 8.15m and a DWT of 5,000t. Larger ships may be handled with the permission of harbour authorities. Port Control operates between the hours of 07.00 and 17.00, with the nearby Diaz Point Lighthouse providing direct communications to the port 24 hours a day. Otherwise the port works Monday to Friday 06.00 to 18.00, Saturday 06.00 to 12.00 - overtime on request.
Luderitz is served by three tug/work boats - the 32t bollard pull tug Onyeti, the 12.4t pull Pelican and the diminutive 9t bollard pull Pelican. The port also has a harbour launch named Egret and three harbour lighters - two for cargo handling and one fitted for slops. Pilotage is compulsory.
Cargo handled at the Port of Luderitz increased dramatically from 1994, when the average number of ship calls was 826 and cargo reached 51,513 tonnes. By 1997 ship calls were 1,253 and tonnage peaked at 102,614t. Cargo landed consisted mainly of fuel and fish products. Exports were predominantly fish products.
Luderitz is linked with the rest of Namibia by rail and road. The port has a main concrete jetty that can accommodate ships of up to 150m. A new quay wall of 500m with a depth alongside of -8.75m CD has been constructed along the eastern shore of Shark Island, enabling Luderitz to meet increasing demand on services. Layby and maintenance facilities are available for smaller craft at the 154m long wooden jetty, with limited water and electrical supply but no cargo handling or heavy cargo is possible on this jetty.
The port handles oil cargoes at the main jetty connecting to a single pipe (gasoil and diesel). There are four bunker points on the concrete jetty. Stevedoring and ship chandling are available.
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<urn:uuid:1eae0c07-53b8-4d95-9232-1c75b8a399a8>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://ports.co.za/luderitz.php
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en
| 0.958597 | 779 | 1.828125 | 2 |
Postcard campaign aims to protect traditional marriage
By Nissa LaPoint
For More Information
ReLATED: Bishop's Column:
Thousands of volunteers are expected to mobilize this weekend and sweep the state bringing postcards from parish to parish, person to person, to combat anticipated legislation that will legalize civil unions in Colorado.
The Colorado Catholic Conference, the public-policy organization that serves the dioceses of Denver, Pueblo and Colorado Springs, ordered 135,000 postcards it wants Catholic faithful to sign Jan. 14-15 at their parish in a unified effort to tell their state representatives to vote against legislation establishing civil unions.
“I think what we really want is to bring an awareness to this issue,” said Jenny Kraska, executive director of the conference. “If we’re going to protect traditional marriage in the state, we need to have people who agree with that to stand up and have their voices heard.”
The initiative is in response to a civil union bill—similar to Senate Bill 172 voted down last April—legislators are expected to propose during the Colorado General Assembly’s next session, which begins today.
The Knights of Columbus are joining parish volunteers in distributing the postcards and manning tables to gather as many signatures as possible. After the name and address lines are filled out, the postcards will be mailed to local representatives.
“What’s good about it is that not only will the postcards hopefully do some good, but the campaign is raising an awareness to all parishioners (about) the importance of doing something,” said Mary Dalton, a member of the Respect Life Committee and parishioner at St. Thomas More Parish in Centennial.
Some 30 parishes requested the postcards to distribute after Masses this weekend. Among the larger requests were St. Thomas More Parish, which ordered 5,000 postcards, and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Fort Collins, which ordered 2,000.
The three bishops in Colorado approved the postcards that read: “Protect traditional marriage. Vote ‘no’ on civil union legislation.”
On the back of the postcard is a short statement addressed to a senator and representative asking them to vote no because “traditional marriage is the cornerstone of our society that exists for the benefit of children and the protection of women.”
In a letter to parishes, Bishop James Conley, apostolic administrator for the Denver Archdiocese, asked all parishes to be involved in the initiative.
“It is imperative that we use our resources to educate the faithful about the Church’s teachings on these matters,” Bishop Conley wrote. “Civil union laws seek to give same-sex relationships a legal equivalency to marriage; they erode cultural and legal protection of marriage. This is fundamentally unjust.”
A key argument from civil union advocates is that it’s a fundamental civil right, Kraska said. Yet the rights claimed to be absent for same-sex couples—including hospital visitation and designated beneficiary agreements—are legally available, she said.
Catholic hospitals in Colorado do not prevent same-sex couples from visiting a partner, said Christine Woolsey, vice president of corporate communications for the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System, which runs Exempla St. Joseph in Denver, Exempla Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge and Exempla Good Samaritan Medical Center in Lafayette.
“Our policy is to allow all loved ones in to visit,” Woolsey said.
In 2009, former Gov. Bill Ritter signed into law designated beneficiary legislation that enables any two people over 18 years old to sign a contract ensuring certain rights and financial protections, not limited to estate planning and medical decisions.
For some Coloradans opposed to civil unions, calling it a civil rights issue is misleading. Former state senator Ed Jones of Colorado Springs, who testified against civil union legislation in the 2011 session, finds it offensive.
“For me it’s just deplorable,” said Jones. “(Advocates) were comparing it to the civil rights movement, but the civil rights movement began in the ‘50s and ‘60s and there’s no comparison. You can look at me and you can assume that I am black. I cannot look at anybody on God’s earth and assume they are gay or homosexual … unless they tell me. This is a whole lot different than what blacks faced.”
In a joint statement the bishops of Colorado—Bishop Conley, Colorado Springs Bishop Michael Sheridan and Pueblo Bishop Fernando Isern—said in opposing civil unions, they have no desire to deny anyone his or her fundamental rights.
“Nearly every benefit being sought by this legislation is already legally available to Coloradans,” the bishops wrote in the statement. “The truth is the movement for recognition of ‘same-sex marriage’ and ‘civil unions’ is less about benefits and rights and more about societal acceptance and approval of homosexual relationships.”
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<urn:uuid:52459046-c8db-4ba9-bd0c-be19c877019d>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.archden.org/index.cfm/ID/7399
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s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
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en
| 0.947128 | 1,059 | 1.5 | 2 |
YADUA Island sits on the Fiji map like a blotch of ink on paper. Remotely located off Bua in western Vanua Levu, and quite some distance from Viti Levu and the Yasawa Group, Yadua has made headlines several times over- once in November 2007 when a BBC film crew visited the island to shoot scenes on the world's only crested iguana sanctuary on neighbouring Yadua Taba for the series Castaways, and again in 2009 when Fiji's first satellite-tagged turtle, Marama ni Yadua, was released into the sea.
There are stories of how poachers and illegal fishermen had tried to reach the island to fill their nets with all sorts of seafood, or catch an iguana or two for sale on the black market.
But ever since the official recording of Fiji's unique and endemic iguana species in 1979, the people of Yadua, particularly from the lone village of Denimanu, have been custodians of Yadua Taba for many decades.
This is what they are known for and pride themselves in as custodians of the world's one of a kind iguana sanctuary.
Travelling to Yadua
Getting to the island is another story. Last week, the National Trust of Fiji facilitated a climate change adaptation workshop from June 19-22 at Denimanu, funded by the Global Environment Facility.
This meant taking the issue of climate change and sustainable livelihood and development to a community living an hour and a half away from Bua Lomanikoro in Vanua Levu.
For us in Suva, it meant travelling to Natovi jetty, hopping onto the ferry Spirit of Harmony, getting off at Nabouwalu and onto a carrier for a two-hour ride to the landing at Bua Lomanikoro.
I say two hours because of the stopovers we made sight-seeing idle pine logs by the roadside, degradation and underutilised farmlands, not to mention the dusty and bumpy long stretch of road that led us to the landing.
Two fibreglass boats awaited our arrival at the landing - the Vokai Warrior (owned by the National Trust of Fiji) and Bodyguard. We passed Bua Lomanikoro, home of national rugby sevens rep Ilai Tinai, and several healthy mangrove systems before making our way out to the open sea.
Crossing Bligh Waters on a bright sunny day was quite a thrill. For the next hour and a half, our journey across the Vatu-i-Ra passage was marked by passing jellyfish - some clear and others tainted a bit bluish-purple.
We made a stop halfway with the island in sight to refuel then it was off again, our boat beating rapidly against the shallow but strong current. Crossing over is not a cheap affair, considering the price of fuel and distance, a one-way trip to Yadua would cost $250. Some boat owners charge a little over this amount when transporting tourists or probably when they're having a really tough time getting customers.
We finally reached Yadua a little after 3pm, settled in at senior ranger Pita Biciloa's home before presenting our sevusevu to the Turaga na Tunimata Jone Cakau and assistant Roko (Bua Provincial Office) Ratu Semi Ramatai, the son of the late Buli Raviravi Ratu Alifereti Ramatai.
Pita has been a ranger with the National Trust of Fiji for more than a decade following in his father's footsteps when the sanctuary on nearby Yadua Taba was established in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
We had to say a special chant before entering the house of the Turaga na Tunimata.
"Duo, duo, duo," we all said lining the footpath waiting for a reply from inside.
"Oi duo ... mai, mai," came the response, allowing us to enter and present our traditional sevusevu. It was a solemn yet touching presentation by Pita, and the conversations that followed were in a dialect different from the standard iTaukei language. When the formalities were over, it was back to our billeted homes for the four-night stay.
The saying 'When in Rome, do as the Roman do' applied a great deal on Yadua. Unlike Suva or other urban areas with proper electricity and water supply, the people of Denimanu Village have to make do with a community generator and water supply from a nearby borehole.
A long black pipe runs through the village from the borehole to the bathing stone, and several other houses, providing water supply for 35 families. Also nearby are two freshwater pools where the villagers collect water for cooking and washing.
"There are boreholes uphill and I think it's supplying (water to) the two pools at the village with water. But we've connected the pipes from one of the boreholes to supply water to the houses here," Pita explained.
Some of the houses have special water filters while others boil their drinking water just to be safe. When it's time for a bath, Yadua is not the place to enjoy a luxurious steam bath or shower in private room - unless you're billeted at a civil servants house like the teachers' quarters or the nursing station. At Denimanu, there's a special bathing place behind a bure where the generator is stored. It's at the foot of a grassy hill, cornered off by a few trees. Large pots and plastic drums are constantly filled with water from the pipes. It was a week of sili vokete - a bit uncomfortable at first especially in broad daylight but eventually, you'll get the hang of how the villagers have their daily shower. The villagers of Denimanu are quite resourceful. They mainly tend to their farms or go out to sea in their boats for fresh food. Coconuts are plentiful but rarely are vegetable plants like cabbage or carrots seen. It could have been off-season when we visited.
Mothers and youths help out with chores like cooking and cleaning while the children attend kindergarten and primary school, five minutes from the village. The old women can be seen drying out voivoi leaves on the ground, rolling them up at the end of the day.
Pita's wife, Elesi, runs a small canteen from their home. It's either Elesi's shop or a boatride to Vanua Levu for supplies. Most earn their money through fishing, and at one point during our stay, the village boys had confiscated four big fish from poachers in their iqoliqoli.
Apparently, a group of fishermen from Tailevu were caught fishing in their iqoliqoli without permission and had to give up their catch for the day when the young men arrived to gather food.
Majority of the households have kerosene and battery-operated lanterns that come in handy when power goes off at 10pm. During the day the power is kept off until around 6pm. After 10pm, the lanterns come on and it's dinner by lantern or candlelight.
There is only a flush toilet near the community hall while all other water sealed or pit toilets are located further from the village towards the bushes. The village primary school use water sealed latrines and electricity supply comes from the headteacher's personal generator.
You can hardly find dalo in between the kakadina like cassava, uvi and vudi. The nutritious kakadina on the island are quite tasty eaten alone. There wasn't a frog, mongoose, horse or cow in sight - but wild pigs and goats running around somewhere in the bush.
Another note worth mentioning is the gender composition - yes, you'll find children, mothers, fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers but when it comes to the youths, you'll mostly see a lot of young men. So work that you normally see a young woman doing would be done by the young men.
Next week, we'll take a look at the struggles of the past on Yadua and how the people of this island community have fared into the 21st century with a changed attitude.
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<urn:uuid:7f445721-e850-469d-8bc4-af6a63727e4b>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=205355
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|
en
| 0.966052 | 1,696 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Through this exhibition, the artists have primarily, and most importantly, combined to create a modern artistic expression of multiplicity unique to the Dubai art scene. Their work responds to the city’s urban complexity while examining its landscape as a dynamic and multicultural metropolis. Says Enzo Messina, “Part of Dubai’s identity depends on the diversity of people living here. And that is what’s so compelling about this collaboration. It is a statement and reflection of the fact that we all have our lives here. Strictly speaking, it is art that belongs to a local context and hence is a critical and necessary engagement with Dubai and its people.”
The exhibits are, instantly engrossing and provoking. It is evident that the artists have been really enjoying and influenced by other’s work. Diyali Sen Bhalla points out, “There is a lot of cross fertilization here. You can see a lot of interaction between the works displayed. I like to incorporate my interactions with people as influences into my work”.
In addition to showcasing absolutely stunning works by Jeff Scofield, Diyali Sen Bhalla, Enzo Messina, Scott Jezzard, Sana Jamlaney and Anja Beckert; 6 by 6 fires up an exciting debate on contemporary art scene in Dubai and sets some new ambitions for the future.
For artists as well as audiences, 6 by 6 is about challenging the stereotype and the perception that contextualizes contemporary art and culture in Dubai in a very commercial sense. Questions Scott Jezzard, “What is contemporary art aside from being a commodity that is bought? The answer to this question is a critical one. I am not concerned about how many Picassos are sold at the art fair. Art has to create its own science, its own dialogues and venues for debate. 6 by 6 is an attempt to participate in and drive this process.”
Scott believes, “The contemporary art culture of Dubai is still emergent and by definition requires the active participation of its culture makers. It is a process that does not happen overnight. In other countries there are well established venues for culture making/display. To import these simply as a commodity is the difference between buying into some where else’s readymade identity and building one here that is unique”.
Jeff Scofield stresses, “Local awareness about producing art in the UAE requires effort by everybody and in particular the media and government. Especially now, as both artists and society are seeking new ways of making and engaging with art. More opportunities must be made available for local artists that will place them in a wider local and international network. People must understand what collecting and buying art is about.
Jeff continues, “The art scene has diminished in the UAE during the current Great Recession, with art galleries closing and the market drying up. Artwork being offered has become a bit more conservative than in the past, and more ‘formulaire’
Besides producing art collectively at Dubai International Art Centre, the six artists also work individually on their own personal expressions.
6 by 6 will run through until Saturday, October 6. For more information please call 04-3444398.
For media contact:
MPJ (Marketing Pro-Junction)
Mob: +971 50 6975146
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<urn:uuid:3a4f6111-a895-43f9-8af7-59045726f789>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.prlog.org/11970649-group-art-exhibition-6-by-6-at-gallery-76.html
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en
| 0.958884 | 685 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Actors Theatre of Louisville
Award-winning. Avant Garde. A+. These are just a few words to describe the subject of this Etcetera: Actors Theatre of Louisville (ATL), the State Theatre of Kentucky.
In 1964, two local drama groups merged to form the non-profit Actors Theatre of Louisville.
Begun in a tiny tea house on South Fourth Street, the rapid growth of the organization prompted moves to bigger venues, including an abandoned railroad station at the Ohio River.
The current complex, established in 1972, stands on downtown’s Main Street and includes the landmark old Bank of Louisville, which serves as the lobby.
Called the epitome of excellence, Actors Theatre has helped propel the careers of many famous actors, including Ned Beatty and Kathy Bates.
The theatre has also received many prestigious awards and accolades. In 1980, ATL became only the second recipient of the Special Tony Award as an outstanding non-profit resident theatre.
Much of Actors Theatre’s success can be credited to the dedication of two individuals: Alexander “Sandy” Speer, former executive director, who retired after 40 years of service … and Jon Jory, former producing director and creator of the renowned Humana Festival of New American Plays. Jory’s appointment lasted from 1969 to 2000.
Now in its 43rd season (2008-2009), the company presents some 30 productions to over 200,000 patrons a year.
And, ATL’s “Popular Plays” continue to be a tradition for Louisville theatergoers. Showing soon are A Tuna Christmas and A Christmas Carol; the latest adaptation of Dracula is onstage through November 1, 2008.
More on Actors Theatre of Louisville:
- The company’s founding directors were Richard Block and Ewel Cornett. They were responsible for the merging of Actors, Ind. And Theatre Louisville.
- The Actors Theatre of Louisville complex contains three theaters: the Pamela Brown (opened in 1972), the Victor Jory (opened in 1973), and the Bingham (opened in 1994).
- The old Bank of Louisville building, which serves as the lobby to ATL’s Pamela Brown Auditorium, is a designated National Historic Landmark. It was built in 1837.
- In 1998, the Sara Shallenberger Brown Lobby was restored to its original colors.
- According to The Encyclopedia of Louisiville, the Pamela Brown Auditorium was built in part with a gift from John Y. Brown Jr. Brown was a local businessman and brother to actress Pamela Brown. Pamela was lost at sea while attempting to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a balloon.
- Actors Theatre of Louisville was designated the State Theatre of Kentucky in 1974.
- The Humana Festival of New American Plays was started in 1976. Actors Theatre has produced over 300 plays during the festival’s history, representing the work of more than 200 playwrights.
- The Humana Festival has premiered several Pulitzer Prize-winning plays, including Crimes of the Heart (Beth Henley) and The Gin Game (D.L. Coburn). The Gin Game debuted in the festival’s first year.
- Upon his retirement, Jon Jory had produced 1,300 productions at Actors Theatre of Louisville.
- Program 305
- Odd tales about the Commonwealth, a unique leather goods store, local costumer Louise Cecil, and Actors Theatre of Louisville. Sandy Bowen, executive director of Safe Place, joins us in the studio. (#305)
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.ket.org/cgi-local/fw_louisvillelife.exe/db/ket/dmps/Programs?do=topic&topicid=LOUL110061&id=LOUL
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en
| 0.955042 | 736 | 1.507813 | 2 |
The planned switch of Healthy Families children into Medi-Cal could leave as many as 43,000 children looking for new health care providers if the state can't convince Kaiser Foundation Health Plan to join the effort.
That number would grow to 189,000 children if the state eventually converts all Healthy Families children to the Medi-Cal program.
On Tuesday, the Senate budget subcommittee for Health and Human Services rejected a plan to move the entire Healthy Families population of 875,000 kids to Medi-Cal all at once, instead starting with a pool of roughly 200,000 "bright line" children -- beneficiaries who are at or below 133% of federal poverty level.
An accurate number of the Kaiser bright-line children in the Healthy Families program is still being researched by Kaiser, but judging from the ratio of Kaiser's overall participation, about 43,000 of the 200,000 bright-line children are covered by Kaiser. Kaiser has 189,000 of the overall 875,000 children in Healthy Families.
Kaiser remains worried about an eventual conversion of all Healthy Families children to Medi-Cal, according to Marc Brown, media relations manager for Kaiser Permanente Northern California.
"While we support a balanced approach to restoring the state's fiscal stability," Brown said, "Kaiser Permanente has concerns about the proposed elimination of the Healthy Families program."
Norman Williams, deputy director of public affairs for the Department of Health Care Services, said the two sides are still working to get Kaiser on board.
"We are aware of the concern and we would certainly like Kaiser to participate," Williams said. "If that does not happen, we would move children into other plans in a seamless manner, and we would work to do it as efficiently as possible."
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<urn:uuid:3a2a79ac-1f86-48b5-9ce2-4669523e9945>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.californiahealthline.org/capitol-desk/2012/5/kaiser-conundrum-40-000-kids-to-move.aspx
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s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
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en
| 0.956034 | 360 | 1.773438 | 2 |
During the past decade and a half, the National Research Council, through its Committee on National Statistics, has carried out a number of studies on the application of statistical methods to improve the testing and development of defense systems. These studies were intended to provide advice to the Department of Defense (DOD), which sponsored these studies. The previous studies have been concerned with the role of statistical methods in testing and evaluation, reliability practices, software methods, combining information, and evolutionary acquisition.
Industrial Methods for the Effective Testing and Development of Defense Systems is the latest in a series of studies, and unlike earlier studies, this report identifies current engineering practices that have proved successful in industrial applications for system development and testing. This report explores how developmental and operational testing, modeling and simulation, and related techniques can improve the development and performance of defense systems, particularly techniques that have been shown to be effective in industrial applications and are likely to be useful in defense system development. In addition to the broad issues, the report identifies three specific topics for its focus: finding failure modes earlier, technology maturity, and use of all relevant information for operational assessments.
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<urn:uuid:6dedfcfe-8a4c-42ac-be4a-4439a0999752>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13291
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en
| 0.942066 | 224 | 1.796875 | 2 |
China’s Off-the-Shelf Air Defense
- 11:00 AM
For years, U.S. defense experts focused on Russian-built air defense technology as the number one threat. But China, it turns out, is successfully exploiting commercial technology for integrated air defense, raising new questions about U.S. strategy. This new article in Aviation Week & Space Technology explores some of the lessons learned from Israel’s defeat of Syria’s Russian-built integrated air defense systems:
China’s integrated air defenses—based on cheap, sometimes stolen digital technology—are now considered potentially more threatening to the U.S. than Russia’s. The wholesale use of commercial products has made Chinese networks flexible, easy to upgrade and tough to exploit.
That opinion, rapidly taking hold in the U.S. electronic warfare community, is part of the tsunami of air defense analysis following Israel’s demonstration of its ability to shut down Syria’s Russian-built air defenses long enough to conduct a bombing raid—and then allowed the radars to come back on in time to see the Israeli aircraft disappearing over the border (AW&ST Nov. 26, 2007, p. 28).
China’s air defense expenditures are calculated by aerospace officials as only one-tenth of what’s invested by the U.S. The Chinese systems are affordable, in part, because of the regular use of stolen U.S. technology—described as “Cisco in Chinese,” by one specialist. The telecom companies that conduct and exploit the thefts are run by former People’s Liberation Army generals. The low cost allows rapid updating and proliferation of these defenses, which is one of the best ways to confound attack planners.
“The Chinese, like many countries without billions to spend on defense, are figuring out how to leverage all that commercial technology into their military capabilities,” says Rance Walleston, BAE Systems’ director of information operations initiative and information warfare. “We’ve spent a lot of time looking at Chinese technologies. They’re not building many unique devices. Their integrated air defense system [IADS] uses commercial standards,” such as GSM and voice over Internet protocols (VOIP).
The Syrian raid—which involved air-to-ground and network-to-network electronic invasion of a Russian-built IADS—is convincing some that custom-built, highly specialized and expensive air defenses with long development times are decreasing in deterrent value. In fact, they have become victims of their own uniqueness. Because they were hard to develop and field, they aren’t often modified. That gives electronic warriors the time to conduct analysis and build countermeasures.
But last year’s events haven’t changed U.S. government views of the threat.
“A lot of the threat models used to evaluate whether new programs work are outdated,” says a participant in electronic warfare and network attack since the 1992-95 conflict in Bosnia. “They are Soviet-era models. Where are the people who are thinking about what the Chinese IADS really look like? The Israelis are already running up against different defenses now that they’ve highlighted some of the weaknesses in Syria’s air defenses.”
Commercial strategy doesn’t work for everyone or everything, however. In the 1990s, the Pentagon’s push for commercial-off-the-shelf technology, or COTS, never really produced the results that acquisition official hoped for, i.e. cheaper, faster and better.
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<urn:uuid:042cceb0-d9f9-4a47-9233-b512e1b2b791>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2008/01/chinas-off-the/
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s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
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en
| 0.944529 | 745 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Inside the world of business
Reaction to the news that Providence plans to begin exploratory drilling 6km off Dalkey Island early next year was predictable: most people don’t want it.
The company intends to carry out a seismic programme, which will allow it to assess the area’s geology, a site survey and to drill an exploration well in the Kish basin. In short, it is embarking on the sort of standard exploration programme that such companies do every day in thousands of locations around the world, with no negative side-effects for anyone. The work is being done to establish whether there are commercial quantities of oil in the area. Providence is a long way from establishing that there are. If it does, it will have to go through a further round of licence applications.
However, it’s clear from the voices clamouring to join the debate about its plans at this early stage that the issue is already politicised. Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore, a TD for nearby Dún Laoghaire, said he would expect a public inquiry to be held into any future licence applications for the area by Providence.
Does this mean he expects a similar inquiry to take place should Providence make further licence applications in respect of Barryroe off Cork, where it has found commercial quantities of oil and gas? Or is Dalkey a special case? Or are his concerns tied to the fact that he shares a constituency with a political opponent, Richard Boyd Barrett, who is also against the project?
No special cases should be made. Exploration and production licence applications should all be treated consistently and transparently. Opposition to such projects is inevitable. Sometimes it’s justifiable, at other times it is not. But the world relies heavily on oil and gas for energy. The Republic is no different: 60 per cent of electricity used here is generated by burning gas. Transport in this State, including south Dublin, depends almost entirely on petrol and diesel. We import these fuels at considerable expense. Commercial reserves of either oil or gas would allow us to export them, at considerable gain.
Not in my back yard – or on the next balcony
The statement by Nama executive Felix McKenna at an Irish Council for Social Housing seminar in Athlone yesterday that the property agency has identified about 4,000 properties for social housing will be welcomed by many, though not all. The issue of social housing is a highly charged and politically sensitive one.
While most thinking people will agree that it makes sense for Nama to align public housing needs with its own suitable available properties, it appears that a severe case of Nimby (not in my back yard) is going on.
The issue of social housing provision is a major concern for apartment owners and management companies across the country.
With most apartment owners facing a large reduction in the value of their properties, many are concerned about the prospect of unsold units being used for social housing and the effect this could have on the value of their properties. Local politicians are being lobbied extensively.
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<urn:uuid:7853bc66-8263-46e5-8159-b39c1cfd9fb7>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.irishtimes.com/business/economy/cantillon-1.548490
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en
| 0.961106 | 617 | 1.664063 | 2 |
I do some high altitude (4-4.5k metres) trekking. At night this can lead to very low temperatures (down to -20oC). My choice of battery type for my camera is lithium ion, or rechargeable lithium ion. My flash gun uses AA batteries, so I have open a very wide range of battery types - alkaline, lithium, metal hydride,.... I know that to have batteries survive these conditions, I need to have multiple batteries which are kept warm (usually next to the skin) and swapped over regularly. What type of battery copes best with low temperature? While my camera manufacturer (Nikon) provides some information it is very minimal and does not really answer this question. Other searches on the web have provided very little information comparing battery performance at low temperatures.
I keep hearing that trekkers have problems with their equipment as a result of altitude alone - usually at or about 3-3.2k m. On investigation, the equipment always seems to be Apple. Is there a general problem based solely on altitude? If so, what?
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<urn:uuid:a8a84a37-611b-467a-8df7-6eaeb6728d68>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://photo.stackexchange.com/questions/26544/what-battery-types-are-suitable-for-low-temperatures-and-high-altitudes/26604
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s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
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en
| 0.940953 | 222 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Breaking: Residents of Mobile Home Park Evicted by Fracking Withdrawal Facility
Residents of the Riverdale Mobile Home Park in Jersey Shore, PA may have lost the battle to secure their community today. Members of the park have been calling on Aqua America, one of the country’s largest private water corporations, to stop their plans for building a fracking withdrawal facility since late February, when the company bought the 37-unit mobile home park. The facility would withdraw 3 million gallons of water per day from the Susquehanna River and then transport the water via pipeline to fracking companies in the north.
The residents’ leases were terminated, and they were given until June 1 to vacate their homes. Aqua America offered the residents a $2,500 incentive to move out by that deadline. On May 31, the six families that remained in the park because they could not afford to move started building a barricade, which was draped with large banner that read: “We will fight for our homes.” Along with nearly 50 supporters from across the nation, including some Occupiers, Save the Riverdale Mobile Home Park members built a communal living space on their land and kept Aqua America at bay for eleven days.
Yesterday morning, however, they received notice from the company that excavation on their land would begin today. On their blog they pleaded for help stating, “The encampment is in urgent need of support at this time! Now is the time to show your conviction and solidarity with these brave residents and volunteers who have decided to stand their ground in the face of ruthless corporate giant — Aqua America.”
On their Twitter feed today, Save Riverdale reported that state troopers had arrived at their site, and they were given “one hour to vacate the premises or face arrest.” They then tweeted that equipment was being put up at the park. Their latest tweet, posted three hours ago, reads: “Once a community; now an active construction site.”
This eviction comes as communities in the Northeast continue to resist fracking in the Marcellus Shale region. Fracking or hydraulic fracturing is the process of using a high-pressure mixture of water and chemicals to break up shale rock to extract natural gas. The process has been linked to various environmental and health damages.
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<urn:uuid:c2d7c6d7-4670-4c37-bb0c-ad6a8dae729c>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/964079/breaking%3A_residents_of_mobile_home_park_evicted_by_fracking_withdrawal_facility?qt-best_of_the_week=4
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en
| 0.977852 | 469 | 1.648438 | 2 |
A new report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that there were 352,000 new job openings in the U.S. in February--the highest month-over-month increase since December 2004. Overall, there were 3.1 million job openings by the end of February, the most since September 2008. It's just the latest in a by-now lengthy series of encouraging economic indicators to come out this winter and spring.
Not all the new jobs are at McDonald's, either: Bloomberg notes that "the gain was led by a 216,000 increase in openings at professional and business services, which include accountants, computer systems experts and temporary-help agencies." The leisure and hospitality industry added 81,000 job openings, while government added 11,000.
Other tidbits from the report: Hiring was up in February (3.91 million, a gain of 138,000 over the previous month), but so was firing (1.59 million, up from 1.54 million in January). And lots of people are just straight-up quitting their jobs. About 1.92 million people quit in February--this was about 51 percent of all separations, or more than layoffs and firings combined.
The New York Times characterizes the report as "very good news" and "a welcome development." And Bloomberg optimistically notes that all the job-quitting "may be one sign Americans feel more confident about finding other work."
But not everyone sees the glass half full. The Economic Policy Institute points out that "February marks 26 months that the 'job-seeker's ratio' has been substantially above the 4-to-1 ratio," and that means that "for 3 out of 4 unemployed workers, there simply are no jobs." And Daniel Indiviglio at The Atlantic backstops the celebration with a reminder that "over 20 million Americans want a job, but do not have one. While the trend of more openings is encouraging, the bigger picture for job seekers remains bleak."
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<urn:uuid:3137cf24-831d-45cd-bf11-d72caf03e0c9>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.theatlanticwire.com/business/2011/04/february-had-most-new-job-openings-any-month-2004/36636/
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s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
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en
| 0.962143 | 407 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Originally sent to: Gerber, Taylor C., Whitehead, Mills (3/29/2011)
Here are the results (see attached) on subtitle use and trends on UVU Website directories
OVERALL: There are 215 distinct directories on the www.uvu.edu website. Of these, 156 have a subtitle (72.56%) and 59 do not (27.44%).
NO SUBTITLES: Of the 59 who do not have subtitles, 22 are have no identifiable parent division/department/area (37%) and 37 do have an identifiable parent division/department/area (63%).
SUBTITLES: Of the 156 directories that do have subtitles, 140 are the parent division/department/area (90%) and 16 are not the parent division/department/area (10%).
NONCOMPLIANCE: There are 2 directories that have non-compliant text (note: 5 others were changed already due to the presumption that the site manager did not know how to make the change via inline css and/or the sites were within areas WRS has previously been permitted to update for the department as necessary)
See attached for details: website-subtitle-list.xlsx and web-subtitle-use-b.docx
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<urn:uuid:0d3277db-b220-47c0-882f-f3f6e26de8b7>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.uvu.edu/web/about/archive/statistics.html
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s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.943456 | 266 | 1.617188 | 2 |
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