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As I meet more moms with toddlers I'm shocked when I hear how kids of the exact same age (2 1/2) are speaking, compared to my son's abilities. It isn't the first time I've wondered about this, but I wasn't around very many kids of his age before. He's very smart, social, and curious. I'm not sure what to do at this point. I'm scared of making a big deal out of nothing, but I also don't want to be negligent. His next well child checkup is not until February. If I should mention it to his doctor, I don't know if I should wait for his appt or make a special appt just for this. Are there any good online quizzes or checklists that will help me decide if there is a problem? I've also wondered if being in a day care setting for a few hours a day would help. He seems to like copying what other kids and adults say. I don't know what info about his speech would be helpful to give, but for example if anyone asks his name, he never answers. He doesn't really use sentences. There's a couple, but I think he just has that certain string of words memorized. Sometimes when he's doing something I'll have to ask him something several times before he answers me. If he wants something, he'll usually just use one word, sometimes two. But other than that he's really social (say's "hi" "bye" "thankyou") at the right times. Super friendly. Has really enjoyed learning all of the shapes, colors, most of the alphabet, names of animals, everyone's name in our extended family/friends, can almost count to 20, can operate a smart phone better than I can....etc. ;) I'd love to hear your thoughts and advice. Thanks!

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One of the most valuable tools for oil and gas companies that want to make sure they are meeting the new SEMS requirements is now available for review. I am talking about the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement’s (BSEE) Potential Incident of Noncompliance List for SEMS. In the industry, that is known as the PINC list and the agency issues PINC lists to help its field units interpret and enforce regulations. As a result it is an inside look at what the BSEE enforcers are looking for when they visit an offshore facility or an oil and gas company office. The industry has been waiting with bated breath for the SEMS PINC list because it clarifies what the agency will focus on when enforcing SEMS. At the very least, it helps lease-holders fine-tune their SEMS plans. This particular PINC list is extensive – more than 20 pages long. The list goes through each of the 13 elements of SEMS and highlights the specific parts that BSEE personnel should ask to see. To no one’s surprise, the PINC list focuses on documenting and verifying procedures. For example, under the section covering contractor safety, the list says personnel should: Verify that when selecting contractors, operators should obtain and evaluate information regarding a contractor’s safety and environmental management policies, practices, and past performance along with their procedures for selecting sub-contractors. In other words, the agency is saying to operators, “Show us the process you use to decide if a contractor is safe.” Other parts require the operators to share their SEMS expectations with contractors and that the two sides agree on the safety approach to be used on the facility. As if anyone needed reminding, the PINC list shows how much is riding on SEMS compliance. Incidents of Noncompliance carry a potential fine of $35,000 per day. The list also helps clarify when an infraction could result in a shutdown of the facility. For most items on the list, failure to comply results in a warning INC. However, failure to have a SEMS plan or allowing an unsafe condition to exist that could threaten the facility and everyone on board could result in an order to shut down the entire facility until the problem is fixed. In cases where a particular piece of equipment presents a hazard or personnel working on that equipment are not properly trained, that problem could result in an order to shut down that specific piece of equipment.

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NEITHER fiscal cliff, nor sequester, nor any other Washington chicanery can derail an American recovery that looks like maybe hitting its stride. Not yet, at least. Despite fears that a first quarter full of uncertainty over fiscal showdowns, expiring tax cuts, and automatic spending increases would present serious headwinds to the American economy, private firms seem willing to keep hiring, and at an impressive pace by the standards of this expansion. According to new data from the Bureau of Labour Statistics, the economy added 236,000 jobs in February, and the unemployment rate dropped to 7.7%. Firms have added more workers in only a handful of months since the recession ended in June of 2009. There is no questioning the strength of the report. Private firms actually added 246,000 workers, offset by a small decline in government payrolls. Hiring was broad-based. Construction employment rose by 48,000, helped along by a housing sector that is finally beginning to pull its weight. Yet manufacturing and service employment were also up. So was hiring in retail, which might have been expected to contract given the January expiration of the government's stimulative payroll-tax cut. Both hours worked and wages notched meaningful increases, hinting at the robustness of labour demand. In the household portion of the report, employment also showed an increase, helping to nudge the unemployment rate down to 7.7%. Overall employment has risen by about 2m in the past year and is up almost 6m from the trough reached in early 2010. Yet there are inevitably dark linings to the silver cloud. The biggest uncertainty concerns whether improvement will continue. The American economy has been here before, after all. Indeed, hiring early in 2012 was considerably stronger than it is now. Despite the relatively strong run of employment growth since November, year-on-year employment gains are well below the best performances of the recovery to date. For employment increases to continue, economic growth must pick up. In the past half year, GDP growth has been only mildly positive. And while the payroll tax increase seems not to have slowed consumers too much, there is time yet for the spending cuts in the sequester to do damage (and there are more budget battles ahead). When all is said and done, fiscal tightening in 2012 will prove substantial, making it hard for hiring to generate much momentum. The Federal Reserve's continued push for more growth has been a welcome tailwind for labour markets, but there is always the risk that it will prematurely declare its work complete. For now, the Fed is promising to leave its target interest rate at zero at least until the unemployment rate is down to 6.5%, so long as medium-term inflation expectations aren't too far above 2%. But more hawkish members of the Fed may grow antsy as they watch unemployment drop and wages rise. Inflation worriers could push the Fed to conclude its ongoing, "open-ended" asset purchases earlier than markets previously expected. Any sign that the Fed was becoming more worried about inflation relative to unemployment would cast a shadow on a recovery that has yet to show the robust growth normally expected to follow a recession. The Fed's concerns will only be stoked by the numbers on long-run unemployment. The ranks of those unemployed for less than six months continue to drop, while the numbers of those unemployed for longer are proving harder to reduce. And while the share of long-term unemployed in total unemployment continues to fall (it is now about 39%, down from close to 50% in early 2010), the worry is that much of that decline is occuring as workers leave the labour force altogether—as some 296,000 people did in February. These workers will prove very difficult to reemploy, and may represent a permanent loss to the economy in the absence of aggressive labour-market retraining and reform. The Fed may worry, as a result, that there is less room for the economy to grow and for joblessness to decline—and for it to continue supporting recovery. That would seem a miscalculation. There are over 7m unemployed workers that aren't among the long-run unemployed. Total employment remains some 3m jobs short of the pre-recession peak, and the American population has continued growing since then. It is a rare economic datapoint that is good enough to be declared "good enough". February's payroll rise, while encouraging, certainly isn't. America will need much more where that came from to breathe easy, and given uncertainties in Washington and abroad it can't count on getting it.

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DENVER, CO – The Air Force Academy is keeping an open mind when it comes to religion. It has set up an outdoor worship area for followers of Earth-centered religions! Followers of religions such as Wicca and Druidism will be enjoying a double circle of stones atop a hill on the campus near Colorado Springs to practice their faith. The academy said Monday that chapel staff worked with Tech. Sgt. Brandon Longcrier, who follows the Pagan tradition, to establish the worship area. Sgt. Longcrier is the non-commissioned officer-in-charge of the academy’s astronautics labs. The academy is no stranger to promoting the idea of freedom of religion. Also located on the campuses are worship facilities for Christians, Jews, Muslims and Buddhists. Academy superintendent Michael Gould has made religious tolerance a priority. After cadets reported instances of harassment in 2004, the academy shifted its focuses on religion.

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The following is a guest post. If interested in submitting a guest post, please read my guest posting policy and then contact me. When something goes wrong and leads to an injury, you can be forgiven for wondering who’s at fault. Some accidents are caused by simple human error, while others occur for more bizarre reasons. Claims for compensation are often filed due to serious injury, but some are so strange that you might find them hard to believe. How do you like your coffee? One example of a strange compensation claim was one made against a fast food chain after spilling coffee in a ‘sensitive area’. This resulted in the claimant suffering third degree burns over 6% of her body. She was awarded $640,000 however she did have to cover her own medical costs. Spilling hot coffee can be embarrassing more than anything else, but in the wrong place, it can be painful! When the chips are down… You might be aware that slipping on food that’s been left on the floor can be hazardous. Banana skins are common, but what about a chip? One man slipped on a French fry while in a canteen waiting to be served. He won his claim for compensation after serious damage done to his knee. Under the bridge An artist received thousands after slipping on fresh pigeon poo under a bridge in London. There’s plenty around under the capital’s bridges, but such accidents are incredibly rare, thankfully. Imagine having to tell someone you’ve become hurt after that? Watch out for that… Accidents happen all the time. In some cases, it could be down to a lack of attention being paid to what’s going on by the victim, but regardless of the cause, there’s always pain involved. No one likes getting hurt, especially if it’s in an embarrassing incident like slipping on food or spilling hot coffee. No matter how you’re injured, you might find that it could come at a cost to your finances as well as your health. Not being able to work and therefore earn a wage will make paying for the basics tough. Also, there’s all the medical costs you could incur, meaning you may feel helpless. Taking no win no fee advice could help if you feel the need to claim compensation. Legal fees are often a barrier for many people who suffer embarrassing yet painful accidents, but a no win no fee claim does as it says. This means that you have nothing to lose when claiming.

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The following appeared Thursday in The Fiscal Times: Despite recent court settlements that recouped more than a quarter billion dollars from lab-test companies for allegedly overbilling California’s Medicaid program, the federal government seems to be ignoring similar schemes that drain Medicare coffers. The cases involve the nation’s two largest medical laboratory-testing companies – Laboratory Corporation of America and Quest Diagnostics – that together control about half the annual $25 billion lab test market. The Medicare suits, filed in federal court in Manhattan by a former industry executive, claim the testing companies charged insurers like UnitedHealthcare unprofitably low rates while squeezing Medicare and Medicaid. The whistleblower suits allege the schemes relied on sweetheart deals in which managed-care companies required in-network physicians to send their patients’ lab tests to a single testing company. As part of the deal for below-cost prices, the insurance companies allegedly promised to encourage physicians in their networks also to send Medicare and Medicaid patients to the same testing company, which then billed the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (the federal agency that oversees both programs) or state Medicaid agencies at significantly higher rates. Andrew Baker, a longtime lab-test industry executive, sued Quest and LabCorp seeking restitution for Medicare under the Civil War-era False Claims Act. He now runs Huntington Life Sciences, a pharmaceutical industry contract research organization. District Court Judge George Daniels unsealed the LabCorp case in September after federal prosecutors notified the court that the Justice Department “has not made its intervention decision as of this time.” While Justice refused to comment on this case, the government is engaged in a massive effort to clean up waste, fraud, and abuse – estimated to run as high as $70 billion a year — in the $485 billion Medicare program. Although a Health and Human Services Department strike force over the past several years has indicted a total of nearly 1,000 individuals and companies, its $2.7 billion in settlements barely scratches the surface of the amount of alleged fraud in the Medicare program. The federal non-decision in the lab billing suits comes in the wake of two settlements earlier this year in which Quest and LabCorp paid the state of California $241 million and $49.5 million, respectively, for alleged overbilling. The companies did not admit liability in reaching the settlements. Chris Riedel, chief executive officer of Hunter Labs, a small Silicon Valley-based laboratory that competes with the two industry giants, originally brought the California LabCorp suit. LabCorp charged Medi-Cal five times more than it charged other customers for some tests, according to the suit; for a testosterone test, LabCorp charged Medi-Cal $35.04 but other customers $7.36. Medicare is harmed by the same pricing differentials, according to Baker, the lab-test executive and whistleblower. “The lab company is intentionally billing the government higher prices to make up for the low prices offered the insurance companies,” he claims. “The [Medicare] overcharging by both companies…is in excess of a billion dollars.” While the Feds have so far refused to join the case, at least five state attorneys general have investigations underway against Quest, according to company filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. One suit, in New York, has been dismissed. Michigan, Virginia, and Florida, meanwhile, are investigating LabCorp’s alleged overbilling schemes, according to its SEC filings. Spokesmen for Quest and UnitedHealthcare, which is not a defendant in the suits, refused to comment on pending litigation. Representatives for LabCorp did not return repeated phone calls seeking comment. Exclusive arrangements in the lab testing business are growing. UnitedHealthcare in 2007 signed a 10-year deal requiring physicians in its networks to deal exclusively with LabCorp. In early September, the companies agreed to extend the deal through the end of 2018. According to the Baker lawsuit, UnitedHealthcare and LabCorp senior officials met numerous times after the deal was announced to discuss their mutual goals from the arrangement. At a LabCorp national award dinner held in Philadelphia in either late 2007 or early 2008, the company’s Chief Operating Officer Donald Hardison told sales officials that “if LabCorp did not capitalize on the opportunity provided by UnitedHealthcare to obtain the Medicare business, LabCorp would lose its shirt and would not even be able to turn on the lights.” In subsequent meetings, sales personnel from both companies “coordinated a joint approach to targeted physicians, by telephone and in-person, in which the physicians would be told that they must use LabCorp” for their Medicare and Medicaid patients, the suit charged. “The strategy was for UnitedHealthcare to threaten physicians . . . with financial penalties and ultimately with expulsion from UnitedHealthcare’s networks” if they didn’t comply. There’s some evidence of pressure being applied. The UnitedHealthcare-LabCorp deal drew the attention of the American Medical Association after it received complaints from New Jersey and Connecticut affiliates, according to Robert Mills, a spokesman for the physicians’ group. “There used to be pressure,” he said. “But the protocol changed after the AMA sent a letter. UnitedHealthcare agreed that if a physician refers the patient out of network [for lab tests], the physician won’t be penalized.” One potential roadblock to a successful False Claims Act claim on behalf of Medicare is the agency’s half-hearted efforts over the years to define what constitutes unreasonable charges. Unlike state-run Medicaid programs, which by law must be offered the lowest available price by vendors providing services to the program, Medicare is required to pay the “usual and customary charges.” In an interview, Baker said the absence of a federal law guaranteeing Medicare the same low prices as Medicaid means he will have to rely on federal anti-kickback statutes to prove his case. “The kickbacks are not obvious,” he said. “I need to prove UnitedHealthcare and LabCorp are in cahoots.”Did you like this? If so, please bookmark it, RSS feed.

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Golden Rules of Family Management I’m currently reading a book I purchased a couple of weeks ago called, The Busy Mom’s Guide to a Happy, Organized Home by Family Manager, Kathy Peel. This book is FULL of helpful solutions to everyday dilemmas from managing your home and property to managing finances and special events. In her book Kathy includes a list of important things to remember that I just love and wanted to share with you. So often I think we complicate matters and make things more difficult on ourselves than they need to be and this list really brings us back to the basics of simplifying and building a strong base for running a smooth household. The Most Important Things to Remember 1. People are more important than things. 2. There are no standards but your own. Every family has to decide how clean is clean enough. 3. The more you accumulate, the more you have to clean and maintain -and the more time it takes to do it. 4. When your kids grow up and leave home, they won’t remember if the towels were folded in perfect 16-inch squares in the linen closet; they will remember if your home was a good place to be and if Mom was a fun person. 5. If you have a choice between taking a family vacation or buying new furniture, go for the vacation. The furniture will end up in a garage sale one day; the memories of the trip will last forever. 6. Everyone who lives under the roof of a home should contribute to its upkeep. 7. If a teenager is an expert at text messaging, he can become an expert at using the washing machine. A man who can program a PDA to remind him of his tee time can program a PDA to remind him to pick up the dry cleaning. 8. Mess causes stress. Getting your home in order will help you get your life in order. 9. There’s no such thing as perfection. Giving up trying to make your home perfect is the first step toward making it a good place to be. 10. The choices you make about your home involve a lot more than wall color and window treatments. Home is where human beings develop. It’s a place to restore souls, find shelter from outside pressures, grow support for talents, and receive inspiration, comfort, and aid. Which one of these do you need to work on applying to your life?

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The news is that former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly’s niece had tested positive for swine flu. She was admitted to the isolation ward of a M.R. Bangur Hospital in Kolkata on Monday. Confirming the development, Tapas Sen, the state’s nodal officer for swine flu, said: “Sneha Ganguly, the 11-year-old daughter of Sourav’s elder brother Snehashis Ganguly, tested positive (for swine flu) today (Monday).” Sneha, a class V student, studies in La Martinere for Girls. It is learnt that Sneha’s health condition is stable and she is under medical supervision. Apart from this, seven fresh swine flu cases were reported from West Bengal, raising the total number of affected persons in the state to 47. Moreover, the condition of Akash Chowdhury, who was admitted to RG Kar Hospital last Wednesday still remained critical. The state education department had already issued guidelines to the district authorities about the crucial steps required to be taken to fight out the infection among school children. - Decision on gas price revision taken under RIL’s coercion: Dasgupta - Government to pay $8.1 billion fuel subsidy in fourth quarter - Oil firms falls as government considers export parity pricing model - Essar Oil to sign $1 billion financing co-operation deal with CDB - ONGC may sell stakes in deep-water blocks to Shell

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December 14, 2011 | by EH Staff Have you put off jumping into the home theater world because it all seemed too complicated? The truth is it’s not. One of the things that helps when setting up a home theater is selecting a receiver that’s right for your purpose and user friendly—a good dealer will guide you through that. New receivers are packed with features that do a lot of the measuring and adjustment work for you, so all you need to do is press a few buttons and let the hardware do its job. Getting started on your home theater project means a lot more than deciding what room to put the TV in. A home theater or media room is a system, and as a system each part needs to work in congress with the others. A well-designed system also needs something in control of all the ins, outs and processes that make it work. In most home theaters that something is the audio/video or surround sound receiver. A contemporary receiver is much more than just an audio amplifier for the speakers. It’s the hub for all home theater activity. It organizes the input signals, it processes and translates the codecs, and it allows you to control all the other parts. More so, new receivers with networking capabilities can also be a room’s (or a whole home’s) main audio source by providing easy access to online music services and internet radio. They also can provide easy access to your external storage devices or mobile devices such as iPads and smart phones. Here we offer a selection of informative articles on home theater receivers plus a profile of an award-winning room overhauled into a classic home media room for the whole family. By clicking download you agree and acknowledge that your information may be passed to our third-party sponsor who may elect to communicate directly with you about their products and services.

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Thaipusam is a major Hindu festival celebrated on a large scale in Penang during the full moon of the 10th month in the Hindu calendar. The celebration involves colourful processions, ... Penang Tourism presents two full nights of global music and culture as we bring to music lovers the next Penang World Music Festival (PWMF), to be staged on 30 and ... Having a reputation as a food paradise, be it haute cuisine, or cuisine bourgeoise (hawker fare), Penang offers a heady and exotic mix of delicious cuisine to choose from. In a word, Penang food is both famous and fabulous. When people mention Penang ... Celebrated on the 15th night of the Lunar New Year, it is also known as the Chinese Valentine's Day. That night, The Penang State Government will be organizing an open ... The Penang State Government will be holding its second Chinese New Year Countdown Celebration in collaboration with Astro, which will be broadcasted live on Astro AEC. The program of the ... |Heritage Trail Around George Town| |Written by Administrator II| |Monday, 27 July 2009 15:52| George Town was founded and built by the British as a free port in the 18th century. This attracts not only traders and merchants but a lot of settlers from the neighbouring region to come to this island to seek employment. The British themselves shipped labours from India to help in the construction. In the later century, there were waves of immigrants who settled down here because of the Industrial Revolution in Britain which demanded raw material which was abundant in the neighbouring states. All of them brought along their culture and religion from their homeland which were infused into the local scene and also intertwined with each other over the centuries to make the town to what it is today, a multi culture heritage establishment. Thus, George Town has a lot to offer in terms of sightseeing. Even the food, the language and the architectural design of the buildings were influenced by these different ethnic culture and religion. A tour of this amazing town is a must. As most of these attractions are nearby each other, walking will be the best option. We suggest a full one day tour which will covers most of the interesting places of George Town. Start at Fort Conwallis – This is the best well landmark located at the upmost tip of the cape. Built to defend the port as a stockades when Captain Francis Light landed here, it was reinforced with bricks later on and some of the original structures built over centuries ago can still be seen and in the compound such as the chapel, some prison cells, ammunition storage area, a harbour light, the original flagstaff and some old bronze cannons, which includes the infamous 17th-century Dutch cannon called the ‘Seri Rambai’. The star shaped fortress is now privately managed with also an information kiosk, café, open-air amphitheatre, history gallery, souvenir centre and tour guides to show visitors around and provide visitors more details of the fortress history. Penang Town Hall – Across the Fort is an open field call the Padang Esplanade and the majestic Victorian-style building, The Penang Town Hall which was constructed in 1903. Around this building is a Victorian fountain donated by Koh Seang Tat and the Cenotaph, erected in memory to those who died during World War 1. Convent Light Street – From the fountain, keep to the side walk and at the end of the road is Convent Light Street, sometime known as Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus, a girl school set by a French Sisters’ Mission in 1852. Still running as a girl’s school, visitors can view the house of Captain Francis Light, the oldest building in George Town inside it. When the Convent took over they added a chapel and classrooms. Love Lane – The road just beside the Cathedral of the Assumption is known as Love Lane. This is an interesting lane as it leads into the quaintly streets and alleys where rows of typical Chinese shop houses are located. When you have reach the first inter section of Love Lane, turn left to Lorong Steward and this will lead you to the Goddess of Mercy Temple and Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling (formerly Pitt Street). This road is sometime known as the Street of Harmony because in this street one can see three different major religious communities living side by side. Goddess of Mercy Temple – This temple was founded in 1890 by the Chinese immigrants who came here as labours during under British rule. In the daytime the temple was always filled with smoke from the constant burning of joss stick and praying paper. Chinese opera and puppet show are performed regularly in the courtyard. Little India – From Goddess of Mercy Temple turn right and cross the road over to Market Street. Here you reach into heartland of Indian trading community. You can hear all the latest “Bollywood” hits songs blasting aloud while browsing through the shops for sarees, garlands, costume jewelleries, spices and etc. There are a number of snacks and restaurants that sell authentic Indian food which are worth trying out. Kapitan Keling Mosque – From the Penang Teochew Association Temple, keep left. Diagonally across the traffic light you will see the famous Kapitan Keling Mosque. It was built by the Indian Muslim British soldiers attached to the British army that were stationed here. The original building has been changed the last being 1916. Khoo and Yap Kongsi Temple – Turning right when exiting the mosque into Jalan Mesjid Kapitan Keling and walk till the end is where you find most of the Chinese community “kongsi” (clan) temple and famous Lebuh Armenian. Three major temples are the Khoo Kongsi, The Tua Pek Kong Temple and Yap Kongsi. Slightly further down the street is the Cheah Kongsi. All these clan temples have recently been restored to their once magnificent state. Clan Jetties of Penang – Walk all the way down Lebuh Armenian and you will arrive at the Pengkalan Weld (Weld Quay). Here you find where all the wooden houses built on stilts in the seashores by the waterfront. The Chinese immigrants who mostly worked at the port or were fisherman built their houses nearby their place of work during the British rule. Walk down Pengkalan Weld will see the famous Penang Ferry Terminal on your right which ferries motor vehicles and passengers across the channel to Butterworth and vice versa. You can always take a ride on these ferries as it takes vehicles on the lower deck while some are built for passengers in upper deck. One will be able to capture a magnificent view of the island on the ride back from the mainland. Tickets are purchase only at the Butterworth terminal. From the Penang Ferry Terminal, keep right and continue walking down the road. It will lead you back to Fort Cornwallis. From this heritage walk, you would have discover and wonder how diverse Penang as a whole is. Because of its importance as a port for the spice route for the East and West in the nineteen century it has not only brought in ships and goods for trading but different ethnic group of people from the neighbouring region to settle here. What is more amazing that they managed to coexist, staying in close appropriately with each other, thrive together and later intertwine into each other culture. |Last Updated on Saturday, 09 January 2010 15:04|

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Sadly, many New Yorkers' home ec. skills don't go beyond programming their microwaves. Fortunately, for some time, a few wise, souls have been living within their means and, oddly enough, eating better than most. One of them is Cathy Erway, the creator of NotEatingOutInNewYork.com, a great resource for anyone seeking a more frugal, healthy, inspiring and delicious diet. The site goes beyond simply providing recipes for home cooking, offering local food-related events, shopping tips and philosophy for tough times ahead. Of course, there is a large "locally grown" aspect to the website and buying fresh and local is an easy way to begin your budget cramped culinary adventure. With some signs of Spring (finally!), plants are starting to grow outside again at Windfall and we're looking forward to a great season. We want you to know that preparing meals does not need to be long and involved, especially when the food is fresh. Local, fresh vegetables are not only healthier, but they taste better because their sugar levels are much higher than starchy vegetables bread for long-distance travel. In fact, Windfall's salad greens are so flavorful that many eat them with little or no dressing. It's faster, cheaper, healthier and tastier than the alternatives. One disclaimer: we are not advocating that you never eat out. There is a glut of wonderful restaurants in New York and one would be hard pressed not to eat out over the course of the week. However, we do hope that your chef's commitment to locally sourcing food on the menu plays a role in considering your choice of restaurant.

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Over the course of his 30-year career, Art Wolfe has worked on every continent and in hundreds of locations. His stunning images interpret and record the world's fast-disappearing wildlife, landscapes, and native cultures, and act as a lasting inspiration to those who seek to preserve the very subjects recorded in Art's images. His photographs are recognized throughout the world for their mastery of color, composition and perspective. Art's Photographic Mission Art's photographic mission is multi-faceted. His vision and passionate wildlife advocacy affirm his dedication to his work. By employing artistic and journalistic styles, he documents his subjects and educates the viewer. His unique approach to nature photography is based on his training in the arts and his love of the environment. Hailed by William Conway, former president of the Wildlife Conservation Society, as "the most prolific and sensitive recorder of a rapidly vanishing natural world," Art has taken an estimated one million images in his lifetime and has released more than 60 books. Photographic Awards and Distinctions Art has been awarded with a coveted Alfred Eisenstaedt Magazine Photography Award, as well as named Outstanding Nature Photographer of the Year by the North American Nature Photography Association. The National Audubon Society recognized Art's work in support of the national wildlife refuge system with its first-ever Rachel Carson Award. He is a member of the Canon elite list of renowned photographers "Explorers of Light," the Microsoft Icons of Imaging program, and formerly, Fujifilm's Talent Team. Magazines all over the world publish his photographs and stories. Art has also ventured into the world of television production with On Location with Art Wolfe,Techniques of the Masters and American Photo's Safari and public television's Travels to the Edge with Art Wolfe. The son of commercial artists in Seattle, Art graduated from the University of Washington with bachelor's degrees in fine arts and art education. Art spends nearly nine months a year traveling. Art was chosen as one of the first photographers in the Microsoft Icons of Imaging program. Since 2000, Art has been one of the Canon Explorers of Light. Fellowships and Advisory Boards Art is a fellow of The International League of Conservation Photographers. He is an honorary fellow of the Royal Photographic Society. He sits on the board of advisors of the Wildlife Conservation Society, Nature's Best Foundation, and Bridges to Understanding.

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I live in zone 4b, & I'm forever finding plants that I fall in love with, only to then read "zone 5". I live in the extreme southern part of zone 4. I'm guessing this is where the term "marginally hardy" would come in? So for these zone 5 "wishlist plants" of mine, is it possible that many of them might do just fine in my garden? I mean, how much difference can there be across a span of 10 miles?!? You've hit on a common concern. Gardeners are always trying to extend the limits of plant growth! Hardiness Zones ratings are crude measures at best. They use average minimum winter low temperatures as the basis for Hardiness Zone divisions. Other factors such as winter moisture, temperature fluctuations, and wind can also affect hardiness. If you'd like to try Zone 5 plants plant them in a protected location and protect them over winter. You may be able to create a warmer microclimate in which the plants will thrive. But be prepared to occasionally lose some plants during particularly severe winters.

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Treasury Bond Investors Mysteriously Prepared to Receive Negative Real ReturnsInterest-Rates / US Bonds Jul 01, 2008 - 06:35 PM GMT It has become apparent to me that investors who continue to place money in the U.S. Treasury market don't have any idea how to protect themselves from inflation or how to achieve a real return on their investments. Even though inflation is running at a multi-decade high (according to official government numbers), we find that these fixed income investors were willing to send the yield on the 10 year note to an historical low of 3.38% on March 19th of this year. As amazing as that sounds in a world of 4+% “official” inflation rates, it was nothing compared to what happened just last month. To illustrate how off base and directionless these investors can be, let me point to Ben Bernanke's rhetoric about the dollar and inflation in a speech on June 3 rd and the bond market's reaction to it. On that day, the yield on the 10 year Treasury was 3.92%. Then, during a speech to an international banker's forum he made the following statements, “In collaboration with our colleagues at the Treasury, we continue to carefully monitor developments in the foreign exchange markets.” He continued, in reference to the long term picture for the dollar, “…the Federal Reserve's commitment to both price stability and maximum sustainable employment and the underlying strength of the U.S. economy--including flexible markets and robust innovation and productivity--will be key factors ensuring that the dollar remains a strong and stable currency.” Never mind the plethora of economic fallacies that exist in those two statements—like the U.S. has actually had a strong and stable currency or how the Fed can even know, let alone provide for, maximum sustainable employment—but the point here is what was the bond market's reaction to his comments: in just 10 days, the yield on the 10 year note shot up to 4.27%. The reported reason? Finally, the Fed was being viewed as hawkish on inflation and would send the Fed Funds rate up in the near future in order to stop the dollar's decline. So let me get this straight: the Fed was going to start fighting inflation and that is what sent rates higher? In reality, lower inflation rates should send bond yields lower! The only conclusion to reach is bond investors needed Ben Bernanke to remind them that a lower dollar is inflationary and that they should now start worrying about accepting such a low yield from their investments. Later in June, of course, the Fed took a pass on backing its words with actions and left interest rates unchanged. The counter-intuitive reaction of the bond market in this instance? The yield on the 10 year dropped from 4.12% down to 3.91% as of July 1, 2008 . Unbelievably, the Fed's tacit statement that it is now powerless to fight inflation or protect the U.S. dollar was greeted by a flood of buying in the Treasury market! I understand that much of this move in Treasury yields is a flight to safety, but there have been much safer and more profitable places to hide. Yet one must think in terms of real returns to understand this, a notion apparently foreign to the bond market. If fixed income investors desire to protect themselves from the ravages of inflation, they need to look no further than gold, which has increased 44% in the last 12 months alone. In light of the low nominal yield--and the negative real yield of 10-year Treasuries—there is no comparison. It is impossible to predict when fixed income investors will finally demand a positive return on their investments, but if we continue down this inflationary path the erosion of investors' buying power will force them to flee those paltry yields For now, the fact remains that inflation is increasing while the yield on Treasuries is falling. It is a situation which mystifies me, yet I remain convinced it is an unsustainable condition; thus, it is of the utmost importance that investors position their portfolios to avoid the carnage that will likely ensue when the bond bubble finally bursts. **Speaking of “keeping your money real,” check out my podcast: The Mid-Week Reality Check ! With more than 16 years of industry experience, Michael Pento acts as senior market strategist for Delta Global Advisors and is a contributing writer for GreenFaucet.com . He is a well-established specialist in the Austrian School of economic theory and a regular guest on CNBC and other national media outlets. Mr. Pento has worked on the floor of the N.Y.S.E. as well as serving as vice president of investments for GunnAllen Financial immediately prior to joining Delta Global. Michael Pento Archive © 2005-2013 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.

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Herseth Sandlin, Thune push for stronger EPA blockade than JohnsonRep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin reiterated her support Thursday for a stiff-arm of the Environmental Protection Agency on its plan to regulate greenhouse gases, one day after Sen. Tim Johnson advocated a more measured approach. Sen. John Thune, meanwhile, has been advocating against EPA regulation of greenhouse gases for months. By: Seth Tupper, The Daily Republic Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin reiterated her support Thursday for a stiff-arm of the Environmental Protection Agency on its plan to regulate greenhouse gases, one day after Sen. Tim Johnson advocated a more measured approach. Sen. John Thune, meanwhile, has been advocating against EPA regulation of greenhouse gases for months. Current disputes over the issue date to December, when the EPA announced a finding that greenhouse gases — such as carbon dioxide and methane — endanger human health and welfare. The gases are also thought to contribute to global warming. The finding allows the EPA to use its authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions, unless Congress prevents the EPA from doing so. Legislation has been filed to stop the EPA, and Herseth Sandlin told reporters on a Thursday conference call that she became a co-sponsor last week of one such piece of legislation: House Joint Resolution 76. She said the resolution would “prevent EPA from enforcing regulations under the Clean Air Act” and “allow Congress time to set up a new legislative framework to address climate change in a more responsible manner.” “Because the Clean Air Act was not designed to regulate climate change,” she said, “I have concerns that any such regulation could have unintended and overly burdensome consequences in South Dakota, particularly when it comes to agricultural energy and power producers.” Herseth Sandlin, a Democrat, noted that the legislation has bipartisan support. In the Senate, South Dakota Republican John Thune has been a co-sponsor of similar bipartisan legislation — Senate Joint Resolution 26 — since January. Both Herseth Sandlin and Thune fear that if greenhouse-gas emitters such as energy companies are regulated, the costs of the regulation will filter down to energy-intensive industries and energy consumers. Thune issued a statement that included the following comment when he became a co-sponsor of the Senate legislation in January. “The EPA is using the rulemaking process to go around Congress and the American people in instituting what amounts to a national energy tax.” Thune also fears that greenhouse-gas regulation could lead to a so-called “cow tax,” because cattle emit a significant amount of the world’s methane. He introduced legislation last year that seeks to prohibit the imposition of such a tax. Johnson, a Democrat, came under fire early this week from the South Dakota Farm Bureau for not joining Herseth Sandlin and Thune in their efforts to block the EPA. The Farm Bureau issued a news release Sunday saying that its leaders “urge Senator Johnson to take a stand in support of South Dakotans by joining in co-sponsoring” the Senate legislation supported by Thune. On Johnson’s Wednesday media conference call, The Daily Republic asked him to respond to the Farm Bureau’s news release. Johnson said the legislation supported by Thune and Herseth Sandlin “mixes politics in with science.” “I would rather support the resolution proposed by Sen. Rockefeller that waits on this finding for two years,” Johnson said. “That’s enough time to let Congress get its act together.” The legislation from Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., was introduced last week as Senate Bill 3072 and so far has no co-sponsors. Its title says it would “suspend, during the 2-year period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act, any Environmental Protection Agency action under the Clean Air Act with respect to carbon dioxide or methane pursuant to certain proceedings, other than with respect to motor vehicle emissions.” Thune issued a statement last week when Rockefeller’s legislation was introduced. Thune said he appreciates Rockefeller’s effort, “however, EPA’s backdoor energy tax is a bad idea today and will still be a bad idea two years from now.” Herseth Sandlin said there is a “different dynamic” in the Senate that may be leading Rockefeller, Johnson and other senators to address the situation in a different way than her, but she still supports a more “strongly worded” EPA blockade. “I think we have to send a very clear and direct message to the EPA, and I’m afraid that just putting on sort of short-term or arbitrary time limits doesn’t send the kind of message and provide the kind of pressure that we in the House in a bipartisan way want to apply.”

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The Wallis Tractor Company were built from 1902 until 1932, primarily in Racine by the J.I. Case Plow Works (a different company than Case Threshing Machine, which would built the Case brand of tractors). Wallis Tractor was founded by Henry Wallis, the son-in-law of Jerome Case. Henry Wallis was also the president of the Case Plow Works, which had been founded by J.I. Case. Early work on the Wallis tractor dates back to 1902 and some assembly in Cleveland, Ohio, but the company was formally organized in Racine, Wisconsin in 1912. The Wallis Tractor was built and sold by the Case Plow Works. In 1928, Case Plow Works was sold to Massey-Harris and Massey took over production of the Wallis tractor (also at this time, full rights to the Case name were sold to Case Threshing Machine). Massey-Harris continued to use the Wallis brand until 1932, when the Massey-Harris name replaced it. Wallis - history at Steel Wheels

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a list compiled by Alex Kasman (College of Charleston) |With a title that can be translated as "A Summer's Tale", this is the third film in Rohmer's "seasons" series, preceeded by tales of spring and winter and followed by a tale of autumn in 1998. In this French film, the protagonist is a young mathematician/musician exploring his Thanks to Jaime Navarrete for pointing it out to me! The only math in the film is that the main character studies mathematics. I loved that and loved the film. Usually mathematicians in the movies are the strangest people. Here not, he is pretty normal. He is acute and intelligent, but not a nerd, no following patterns everywhere. He preffers to follow girls like most of the mathematicians I know. In fact, he was very similar to a classmate I had when I studied mathematics. (It may have helped that Rohmer, the director, did study mathematics) |More information about this work can be found at us.imdb.com.| |(Note: This is just one work of mathematical fiction from the list. To see the entire list or to see more works of mathematical fiction, return to the Homepage.)| Your Help Needed: Some site visitors remember reading works of mathematical fiction that neither they nor I can identify. It is time to crowdsource this problem and ask for your help! You would help a neighbor find a missing pet...can't you also help a fellow site visitor find some missing works of mathematical fiction? Please take a look and let us know if you have seen these missing stories anywhere!. (Maintained by Alex Kasman, College of Charleston)

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How do you feel about, and express yourself independent of anyone else or everything else, your relationships with others, your health, and your state of prosperity? In other words . . . what is the quality of your Four Life Levels without a love relationship in it? This article will discuss the first life level, Self-Expression, and its influence on the quality of your relationships and life, as well as the first steps towards creating something better for yourself. First, a brief summary of The Four Life Levels. The Four Life Levels The Four life levels are: Self-Expression, Relationships, Health, and Prosperity. Having or not having a love relationship, as well as the quality of relationship you attract is influenced by how well you manage whatever is going on in other areas of your life. You cannot separate or isolate these levels. An imbalance in one influences the quality of the others. Here is the first of the four life levels. Your self-expression is born out what you believe to be true about yourself and how you express this truth in your life. Without exception. It is an acceptance of, and an appreciation for, all that you are and all that you are becoming. It is knowing that . . . - No matter how bad you may feel or how awful something may seem, the experience you find yourself in does not define you. When you know that, you express yourself in ways that support you. - You are an extension of God, the Universe, the essence of love itself. - It is remembering that mistakes are what you do and not who you are. When your self-expression is heartfelt, people feel it. Here are 3 of 8 or more potential ways heart-felt expression shows up: - You are able to be true to yourself and others, to do the kind thing or the right thing whether there is an eye on you or not - You begin to reinterpret a failed relationship as an experience that offered you an opportunity to grow or get more clarity of what you want. - You take credit for who you are becoming along with the choices you have made that brought you to this place in your life. Want more love in your life? Remember you are divine, worthy and valuable; the essence of the love you seek. Your behavior doesn’t, and never will change that. This article contains excerpts from my book, Find Love at Last! 7 Steps to Attracting the Sweetest Love You Have Ever Known, and can be purchased on Amazon.com. Article 2 of this 4 article series on the Four Life Levels will be: Relationships and love. What’s the Connection. Tag: How does your relationship with family, friends and co-workers influence the quality of love you have in your life?

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A few weeks ago, I had some seriously cracked corners on my mouth, especially one side. After doing a little research, it appears I had something called angular cheilitis. In severe cases, the splits can be so deep, bleeding can occur. Luckily, I just had a minor affliction, brought on by some prescription acne medication that I had inadvertently gotten too close to my lips. But angular cheilitis can be caused by many factors: a deficiency of vitamin B12, iron, or zinc; a bacterial or fungal infection; or simply dry weather. After purchasing some Blistex to relieve my symptoms, I noticed that I seemed to be applying the balm with greater and greater frequency. Is there some kind of phenomenon that makes applying lip treatments somewhat of an obsessive action? Perhaps it's the menthol (which turns out, is actually quite drying) or pepperminty addition that gives us a little rush, or maybe it's simply our subconscious way of keeping a wound in check. Find out some tips on preventing dry, chapped lips here, and then tell me: are you obsessive about your lip balm applications?

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Posts tagged Annual Assembly Chemotherapy is a two-edged sword. As an oncology trainee I’ve seen a few patients die solely because of it. And yet aggressive treatment is sometimes necessary to save a life; in the right settings it often succeeds. Patients with Hodgkins’ disease, testicular cancer, acute leukemias, and early stage colon, lung, or breast cancers, among others, are often cured because of chemotherapy and other aggressive treatments. Like any useful tool though, it must be properly applied in order to be effective and avoid harm. You wouldn’t use a screwdriver to drive a nail; similarly, chemotherapy shouldn’t be given to all patients in all situations, nor should it be a substitute for good discussions about goals of care and the likelihood of deriving benefit. Yesterday’s cancer SIG presentation cut to the core of many issues that create tension between oncologists and palliative care clinicians. Most of us have probably seen difficult situations involving chemotherapy; it can be very upsetting! We tend to point the finger at oncologists when things go wrong, but we must recognize their unique perspective. To paraphrase one of today’s presenters, “Sometimes I can give a patient 5 different rounds of chemotherapy over 7 years and see them respond well each time.” In other words, chemo often really helps patients, even when its intent is palliative. I promise, we’re not monsters….oncologists are people too! Data support the use of chemotherapy in a number of advanced disease settings, even many solid tumors. Yes, chemotherapy can and should be part of good palliation in many settings. There are significant symptom benefits, QOL improvements, and survival benefits to be had in cases of lung, breast, colon, and prostate cancer; many other solid tumors respond to chemotherapy as well. Of course, the devil is in the details. An emerging quality indicator in oncology practice is the proportion of patients receiving chemotherapy in the last 2 weeks of life. Too many patients are receiving chemo just before death. Here’s the conundrum: we know chemotherapy can be beneficial, but only in certain settings. Unfortunately we’re not very good at predicting how well a particular patient will tolerate treatment, nor how well their tumor(s) will respond. How should we proceed? The SIG speakers recommend following a framework: First, look to published guidelines like those from the NCCN, which tell us when chemotherapy is no longer recommended (link). If treatment is pursued, it must be done with full informed consent regarding its palliative intent. Treatment must be viewed as a time-limited trial, with specific criteria for measuring response and planned discontinuation if none is seen. Transitions to hospice should be discussed early, at the first signs of decline in function. And the palliative care team should be involved! As Dr. Smith pointed out, recent data on early palliative care in advanced lung cancer shows a resultant reduction in chemotherapy usage in the last 60 days of life. We still don’t really know how this works, but it works, and it doesn’t impair survival. Going forward, palliative care will become more integrated into comprehensive cancer care, as per recent recommendations (link). This requires palliative care clinicians to better understand the role of chemotherapy as part of good palliative care for many cancer patients. Let’s be constructive, and increasingly work side-by-side with our oncology colleagues in caring for patients with incurable cancer. Hug an oncologist today!Thomas W. LeBlanc, MD, MA Fellow, Medical Oncology and Palliative Medicine Duke University Trust psychiatrists to give an afternoon session that makes you completely forget about that nap you were craving! “Delirium: A Study of Difficult Cases” consisted of 3 vignettes about various forms of delirium, complete with very realistic role playing and chock full of wisdom from palliative care psychiatrists. First there was a case of reversible hyperactive delirium. We were reminded that just about anything could be the culprit behind it, including common HPM meds like opioids and benzodiazepines, minor infections, metabolic derangements, and overstimulating environments. How to treat the agitation in reversible delirium? First try to reduce stimulation and create a soothing environment. Can you eliminate any unnecessary meds? AVOID benzos! Use 1st generation antipsychotics such as haloperidol or chlorpromazine (more sedating than haloperidol), and dose the way you would dose pain medications. What about irreversible delirium? This is the kind that occurs during the dying process, so a good clue that it’s not reversible is that there will be physical signs of dying. In this case, you can use antipsychotics, but you could also use benzos like lorazepam or midazolam. Remember that the goal is to reduce suffering by reducing the agitation of delirium — this is NOT palliative sedation, this is medical managment of a medical symptom. Sometime benzos won’t be effective, and in those rare cases you could try propofol or phenobarbital. The key point is to treat agitation like a breakthrough symptom. The final vignette illustrated a case of mixed delirium in pediatric palliative care (complete with role playing where the parent was as much the patient as the kid). Yes, delirium happens in kids too! This is a sneakier form of delirium (and can happen in adults too) that presents with waxing/waning symptoms. The gist is that you treat kids the same as adults (though with lower doses) — haloperidol and risperdal (both antipsychotics) are effective and safe in kids and infants. I left with the understanding that delirium is a form of suffering, and as patients who come out of it later say, is a terrifying and disorienting experience. Treat it proactively and don’t hesitate to consult psychiatry for tough cases! Erin Zahradnik, MD, PGY-3 Yale University Dept of Psychiatry America, your bluff has been called…the verdict is in, and the old adage remains true: you cannot have your cake and eat it too (shocking news, I know). Clichéd as it may sound, that message rang true this morning as the annual assembly opened in a blaze of introspection and criticism of the status quo. The target? Rising healthcare costs. Even current levels of U.S. healthcare spending are unsustainable, yet we continue on a path of rising costs without adequate thought regarding the value of care provided. The panel discussion featured Thomas Smith, Brad Stuart, and Rebecca Kirch, each presenting perspectives on the problem and fielding questions. Smith hit the nail on the head, pointing out that “value is missing, care is not optimal, and costs are rising unsustainably.” He highlighted some staggering statistics from a sample of cancer patients at a major academic medical center (Dy, et al, 2011). Roughly 1/3rd received chemotherapy within 2 weeks of death, ~25% ended up on a ventilator, less than 1/4th were discharged to hospice care, and ~1/3rd died in the hospital. Quite a sad state of affairs! Yet insurance premiums are rising quickly, having doubled between 2000 and 2010; herein lies the “missing value.” What are we buying with all this money spent? What’s a society to do? At this point someone usually drops the “R-bomb,” which can curtail any meaningful debate. Imposing limits on healthcare is such a charged and seemingly un-American idea. Must rationing be the only solution though? Per Brad Stuart, the answer to this question is a resounding “no!” Stuart described a program called AIM (Advanced Illness Management), which effectively turns this debate on its head. Rather than focusing on imposing limits, AIM emphasizes the importance of eliciting and defining patient preferences early (and often), and facilitates doing this in the community rather than just the hospital. AIM data show how this approach can yield improved outcomes, higher quality of care, and even decreased costs! This sounds like what many of us in palliative care already think we do; we’re communicators, goals elicitors, and compassionate caregivers. But we are handcuffed by a system that often views us as the alternative to aggressive treatments, especially in cancer care, and we’re often involved too late in the process. Thankfully, this too is changing. A recent guideline from the American Society of Clinical Oncology recommends early palliative care for all patients with advanced cancers (link). Palliative care is increasingly viewed as a part of the solution and a part of quality cancer care, rather than an adversary. In this climate, 2012 is a time of enormous excitement for our field! How we brand and conduct ourselves though, is crucial. We must be partners in cancer care, not antagonists. As Kirch taught us in reviewing the CAPC report, how we talk about palliative care truly matters; if we do it “correctly,” patients are overwhelmingly interested in what we do, and would want it for their loved ones (link). As a trainee in both oncology and palliative medicine, I cannot imagine a more exciting time to be working at the intersection of these fields. Let’s continue to work together to blaze a trail towards increasing quality of life and quality of cancer care. In line with the AIM program, and those like it, let’s be champions of patient choice, rather than reapers of grim. Palliate early, and often!Thomas W. LeBlanc, MD, MA Fellow, Medical Oncology and Palliative Medicine Duke University “Early Career Hospice and Palliative Medicine faculty Development Bootcamp”: Drs Bernacki, Carey, Sanchez-Reilly, Periyakoil, Kapo, DeLima Thomas, Morrison, and Bunch O’Neill I was a little apprehensive about this workshop, since I’m still a fellow and not even junior faculty yet. I will be taking a faculty position when I finish my fellowship, so I figured that whatever I learn will still be applicable four months from now. I think many trainees wonder what it means to be an attending, and especially about the mysterious “non-clinical time” (which residents and fellows get just enough of to know that we probably want more of it!). I do know enough to know that it will be different than anything I’ve done so far, in terms of work-flow, responsibility, and expectations. To add to my uncertainty, I am joining our section as part of a significant expansion which will mean changes in how the entire section functions. I was hoping for some strategies to manage what feels at times to be a monumental task, and I was not disappointed. We started by creating mission statements for ourselves: short, using active language, and focused on what we want to achieve and why. My mission statement: To improve medical care by expanding palliative care education at all levels. It was really inspiring to see how big we are dreaming! Other topics covered included time management (oh Covey square, where have you been all my life?) and conflict resolution (both in the context of patient interactions and with professional colleagues). When we talk about interactions with patients and families, we often talk about being intentional in our approach, to be mindful and centered in order to function most effectively. What I am taking home from this workshop is a greater sense of intention as I start my career, with my specific goals in mind and a much greater awareness of my own strengths as a palliator and as a faculty member. I was also really struck by the obvious camaraderie between our presenters, and the strength they derived from having a peer mentoring group. At our table we had a wonderful group of people and it was both somewhat therapeutic and also really fun to share stories about challenges in each of our lives. It was really striking how the same themes kept coming up over and over again across the whole group. Take home message: it can be hard to be a junior faculty member, and what you’re going through is normal! I walked out of the workshop focused on my goals, inspired to implement some of the tools we learned, and feeling more confident in my ability to shape my career to match my vision. I am really looking forward to the rest of the conference, meeting more new faces and getting more inspiration for what I already consider the greatest job there is. Meredith MacMartin, MD, HPM Fellow at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center Although it was painful to get up so early on the final day of the AAHPM Assembly in Vancouver, it was completely worthwhile to attend the meeting of the Pediatrics Special Interest Group (SIG). Over the years that I’ve attended this meeting, it’s been amazing to watch the evolution of interest and attendance in our SIG, and the parallel explosion of pediatric education, research and advocacy opportunities. In 2007, our statewide pediatric palliative care (PPC) network OPPEN (Ohio Pediatric Palliative and End-of-life care Network) organized a national conference as a follow-up to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s (NHPCO) pediatric conference in Dearborn, Michigan in 2004. These efforts were organized precisely because there was no place for PPC providers to go to find educational and research information and to network with colleagues; most national conferences had only occasional, if any, pediatric content. Fortunately, that has certainly changed! For the past few years, the AAHPM has offered greatly increased pediatric content at the Assembly, with pediatric sessions in almost every concurrent slot, as well as large numbers of pediatric paper presentations (which are often award winners). Pediatric representation exists throughout the organization, from workgroups and committees through the Board of Directors. Similarly, NHPCO has been offering a pediatric track at its Clinical Team Conference for several years now, and its advisory group ChiPPS (Children’s Project on Palliative and Hospice Services) has expanded, undergone strategic planning, and taken on a leadership role in equipping hospice and palliative care organizations to care for children and in working closely with NHPCO in its advocacy and policy activities (www.nhpco.org/pediatrics). The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has also jumped on the PPC bandwagon, with the establishment of the Section on Hospice and Palliative Medicine. This group is focusing primarily on policy and educational activities, including opportunities for scholarly activity through the AAP’s main meeting, the National Conference Exhibition. The Section maintains 2 listservs that boast healthy discussion about many aspects of our field, 1 for members and 1 for any interested parties; Affiliate Membership is possible for non-physicians as well (www.aap.org; check out the web page soon for a more expanded discussion of each of these national opportunities for PPC involvement and commitment). The Center to Advance Palliative Care has recently increased its pediatric focus too. Last fall, the annual conference included a pediatric track for the first time, and that will continue this year. Palliative Care Leadership Center tools and training for programs interested in starting or growing a PPC or hospice program have been available through a number of different sites for years; in 2008, 2 pediatric-specific sites were added (Akron Children’s Hospital and Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minneapolis) and a new pediatric curriculum was developed (www.capc.org). And there are other groups involved with PPC as well. A few more highlights include: - PEPPERCORN, the Pediatric Palliative Care Research Network, a dedicated group of researchers from a number of sites across North America who are working individually and collaboratively to advance the science of PPC - The Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (www.hpna.org), which has successfully developed a pediatric nursing certification examination in hospice and palliative care, and is also developing accompanying educational material - The National Networks for Pediatric Palliative Care (www.network4pedspallcare.org), a grassroots effort focused on developing a web-based clearinghouse of programs and information for families and providers. - The Pediatric Hospice and Palliative Medicine Competencies Project, a group of PPC leaders who have been working with the original HPM competencies document and authors to create a companion resource for pediatrics; importantly, the AAHPM’s Board of Directors approved support for this project at this year’s board meeting. During this time, the Academy’s SIG has continued to meet and grow. In the last few years, we’ve become more organized, along with all SIGs in the Academy which are receiving more support through the new and expanded Communities model. We’ve developed an elections process, allowing a rotation of leadership and the opportunity for younger or newer folks in the field to become involved. This year’s Assembly featured a Pediatric SIG-sponsored session which was very well received. And there were a tremendous number of great suggestions for next year’s Assembly that were generated at the SIG meeting. Our next big push will be for a pediatric plenary! In short, it’s a great time to be in pediatric hospice and palliative care. Seeing colleagues, learning about many new avenues to become involved in the field, talking about challenging and uplifting situations, sharing wisdom and lessons learned, and literally catching the contagious excitement among us were just a few of the reasons to get out of bed on Saturday morning for the SIG meeting. Hope to see you there next year in Denver! What a wonderful way to celebrate and remember all of us who care for our patients. The theme brought us back to Mother Earth as we are in the beautiful setting of Vancouver where we all are here to support each other. The symbol of the tree was used in several ways from the tree created during the conference by those attending and remembering those dear to them and also on the front of the handout with the Arbutus Tree (Madrone) which holds the tile of most sacred to inhabitants of this coastal region. I think the tree even though it looks like they stand alone are actually connected in many ways. And so are we. I especially enjoyed the celebration because of it’s emphasis on gratitude. I think in the hard days we face and the many challenges, many of them discussed during the conference, that we remember to return to ourselves and be grateful. To have gratitude as we complete our day for the work we are called to do. Grateful for the sun that warms us, the ground we walk on and the air we breath. To also cherish our heritage personally and united as presented by Gabe George and Carleen Thomas from the Tsleil-Waututh Nation meaning “People of the Inlet”. Gabe shared with us the loss of his brother from HIV and how he learned that healing is best done through song. Carleen and Gabe shared many songs with us and the healing in the room could be felt. Patrick Clary also shared with us his healing journey which has taken many years and started in his youth with his magpie. In a unique experience, often we share our monetary offerings, but what we received was a gift made by Kelly Two Wolves (she was introduced to us in the earlier plenary session). The beads represented the North (Red), West (Black), South (White) and East (Yellow) and the representation of the colors of the human race. The beads were presented in a bracelet, circular, joined and never ending showing we are ALL connected (related). This reminded me of another practice I learned this year, The Medicine Wheel. In closing we joined in the Aztec Prayer of Community. Only for so short a while, O God, You have loaned us to each other. Because we take form In your act of drawing us. And we take life In your painting us. And we breathe In your singing us. But only for so short a while Have you loaned us to each other. Thank you for this wonderful experience. Diane Meier’s talk this morning was less a presentation than a call for action to the palliative care field. Dr. Meier spent a year working on capital hill and has continued to advocate for palliative care on a local and national level. She began with a review of the Affordable Care Act and the challenges faced in our country given the current unsustainable spending on healthcare. More and more people are looking to the value equation: Value=Quality/Cost. The United States struggles to increase value and has been unable to accurately measure and increase quality, costs have continued to rise. As we debate how to cut costs it is critical that palliative care not be left out of the discussion. Currently, most of the talk around bending the cost curve has been related to changing payment structures including the formation of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). High quality, well integrated palliative care is a critical piece the health care continuum, and we should be advocating that it is included in any discussion of ACOs. Unfortunately, there are very few voices from the palliative care community “at the table” in Washington and so our concerns are often not addressed. Only a tiny portion of NIH funding (0.01%) is devoted to research in the field of palliative care which only leads to further misunderstanding of our views and mission. So how can we make a difference? How can we make sure the palliative care is included in health care reform efforts going forward? Dr. Meier outlined several steps that we can take as a profession and as individuals. - Language is important. We must be consistent in how we talk about what we do. Her suggestion: “Palliative care is about matching treatment to patient goals.” What do you think? - Submit your organizations data to CAPC’s registry so that quality is measured and improved. - email/call/write a letter to your congressperson. AAHPM has made it easy! - Mark time off in your calendar to meet with your congressional representatives to discuss and lobby for palliative care. Our elected officials want to hear from us and they take our views very seriously. As an movement we need to start speaking up or health care reform is going to pass us by.

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Buying a home is no easy task. If you are not careful in planning, the dream of becoming a first time homebuyer can turn into a financial nightmare. Jeremy Walsh Real Estate is here to help your dreams come true by providing you three tips on how to avoid detrimental mistakes as a first time homebuyer. Read now. It is always important to read the fine print and gritty details before you buy a home. Being a newbie, no matter how cautious or smart of a homebuyer you may be, could still make you uniquely vulnerable to the complicated home buying process. The last thing you want to do is dig your own grave of debt. What you want is to buy and build financial security with a home purchase. Here are ways to save you from debt disaster: The first thing you need to do is take a look at your income and expenses to reveal truly what you can and can’t afford. You will want your mortgage payments to be something you can comfortably afford to pay every month for the next 15 to 30 years. Never purchase a home you know you will be scrapping for money every month to pay. You have to crawl before you walk. Even if you do not buy that big house on the hill now, you can afford it someday and you will be able to thank your first home for that. Make a budget for yourself to help you afford your first home. List all income, including your wage, investments and expenses. This will give you an idea about how much you can afford every month, even though this will only provide you a snapshot of your financial picture. There will come times when unexpected costs will come up, you can prepare for this by studying long-term your financial habits. You may not be able to predict the future but you can certainly make realistic expectations and cut down on certain expenses by your own choice. Once you do that, list what you need and want in a home- this includes both bedrooms and your ideal community. Next thing you need to do is perform a credit check before you start the home buying process. That three digit score could be the difference between becoming a homeowner rather than remaining a renter. Your credit report will show how consistent you are about making payments on time, what kind of accounts you have open, and how long you have had them open. When your score is low, you lower your chances of being granted a loan to purchase your home. Get a report from credit reporting agencies like Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. By reviewing your credit report you may even find errors you can remove to improve your score. CNN money conducted that found about 79% of reports have some kind of wrong information and 25% have seriously damaging errors. You should review your credit report at least once a year. Once you get a clear idea of your own financial status, it is time to look at the big picture. You have to always know in your mind the housing market is not static but it fluctuates. Sometimes it is in favor of homebuyers and other times it is more in favor to home sellers. It all depends on supply and demand. Desirable housing could be scarce or in surplus. When supply is high and more homes are available, this is when you want to buy a home. Other factors to look at are interest rates, consumer confidence and the overall condition of the economy. You can keep up with these factors by reading newspapers and magazines focused on the real estate market such as the Wall Street Journal and The National Real Estate Investor Magazine. If you have any questions on buying a home or selling a home, please contact Jeremy Walsh Real Estate by calling 443-610-5722 or click here today! You need to be exclusively represented and have Jeremy Walsh (located in Baltimore, Maryland) on your side to handle all of the important details for you! You can also follow me on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn as well! Source: 10 First-Time Homebuyer Mistakes

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Just to clarify, if people are getting confused as to why some networks seem to get spammed with these texts and some don't; mobile numbers are assigned to networks in batches. I work for a company related to telecoms and we have a list of all the codes and which network they belong to; for example, 07409 falls under Orange, 07507 falls under T-Mobile, 07810 falls under Vodafone, and all numbers stemming from that are of that network. It's possible, and likely, that they dial the numbers in batches, in such a way that they all go to the same network. Of course, this varies if you've had the number ported. Hate to add to this but these numbers call LANDLINE numbers randomly and leave automated messages . .Going to ditch your landline provider too? I have friends on all mobile servers except '3' . . .we all do the same, delete (or if their phone allows then 'block') the message and just drop our providers a courtesy email to let give them the number. My hubby generally gets one a month and he's on Orange!! Maybe you should try reading the small print on every 'contract' you have. Or just get down from your high horse. If all you have 'wrong' is receiving a few 'unwanted' calls/texts then your one of the lucky ones in the world.

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Use The Opportunity To Get CCNA Training CCNA training is a very important kind of training that is provided by Cisco program. It is the right choice for all network professionals because this training will give deeper knowledge, better skills and higher qualification. CCNA training is a compulsory course that can prepare you for passing CCNA certification exam. Despite the fact that CCNA certification is the basic level of Cisco certification but it is very important thing to start your career. CCNA training will help you to understand new information better to get the certificate. Networking professional who has CCNA certificate has all chances to get a great job in the field of networking services. Professionals who have such qualification can be much more wanted in the filed of networking services. Cisco certifications are appreciated by a lot of companies and corporations all over the world. Getting CCNA qualification offers more opportunities for IT professionals. CCNA certification is the important step that can help you to advance your knowledge, skills and qualification. After getting this basic level of qualification you have an opportunity to get the next level of Cisco certification. There are a lot of types of courses that you can take to prepare yourself for the CCNA exam. Online training is a very convenient way to get the obligatory knowledge and essential skills to pass the exam. You need to enroll to Cisco classes for great training. This kind of training is available for all networking professionals and novices. However all students have the equal opportunity to choose the option of passing the CCNA exam. Those who have an experience may choose the single CCNA examination that includes fifty questions. New candidates who have no previous experience should pass two exams. Every exam will be in the kind of test. Every test has fifty questions. Every exam is ninety minutes long. CCNA certification exam is very difficult and you need to be well-prepared for it. Many network administrators want to have a good ccna salary. But it’s not that easy. Those who are searching for the info on ccna salary are invited to visit this ccna salary offering much info on the subject.

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With the start of 2007 just around the corner, Quit is encouraging smokers to make the resolution to quit smoking on New Years' Eve and then set an actual Quit date for two weeks later. Quitline Manager, Mr Ian Ferretter, said making your Quit date two weeks into the New Year is often more realistic and can give you time to plan, however it is very important not to put it off for too long. "Planning to quit can help you understand why you smoke and set up some quitting strategies. This important preparation can sometimes get lost in the busy weeks leading up to New Year." "We urge smokers to put quitting at the top of the New Year resolutions list and then plan a ‘Quit date', perhaps to coincide with returning to work." "We know the majority of smokers want to quit, and that more smokers aim to quit at New Year than any other time," he says. "To be successful, smokers must want to quit, and if smokers seek additional support such as the free advice offered through the Quitline their chances of quitting successfully are increased." The Quitline anticipates receiving over 5000 calls from people who want to quit smoking in the holiday season, with a further 50 000 people expected to log onto www.quit.org.au to find out how to begin the New Year smokefree. The Quitline will be answering calls on 13 QUIT (13 7848) throughout the holiday season to ensure help is on hand to provide free support and guidance to all those smokers who want to start fresh and make this New Year smokefree. Quit tips to make your environment ‘quitting friendly' - Make your home and car smokefree. If that's not possible, have at least one smokefree area for yourself - Make it harder for yourself to get cigarettes - Ask others not to smoke around you - Use a place you are not allowed to smoke as ‘protection' until the craving passes - Feel okay about avoiding situations that will be tough while cravings are still intense and frequent. ph: (03) 9635 5400 mob: 0417 303 811

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Participating in the Parents Network on Schooldays.ie - FAQs What is the'Parents Network' on Schooldays.ie The Parents Network allows individual parents to communicate with other parents in their childs school year at either primary or secondary level. By clicking on the Parents Network link on an individual school’s profile page on the Schooldays.ie website, you can choose to associate yourself with the year group (known as Streams) in your child’s school(s) that you wish to ‘follow’, e.g 1st class or 2nd year. To ‘follow a stream’ means to be able to view or post to the threads within that stream. Only members associated with a specific stream can view or respond to the posts of other members within that Stream. Why join the Parents Network For a wide variety of reasons, it can be difficult for parents to link up with other parents in their childrens classes. The Parent Network facility on schooldays.ie allows parents to make those contacts which can be invaluable in facilitating practical issues such as arranging school runs, sharing childcare, exchanging second hand goods, arranging school social events, exploring homework problems or simply checking out what other parents are doing with regard to specific events, e.g. are you letting your son/daughter go to the local disco this friday? Joining a 'stream(s)' is also useful in helping you to navigate quickly to your child's school profile page on our site - each time you visit our site, you can simply click on the 'my streams' link which appears on the top of every page when logged in - this provides you with the immediate links to the schools you have associated yourself with. It also means that you can receive notifications when there are updates to your school(s). Can I discuss any topic on the Parents Network The Discussion Boards or Streams are not the appropriate forum to air problems that you may be experiencing with individual teachers or issues which may be arising between individual students. You could however ask other parents within the stream who are experiencing a problem with a particular subject for example to PM (private message ) you and then continue your discussion off line. In some cases you may wish to post a question or seek advice from the whole schooldays.ie audience rather than just within your Parent Network. Where this is the case, you should submit your post through our General Discussions boards which are visible to the full schooldays audience and our streamed on our homepage and a number of other pages throughout the website. We would remind all contributors that in registering on the site you agreed to abide by the Rules of our Forums. In particular we would remind you: Can I contact the school through the Parents Network - Treat others with the same respect you expect from them - Do not post anything you know to be false, defamatory, obscene, racist, offensive, hurtful or invasive of a persons privacy. While debating and discussion is fine, rudeness, insulting posts, personal attacks or purposeless inflammatory posts will not be tolerated. - Do not use the network for advertising The schooldays.ie website is independent of the schools and therefore if you ask a question directly of a school through the parent network, you are unlikely to receive a response. If you have a question for a school regarding application procedures, requesting an application form etc, you should contact the school directly. Where it is available to us, we have listed school contact details on the website. Where email links are displayed, you can click on the email link to send an email to the school. How can I participate on the Parents Network on Schooldays.ie To participate in the School Network on Schooldays.ie, you first need to register on the website. How do I register on the Schooldays.ie site and is there a charge. There is no charge to participate on any of the communication forums on Schooldays.ie but in all cases you must register on the site to participate. Registration on the site allows you to participate in the Parents Network, the General Discussion Forums, the Childminders Forum, respond to News Stories and to advertise for free in the Second Hand school book section. Remember that you can opt to use an image/avatar, either a photo of yourself or a funny avatar (cartoon type image) which will appear beside any posts you make on our site. To register on the site click on the ‘Register’ link which appears above the pencil on the homepage. Should I use my real name as my ‘User Name’ when registering The User Name that you choose will be displayed alongside your posts however your email address will not. You may either use your real name or a pseudonym as a ‘user name’ but remember that if you use your real name, it is likely to be clear to other parents in the parent network who your child is in the school - you need to consider whether you wish to identify yourself in this way. Remember again, that if you uploaded a photo of yourself when you registered, it will appear beside any of your posts in the parents network. How do I join the Parents Network in my children’s schools Once you have registered on the site and are logged in, choose the ‘Find a Primary School’ or ‘Find a Secondary School’ option which you will find near the top of the green menu list which appears on the left hand side of each page on the website. These links will bring you through to the link pages that you need to find your child’s school. If you have difficulty locating the school , you can also use the search option which appears on menu on the pencil at the top of each page – simply type in your school name and review the results. When you are on the school page, click on the ‘Parents Network’ link. Here you will see the different links to click on depending on which Streams (class year groups) you wish to join. When you click on one of the links to join a stream you will be required to complete the following fields What information should I input as a Stream Remark The stream remark lets you place a little more information about yourself that other users within the stream will be able to see. For example you may wish to say something like "Mum of girl in class 1N" or "Dad of student in 2Y" or if you are happy to identify yourself fully " Aoifes Mum' If there are a number of classes at the same level, e.g. 3 classes of 1st year, it is useful to say which class group your child is in. How can I amend my profile or "stream remark" if I want to give more/less information? At any stage when you are logged in you will see a link to 'My Streams' at the very top of the website page (above the advertising banner) . By clicking on this link you will see a list of the streams of which you are a member. You will have the option to click to 'view the Stream Discussions' or to view 'Stream Members' You will also see a link to 'edit ' located beside your 'stream remark' . Click on the edit link if you wish to amend how you have described yourself. If you no longer wish to be a member of a particular stream, click on the dustbin image beside the stream to unsubscribe from that stream.. What does "Notify me of new posts mean? It means you will receive an email advising you when there are new posts or new joiners to your stream. Emails are issued daily or weekly. Can I join Streams in more than one school? You can join a max of 3 streams in any one school and a max of 5 streams in total. Once you are logged in, just locate the profile page for the second (or third) school that you want to join and repeat the processes set out above. How do I 'un-subscribe' from a Stream if I no longer wish to 'follow that stream'? At any stage when you are logged in you will see a link to 'My Streams' at the very top of the website page (above the banner advertisement) . By clicking on this link you will see a list of the streams of which you are a member. Click on the dustbin image if you wish to no longer be a member of a particular stream. Note that once you post to a stream, your posts will remain in the stream, even if you leave the stream at a later date. If I am a member of a steam in more than one school, how do I quickly move between my streams? Click on the 'My Streams' link at the top of the website page and you will see the list of your streams. By clicking on any of your stream links provided you will go directly to that page. How do I reply to a thread within a stream discussions? Once you are logged in, and a member of a stream, you will be able to click to read any of the threads within that stream. If you want to participate in the discussion, click on the 'reply' button, type in your response and click on save for your reply to appear live on the site. How do I start a new discussion/create a new thread? Once you are logged in, visit your Stream and click on 'create a new thread' - you will then see the following box Insert a title indicating what the thread is about, choose a category as this helps other members to find information related to a number of categories. Make sure to click on 'this stream only' if you want only the members in the stream to see your post. If you are happy for EVERYONE who visits the schools profile page to see your post, then choose 'everyone'. Type in your message and click on 'save' for the message to appear live on the site. What is a Private Message (PM) As a member of a particular stream you have the facility to contact individual members of the stream by sending them a private message which cannot be seen by anyone else, including other stream members. If you send someone a PM, they will receive an email from Schooldays.ie telling them to log-in to the site to view their private message. If you receive a private message, you will similarly receive an email. To view the message, log-in and click on the link to 'My PMs' which appears above the pencil on the home page . Here you will be able to read your PMs and send further PMs in response. How do I send a Private Message (PM) The user name of every poster appears alongside any post that they make. Beneath their user name you will see a link to 'PM me'. If you click on this link you can send them a private message, however if you click on the link 'reply' within a thread, your reply appears on the website. If I am a member of a stream associated with a particular school year within a school, should I also join the 'General Stream' within that school? Being a member of the 'general stream' if you are a parent in the school is also useful as there may be occasions when you wish to post a question (e.g. looking for some second hand item) to all parents associated with the school and not just to those in first year etc. Remember though anything you post in this stream can be viewed by anyone who visits the schools profile page on the site. The general stream is also of interest to past pupils and prospective parents and anyone with a general interest in the school who wants to be alerted when there are comments or questions posted.

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Pattern: Square Flowers Identifiers / Alternate Names: The Square Flowers pattern features 4 petaled flowers or clovers in a squarish configuration. It appears in two possible colors - verde green on white and darker orange on yellow-orange. We are listing this pattern separately even though its exact origin is unknown up to this point: several original boxes that had green square flowers on them were marked as "Verde" which adds to the confusion. The pattern has been noted on a variety of different items. The extent of the orange version of the square flowers is not known - it seems to appear mostly on round casseroles, but we don't know if it is a promotional-only item or not. Also known as: Dutch Clover, Green Flower, Avocado Item Type: 470 Series Cinderella Bake-Serve-Store Casserole Set Values: Check below on Ebay for approximate prices Sizes and ID#s: #471 (1 pint) #472 (1.5 pint) #473 (1 quart) This is the orange version of the Green Square Flowers pattern that has caused some confusion with Pyrex patterns (because of its mislabeling as “verde”). However, we are pretty certain that the Orange Square Flowers appears only on certain casseroles. The row of square flowers looks pretty similar to the green one, except that there are two rows on these items. Update (6/07): It’s come to our attention that the smaller casseroles (the 1 pint and 1.5 pint) apparently had only ONE row of flowers instead of the two. That’s very interesting… so 471, 472 have one row and 473 (and of course the 474, 475 larger round casseroles) have two rows. Update (10/07): We now have one of the smaller 471 casseroles, seen in the photo above, so we can confirm that there is indeed only one row of flowers for this item. The flowers are a cream-tan in color with the base of the casserole being a darker orange-brown. These casseroles exist in the usual three sizes of 1 pint, 1.5 pint and 1 quart, all with the same diameter… that’s the way to tell them apart from the Round Casseroles, because they don’t increase in diameter. The numbers are #471-473 and as usual the largest #473 size is the same piece as the smallest of the Round Casseroles.

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These days, video games and controversy are old friends. Unsurprisingly, the biggest controversies seem to arise whenever the topic of sex in video games appears in the public forum. Whenever the topic rears its ugly head, critics come out of the woodwork, condemning the video game industry for trying to sneak sex into our homes and corrupt the youth of America. It's a debate that's become all too familiar for gamers, developers, and publishers over the past few years, and why people are so up in arms about the situation in the first place is more than a little vexing. The controversy surrounding sex in video games isn't exactly a new one, but it certainly has hit the public eye recently. One of the earliest examples of sex causing a stir in the video game industry came about with Custer's Revenge, a game in 1982 that had such objectionable content that Atari ultimately sued the game's developer, Mystique, in an effort to publicly distance the Atari console from the game's negative media attention. More recently, the sex/nudity in games like BMX XXX, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and Mass Effect have garnered a fair degree of coverage and outrage, even when it isn't deserved. But why do people in the game industry get so upset about anything sexual appearing in games, especially when there is so much gratuitous violence permeating the medium? Why doesn't violence in games spark the same amount of outrage? The long answer could fill a book, but Brenda Brathwaite, author of Sex in Video Games, and Damon Brown, author of Porn & Pong: How Grand Theft Auto, Tomb Raider and Other Sexy Games Changed Our Culture, offered a few answers to Ars that begin to scratch the surface. Brathwaite started out with the obvious suggestion that our intolerance for sex in games goes all the way back to the Puritan founders of America. "I think it's purely a cultural thing. In other countries, like Germany, it's completely the opposite; it's our culture, and that's just the way we view things." It is true that critics in the United States seem to be willing to do battle with sexual content, while countries like Britain and Germany often do the opposite, with politicians in these nations doing their best to ban violent games while never even mentioning sex. Brown suggested another reason we freak out about sex is that we've come to expect heavy amounts of violence in games, while sexual content is still so uncommon that it's shocking when it appears. "Part of the answer is that video games are assumed to be violent," he pointed out. "For instance, how many mainstream cover stories have there been on violence in video games and the effect on children, � la Columbine? Comparatively, there have been hardly any about adult/sexual content, even during the Hot Coffee scandal. High levels of sexual video game content are still relatively new for mainstream America, beginning with GTA 3 or, at best, Leisure Suit Larry." Finally, the third major thing that makes people uncomfortable with sex in games is that games are still perceived as being products for children. "We're still in the perception that video games are for kids," Brathwaite said. "That perception is carried out in an extreme way in places like Australia, where they don't even have a rating for adults. So, if your games can't be played by kids under [a certain age], you can't even publish them there." Even in the United States, the rating system reflects the idea that games are for kids. According to its official requirements, the ESRB is open about its preference that applicants have experience dealing with children: "ESRB raters must be adults and typically have experience with children, whether through prior work experience, education or by being parents or caregivers themselves." "This is the key to medium, in that we're viewing everything through the eyes of a child," Brathwaite pointed out. "It's not that kids don't matter or should be excluded, but our rating system is, by default, a bit reactionary." For many gamers, the main problem with this concern about sex in games is that it doesn't exist in other forms of media. With books, movies, television, and comics, sex isn't a huge issue these days, but it's still a major concern when it comes to video games. In short, this is a massive double standard, since games containing sex are often slapped with an AO rating and movies with far racier content are allowed on retail shelves. Ars community member Nagumo claims to have "seen Baise Moi in Wal-Mart," a film that "features scenes involving rape that show real penetration and ejaculation! Never mind the sodomy with a .45." While gamers have a right to be upset about this double standard, claims Brown, they should also realize that it's a bit of a good thing, too. "Movies had the long-standing Hayes code until the 70s, comics had the Comic Book Code of 1954 —requiring that womens' features not be 'exaggerated'— and so on," he said. "And books are still being banned! Video games were created only about 50 years ago and didn't become mainstream until 35 years ago. The video game censorship battle, which, while continuous, hit the mainstream a decade and a half ago with Mortal Kombat, and is just a sign that our pastime is being recognized as a cultural influencer." Something that many critics don't realize is that there is a market for sexualized video games. Granted, it's certainly miniscule compared to the mainstream market, but it's there. Aside from the fact that some developers of these games are able to sell uncensored and/or more explicit versions of their titles via direct download—thereby avoiding retailers and the censorship issues that occur to get a game there—many users will sexualize their interactions with each other or create risqu� content. "Sex is already incredibly common in games already, we just call it 'emergent behavior between two players,'" Brathwaite said. This emergent player behavior can range from teabagging your opponents after you frag them in Halo to creating a strip club in Star Wars: Galaxies to engaging in full-on sex in MMOs like Second Life or Sociolotron. If you haven't heard of Sociolotron before, you're not alone. The game is an MMORPG that, aside from standard fare associated with the genre, features sex as an integrated part of the world. This makes it different from Second Life because the sex isn't user-created, it's actually built into the game from the moment you start. The game, which came into existence in 2002, was actually a happy coincidence for its creator, known only as "PlayerDark," and serves as evidence that other players are also interested in adult experiences in their games. "I was working on a text-based adult game to run as a hobby when the company I was working as a programmer for went out of business," he explained. "Since it was very difficult to find another job as programmer around here at that time, I decided to try and make [Sociolotron] a commercial game. Thanks to the help of a number of players who helped with testing and suggestions, I was able to finish it within a year approximately." However, not everyone has been supportive of Sociolotron. Even other gamers have a habit of looking down their noses at the MMO and the content it contains. "[When people first hear about the game,] mostly it’s a reaction of… 'Dude, another porn game, only freaks play it, but not me,' and some sort of snickering look-down reaction," PlayerDark explains. "One has to get used to it. Our players are mostly a nice group, and those who find their way into Sociolotron and stay with us usually become hardcore fans of the game. Of course, the future of sex in games is difficult to foresee, but it stands to reason that it's something that will persist and grow, especially as the average age of video gamers continues to increase and games are no longer perceived as just being for children. At the moment, it's something that will have go grow by inches rather than by leaps and bounds. One possible milestone could be the launch of Sociolotron 2 , which is tentatively scheduled for next year. "From Pompeii to modern times," Brown observed, "history has proven that we will use any available technology toward sexual gain—or, as Playboy editor Scott Alexander put it, 'If there is a new technology, we will try to fuck it'… there is a market for it, and it will be delivered through any channel that stays open to the consumers' desires."

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Join the 'Pulmonary Embolism -- Recurrent Event' group to help and get support from people like you. Pulmonary Embolism -- Recurrent Event Blog Posted 15 Jun 2010 by Drugs.com TUESDAY, June 15 – CT angiography might not be necessary in many patients suspected of having a blood clot in the lung (pulmonary embolism), and a risk analysis can identify those most likely to require the procedure, a new study suggests. Pulmonary embolism (PE) occurs when a blood clot, usually from the leg, moves through the bloodstream and lodges in an artery in the lung. The condition can be fatal, so prompt diagnosis is essential. Because of its high sensitivity and specificity, CT angiography has become a preferred method of diagnosing PE. However, there are growing concerns about costs and patient radiation exposure, along with risks associated with contrast agents used in the procedure. For this study, researchers reviewed the medical records to assess the PE risk factors of 2,003 patients who underwent CT angiography for possible PE between July 2004 and February 2006. The ... Read more

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The charred frames of trailers and the twisted metal of cars are a somber reminder of the tragedy on I-75. One year ago, on a stretch of interstate near Gainesville, 11 people died after fog and smoke from a nearby wildfire made it nearly impossible for drivers to see. The Florida Highway Patrol closed the road, but by 3:30 in the morning conditions improved. The interstate was reopened over the objections of at least one trooper. An investigated concluded poor communications among troopers contributed to the crash. FHP responded saying nothing they could have done would have changed the outcome. FHP is remaining quiet on the terrible anniversary. A spokesperson for the patrol said they're not commenting because of possible future lawsuits, but actions speak louder than words and FHP has already taken significant steps. Each troop now has a watch supervisor in charge of monitoring conditions and will conduct annual reviews of its road closing procedures. Billboards are part of FHP's low visibility campaign, but maybe the biggest awareness weapon of them all is the tragedy itself. There are even more changes in the works. The Florida Department of Transportation has money to put digital warning signs in dangerous areas. There are also talks or putting closed circuit TV cameras on roadways to monitor conditions.

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Egypt's president orders dissolved parliament back CAIRO (AP) – Egypt's president on Sunday ordered the Islamist-dominated parliament to reconvene in defiance of a military decree dissolving the legislature last month on the basis of a ruling by the country's top court, the state news agency reported. The surprise move by President Mohammed Morsi, himself an Islamist, will almost certainly lead to a clash with the powerful generals who formally handed power to him on June 30 after spending 16 months at the nation's helm following the ouster of Hosni Mubarak in a popular uprising. The move also reflects confusion in the roles and powers of Egypt's governing institutions, with the constitution in force under Mubarak suspended after the uprising and no new one adopted. Open confrontation between the two sides is certain to plunge the country into a new bout of political instability, adding to the many woes Egypt has experienced since Mubarak's ouster by a popular uprising in 2011. Already, the country has been beset by a surge of crime, a faltering economy, a seemingly endless series of strikes, sit-ins and demonstrations. In the first sign of an imminent crisis, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, the formal name of the body grouping the nation's top generals, held an "emergency meeting" shortly after Morsi's decree was announced. The official Middle East News Agency said the generals met to "review and discuss the consequences" of Morsi's decision. The council has yet to publicly comment on the president's decision. The decree by Morsi, a longtime member of the Muslim Brotherhood group, also called for new parliamentary elections to be held within 60 days of the adoption of a new constitution for the country, which is not expected before late this year. Last month, the then-ruling military generals dissolved the legislature when the Supreme Constitutional Court, the country's highest tribunal, ruled that a third of its members had been elected illegally. The text of Morsi's decree made no mention of the Supreme Constitutional Court, saying it was only revoking the military's own decree to disband the legislature. The military announced a "constitutional declaration" on June 16 that gave it legislative powers in the absence of parliament and stripped Morsi of much of his presidential authority. It also gave the generals control over the process of drafting a new constitution and immunity from any civilian oversight. It also gave itself control of the national budget. Morsi came to power after narrowly defeating Mubarak's last prime minister, Ahmed Shafiq, in a June 16-17 runoff. He was declared the winner on June 24. He symbolically took the oath of office five days later at Tahrir Square, birthplace of the revolt that toppled Mubarak's regime on Feb. 11, 2001. He took the formal oath the next day before the Supreme Constitutional Court and again during a later speech at Cairo University before hundreds of his supporters, including many of the dissolved legislature's lawmakers. A conservative Islamist, Morsi may have made his move inspired in large part by a desire to assert his authority in the face of the military, which has been the country's de facto ruler since army officers seized power in a 1952 coup that toppled the monarchy. But Morsi's defiance of a ruling by the country's highest court could backfire, leading to charges that he has no respect for the judiciary. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns told reporters after the meeting that Egyptians could rely on U.S. support as they try to realize their aspirations. "Egyptians know far better than we do that their aspirations are not yet fully realized, but they can count on America's partnership on the complicated road ahead," Burns said. Washington, he said, was looking to see a democratically elected parliament in Egypt, a constitution that protects "universal rights" and an inclusive government that "embraces all of Egypt's faiths and respects the rights of women and secular members of society." Burns is the highest ranking U.S. official to meet Morsi since he succeeded Hosni Mubarak, a close U.S. ally whose regime was toppled in a popular uprising last year. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's is also due to travel to Egypt later this month.

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Being Happy - Experience 2 on by Brian Vaszily, Founder of IntenseExperiences.com, How to Be Happy: Stop Holding It In. Let It Rain! Author of the #1 International Bestseller, The 9 Intense Experiences, Named One of the All-Time 5 Best Motivational Books ... one of the surest ways to sabotage it is to hold stuff inside you that should be let out. This is true of your physical body, of course. Your body is in the business of disposing of whatever it doesn’t need to be healthy. If your body is blocked in disposing of these toxins, they build up and increasingly sabotage your health. And so it is with the thoughts in your head and heart. If you don’t release that which needs to be said, and if you don’t pursue that which you know needs to be done, they will back up and increasingly sabotage your peace, productivity and your happiness. So ponder this: what have you been holding inside that has been eating away at you being happy? What have been meaning to say to someone that you haven’t yet said? Family, friends, exes? What have you been meaning to try or get done in this one and only sure life you have that you haven’t tried or gotten done? Pursuing a creative project, cleaning out a figurative or literal closet? That you may feel some fear at finally saying, trying or doing is fine. That is natural. But just as feeling physical pain is a signal that something in your body needs to be addressed, feeling fear is a signal that something in your mind and heart needs to be addressed. Not ignored, but faced head on. Resolve to feel the fear and say it or do it anyway. Your peace, focus, creativity, productivity and the happiness you deserve depend on it. Nature doesn’t hold it in. When it needs to rain, it rains. Yes, there are grey skies, and yes the rain can feel cold. But there is no growth without the rain. What are you holding in? Do you really want to achieve happiness? Then isn’t it time to rain? "Like" This Below and Share Your Comments on Being Happy And DON'T MISS These Essential Guides to Your Happiness: Being Happy: Experience 1 on How to Be HappyYour FREE Instant Copy of: The 23 BIGGEST Secrets on How to Be The Famous Inspirational Video: The 9 Timeless Secrets of Being Happy

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Labor minister calls on US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to team with Israel, form united front against anti-Semitism by announcing US will not attend Geneva meeting; says will push for a decision during Clinton's upcoming Mideast visit Social Affairs Minister Isaac Herzog urged US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to shun the UN's World Conference against Racism, scheduled to he held in Switzerland in April. Clinton is scheduled to arrive in the Middle East next week and Herzog, who was tasked by the government to head its counter anti-Semitism efforts, wants to use Clinton's visit in order to create a united front against the conference. Durban 2 to slam 'racist Israel' / Yitzhak Benhorin US delegation making little progress in changing tone of upcoming anti-racism conference, where Israel again expected to face harsh criticism; meanwhile, any mention of Holocaust during event still in doubt The first World Conference against Racism was held in Durban, South Africa, in 2001 – just days before the attack on New York's World Trade Center. Both the Israeli and the American delegates stormed out of it at the time, claiming it was a hotbed for anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli slurs. Herzog told Ynet Tuesday that from the conference briefs sent to prospective participants, the Geneva conference stands to harshly censure Israel. "We have no hopes of changes in the essence of the coming Durban Conference. We're waiting on the US to take its stand, since it will inevitably affect European and other countries, and may result in them banning the meet as well. "With the Obama administration undeceive about participating in the conference it is imperative that Israel amp its international efforts to have this meeting – whose standing is known in advanced – shunned… It is the only way we can avoid the same spectacle of anti-Semitism we witnessed in Durban in 2001." The social affairs minister went on to warn that the nearing conference "can set the world dozens of years back. It stands to focus on hatred towards Israel and the Jewish people. I urge the US to announce it will not take part in it and I call on it to lead the sane nation's bloc in that move, as it has before," he said. The US has yet to announce whether or not it will take part in Geneva's World Conference against Racism, although it did vote against holding it.

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Updated: Thisismynext received a statement from FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski and it’s not looking good for AT&T: By filing suit today, the Department of Justice has concluded that AT&T’s acquisition of T-Mobile would substantially lessen competition in violation of the antitrust laws. Competition is an essential component of the FCC’s statutory public interest analysis, and although our process is not complete, the record before this agency also raises serious concerns about the impact of the proposed transaction on competition. Vibrant competition in wireless services is vital to innovation, investment, economic growth and job creation, and to drive our global leadership in mobile. Competition fosters consumer benefits, including more choices, better service and lower prices. We’re very short on details but Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal are reporting that the Department of Justice is attempting to block the AT&T/T-Mobile merger. The DOJ has filed an anti-trust complaint. The Justice Department complaint was filed today in federal court inWashington. The U.S. is seeking a declaration that Dallas-based AT&T’s takeover of T-Mobile, a unit of Deutsche Telekom AG (DTE), would violate U.S. antitrust law and a court order blocking any arrangement implementing the deal. “AT&T’s elimination of T-Mobile as an independent, low- priced rival would remove a significant competitive force from the market,” the U.S. said in its filing. Justice Department Files Antitrust Lawsuit to Block AT&T’s Acquisition of T-Mobile Transaction Would Reduce Competition in Mobile Wireless Telecommunications Services, Resulting in Higher Prices, Poorer Quality Services, Fewer Choices and Fewer Innovative Products for Millions of American Consumers WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice today filed a civil antitrust lawsuit to block AT&T Inc.’s proposed acquisition of T-Mobile USA Inc. The department said that the proposed $39 billion transaction would substantially lessen competition for mobile wireless telecommunications services across the United States, resulting in higher prices, poorer quality services, fewer choices and fewer innovative products for the millions of American consumers who rely on mobile wireless services in their everyday lives. The department’s lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, seeks to prevent AT&T from acquiring T-Mobile from Deutsche Telekom AG. “The combination of AT&T and T-Mobile would result in tens of millions of consumers all across the United States facing higher prices, fewer choices and lower quality products for mobile wireless services,” said Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole. “Consumers across the country, including those in rural areas and those with lower incomes, benefit from competition among the nation’s wireless carriers, particularly the four remaining national carriers. This lawsuit seeks to ensure that everyone can continue to receive the benefits of that competition.” “T-Mobile has been an important source of competition among the national carriers, including through innovation and quality enhancements such as the roll-out of the first nationwide high-speed data network,” said Sharis A. Pozen, Acting Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. “Unless this merger is blocked, competition and innovation will be reduced, and consumers will suffer.” Mobile wireless telecommunications services play a critical role in the way Americans live and work, with more than 300 million feature phones, smart phones, data cards, tablets and other mobile wireless devices in service today. Four nationwide providers of these services – AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon – account for more than 90 percent of mobile wireless connections. The proposed acquisition would combine two of those four, eliminating from the market T-Mobile, a firm that historically has been a value provider, offering particularly aggressive pricing. According to the complaint, AT&T and T-Mobile compete head to head nationwide, including in 97 of the nation’s largest 100 cellular marketing areas. They also compete nationwide to attract business and government customers. AT&T’s acquisition of T-Mobile would eliminate a company that has been a disruptive force through low pricing and innovation by competing aggressively in the mobile wireless telecommunications services marketplace. The complaint cites a T-Mobile document in which T-Mobile explains that it has been responsible for a number of significant “firsts” in the U.S. mobile wireless industry, including the first handset using the Android operating system, Blackberry wireless email, the Sidekick, national Wi-Fi “hotspot” access, and a variety of unlimited service plans. T-Mobile was also the first company to roll out a nationwide high-speed data network based on advanced HSPA+ (High-Speed Packet Access) technology. The complaint states that by January 2011, an AT&T employee was observing that “[T-Mobile] was first to have HSPA+ devices in their portfolio…we added them in reaction to potential loss of speed claims.” The complaint details other ways that AT&T felt competitive pressure from T-Mobile. The complaint quotes T-Mobile documents describing the company’s important role in the market: - T-Mobile sees itself as “the No. 1 value challenger of the established big guys in the market and as well positioned in a consolidated 4-player national market”; and - T-Mobile’s strategy is to “attack incumbents and find innovative ways to overcome scale disadvantages. [T-Mobile] will be faster, more agile, and scrappy, with diligence on decisions and costs both big and small. Our approach to market will not be conventional, and we will push to the boundaries where possible. . . . [T-Mobile] will champion the customer and break down industry barriers with innovations. . . .” The complaint also states that regional providers face significant competitive limitations, largely stemming from their lack of national networks, and are therefore limited in their ability to compete with the four national carriers. And, the department said that any potential entry from a new mobile wireless telecommunications services provider would be unable to offset the transaction’s anticompetitive effects because it would be difficult, time-consuming and expensive, requiring spectrum licenses and the construction of a network. The department said that it gave serious consideration to the efficiencies that the merging parties claim would result from the transaction. The department concluded AT&T had not demonstrated that the proposed transaction promised any efficiencies that would be sufficient to outweigh the transaction’s substantial adverse impact on competition and consumers. Moreover, the department said that AT&T could obtain substantially the same network enhancements that it claims will come from the transaction if it simply invested in its own network without eliminating a close competitor.

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|<< Job 22 >>| English Standard Version Eliphaz Speaks: Job’s Wickedness Is Great 1Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said: 2 “Can a man be profitable to God? Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself. 3 Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are in the right, or is it gain to him if you make your ways blameless? 4 Is it for your fear of him that he reproves you and enters into judgment with you? 5 Is not your evil abundant? There is no end to your iniquities. 6 For you have exacted pledges of your brothers for nothing and stripped the naked of their clothing. 7 You have given no water to the weary to drink, and you have withheld bread from the hungry. 8 The man with power possessed the land, and the favored man lived in it. 9 You have sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless were crushed. 10 Therefore snares are all around you, and sudden terror overwhelms you, 11 or darkness, so that you cannot see, and a flood of water covers you. 12 “Is not God high in the heavens? See the highest stars, how lofty they are! 13 But you say, ‘What does God know? Can he judge through the deep darkness? 14 Thick clouds veil him, so that he does not see, and he walks on the vault of heaven.’ 15 Will you keep to the old way that wicked men have trod? 16 They were snatched away before their time; their foundation was washed away. 17 They said to God, ‘Depart from us,’ and ‘What can the Almighty do to us?’ 18 Yet he filled their houses with good things— but the counsel of the wicked is far from me. 19 The righteous see it and are glad; the innocent one mocks at them, 20 saying, ‘Surely our adversaries are cut off, and what they left the fire has consumed.’ 21 “Agree with God, and be at peace; thereby good will come to you. 22 Receive instruction from his mouth, and lay up his words in your heart. 23 If you return to the Almighty you will be built up; if you remove injustice far from your tents, 24 if you lay gold in the dust, and gold of Ophir among the stones of the torrent-bed, 25 then the Almighty will be your gold and your precious silver. 26 For then you will delight yourself in the Almighty and lift up your face to God. 27 You will make your prayer to him, and he will hear you, and you will pay your vows. 28 You will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you, and light will shine on your ways. 29 For when they are humbled you say, ‘It is because of pride’; but he saves the lowly. 30 He delivers even the one who is not innocent, who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.” 17 Hebrew them 29 Or you say, ‘It is exaltation’ 30 Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew him that is not innocent << Job 22 >> The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV® Text Edition: 2007. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) is adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. All rights reserved. Online Parallel Bible

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The Liberian Government through the Land Commission in collaboration with the Crusaders for Peace, Land Conflict Resolution Project, USAID and the American people has ended a courageous first phase of a nationwide campaign to reduce or resolve the aged land disputes now on the increase in Liberia. The land Conflict Resolution project was launched on August 31 with a call by the Chairman of the Land Commission Dr. Othello Brandy for all Liberians to stop fighting for land. Speaking at the land Commission Office in Sinkor during a well attended program, Dr. Brandy said the issue of land is very fundamental to peace, security national reconciliation and development. He stressed that every Liberian has the right to own land and the Land commission has that mandate. The Land Conflict resolution and outreach project was also launched in three counties including Kakata Margibi County, Gbarnga in Bong County and voinjama in Lofa County. Speaking to our reporter at her 9th street office on Tuesday following the end of the first phase of the program, Commissioner Susana Vaye of the Land commission responsible for Outreach and Education described the campaign as very successful. The Land Conflict resolution campaign was initially intended to take place in five Counties including Nimba, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland and Bong, to take inventory of all tribal certificate holders to enable the commission document the quantity of tribal certificates in existence. However due to impassable road condition, the campaign will be taken to Nimba and Mary Land counties during the dry season. She said the key purpose of the campaign was to educate the public on the mandates and role of the Land Commission, take inventory of all existing tribal certificates and establish land conflict resolution Coordination offices in five counties including Nimba, Lofa, and Margibi, Maryland Bong counties. The land Conflict resolution office has already been established in Voinjama Lofa County while the ones in Margibi, Bong and Nimba are to be shortly established. Commissioner Vaye however said the Land Commission is not a court to adjudicate cases. She said even though the commission does not have the power to adjudicate cases, it has the Alternative Land Dispute program to amicably resolve land cases out of court. She further clarified that the tribal certificate is not a land deed, but an initial process to obtaining a land deed, noting that land disputes have increased because these information were not made available. She called on all Liberians to stop fighting for land the land is more than the people. The land conflict resolution campaign was spearheaded by Culture Ambassador Juli Endee and the Liberia Crusaders for Peace with the production of jingles, dramas, and songs in the various Liberian dialects, banners, fliers, posters and T-shirts among others. The crusaders also went to Bong, Margibi and Lofa counties, conducting meetings and staging street awareness programs aimed at educating the public against land conflict and the need to always dialogue in the event of land conflict. Speaking to our reporter on the outcome of the Land Conflict resolution campaign, Amb. Endee said she was happy to form part of a campaign mechanism to resolve land conflicts that have resulted to loss of lives and properties in Liberia. Amb. Endee said during the campaign, she had the opportunity to meet with chiefs, women, and students who made recommendations aimed at resolving land disputes. She commended the Land Commission, USAID and the American People, the Land Conflict Resolution Project (LCRP) and all organizations that are supporting the land Conflict resolution Campaign. The Program is being funded by USAID and the American People. The LCRP headed by Miss Laurie Cooper is also providing support to the project.

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For my 70th birthday last week, I did a backpacking trip with two friends into a wilderness area where the trout seldom see humans. It was gorgeous. It turned out to be quite an Adventure! Along the way I could see several profound lessons for entrepreneurs like you. Here are the highlights: - Expect the route to be twice as tough as you planned. This 2,500 foot mountain decent into a remote canyon was a lot more rugged than we anticipated. We were able to make it down and back, but it was arduous and a real trial. "We made it!" was our final remark at the top of the mountain. - Have adequate reserves. This Fall season lacked rain and the creeks along the way were dry. We planned our carried water but it was gone by the time we neared our first campsite along the river. That was not enough reserve to allow for any emergencies along the long, hot trail over 10 hours of sweating. - Expect to lose the trail at times. We got lost three times going in. We marked the trail better for getting out. The lose of time and energy was significant. It stretched our patience and endurance with each other. - Expect to find the trail again. We never lost hope of re-finding the lost trail. Time after time we stopped, dropped packs, spread out and found the missing trail (it is a seldom used path in rugged brush and mountain terrain). - Use multiple skills to make your way. Our map reading skills were solid, our compass worked, and the tiny GPS helped until batteries ran out. We did not rely on just one tool. - Go with people you trust. We knew each other. We had been on the trails before. We had experiences that together gave us confidence we could do this rugged journey. - Go light. One of our guys carried too much gear, too many duplicates and luxuries. His extra caution cost his legs dearly. He slowed us down. We had to help him, he could not carry the load he signed up for. He learned a tough lesson and won't do it a second time. - Do not hesitate to ask for help when you need it in emergencies. Our youngest and most experienced trekker insisted on having us two slower guys leave before him. Two hours later we were far ahead when he got hit hard by bad food poisoning. His resulting return to camp, vomiting with diarrhea left us over-nighting on the top of the mountain in storm winds, wondering what happened to him. The next morning we called for help from Search & Rescue. They found him four hours later, on the trail, and then assisted his climb out (he is a Marine) and he arrived safely later that day. - Stick to basic rules of safety. We violated a cardinal backpacking rule: Stick together. Separating cost us dearly in worry and endangered one of us. - Have your escape plan prepared. We had discussed what each of us would do along the way in case of emergency. This situation was one of several we were ready for. We followed our agreed plan and it resulted in the best of outcomes. - Treat every outing as an Adventure! That means each trek will have four elements: Unknowns, Risks, Treasures, and Fun. We had all of those on this trip. It was a true Adventure into one of God's most beautiful areas of creation. It left us wiser and ready for more, with our friendships intact and our bodies humbled. It was a great way to celebrate a birthday! BOTTOM LINE: Lessons from challenging events such as wilderness backpacking (for fishing, hunting, skiing, etc.) offer lessons for real entrepreneurs. Making your outings Adventures and learning from them transform your time and effort into advancement of your character, skills and wisdom. When you can apply that to a new enterprise, you'll be far ahead of your competition who will complain about your unfair advantage. I wish you The Best on your Adventure!

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Every year at Easter Mom’s fret about having enough hard boiled eggs to color for all the kids (including the big one) You know the drill you try to limit it to six for each person and then 4 of your dozen crack while boiling, 1 leaks out and makes a mess all over all the other eggs, you send your hubby to the store on Easter Saturday, possibly THE BIGGEST nightmare day ever… (other than when the weatherman here in Colorado says we are expecting a blizzard). He comes how a little beat up with another dozen eggs, and you start the process all over again. What are you doing wrong?? How to make perfect hard boiled eggs… “Place the eggs in a pan just big enough to hold them in a single layer. Cover them with cold water and bring them to a rolling boil. Cook for one minute, then remove them from the heat. When the water has cooled enough that you can put your hand in (about 20 minutes), the eggs will be perfectly cooked.” This method avoids not only the cracking in the pan because of the single layer, you also avoid overcooking which is what leads to the nasty sulphur smell and the not so attractive green ring around the yellow yolk. Try this method of preparing hard boiled eggs this Easter and see if it works for you. |Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs for Easter|| - 1 dozen eggs - 2 quarts of water - Place the eggs in a pan just big enough to hold them in a single layer. Cover them with cold water and bring them to a rolling boil. - Cook for 1 minute after the water has boiled. - Remove them from the heat. - Let water cool. about 20 minutes

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BUFFALO, N.Y. - The flu is spreading across the nation. In Boston, a Flu Emergency has been declared because so many people have the virus. A spokesperson for Kaleida Health tells us that on Tuesday, five or six people came to the emergency room at Buffalo General Medical Center with the flu, and another three to Millard Fillmore Suburban in Amherst. However, the spokesperson said a high volume in the Emergency Room is not unusual for January. A spokesperson says Emergency Volume at Sisters Hospital in Buffalo is up 20 to 30 percent mostly due to the flu and upper respiratory illnesses.

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Source: Philippine Online Chronicles Five Chinese warships were reportedly deployed near Philippine waters following the visit of a nuclear-powered submarine from the United States. Philippine Star reported that a news outlet from Taiwan identified the ships as two Type-052B destroyers, two Type-054A frigates and one Type-071 amphibious transport vessel. Media said the ships are on a training mission and are on their way to an unspecified location near the Philippines. They may also be sent to support China’s fishery administration ships around Panatag Shoal, a disputed island claimed by various nations including Philippines and China. The cited news outlet Douwie News read, “With a displacement of just 3,200 tons, the Hamilton-class cutter of the Philippine Navy is no match for the four Chinese destroyers and frigates which together would carry about 48 C-802/803 anti-ship missiles. The Philippines has none.” The news came after USS North Carolina suddenly surfaced in the former US Naval Base in Subic for reprovisioning. It is said to be among the most modern submarines in the US Navy. The visit is reportedly unannounced and came during the continuing standoff between the two countries. Earlier, critics slammed the entry of the US submarine, saying it is unconstitutional and will provoke China’s ire. Gabriela Women’s Party Representative Emmi De Jesus said, “This is not a simple issue of routine ship replenishment for food and water but the lack of respect for our Constitution and sovereignty.” She explained that it is in direct violation of the Philippine Constitution which bans the entry of nuclear weapons into the country. De Jesus said the submarine may further escalate the five-week standoff between China and the Philippines. “Instead of resolving issues in the diplomatic table, President Aquino has allowed the intrusion of US war mongering in the guise of protecting Philippine interest. When has the US acted politically and economically on behalf of any other interest other than its own? Is President Aquino blind to this reality or is he only admitting to his administration’s full puppetry to US economic and political interests?” she said. Meanwhile, presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda asserted that it has nothing to do with the dispute involving Panatag (Scarborough) shoal. “For the record, there was a request made to our government on April 3 that was before the Panatag incident and they requested to be allowed to be berthed here for the purpose of supply, replenishment and maintenance of shipboard systems. This has nothing to do with the Panatag Shoal incident,” Lacierda explained. US reclaims naval base? On the other hand, groups like Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) and Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) pointed out that US is again assuming its control over its former naval base, although in an undeclared form. “It appears to us that the former US military naval base in Subic is back to its former status as Washington’s biggest naval base outside mainland America. And the big trouble here is that President Benigno Simeon Aquino III is hiding this matter from the collective knowledge of over 100 million Filipinos,” Pamalakaya said in a statement. The group agreed with De Jesus, saying that the “visit” was a clear violation of the Philippines’ national sovereignty. They urged the Senate to pursue an inquiry. Meanwhile, BAYAN explained that “The port calls made by US warships is part of a greater strategy to project US military power in the region. It is directed at all countries in the region, but most especially China, in order to keep China subservient to US dictates.” BAYAN secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. said the visit created “a host of social and legal issues.” He explained that while the “virtual basing and hosting” of US warships are being justified by the Visiting Forces Agreement and the Mutual Logistics Support Agreement, it is a way for US to “rebalance” towards Asia.

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In a recent post I wrote about Stepney-born tobacco pipe maker John Orgar (1798 – 1866), who I believe married Sarah Anne Schofield of Barking, Essex, sister of Mary Ann Schofield who married my 3 x great grandfather John Londors. In this post I want to fill in some more details in the life of their son, another tobacco pipe maker named John, who also moved between Barking and Stepney, and whose story may help to provide some context, and some clues, to the lives of my Londors ancestors. John Orgar, eldest son of John Orgar and Sarah Anne Schofield, was born in Barking in about 1818. He married Sarah Hippisley Shean in the Romford area (probably in Barking) in 1840. To date, I’ve been unable to trace John and Sarah in the 1841 census records, but they must have moved to London early in their married life. By 1847, when their first child William was baptised at St. John the Baptist, Hoxton, they were living in Union Street, off Bishopsgate. William was christened on 18 June 1847, but the record notes that he was born three years earlier, on 9 July 1844, and later census records claim that he was born in St. Luke’s (the parish located around the Old Street/Bunhill Row area, to the west of Shoreditch). Their second child, Emma Amelia, was born in Shoreditch on 12 June 1846 and baptised a year later, at the same time as her brother William. Henry John Orgar was born on 10 April 1848 and christened on 25 May at the same church as his older siblings. The family was still living in Union Street at the time. By the time their fourth child, Eliza Mary Ann, was born in January 1850, the Orgars were living in Clerkenwell, though I haven’t found a baptismal record that might tell us exactly where. For the 1851 census, the Orgars were back in Shoreditch, but now living at 11 Meeting House Court. William was now 6, Emma, 4, Henry, 2, and Eliza, 1. (Incidentally, the census clerk mistakenly places Southwark, the birthplace of Sarah Orgar nee Shean, in Essex rather than Surrey.) John and Sarah Orgar would have two more daughters: Mary Ann, born in the first quarter of 1852 and Sarah Ann born in the last quarter of 1857, both in Shoreditch. Sarah Ann Orgar would never know her father. John Orgar died in the second quarter of 1856 in Shoreditch. He was about 38 years old. At the time of the 1861 census his widow Sarah was still living at 11 Meeting House Court with Emma, 14, Henry, 12, Eliza, 11, Mary Ann, 9, and Sarah Ann, 5. I haven’t been able to find a record for William at this date. On 23 May 1864 Emma married boilerplate roller Joseph Welch, son of a mariner of the same name, at St. Philip’s Bethnal Green. He was 22, living at 2 John’s Place; she was 18, and still at Meeting House Court. The witnesses were Emma’s aunt Mary Ann Hopkins nee Orgar and William Hopkins, presumably a relative of Mary Ann’s by marriage. Joseph and Emma would have two daughters: Eliza, born in 1865, and Sarah Ann, born in 1875. Eliza Orgar died in 1868, at the age of 18. In 1871 Sarah Orgar, now 53, was still at Meeting House Court, and now working as a needlewoman. With her were son Henry, 22, a potman, and daughters Mary Ann, 19, and Sarah Ann, 15, who are described as (silk) ‘flower makers.’ At the same date son William, 27, was working as a porter in his uncle Samuel Shean’s ironmonger’s shop in Crawford Street, Marylebone. Two years later, in December 1873, he married his second cousin Sarah Ann Londors, daughter of my great great grandfather John Schofield Londors. See my earlier post about Sarah Ann and William for further details. In July of the same year, William’s younger brother Henry had married Maria Mann in the City of London. They would have seven children: Eliza Hippisley (born in 1875), Henry Samuel (1877), William John (1880), James Arthur (1883), Frederick (1886), Grace Maria (1888), and Daniel Victor (1891). On 4 August 1878 Mary Ann Orgar, 26, married French polisher James Joseph Benson, also 26, at St Botolph’s Bishopsgate. The couple were said to be living at 4 Acorn Street, the address also given by William Orgar and Sarah Ann Londors at the time of their marriage. (William and Sarah appear to have been the witnesses at the marriage of Mary Ann and James.) The record wrongly gives the name of Mary Ann’s late father as Henry John Orgar. James and Mary Ann Benson would have one daughter, Esther Hippisley, born in 1880. On 4 July 1880 Sarah Ann Orgar, 24, married warehouseman William Smith, also 24, son of house decorator George Smith, at St. Botolph’s Bishopsgate.William gave his address as 4 Acorn Street, while Sarah was said to be living at 1 Bushfield Street. The witnesses were a George Smith and Eliza Welch, the latter probably being the 15 year old daughter of Sarah Ann’s sister Emma Welch nee Orgar. I don’t know if William and Sarah had any children. In 1881 Sarah Orgar the elder, now 63, was living at 16 Appleby Street, Haggerston, as were her widowed daughter Mary Ann Benson, a silk flower maker, and her daughter Esther, 1; son Henry, now a housepainter, his wife Maria and their three children; and boarders Eliza and Sarah Welch, daughters of Emma Amelia Welch nee Orgar. Emma Welch died in 1890. In 1891 Sarah, 73, was still in Appleby Street, supposedly with a ‘Henry J. Benson’, widower of 39 and silk flower maker, which I think must be a mistake for daughter Mary Ann Benson. Also present are Esther Benson, now 11, and Sarah Welch, now 16 and working as a book folder. Another household at the same address is headed by compositor Thomas Gill, husband of Sarah’s granddaughter Eliza Welch, and includes Eliza and their three young children. The 1901 census for Appleby Street restores the rightful name to Mary Ann Benson, 49, now described as an artistic wreath maker; her daughter Esther Hippisley, 21, is working as a stationery packer. Mary’s mother Sarah is now 83. Sarah Welch, 26, is still working as a book folder, while Eliza Gill, 15, a book machinist, is still at the same address, though the rest of her family have moved elsewhere. Sarah Hippisley Orgar nee Shean died in the last quarter of 1905 at the age of 88.

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This article by Donna DeFalco was published in the Fox Valley Villages section of the online Suburban Chicago Newspapers web site on 4/25/01. The Online Managing Editor, Gregory T. Matthews, has graciously allowed me to reproduce it here. The article describes an Apple II user group in Illinois that still meets and shares information about how they use their Apple II computers. Back to basics Pioneer Apple computers still hold appeal for members of area club By Donna DeFalco, STAFF WRITER For more information about the group, visit www.a2-web.com/a2.howard/aaac.html. Membership is $20 per year per family and is open to anyone interested in the Apple II computer. They’re a hard-core group of users — Apple IIe users, that is. In this age of ever-faster computers with increasing gigabytes of memory, youngsters might not remember the days of the 5 1/4-inch floppy disk. But the 25 members of the Aurora Area Apple Core hold those memories near and dear to their hearts, right next to the keyboard, mouse, floppies, central processing unit and assorted software. Club members from throughout the suburbs attend the meetings. The group meets at 7 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month in the basement of the former Suburban Bank Building, at 900 N. Lake St. in Aurora. The knotty pine paneling, linoleum floor and ironwork plant holder, reminiscent of the 1950s, is a perfect backdrop for a group dedicated to nostalgic computing. Unlike some for whom nostalgia just fades away, this group is dedicated to using the Apple IIe and Apple IIgs, home computers created in the 1980s. Howard Katz of Batavia, a member for 10 years, is director of the Lost Classics project, which seeks to turn formerly copyrighted software into “freeware” for Apple owners to use. “I go through the steps of actually finding the copyright,” Katz said. After he receives permission from the copyright holder, the software can be legally uploaded to file transfer protocol sites. A list of companies from which freeware can be downloaded is listed on the Lost Classics Web site, at lostclassics.a2central.com. Rory McMahon, 35, a St. Charles resident, remembers taking Apple IIe classes in high school. “I’m into retro computing,” McMahon said. “I enjoy the classic machines. They seem to have more personality. It’s fun to find nuances you haven’t found before.” Frank Bihlmayer, 73, is a longtime member from St. Charles. “The Apple is what gave birth to the Mac (Macintosh computer),” Bihlmayer said. At a recent evening meeting, Bihlmayer gave a demonstration of a program called Print Shop, an early desktop publishing program. On an Apple IIgs, commands to move forward, backward or preview appeared at the bottom of the 13-inch monitor rather than in the pulldown menu of today’s Windows applications. Print Shop, used to design signs and make cards, features 90 color graphics that can be inserted into the documents. “It’s an excellent program,” Bihlmayer said after a message alerted him that the printer wasn’t hooked up. “It doesn’t tell you if you’ve done good, only if you’ve done bad.” Bill Swiss, 77, of Oswego is the editor of the club’s newsletter and is a longtime Apple owner. He bought his first Apple IIe in 1985 and joined the club in 1988 as one of the first members. To demonstrate what Print Shop can do, he held up a sign bordered with green tyrannosaurus rex and blue triceratops dinosaurs that says, “Don’t be a dinosaur.” Using a dot-matrix printer, the sign appeared on paper with tear-off sprocket holes. Apple computer users are far from extinct, club members said. “There’s a guy in Germany who came out with an ethernet card for the Apple IIe. Hard-drive systems are being made,” Katz said of the primitive machines that when introduced had no internal data storage capacity. The group’s newsletter is designed on an Apple IIgs, and both Katz and club President Fred Kraus cruise the World Wide Web using a text-based browser. “I don’t have to wait for graphics to load,” said Kraus, a 42-year-old Buffalo Grove resident. “I don’t have the flashing messages. I go to ABC News. I don’t want to see the pictures — I want to read the news.” Katz said the club’s Web site is designed for both text and graphics. “The trick is to design it for the most number of users,” he said. The chances of picking up a computer virus are reduced by using a text-based product, Kraus said. Bihlmayer said the Apple IIe was “the” machine of its day. A group of Caterpillar employees started the club, which in its heyday had about 100 members. Today, the Apple hobbyists — who Katz comprise the last all-Apple II user group in Chicago — share software and solutions to problems they have with their computers. “We are using a computer platform that has not been produced for over 15 years,” Katz said. “There are still a lot of people out there who are using it. They pick it up from a garage sale, but they don’t know how to use it.” Kraus added: “That’s why the users groups were formed. It’s lower tech from the IBMs of today, but you can fix it.” “Today you’re not buying a computer,” Katz quipped. “You’re buying a toaster.”

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Wednesday, January 9, 2013 Helicopter Industry Struggles with 2016 Safety Goals The goal of cutting helicopter accidents by 80 percent in 2016 will be missed but the industry keeps striving to improve safety with new rules, designs and equipment. Recently released numbers show that the global helicopter industry will be far short of its self-assigned, highly ambitious goal of cutting the number of accidents by 80 percent over the 2006-2016 period, if current safety trends continue. Therefore, civil aviation authorities are striving to find new ways to reach out to pilots and operators, as well as manufacturers, to improve a relatively worrying situation. Means include new rules but also easy-to-read leaflets. Meanwhile, manufacturers are introducing new design processes and equipment to do their share of the effort, it appeared at the annual Rotorcraft Symposium the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) organized in December in Cologne, Germany. Bob Sheffield, a member of the International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST) and AgustaWestland’s senior advisor for safety and fleet operational improvement, said that some regions are going the wrong way in terms of helicopter accident statistics. The global trend is a slightly declining number of accidents per 100,000 flight hours. At 5.7, it is still too high to leave room for reaching the target of 1.9 (accidents per 100,000 hours) in 2016 set by the IHST. These numbers are badly influenced by three regions—South America, Asia and Oceania. There, the trends are upward. Those regions where the accident trends are downward are Europe, North America (but both are still short of the reduction goal) and Africa. So was the 80 percent goal over-ambitious? “It was rather a federating aspiration, coinciding with the creation of the IHST,” Michel Masson, EASA safety action coordinator, secretary of the European Helicopter Safety Team (EHEST) and co-chair of the European Helicopter Safety Analysis Team (EHSAT), told Rotor & Wing. He insisted the effort is likely to be carried on after 2016, especially if the goal is not attained. Some countries, such as Spain and Sweden, are to regulate search and rescue operations. The EHSAT and the European Helicopter Safety Implementation Team (EHSIT) are part of the EHEST, itself the European chapter of the IHST. The causes of these not-so-good safety trends are hard to find. “Is the economic downturn an explanation for the hiccup we see on the graph from 2008?” asked John Steel, a representative of the Irish Aviation Authority and co-chair of the EHSIT. His team is still analyzing this possibility. Another possible explanation is a discrepancy between training and technology—a Robinson R66 is equipped with a glass cockpit and a Fadec, Steel underscored. “Helicopters are safe but some are not operated as safely as they could be; and we know how to make flying on a helicopter much safer,” Sheffield stated. Some passengers may disagree with the first part of the statement. “Over the 1992-2009 period, 31 percent of offshore accident causes were technical,” according to Olivier Claeys, head of aviation at Total. The oil company simply wants helicopter transport to be as safe as airlines. Not all types of operations appear the same way in safety statistics. For example, in the U.S., private, training and crop-dusting flights are the top three numbers of accidents. Several speakers, however, noted that collecting data is challenging. It has been impossible, for instance, for the EHEST to correlate crashes to numbers of landings. Dave Howson, a research project manager at the UK civil aviation administration (UK CAA), pointed at a cruel lack of contextual information. He was referring to annual flying hours by type of operation and aircraft type, flight time distribution by flight phase, as well as pilot flying experience and age. “If we had started collecting when the EHEST was launched in 2006, we would have five-plus years of good data by now!” he complained. Most accidents involve Part 27 (lighter) helicopters, Howson noted. Yet, Part 29 (heavier) helicopters are included in the statistics. “Do they cloud the picture?” Howson asked. Not a lot, it appears from his work. He studied Part 27-only accidents over the 2000-2010 period. The same two causes keep the top spots—pilot judgment and action, and safety management. The main difference is maintenance—as a cause, it appears five ranks higher in the Part 27 focus. Read the full story here. Related: Safety & Training News

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Employment Free Fall Continues, Unemployment Rate Jumps to 7.6 Percent Hours worked in durable manufacturing fell at a 30.7 percent annual rate since October. The January employment report showed the economy losing 598,000 jobs in the month. In addition, there were sharp upward revisions to the job loss figures for the prior two months. The data now show the economy losing 1,772,000 jobs over the last three months, an average of 591,000 jobs per month. All of this job loss came in the private sector, as employment in the government sector was unchanged over this period. The data in the household survey indicates an even more dire situation. The unemployment rate rose by 0.4 percentage points (pp) in January to 7.6 percent. The employment rate fell by 0.5 pp to 60.5 percent, a level that is already 0.7 percentage points the low hit in the 1990-91 recession. The 1.5 percentage point drop in the employment rate over the last three months is equivalent to a decline in employment of 2,800,000 people. The sharper drop in employment implied by the household data could be attributable in part to the fact that the Labor Department imputed more jobs for new firms not captured by the survey in recent months than it did in the corresponding months for the prior year. It is implausible that new firms have generated more jobs in the four months between September of 2008 and January of 2009 than in the corresponding months of the prior years. While unemployment is hitting all demographic groups, blacks and Hispanics have been hit hardest. The unemployment rate for African Americans rose by 0.7 pp to 12.6 percent in January, an increase of 3.4 pp from its year ago level. Black men have been hit especially hard. Their unemployment rate rose by 0.7 pp to 14.1 percent, an increase of 5.8 pp from its year ago level. The unemployment rate for Hispanics rose by 0.5 pp to 9.7 percent, a rise of 3.4 pp from the year ago level. Older workers continue to fare reasonably well. Employment among people over age 55 rose by 122,000 in January and is up 751,000 over the last year. By contrast, employment among workers between the ages of 35 and 44 is down by 625,000 over the last year, or 1.8 percent. Employment among people between the ages 20-24 and ages 16-19 fell by 5.3 percent and 9.6 percent, respectively. Job loss continues to be concentrated in construction and manufacturing. Construction lost 111,000 jobs in January, bringing the loss over the last three months to 322,000 jobs, or 4.6 percent of employment in the sector. It is likely that the establishment data understate job loss in construction since the sector employs many undocumented workers who may never show up on company payrolls. Over the last year, the establishment data show a loss of 747,000 jobs. The household survey shows a decline in employment in the sector of 1,266,000 people. The manufacturing sector lost 207,000 jobs in January. Over the last year it has lost 1,031,000 jobs, 7.5 percent of employment. Employment in the auto industry has fallen by 197,000 over the year, or 21.6 percent. Finance lost 42,000 jobs in January, while transportation lost 43,700. The retail sector lost 45,100 jobs, bringing job loss since October to 218,600. Employment services lost 89,000 jobs in the month. The 248,100 jobs lost since October is equal to 8.3 percent of employment in the sector. In addition to the sharp decline in jobs, hours are falling also, leading to an 8.8 percent annual rate of decline in the hours worked index since October. The employment diffusion indexes are at or near record lows, indicating that the situation is likely to get worse. The only sectors still adding jobs are education and health care, which together added 54,000 jobs in January. The government sector added 8,000, with gains in federal employment outweighing small losses at the state and local level. Remarkably, nominal wages continue to rise. Nominal wages rose at a 4.0 percent annual rate over the last quarter. With the CPI falling sharply, this translates into an extraordinary rate of real wage growth for those who still have jobs. On the whole this report is about as bad as imaginable.

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en

by Starre Vartan Friday, February 13, 2009 Gorgeous flowers in the middle of winter feel like a real indulgence, and that's probably why they feel so special when they're received as an expression of love (whether romantic or familial). But vigilant environmentalists and human rights advocates have long critisized the flower industry as being both abusive to the people who grow and package flowers and polluting to local environments (to make perfect flowers cheaply, it is common to douse them in pesticides and herbicides, which make their way into local water supplies and have resulted in health problems for the people who live near flower-growing facilities). For the whole story behind the real impact of conventional cut flowers, check out Amy Stewart's in-depth reportage in her book, Flower Confidential: The Good the Bad and The Beautiful in the Business of Flowers. Luckily for us, we can have our flowers and stop to smell them too, with fair-trade, organic, or sustainble blooms available both online and in our favorite supermarkets, farmer's markets, and florists. |Online sustainable flower seller Organic Bouquet offers the most extensive collection of certified blooms, along with a detailed listing of floral certifications. This classic red stunner is just one of many gorgeous green choices.| |1-800-Flowers also sells pretty pretty flowers, certified by TransFair. They can deliver pretty much anywhere, and also have several gorgeous options available, including this nontypical orange and yellow gathering.| Search Local Harvest and find a local floral farm, farmer's market or CSA. By cutting down on transportation distances, you'll be supporting local business and saving on carbon emissions - something anyone would love. Local blooms vary, so Local Harvest also offers lots of unique choices that can be ordered from their site. |Whole Foods has a special certification system called "Whole Trade" which guarantees both fair treatment of flower workers and responsibility towards the local ecosystems where flowers are grown.You don't need to order online- just stop by your local Whole Foods and choose from the selection there.| |FTD has an extensive line of certified green blooms as part of their Go Green Living collection. This unusual bouquet is called "Heart's Longing" - how romantic! (Note: not all flowers in this collection are organic, but FTD states they are 'certified sustainably grown.')| |Trader Joe's offers a large flower selection in most of their stores; look for the bunches marked with a green check which indicates they are Veriflora certified. TJ's also sells California-grown flowers (also marked with verbage that indicates provenance) which are a great choice if you're on the West Coast.| For even more gorgeous and green flower options, check out this flipbook of beautiful blooms!

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CC-MAIN-2013-20

http://www.greenopia.com/JK/product_news.aspx?id=9&date=2-13-2009&title=Are-Your-Flowers-Really-Green?-The-Prettiest-Most-Sustainable-Blooms-Online-and-Off

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en

Coming from Suq al-Wadi, at one point it is inevitable that your eyes are drawn towards Dar al Hajar. While the wadi is an oasis of green and quiet not far from the capital San'a, the Rock Palace is its jewel, visible from many corners of the wadi. The closer you get, the higher it seems to become, until you reach the bottom and you have to put your head between your shoulders to be able to look up and admire the building. What makes the building so attractive is perhaps because it is exemplary of Yemeni architecture, it seems to grow out of the rocks on which it is constructed, and it has the characteristic painting of its windows and edges. Furthermore, it is standing all alone and can be seen from all sides. Buying a ticket will grant you access to the palace. Walking up the many stairs brings you to various rooms: the kitchen, storage rooms, rooms for women, meeting rooms for high placed persons and friends of Imam Yahya who built the palace as a summer residence in the 1930s. There is a system to cool water in earthware jars, you can see takhrim windows from up close, there is a very deep well, and there are various spots where you can go outside. The views are marvellous as can be expected from such a daringly built palace. The palace was restored for visitors, but it was not turned into a museum. Its five floors offer enough to see. Walking around at its base is equally impressive and heightens your admiration for the stunning architecture the Yemenis are capable of. Personal travel impressions both in words and images from Dar Al Hajar (Yemen). Clicking on the pictures enlarges them and enables you to send the picture as a free e-card or download it for personal use, for instance, on your weblog. Or click on the map above to visit more places close to Dar Al Hajar. Read more about this site.

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CC-MAIN-2013-20

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en

Government steps down, again : Halting distribution of “Repas Chaud” program in ZEP schools As per the “Repas Chaud” program, about Rs1500 per student is spent monthly in providing food in each ZEP school. The menu distributed included briani, noodles, fried rice and sometimes even dholl pourri. At the time of launch of this program, no restrictions or instructions were provided to caterers about the food and service they need to provide. Is the govt waiting for incidents to happen so that they can bring necessary amendments to improve, playing with the life of innocent students. The food poisoning of 90 primary students in the west of the country after having consumed food distributed in their ZEP (Zone Education Prioritaire) school could have turned into a real chaos if the incident had more serious consequences. The permit and contrat to the caterer was immediately suspensed. Unfortunately, deeper analysis in the contents of food from other schools has revealed the presence of a bacteria (“E. coli”). Yesterday, the Government has finally taken the decision to stop the distribution of “Repas, replacing the distributed food by …. bread, butter and cheese until suitable food caterers satisfying the following criteria are hired: - Certified HACCP (Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points) ; - Abiding to strict measures for preparation, transportation and distribution of food - Only 300 dishes per caterer Why the word “Again” in the title? Do you remember the yellow vehicle license plates, fire extinguishers and the Permis à Points? Following the huge confusion and lack of professionalism shown towards the implementation of new license plates, the government finally had to remove any deadlines and nothing is communicated to add any more confusion. The next big thing? I feel that the free distribution and use of tablets will also be stupidly done. Let’s see… The country is clearly in wrong hands when you analyse the bad state of things since some months now. I find a big lack of vision and haste in implementing announced measures to prove that the Government is indeed working towards the well-being of the population. Is there somewhere a fear that they are not working enough to satisfy the demands and needs?

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CC-MAIN-2013-20

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It’s not often that a candidate for a U.S. Senate seat in Kentucky becomes a national political figure, but Rand Paul has been in the news a lot lately. First, it was for his surprising and convincing (and surprisingly convincing) win in the Republican primary for a Kentucky Senate seat two weeks ago, and then it was for his controversial statements about the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Basically, what Paul said about the Civil Rights Act, first on NPR and then on The Rachel Maddow Show, was that he did not support the Act’s regulation of private business, even though he stands behind the spirit of the bill and supports all the provisions of it that desegregate public institutions and repeal Jim Crow laws. Basically, there are 10 Titles of the Civil Rights Act, and Paul said he didn’t support Title II. Now, I don’t agree with Paul’s view at all, but it’s not surprising or offensive to me. In fact, it’s perfectly consistent with Paul’s libertarian beliefs: Libertarians do not want the federal government to interfere with private business, and federally mandated desegregation of private businesses constitutes a regulation. Even though I disagree, I initially admired Paul’s intellectual consistency—unfortunately since the media hubbub about his comments, Paul has backed away from that intellectual fidelity. It’s also important to note that Paul did not say he wanted to repeal the Civil Rights Act of 1964, or even that he would have voted against the whole Act had he been in Congress at the time—he only said he had legitimate problems with one aspect of the law. Continue reading »

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en

AFGHANISTAN: IT was aimed at giving the nation a common voice but Afghanistan’s election, riddled with corruption and violence, may have only added to the country’s ethnic and political tensions AFTER weeks on the campaign trail, Afghan politics is suddenly quiet as president Hamid Karzai and his closest rival Dr Abdullah Abdullah wait for the result of Thursday’s presidential election. Spokesmen for both candidates declared victory on Friday before bowing to pressure from the country’s Independent Election Commission to maintain a dignified silence. “It is not the job of the campaign managers to announce the election results,” said Zekria Barakzai, a spokesman for the IEC, who estimated national turnout at 40-50%. US envoy Richard Holbrooke met both candidates to ask them not to incite their followers. There had been fears their rhetoric might stoke violence and split the country along ethnic lines. Karzai belongs to the Pashtun majority and derives much of his support from Pashtun voters in the south of the country, where turnout was lowest. Analysts fear that allegations of fraud among his supporters will prompt Abdullah, who is half Pashtun and half Tajik, and has his support base in the north to protest against an unfavourable result, sparking violent clashes. Another possibility is that high turnout in northern Afghanistan and low turnout in the south, where voters carried Karzai to victory five years ago, may force the race to a second round. Karzai has said in the worst-case scenario this may lead to a civil war. “We’re in a period where the outcome is unclear … Everyone said that they would respect the process,” Holbrooke said. The British ambassador to Afghanistan, Mark Sedwill, said that the two candidates had responded with a “responsible attitude”. International election observers also urged caution, saying it was too early to say who had won and whether fraud had affected the outcome. Violence, particularly in the south, made the vote hard to analyse. The IEC will start to publish preliminary results on Tuesday. But election monitors have already criticised it for failing to release results from individual polling stations as they come in. “I can’t think of an election that was this opaque, where no-one seems to have a good sense of how many people voted, whether they felt restricted or not in their ability to vote, what the breakdown between men and women was, what the support of various candidates was,” said Glenn Cowan, a principal with Democracy International. “All that information tends to act as a pressure release. You’re not getting that here.” If Karzai receives the 50.1% of the vote he needs to win in round one, the depressed turnout in the Pashtun belt across the south and east Afghanistan, where he garners most support, may actually boost his legitimacy by showcasing him as a leader able to appeal to voters countrywide. Some polling stations remained closed amid insurgent intimidation and violence. Residents of parts of Helmand, Kandahar, Wardak, Ghazni, Logar, and eastern Herat had little or no opportunity to vote. In Helmand, where thousands of British troops fought a month-long operation to provide security allowing 80,000 people to vote, just 150 were reported to have cast their ballots. Gun-battles between militants and police raged all day in several districts in the southern city of Kandahar, the Taliban’s heartland. Insurgents attacked the provincial governor’s palace at 3.30am and kept up a barrage of rockets, mortars, and rocket-propelled grenades until after dark. Police said they fought gun battles with the insurgents, killing several. About a dozen roadside bombs were destroyed in controlled explosions. The Taliban targeted Ahmed Wali Karzai, the president’s brother and a powerful figure in southern Afghanistan. Two rockets fizzed overhead as he voted. Another fell short of his house, blowing a young girl’s head off and wounding three members of her family. The Taliban fired more than 200 rockets across the province in total. A few defiant Kandaharis did cast their ballots, mainly for the incumbent, Hamid Karzai. “We must make our country and now is the time,” said one voter, squatting by a puddle and trying to scrub away the indelible ink that election officials had stained his finger with. Although the ink was intended to prevent people voting twice, it also identified those who had ignored a Taliban boycott of the election. “They will kill me,” he said, asking not to be named. Exiting the white tent where he had just voted, another man, Mohammad Younis, recalled that the last time he had cast a ballot, in 2004, it was with a spirit of optimism. This time a rocket exploded nearby. “You see our situation,” he said. By early afternoon, the explosions and the baking desert heat had driven almost everyone off the streets. Polling stations were deserted save for a few election staff. When polls closed at 4pm, 1838 men had voted at what officials said was the city’s busiest polling centre. The IEC had estimated 6000 would turn out to cast their votes. “It’s been a quiet day,” said Sediqullah, the registrar at another polling station in central Kandahar City. Only 387 people had voted there. The numbers at female-only polling stations were even lower. The deputy president of the provincial council said that besides security being “very, very bad,” minor irregularities in voting were being reported in Kandahar City. “First bring security, then elections,” said Toorjan Dastagir, a stocky shopkeeper who refused to visit the polling station barely a hundred yards from his store. “All night there were rockets.” The insurgents hanged two voters in Kandahar and cut the ink-stained fingers off two others. Rumours that militants would cut off voters’ ink-stained fingers had spread before the vote. A Taliban spokesman had said militants would not carry out such attacks, but the Taliban remains a loose confederacy of individual commanders who act on their own initiative. Overall, though, the level of violence was less than had been feared. The UN, American and Afghan officials hailed the election a success, not least because the Taliban failed to stage any of the “spectacular” attacks they had promised. The Afghan government said at least 26 people were killed in 135 incidents countrywide. US President Barack Obama called it an “important step forward”. Meanwhile, campaign managers for presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani have reported ballot-box stuffing by local commanders loyal to the Karzai family. This has been vociferously denied. Election monitors said turnout levels would give an indication of how much fraud had taken place; early indications are that a suspiciously large number of ballots were cast in places savaged by fighting. In Kandahar one man also told the Sunday Herald that votes were being sold for $20 a time. Later, I saw people being admitted into polling stations after they had officially closed. The Election Complaints Commission has so far received 100 formal complaints about irregularities, including “allegations of ballot-stuffing in Kandahar”. European Union observers had difficulty getting to polling stations in southern Kandahar because of rocket attacks. Nader Nadery of the Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan said his group saw widespread problems of election officials pressuring people to vote for certain candidates. In Mazar-e-Sharif, in northern Afghanistan, a fistfight broke out when a Karzai supporter began distributing campaign literature to people queuing to vote. In Balkh, three election workers were fired because they were campaigning for Abdullah during the election. Election monitors saw voters carrying whole boxes of voting cards to polling sites, Nadery said. There were widespread reports of underage voters. In Kandahar, I found one 15-year old girl who had not only voted but was working as an election observer. And yesterday, a long-shot presidential candidate displayed torn and mangled ballot papers that he said had been cast for him and tossed away by local election workers who support Karzai. Mirwais Yasini said his supporters had found them ditched outside Spin Boldak city in southern Kandahar province. The ballots bore the stamp of the Independent Election Commission, which is applied only after they are used for voting. “Thousands of them were burned,” he said. Spin Boldak is where campaign staff of Ashraf Ghani also alleged large-scale fraud was orchestrated by Karzai supporters. Election observers were split in their opinions of the poll: some said low turnout reflected how dreadful security in southern Afghanistan has become. Others said just holding an election was a success. The ballot took place in a country at war, with little history of democracy, deep ethnic splits and endemic corruption. The National Democratic Institute said it saw orderly voting, but added that the vote “involved serious flaws that must be addressed in order to build greater confidence in the integrity of future elections.” The fact that members of the IEC were appointed by Karzai suggested a degree of bias, it said. Democracy International reported that although violence and intimidation disenfranchised voters in large parts of the country, in more secure areas Afghans were able to cast their votes. The IEC was able to administer the elections effectively enough to prevent questions of legitimacy arising on this front, it said, but the lack of a voter list created plenty of opportunities for fraud. Around 17 million Afghans were registered to vote, although it is unclear how many hold duplicate cards. United Nations Special Representative Kai Eide recently referred to the Afghan poll as “the most complicated elections anywhere in the world”. After the events of last week few would question his assessment.

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The history of Audi is certainly one of the most diverse in more than 100 years of automobile history. Its tradition in car and motorcycle manufacturing dates back to the 19th century, when pioneering engineer August Horch founded the company that would one day become Audi AG. Four automakers merged in 1932 under the emblem of the Four Rings to form Auto Union, and the Swabian company NSU from Neckarsulm, which joined in 1969. Together they enriched the worldwide automotive industry and decisively influenced the technical development of the motor car. The technically innovative image of the two brands, Audi and NSU, led ultimately to the slogan coined in 1971 which still applies today: Vorsprung durch Technik, which means Innovation through Technology. (Directly quoted from AudiUSA.com) FEATURES & SPECS: Engine - DOHC V6 2.8L, 200 hp @ 6000 rpm / 207 lbs-ft torque @ 3200 rpm. Weight - 3704 lbs. (Quattro). Transmission - AT only (w/ Tiptronic). Fuel efficiency - 17 mpg city / 27 mpg hwy. Premium fuel is recommended/required. Warranty info - Basic warranty is 48 months/50,000 miles, power train warranty is 48 months/50,000 & rust warranty is 10 years/unlimited miles. Other features - A/C, ABS, power windows & locks, tilt steering, cruise control, leather seats (optional), power seats w/ lumbar support & 3-memory settings, 200 watt / 8-speaker Bose stereo (optional), 6-disc CD changer (optional), sunroof (optional), car phone (optional), tachometer, rear defroster, halogen headlights & fog lights, 16 alloy wheels w/ 205/55 tires & small spare tire. There are so many good things to mention about the Audi A6. IMO, the most important feature is the all-wheel-drive Quattro system. My three previous cars didnt have this and you can tell in bad weather (i.e. heavy rain) that in the A6 Quattro, you have more traction and control than in any front or rear wheel drive vehicle. Theres also the ATs Tiptronic control which basically is like driving a stick, except theres no clutch necessary to change gears. This is especially useful in sharp inclines or steep declines in the roads and it can make driving the A6 a little more sporty/fun. Its equipped w/ ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) which assists in emergency braking situations and gives the driver more control of the vehicle. Also, it doesnt cause the tires to bald in an emergency stop. The Bose stereo is a must-have if you enjoy music while driving (which 99% of us do). It has a very good range of mid and high frequencies as well as the Bose subwoofer in the trunk thats nicely hidden away. Also, the 6-disc changer is also hidden in the trunk on the other side of the subwoofer. The dashboard is lighted in a nice, red digital display. Some may complain that its difficult to read in bright sunlight, but I havent had that problem. The dashboard display features are unique. It can show the length of time youve been driving, the mpg overall that youre getting as well as list what gear youre on and what stereo mode youre in (CD, cassette or radio station). Of course, if you dont desire to see these features displayed, you can turn it off. As for power windows, theyre all one-touch up or down. This is very convenient as many vehicles only offer one-touch down for the drivers side. Plus, the power seats offer lumbar support which is pleasant to have and I highly recommend using it for improved back support, especially on long drives. Also, the driver's seat has 3-memory settings which definitely comes in handy, so multiple drivers won't have to fiddle w/ all the power seat controls. The real wood trim is a welcomed relief, too. Its gives the car the luxury look/feel, along w/ the leather seats. In the near-luxury and luxury car division, who wants to pay premium prices for simulated wood trim? With Audi vehicles, theres no worry. Also, the dial to open the sunroof is easy to operate and the sunroof visor, if purchased, eliminates more wind noise when the sunroof is open. The trunk space is surprisingly spacious. It doesnt look as big on the outside, but when the trunk opens, especially when the rear seats are folded down, you can fit just about anything back there. A good feature on the rear folding seats is that youre able to lock it w/ your car key. The remote key itself is unique. The key folds out at the push of a button and on the remote you have three commands: lock, unlock and trunk open. The driving experience is another big plus w/ this vehicle. The A6 accelerates smoothly and quietly. It can get a little noisier using the Tiptronic feature, but thats because the rpms will climb up much higher than the AT would do. Also, in Tiptronic mode, if you forget to change gears and the rpms hit above 7000, it will automatically shift up for you, a safety feature which comes in handy. If you care about your car, you dont ever want to red-line it often. And the steering/handling is good, even w/ the stock rim/tire combo. Most A6 buyers will be satisfied w/ this setup. In sharp, accelerated turns, theres some body lean, but Audis Quattro system keeps all four wheels planted on the ground and in constant motion. And Audis struts/springs help as well, too. So, theres less, if any, chance of fish-tailing on a turn. Whether its stop and go traffic or a long, relaxing trip, the A6 is a pleasure to drive where ever you go. First, theres the high price, especially brand new models. But its a luxury European car, so thats expected. Second, for 1998 - 1999, there was only one type of engine available (2.8L V6) which lacks the necessary hp & torque to move this heavy vehicle (over 3700 lbs & 0 to 60 mph in @ 9 seconds)...now that's slow. Third, the standard sized tires and wheels are too small/thin which makes for a soft, non-sporty handling. Fourth, I find it inconvenient that the CD changer is in the trunk instead of being in the glove compartment or built into the stereo deck. Fifth, as w/ any luxury car make, going to the Audi dealership for maintenance is expensive. Even the simple oil change and vehicle inspection can run you @ $150. Last, Audi offers FWD w/ traction control, which is a con for marketing reasons, IMO. I guess theres people out there that doesnt want the Quattro system, but why?? Isnt the Quattro system one of the biggest reasons why you buy an Audi?? This isnt really that bad because FWD is @ 200 lbs. lighter; hence, its more fuel efficient. But in bad weather (rain or snow), when you compare any car w/ 2-wheel drive and traction control vs. an all-wheel drive vehicle, guess who has better traction overall? Enough said. MY BUYING EXPERIENCE: I bought my Audi A6 2.8 Quattro, fully loaded w/ the royal blue leather interior, car phone & Bose stereo system, from the local Audi dealership in May/June 2001. To make a long story short, they took my trade-in (1997 Lexus ES 300) and gave me the highest trade-in value possible (trust me, I called many dealerships and inquired). Then, the Fleet Mgr. stayed w/ me from @ 7:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. to not only make sure the paperwork was completed, but to make sure I understood all the functions/features of my new (used) vehicle. In all my years of buying vehicles (Toyota Paseo, Mitsubishi Eclipse, Lexus ES 300 & now, Audi A6 Quattro), Ive never experienced such excellent customer service as I have at the local Audi dealership. I mentioned this because the whole experience of buying a car can be very stressful. At this dealership, not only did I finally get the car Ive always wanted, but I got friendly service, too, which is hard to find these days. Please excuse me for not mentioning the dealership's name since I won't do any free advertising from them...LOL! I sold the '98 A6 2.8, but I have no regrets buying it and still recommend it despite it being slightly underpowered, IMO. I removed the "Aftermarket Upgrade" section of this review. I figured most people might be happy w/ the 2.8 engine and suspension/handling in stock form. The Audi A6 Quattro is a European luxury model which competes nicely w/ other makes such as the BMW 5-series or the E-class Mercedes-Benz. But BMWs 5-series doesnt offer AWD (the 3-series does) & Mercedes 4-Matic is not as well-known as Audis Quattro system. So, if youre looking for a luxury used car, look no further because Audis A6 may just be the vehicle youve been searching for. Amount Paid (US$): 1998Model and Options: A6 2.8 Quattro

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CC-MAIN-2013-20

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en

Tonight we're airing an item about the South Florida Water Management District. They aren't in the news because of anything they've done wrong—rather, because of something they do very well: measuring the slightest change in the water levels in the aquifer beneath their territory. You've no doubt heard by now that the Japan quake moved the entire nation slightly to the East and lowered the terrain in some places (which actually made for some localized flooding this weekend in concert with the so-called "Supermoon"). But you may not know that 34-minutes after the quake, underground water measurement devices started going wild in Florida. It took that long for the shaking to go all the way around the world—but they detected it, and it kept shaking for more than two hours. A number of you have emailed us expressing your best wishes for the safety of our folks abroad and in harm's way. Please rest assured: as someone who often travels with them, they are pros in every way, and they will do their level best to stay safe. There's no such thing as being "assigned" to serve in a war zone in our company or any other. You must volunteer for duty. We are blessed with talented, experienced and brave foreign correspondents—and you'll see a few of them tonight. We hope you can join us for our Monday night broadcast.

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On a cold and snowy Christmas afternoon, Mark Leahy and Barbara Royval would have had nowhere to go if it weren't for the Walnut Brewery and Restaurant. Former Longmont residents who now live at the Boulder Shelter for the Homeless, Leahy and Royval were among more than 300 people who were served a free Christmas dinner through the Miracle on Walnut Street event. "I appreciate it so much," Leahy said. "This is wonderful that they give us this meal. Nothing else is open, and there's nowhere for us to go." It's also delicious, Leahy said, a sentiment echoed by other guests of the brewery and restaurant. "I thought it was pretty cool," said Mike Hallsey, a transient who arrived in Boulder a few days before the holiday. "Other towns will have a dinner, but this is higher quality, cleaner and classier." Walnut Brewery General Manager Kory Kilmer said the brewpub wanted to put its own distinctive mark on the food and serve their guests the same style of food the restaurant offers to paying clients the rest of the year. Instead of the more traditional holiday meal of turkey and ham with stuffing and sides that they served in years past, cooks drew from the regular menu and offered brewhouse chicken served in a beer gravy, the house mac 'n' cheese, green beans, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie. Guests lined up outside the brewery as people ate in shifts. The brewery distributed roughly 220 tickets through the domestic violence shelter Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence, day shelter and social service agency Bridge House, the Boulder Shelter for the Homeless and the Inn Between in Longmont. The restaurant was prepared to serve up to 400 people. "Every year we seem to get a little more walk-up traffic," Kilmer said. "I think our reputation keeps spreading." Frank Day, who founded Old Chicago and Rock Bottom Restaurants Inc., the former parent company of the Walnut Brewery before it merged with Gordon Biersch Restaurant Brewery Group to become CraftWorks Restaurants and Breweries Inc., played the role of Santa Claus, taking pictures with young and old alike. Rock Bottom Restaurants, through its foundation, started serving holiday dinners to the homeless and other people in need after the purchase of the historic Union Pacific building for the Denver ChopHouse and Brewery displaced roughly 200 people who had been squatting in the building. This year, the CraftWorks Foundation served more than 10,000 free holiday meals to needy people at six locations around the country, said Angie Leach, executive director of the foundation. By bringing more resources to the company, the merger has allowed the restaurant chain to expand its charitable giving, including the meals, Leach said. Roughly 30 volunteers, only a few of them employees of Walnut Brewery, met guests at the door, guided them to seats and took their orders. Outside, M'lissa McKee, Margaret Pemberton and a group of Boulder teenagers distributed toiletries, new socks, hats and other winter necessities to the guests. Working at the holiday meal has become a tradition in itself for many Boulder area residents. Allen Hunt, of Niwot, who is retired from the electronics industry, first volunteered four years ago because a friend was also doing it, and he's been back every year since. "It's something nice to do, and it makes you feel good," he said. Contact Camera Staff Writer Erica Meltzer at 303-473-1355 or email@example.com.

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More than 30 schools and almost 800 student archers competed at the recent Georgia-NASP State Tournament. That is almost double the number of participants at last year’s event! The state tournament is coordinated by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division and is open to all Georgia schools enrolled in the National Archery in the Schools program (NASP). WINNING SCHOOLS AND STUDENTS Bagley Middle School in Chatsworth, led by the overall highest scoring student archer, won the 2011 Georgia-NASP State Tournament held Friday, Feb. 11, at The Great Outdoors Show in Perry. Bagley Middle’s team score of 3,263 was the highest score posted by 37 teams statewide in the elementary, middle and high school divisions. Nearly 800 archers that are in schools certified to teach the National Archery in the Schools Program participated in the state tournament. The state tournament is coordinated by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division and is open to all Georgia schools enrolled in the National Archery in the Schools program (NASP). Bagley Middle School’s Isaiah Waters was the highest scoring male champion with a score of 296, just four points shy of a perfect 300. Haley Bagley, a member of the Woodlawn Elementary School team in Chatsworth, was the overall highest scoring female champion with a score of 287. Waters and Bagley were awarded $1,000 college scholarships. Woodlawn Elementary won the elementary school division title with a score of 3,148. Bagley Middle won the middle school division title with a score of 3,263. Miller County High won the high school division title with a score of 3,138. Individual state champions were: - Haley Bagley, Woodlawn Elementary, 287 (First place Elementary Female) - Parker Kimery, Sharon Elementary, 293 (First place Elementary Male) - Bailey Coker, Bagley Middle, 271 (First place Middle Female) - Isaiah Waters, Bagley Middle, 296 (First place Middle Male) - Blayre Durden, Dodge Co. High, 265 (First place High Female) - Eric Whatley, Miller Co. High, 280 (First place High Male) Ten schools are eligible for the NASP national tournament after posting a qualifying score at the state tournament. Those schools are Woodlawn Elementary, Bay Creek Elementary, Youth Elementary, Lee County Elementary, Bagley Middle, Morgan County Middle, Dodge County Middle, Miller County High, Dodge County High and Peach County High. The NASP National Tournament will be held May 13-14, 2011 at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Kent. Nearly 7,000 archers from more than 30 states competed at last year’s national tournament, which is considered the largest archery tournament in North America. Woodlawn Elementary placed third in the nation in the elementary division at last year’s national tournament and went on to 1st place at the World Tournament. MORE ABOUT NASP NASP is an in-school archery curriculum that meets all education department standards. Only schools that are certified in NASP through the Georgia Department of Natural Resources are qualified to compete in the Georgia Tournament. Schools in nearly 80 counties in Georgia are NASP certified. The program promotes instruction in international-style target archery to improve educational performance and participation in shooting sports. Research has shown that the program, administered through a minimum two-week course during the school year, improves class attendance and behavior. NASP universal fit bows make it possible for students of all sizes and genders to succeed in archery while raising self-esteem levels and improving hand-eye coordination during physical activity. NASP is taught in 48 states as well as Australia, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand. To date, more than 7 million students have gone through the program. For more information on NASP in Georgia, recreational shooting sports opportunities or to find a range near you, visit www.georgiawildlife.com, contact a local WRD Game Management Office or call (770) 918-6416. Click here for more information about NASP Tournaments, including a complete listing of scores from the State Tournament.

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By James Gavin Saudi Arabia's Nitaqat programme to employ more nationals is generally viewed in one of two ways: either as an onerous and crudely implemented burden on the private sector or a genuine attempt to address the declining participation of Saudis in the non-government workforce. The proportion of Saudi nationals working in the private sector dropped from 17 per cent to just 10 per cent over the decade leading up to 2010. A year ago, the government introduced the Nitaqat scheme, a colour-coded system rewarding companies for good behaviour and punishing those that fail to recruit sufficient nationals. It is too early to fully gauge how effective the scheme has been in boosting the percentage of Saudis in employment, replacing some of the 8 million expatriate workers in the kingdom, and tackling the 40 per cent unemployment rate for those aged 20-24. But early indications suggest a mixed picture. King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud dispatched an upbeat cable to Labour Minister Adel al-Fakih in early June, congratulating him on the nearly 250,000 Saudis who have been employed through Nitaqat. According to the Labour Ministry, 195,000 Saudi men and 51,000 women have found jobs. The scheme applies to public sector companies too, and leading state-owned corporates say they are on course to meet their targets. Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden), which employs about 800 staff, says it has reached 63 per cent, placing it firmly in the 'green' category. Expensive implementation of employment programmes The programme can be costly, though. Some companies have made stock market disclosures that suggest the increased training requirements of hiring new staff are hitting their bottom line. One large, Jeddah-based Saudi firm estimates the cost of implementing Nitaqat over the next 10 years at about SR1bn ($267m). Few are prepared to go public with their anxieties about Nitaqat, but a senior Western business representative in Saudi Arabia says he hears frequent complaints that companies hiring Saudis are encountering too many with a poor work ethic. Employers also face issues unique to the kingdom, such as men needing to leave work and collect their children from school, since women are not allowed to drive. Although the construction industry only has to reach a 31 per cent Saudisation target to achieve an 'excellent' rating, it has become tougher to bring in large numbers of foreign workers, making projects harder to implement. "Nitaqat represents an effort to introduce more incentives for companies to employ Saudis and in that sense it is an improvement on what went before," says James Reeve, an economist at the local Samba Financial Group. "The reason you are hearing more complaints is probably because the system is being enforced with greater vigour." Despite the grievances, there is a widespread acknowledgement that the demographics of the kingdom's workforce are unsustainable and that at some point Saudis need to start entering the private sector. With a national population increasing by about 500,000 a year, the Labour Ministry needs to create job opportunities in a country where nearly 30 per cent of the population is aged under 15. "Although some companies are not happy with the restrictions Nitaqat brings, most accept why it needs to be done and respect the fact that it's not a blanket system and is graduated across companies of different sizes and across sectors," says Paul Gamble, head of research at Riyadh-based Jadwa Investment.

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Olympia… Secretary of State Sam Reed and Attorney General Rob McKenna announced today a settlement has been reached in the federal court lawsuit filed by the Brennan Center for Justice in New York City. The Secretary of State’s Office was sued in May 2006 for requiring that the identity of each voter registration applicant be verified before a person can become a registered voter and vote, as outlined in Washington State law. “We have insisted throughout this case that no ballots should be accepted from a newly registered voter until an acceptable form of identification has been provided,” said Secretary of State Sam Reed. “The 2000 Presidential election highlighted the need for voter identification when dogs were found on the nation’s voter rolls. I am pleased the settlement reached in this case requires that only voters who have proven their identity may vote.” The settlement was reached between the Office of the Secretary of State and plaintiff organizations represented by the Brennan Center for Justice and local counsel. The settlement allows for voter registration applications that fail to match data on file with the Department of Licensing or the Social Security Administration to be provisionally registered. The provisional registrations are flagged advising that a ballot from that voter may not be counted until an acceptable form of identification is provided. “The Attorney General’s Office is proud to have been able to help the Secretary of State bring this case to a resolution that respects voters’ rights while preserving the integrity and accountability of our elections system,” said Attorney General Rob McKenna. "Congratulations to our attorneys, Deputy Solicitors General Jim Pharris and Jeff Even and Special Assistant Attorney General for Government Accountability Greg Overstreet, for their work on this case." Prior to the lawsuit, state law required election workers to contact the voter registration applicant and request clarifying information. If the voter did not respond within 45 days, the statute required that the registration application be rejected, although the voter was free to submit another application with new information. In August 2006, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington ruled that, under federal law, the state may not reject a voter registration application because the information on the form does not match information on file with the Department of Licensing or the Social Security Administration. Information may not match for a variety of reasons, including data entry errors by the voter, the state or the Social Security Administration. Under the terms of the settlement, the state will provisionally register each of these voters, but will not count the ballot until proper identification is provided. This impacts a very small portion of the registered voters in the state, less than one percent. A provisionally registered person who votes at the polls will be required to provide identification prior to voting, and a mail ballot will be held until the voter provides identification. When the voter is provisionally registered, election administrators contact the voter to request additional identification. View the full settlement For more information contact: Joanie Deutsch, Acting Communications Director, Secretary of State's Office, (360) 902-4173 Janelle Guthrie, Communications Director, Attorney General's Office, (360) 586-0725

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Most Active Stories KRWG.ORG-The Region's Home Page Thu January 3, 2013 This May Blow Your Mind: Video Of New Year's Eve Fireworks In Reverse Originally published on Thu January 3, 2013 9:27 am Before the holiday mood completely disappears, take a break if you can to watch this video of the New Year's Eve fireworks in Melbourne, Australia. The guy who made it, Julian Tay, writes he was: "Curious to see what fireworks would look like if I played it backwards. Turns out, it looks pretty awesome. Playing it in reverse gives it that cool slow-mo feel which is strangely soothing and tranquil. Totally opposite of the true nature of fireworks." And, yes, this has been done by others. But with about 120,000 views (and counting), Tay's has quickly become the most-watched of the YouTube videos that pop up for us with a search of the term "fireworks in reverse." (H/T to Gawker.)

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Municipal Lobby Calls For Increase In Education Funding Connecticut’s largest municipal lobby is calling upon state government to increase education funding to cities and towns despite the state’s lagging revenue estimates. The lack of state education funding has “wreaked havoc at the local level with regard to local budgets,” James Finley, executive director and CEO of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, said Tuesday during a Capitol press conference. The states education grants to municipalities are underfunded by more than $763 million, according to Finley. That means property taxpayers are spending more than 62 cents per $1 on funding local education. In an effort to address the funding inequities, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy created the ECS Task Force last year to come up with recommendations on how to change the formula. The 12-member panel, which was supposed to issue a final set of recommendations in October, is expected to make its final recommendations Nov. 27. Ben Barnes, the governor’s budget director and co-chair of the ECS (education cost-sharing) Task Force, said he doesn’t know what the panel will ultimately decide since it’s a deliberative process. “I think we’ll come out with real recommendations soon,” Barnes said. Asked if he thinks the formula is underfunded to the tune of $763 million, Barnes side-stepped the question saying he thinks the amount the legislature appropriates every year is enough. There is “no legal obligation for the state to fund it at any level or another,” Barnes said before attending the task force meeting. However, Dianne Kaplan deVries, executive director of the Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Funding, disagrees. The Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Funding sued the state in 2005, alleging that under the state’s Constitution students are entitled to a public education that works, and one that assures them, at minimum, an adequate education. The Connecticut Supreme Court agreed in a 4-3 decision in 2010 and sent the case back to the trial court. The trial is expected to begin in July 2014. For the past 40 years, the courts have told state government it has underfunded education, Finley said, referring back to the Horton v. Meskill decision, which found as unconstitutional the state’s over reliance on the property tax to fund public education. Finley said that if the state allows the CCJEF v. Rell case to get to trial, then he’s confident CCJEF will win. But there are things the state can do on it’s own without the court to correct the problem. Finley called on the task force to fully fund the formula and phase in the spending increases over a period of three to five years. He said the total ECS grant should account for about $4 billion in annual state spending, but it’s funded at about $2 billion a year. “We’d like to see the ECS Task Force recommend a reformed ECS formula and make a commitment over time to fully fund it,” Finley said. The first step is to make sure the task force makes the recommendations it knows it should make “regardless of what the fiscal challenges are in the state,” Finley said. State revenue is lagging by $128 million and an increase in the Medicaid population means the state could be facing a deficit this year of more than $300 million. Finley said his gut tells him that the 12-member task force may be too overwhelmed with the state’s current fiscal challenges to make an adequate recommendation. Barnes disagreed. He said there’s nothing the task force knows about the budget that hasn’t already been reported. He added that none of the budget information will impact the final decision it makes. On Tuesday, the task force discussed three possible scenarios for changing the formula Tuesday, including one that would increase funding by $400 million and phase it in over a period of four years. No final recommendation was made.

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Over half of all college students attend schools less than 100 miles from home. Seventy-five percent are within 233 miles of home. This pretty matches the preferences expressed by far too many parents and students of wanting to be close enough for them to come home on the weekends if they want to or in case of emergencies. Yeah, I have a problem with that. First, let’s get some exceptions out-of-the-way. For families with a tight budget, travel costs are a real issue in deciding whether or not to attend a college far from home, especially if it involves airfare. Some students can only afford to attend college if they live at home. However, I suspect that a large portion of this group is made up of students who don’t really understand the possibilities of financial aid. First generation college students, particularly Hispanics, do much better if they are closer to family support groups. Students with health issues or learning disabilities might also do better with resources they are familiar with. Then, of course, there are the situations where the perfect fit, the ideal school for you with the best financial aid, just happens to be in your back yard. Now to my problem, especially with the parents. The final, last best excuse they have for not encouraging their kids to look at more distance schools is “in case something happens.” This is understandable but not excusable. I mean, really, in a true emergency, what are the parents going to do? In anything less than a true emergency, as painful as it might be, the kids have to learn to deal with it sometime. But this is a parental disease of, I suspect, epidemic proportions. When my son was doing his final school visits and actually talking to the coaches, the one question we always got was a variation of how will you feel with your son so far from home. We were anywhere from Minnesota to Virginia and home was at least a two-day drive. I would think, “you’re kidding right? We just decided to blow significant money traveling so that our family can visit the school and then we would turn around and tell him–just kidding?” Actually, it wasn’t really that unreasonable of a question since our son is a homeschooled, only child. If anyone family was a candidate for backing out, according to most people’s expectations, we would certainly fit the bill. But we had our answer ready. If you can’t be adventurous when you’re 18, then when–once you’re settled down with a job, married, and have two kids? By eliminating colleges based on distance you’re also eliminating your potential geography hook–schools interested in a more national presence will often offer merit money to those who are from under-represented areas on their campus. You eliminate the possibility of participating in activities. Our son would have probably never played college baseball in Texas, it’s just too competitive. Ultimately, you’re just flat-out eliminating possibilities to reduce the pain of separation. To me, that seems to undermine the whole roots and wings concept of parenting. Sure, there are students who have no desire to leave home and are engaged and thriving in their home community. But there are even more who would like to try something different but are understandably fearful of leaving their comfort zone. And it’s a lot easier if mom and dad show confidence in their ability to manage on their own rather than worry them about the possibility of “something happening.” Given the cost of education, it just makes sense to find the best college opportunities regardless of the location. As you consider your final choices, distance may be one factor in your decision-making. But limiting distance so that parent can be in range “just in case something happens” misses the point of going to college to get an education.

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Verse of the Day... United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). Projects Needing Support AfricaUniversity: Africa University is the first private, international university in Zimbabwe. The vision of Africa University is improved quality of life, peace & prosperity for the peoples of Africa through quality higher education that includes teaching, research, community service and leadership development. Heifer International: Heifer International works to end hunger and poverty, and care for the earth by providing appropriate livestock, training and related services to small-scale farmers and communities worldwide. United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR): UMCOR is the not-for-profit global humanitarian aid organization of the United Methodist Church. UMCOR is working in more than 80 countries worldwide, including the United States. UMCOR’s mission is to alleviate human suffering—whether caused by war, conflict or natural disaster, with open hearts and minds to all people. Nothing But Nets: Nothing But Nets is a campaign to save lives by preventing malaria, a leading killer of children in Africa. Every $10 donation buys a mosquito net to prevent malaria. The nets stop mosquitoes from biting spreading the disease, and the insecticide kills the mosquitoes when they land on it, stopping them from flying to their next victim. Branches Domestic Violence Shelter: Branches provides emergency shelter for victims of domestic violence (adults and children) in Cabell, Wayne, Lincoln, Mason, and Putnam Counties. Clients receive safe, temporary shelter, food and clothing, as well as counseling for individuals, families and groups. HuntingtonCity Mission: Founded as a Christian faith-based charity, the Mission's purpose is to meet the physical, emotional, educational, and spiritual needs of everyone in their care. Since 1939, the Huntington City Mission has offered help and hope to tens of thousands of homeless, hungry, and hurting people who seek shelter from the streets. Faith in Action of the River Cities: Faith in Action brings together volunteers from many faiths to work together to care for their neighbors who have long-term health needs. Volunteers come from churches, synagogues, mosques and other houses of worship, as well as the community at large. Huntington Area Habitat for Humanity: Huntington Area Habitat for Humanity provides decent and affordable housing for qualified low-income families in need. To date Huntington Area Habitat for Humanity has provided 63 homes for residents of Cabell County who were in dire need of better housing. TEAM for WV Children: Every child deserves to grow up safe, healthy, educated and free from abuse and neglect. Since 1986, TEAM for West Virginia Children has been working to keep children safe by advocating for children, strengthening families, and making children’s needs a community priority. Tri-State Literacy Council: The Tri-State Literacy Council is committed to meeting the literacy needs of all Tri-State residents. Volunteers, trained to teach adults to read, are teamed with students needing assistance. Free tutor training sessions are held several times a year. Ebenezer Community Outreach Center: Ebenezer is a mission project of the WV Annual Conference. Ebenezer offers a pre-school program, the Youth Energized for Success after-school program, a Family Enrichment Center, Baby Bassinette - meeting the needs of mothers with newborns, Clothing Closet, school supply program, and a Christmas Angel program. Unlimited Future Inc.: Unlimited Future is a non-profit business development center whose mission is to provide an environment for entrepreneurial success. The center assists disadvantaged businesses in their efforts to reduce overhead expenses, compete effectively in markets, and create jobs.

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Our Stimulus Spot Check: Summer Wave of Projects Nears Crest Vice President Joe Biden touted this as the summer of stimulus, a time when the Obama administration would ramp up road construction and put “shovels in the ground.” That promise appears likely to play out – albeit a bit later than expected, according to our Stimulus Spot Check , a status report on road and bridge projects conducted by volunteers in the ProPublica Reporting Network (how to participate ). ProPublica pulled a random sample of 520 of the roughly 6,000 approved projects to examine stimulus progress around the country. That sample is large enough to estimate national patterns with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percent. ProPublica asked members of its reporting network to find out if states had advertised the projects, awarded contracts or actually started construction work. While about 30 percent of the projects in the sample had broken ground by mid-summer, at least 66 percent had a contract and 76 percent had been put out to bid – suggesting an impending gusher of stimulus work in late summer and early fall. In addition to the survey, ProPublica reviewed federal transportation data to determine how many stimulus projects reached a critical juncture – receipt of a “notice to proceed,” the last bureaucratic step before construction can start. The data show some surprising trends: a wide range of progress among states, a tendency for cold weather states to have more projects under way, and a relatively bigger lag getting started in states where unemployment is highest. New Mexico has achieved the final green light for construction on 100 percent of its approved projects, for example, while fewer than 4 percent of Florida’s projects had advanced to the same stage, the notice-to-proceed data show. Nationwide, the data show that 44 percent of federally approved road and bridge projects had been awarded to contractors and authorized for construction. How fast states are moving on stimulus road construction became a political flashpoint after the Democratic chairman of the House transportation committee commended some governors and shamed others for getting off to a slow start . The Democrats’ report, based on older data than that reviewed by ProPublica, singled out states with Republican governors – including Florida’s Charlie Christ – for criticism. But states led by Democrats are also trailing other states’ progress, ProPublica’s data show, including Michigan, New York and Kansas. Why some states fell behind The Spot Check sought to get beyond the politicking for a closer grasp of factors that explain why progress varies among states. The evidence suggests multiple variables are at play, including whether a state began lining up projects while the stimulus bill was being drafted in January and February. Some states had more internal hurdles to climb to get projects approved or required legislative action. Cold states with a short construction window have to move faster. Before construction can begin, states must submit projects to the U.S. Department of Transportation for review. Many states, including Florida and Michigan, took time to survey regional planning groups and the public to identify projects. After getting a sign-off from the DOT, there’s a lag time as states advertise the projects for bid, award contracts and give contractors the official green light by issuing a notice to proceed. More than 70 members of the ProPublica Reporting Network agreed to investigate projects in their states. Chelsey Perkins, a recent college graduate who aspires to be a journalist, volunteered to spot-check all Minnesota projects in our sample. Perkins called the state DOT and contractors. She found that six of the twelve projects had not yet started. Of those that had, just two of the companies had hired new workers – one hired six people, the other 25 – in addition to saving jobs within their companies. Four companies told Perkins they had not hired new employees but that the stimulus allowed them to retain members of their workforce. In Colorado, volunteer Erica Grossman checked up on a $31 million repaving and bike trail project and determined that work started July 11. The contractor, Castle Rock Construction, told state officials it has so far hired six new employees, saved 135 positions and had 250 employees working on the project, Grossman said. But in most cases, approved projects were still in the pre-construction phase, the Spot Check reporters found. “Construction is supposed to begin the first week of August, but I have yet to see any progress beginning,’’ wrote Coulter Jones, who looked into a $3 million paving project in Luzerne County, Pa. Reports from the field came in over a two-week period in late July, so it’s possible some have advanced in the meantime. Coulter checked back last week, for instance, and found that work had begun on the Pennsylvania project. In some cases, construction delays appeared to be the result of contractors’ schedules rather than red tape. Two paving projects in Missouri received notices to proceed in April, for instance, but no construction had begun four months later. Carrie Lewis, a spokeswoman for Missouri DOT, said companies are under no obligation to start as soon as possible. The only requirement is that the work be done by end of the year. A fast start in New England The federal Transportation Department data, listing the status through Aug. 7 of approved road and bridge projects in all 50 states, show a huge disparity in progress nationwide. New Mexico is the furthest ahead when it comes to green-lighting projects, having issued a notice to proceed for all its approved projects. A New England contingent of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and Rhode Island followed in succession. Some states receiving the most stimulus money for transportation have been among the slowest to get off the blocks. That’s true for Florida, which had received $1.1 billion for 313 projects. The state has authorized construction on 3.6 percent of them. California, getting $1.8 billion so far for 489 projects, has given the go-ahead to 8 percent. Checking states’ progress at any one point, of course, doesn’t tell the full story. States can move up or down the rankings significantly from one week to the next, as batches of projects move from the contracting phase to construction. In addition, the data Propublica used is reported to the Transportation Department by states and may not be up-do-date with the latest state information. For its pre-recess progress report, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee relied on DOT data from June to anoint Wyoming the “best” at spending stimulus money. The committee weighted its rankings based on the number of projects advertised, contracts awarded and projects started. Rep. Jim Oberstar, D-Minn., scolded the governors of Hawaii, South Carolina and Florida for falling behind other states . But the committee declined to release the full set of rankings, so it wasn’t clear how other states stacked up in the panel’s list. Some say the progress reports miss the big picture. Kevin Thibault, Florida DOT’s assistant secretary of engineering and operations, said politicians and the public would do better to consider whether projects that are moving forward have a long-term economic impact. “If you look at Florida’s projects, most of them are adding capacity,” said Thibault. “I am widening roads. I am adding interchanges. That’s versus a resurfacing project or a guardrail project. Two or three years out, not only will the Florida region see the job creation benefit, but they’ll see the increased movement of goods and people,” he said. If achieving those goals means it takes a little longer to get started, Thibault said, that’s an acceptable trade-off. An added incentive: Climate Two other patterns show up in a statistical analysis of the federal data. Overall, states with colder winters were more likely to have a greater share of projects completed or started, an apparent reflection of the shorter construction season. “Unlike Texas, we can’t work through the winter,” said John Zicconi, a Vermont Transportation Agency spokesman. Only Alaska, the northernmost cold state, was behind the curve. States with higher unemployment are also spending and completing projects more slowly. Not all states fit the pattern, but ProPublica’s analysis did find a significant relationship between these variables and forward progress. Michigan, with the highest unemployment rate in the country – 15.2 percent – had given a green light to only 62 of 325 projects, the data show. Political overhead helps explain why the state is off to a slow start, officials there said. “We had to get approval from the Legislature,” said Michigan’s DOT spokesperson Bill Shreck. “We have about 14 metropolitan planning organizations, and we sent all of our stuff through them. It helps with buy-in in the long run.” Jennifer LaFleur, ProPublica’s director of computer-assisted reporting, contributed to this report – as did these members of the ProPublica Reporting Network: Rosalind Alexander-Kasparik, Michael Andersen, Lisa Antrim, Lois Beckett, Rhiannon Bowman, Mary Ellen Broderick, Arnold Broomfield, Andy Bunch, Walter Card, Stacey Carmany, Andrea Chalupa, Ben Cohen, Lara Cooper, Cynthia Craft, Ian Crouch, John Crouch, Dan Crowley, Libby Desmond, Avery Diamond, Randall Downey, Haley Edwards, M.T. Elliott, Anthony Fiano, Audrey Fisher, David Fogle, Katie Foutz, Hall Institute of Public Policy (New Jersey), Sam Hashemi, Marie Gachelin, Carolyne Garcia, Erica Grossman, Robert Haider, Tanya Harned, Lillian Jackson (Georgia DOT), Sierra Jenkins, Coulter Jones, Sherrie Jossen, Joe Jordan, Susan Juetten, Steve Katz, Andrew Klein, Tom Knauer, Larry Larsen, Victor Laughlin, Dana Logan, Kirstin Michel, Carol Nicholas, Charles O’Donnell, Shelley Ottenbrite, Marge Pala, Chelsey Perkins, Nick Petitte, Mike Pouraryan, Ernesto Priego, Bruce Reeves, EJ Rotert, Jessica Roy, Andrew Skolnick, Zach Seward, Jeff Smith, Will Sommer, Jonathan Sommers, Ben Stearns, Michael Tracey, WNYC (Rachel Senatore), Ernie Wright, Jane Wylen, and David Zapencki Tags: Stimulus , Propublica This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

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Adult Career Pathways Adult Career Pathways (ACP) provides adult students with a structured support system specifically designed to assist with navigating the unique challenges that adults face while attending college. Participants receive ongoing support and guidance through each step of the college experience. The key to ACP’s success is its student-centered model, which builds an ongoing relationship between students and their counselors, faculty members and peers. The ACP program is designed to serve adult students with demonstrated barriers to college access and success, including veterans, single parents, lower-wage workers, work-eligible immigrants, and unemployed and underemployed individuals. ACP creates a pathway for adult students to earn a certificate, degree or other credential that may help them secure a better job with a path toward advancement and greater economic security. The program is free to participating students.

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We give the low down on public sex education debates hitting headlines the past 6 months. There’s been a lot of coverage. Some jaw-drop appalling. Some inspiring. It was difficult to limit ourselves to 10! This year has seen a lot of students standing up for their rights to access of medically accurate, relevant sexual health knowledge. 1) Two Alabama high school students launch a petition to repeal a state law which requires public sex education to teach students that homosexuality is criminal. The Supreme Court has ruled that same-sex sodomy laws are illegal, but that has not stopped the message from being enforced in sex education. “Telling students that being gay is a crime is not only wrong, it’s unconstitutional according to our nation’s highest court”, states the petition. To date, it’s received 93, 836 supporters, over half the required signatures. 2) Similarly, in Tennessee, 11 year old Marcel speaks out against the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill which seeks to prohibits teachers from discussing homosexuality in K- through Grade 8. He is also standing up against R-John Ragan who previously compared homosexuality to pedophilia and prostitution. Marcel calls on the lobby group, StudentsFirst, to take back its award to R-John Ragan, whom they recently named “Educational Reformer of the Year.” Check out Marcel’s petition and watch the short version of his story found on LGBTQNation.com 3) With this spring’s Steubenville rape trail and the recurrent use of “rape culture”, what better time to push a petition to make “enthusiastic consent” a mandatory part of public sex education nationwide. Unfortunately the petition did not receive enough signatures in time and expired. We learned about this campaign from a self-identified bisexual high schooler who criticizes her sex education on Our Bodies Our Blog. 4) Politically and religiously motivated guest speakers were caught on tape giving false sexual and reproductive health info at a high school assembly. In the hour long lecture, two representatives from an anti-abortion organization preached scare tactics to students. For example, they said that “condoms have a failure rate of about 14%”, that there’s a new STD spreading that is “deadlier and faster than AIDS”, that as the rate of “STDs goes up the rate of fertility goes up” and that “all medical textbooks say that life begins at conception”. They also gave sexist information about male and female sexuality explaining that girls in particular need to be careful about sex because they are predisposed to be hormonally and emotionally “bonded” to whoever they are sexually active with. News about the misinformation taught at abstinence-only assemblies are coming to light only because high school students are speaking out. You can listen to the inflammatory rhetoric from a shorter version of lecture provided by TheTennessean.com. 5) Katelyn Campbell made big waves in April when she refused to attend an abstinence-only assembly calling the presentation “slut-shaming”. Funded by a conservative religious organization called “Believe in West Virginia” and advertised with fliers that proclaimed “God’s plan for sexual purity”, lecturer Pam Stenzel allegedly told students that “if you take birth control, your mother probably hates you” reports ThinkProgresss.org. In response to her protest, the school principal threaten Katelyn’s academic career. But this has only led to more support for Katelyn’s cause inspiring strangers from across North America to fight for comprehensive sex ed. There is now a facebook page Friends of Katelyn Campbell. You can watch YouTube lectures by Pam Stenzel and her outlandish sex health bullshit. 6) In May, Elizabeth Smart, a kidnap and rape survivor, received serious backlash after criticizing abstinence-only sex education. Smart stated that abstinence-only sex ed did not equip her the self-worth that she needed; instead it contributed to her sense of worthless and filth after being repeatedly raped. Abstinence-only proponents disapproved of her criticism by saying that she was speaking irresponsibly and even questioned the extent of her abuse. Calah Alexander (@calahalexander) writes a poignant piece against the backlash on Patheos.com. She writes, No one showed even a hint of sympathy for how [Elizabeth Smart] had suffered, not only at the hands of her captors, but at the hands of a degrading philosophy of human sexuality. Such a callous indifference to human suffering is appalling. It shows that too many Christians, too many proponents of abstinence-only education, have put their concern for the welfare of a quasi-political movement above their concern for the welfare of a human being, of human dignity itself.” 7) In other backlash news, the anti-abortion bills that swept over the US during the beginning of 2013 have also impacted sex education. In April, Kansas law determined that life begins “at fertilization”. This bill prohibits any agents connected to abortion providers – including Planned Parenthood – from providing any information on human sexuality to students in public schools. 8) Sex Week is becoming an actual thing to kick off Spring semester across North America. The lineup varies across campuses including lectures on how to masturbate, how to use condoms, the concept of virginity, contraceptive choices, what it means to be transgender, and how to stop sexual violence—topics that many college students, despite being age 18 and over—never learned about in high school. But 2013 proved a tough year as administrators stalled sex talk events, cut funding, and banned the distribution of free condoms on campus. Cosmopolitan explains more. 9) What exactly does “comprehensive” mean in sex education? Jess Kiley @Jessthefeminist nails it on the head. Providing examples of some outlandish laws passed this year, she makes a strong argument on Feminspire.com for why sex education has failed and sustained homophobia, transphobia and sexism. 10) Ending on a happy note, Illinois has made great strides this year. In January, they enacted a law that requires sex ed to focus on sexual abuse and consent. The state also banned abstinence-only sex ed and put in place new requirements that education must be medically accurate. For more information on trends sweeping sex education policy across US states check out the Guttmacher Institute, an independent nonprofit research institute that works to provide sexual and reproductive health and rights in the United States and worldwide. What do you think should be added to this year’s list of public sex education in the news? Share a cause or petition with us.

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Mahmoud Abbas elected PLO leader Kaddoumi named Fatah party leader (CNN) -- Former Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas has been elected chief of the Palestine Liberation Organization, as expected, following a unanimous vote by the PLO executive committee, according to Palestinian officials. Abbas was serving as acting PLO head after Arafat -- the previous PLO chief -- fell ill. Arafat named Abbas his first prime minister in April 2003 and spent the next four months in a power struggle with the 69-year-old PLO secretary-general before Abbas resigned the following September. Encouraged by Abbas' appointment, the United States presented the "road map" to peace. The peace plan -- backed by the United States, United Nations, European Union and Russia -- called for steps on both sides aimed at ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and establishing an independent Palestinian state. Abbas, who repeatedly said he did not want to be a figurehead prime minister, was a behind-the-scenes man in the lead-up to the 1993 Oslo accords and worked with many of the discussion groups dealing with other accords. Abbas called for a halt to attacks on Israel after the second Intifada began in fall 2000. Meanwhile, hardline PLO political chief Farouk Kaddoumi was named Arafat's successor as Fatah party leader Thursday, according to Palestinian officials. Kaddoumi, 73, has not lived in the Palestinian territories since the signing of the 1993 Oslo peace accords and is seen by some rejectionists as a possible successor to Arafat. He serves as the Palestinian Liberation Organization's foreign minister. However, he has very little grassroots support in Gaza or the West Bank because he lives in Tunis, and his role on the ground has largely been taken over by Palestinian Authoritiy Foreign Minister Nabil Sha'ath, according to a biography provided by the Palestinian press bureau. Kaddoumi joined Fatah, the Palestinian liberation movement in Cairo, shortly after graduating from economics school in the Egyptian capital in 1958. He has remained close to Arab countries throughout the 1970s and 1980s and was a hardliner, rejectionist during the 1993 Oslo talks. He refused to return to the Palestinian territories after Arafat signed the deal with Israel. Earlier this month, Kaddoumi issued harsh warnings "to ambitious Palestinian officials, who are jockeying for power."

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I fully understand the difference between the Prius and the Honda IMA systems. I agree the Prius is much better for converting because you can run on electric only. In my case however I live in South Dakota and there really is no such thing as city driving or stop and go traffic. Since I don't have to hit the brakes much the IMA battery hardly ever gets charged. This is what I have observed with my Honda Accord; If the battery SOC (state of charge) is at half then it almost never provides any assist unless I really tromp on the throttle. Remember most of my driving is 55 to 75mph driving with rare need for braking. If the SOC is at 60% then I get modest assists on the uphills but only when the engine revs are low. If the SOC is 70% then I gets more aggressive assists but this drains the battery down to 60% or 50% fairly quickly. If the SOC is 80 or 90% (I've never had it all the way up to 100%) Then you get very very aggressive assists but again they don't last long because the battery capacity or temperature or both limits the assist. So you might be thinking to yourself, how does he get up to 90% SOC if he hardly uses his brakes? I ran some tests where I found the IMA won't assist if the the automatic transmission is in 2nd gear. So when I was doing some slower driving one day I kept it in low gear but put it in drive when using the brakes and eventually I got the batteries charge way up. So what can we learn about this? I conclude that if I can keep the SOC up with an auxiliary bank of batteries that the IMA would assist more often and more aggressively. I planned to use a 48 volt battery pack with a DC to DC Converter that converted the 48 volts up to the Honda pack voltage. The current would be limited so as to not build up too much heat in the hybrid pack. The 48 volt pack would be charged at home from the grid. So when I'm cruising down the road at 65 the IMA would kick in more often. Providing modest gains of which probably would never pay for the batteries, DC to DC Converter , relays, charger and wiring. But it would be fun to try. Besides I've been in a Prius, I like my Hybrid Accord Waaaaayyyyy more. The thing is like a rocket! To bad I only get 30mpg. My real electric vehicle will be a Toyota RAV4.

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Study: PERS employees get better benefits, cheaper Mar 2, 2013 | 1 Comment PORTLAND — Oregon public employees get better retirement benefits and pay less for them than counterparts in neighboring states, according to a Portland State University study. The study from the school's Center for Public Service aims to account for variations in retirement plans in Oregon, Washington state and Idaho to compare three representative public employees: an accountant, a teacher and a police officer. It concluded that to get benefits in retirement that would be worth $1 million today, the Oregon workers would pay $160,000. Similar employees in Washington and Idaho would pay $370,000 to $560,000. An exception in Oregon would be the 30 percent of public employees who make a 6 percent contribution. Their payments would be about $320,000. Employers “pick up” that contribution for the remaining 70 percent. A summary of the study has been circulating in Salem, where the Legislature is considering proposals from Gov. John Kitzhaber and individual lawmakers to rein in the increasing costs of the Public Employee Retirement System. At issue are whether the proposals amount to breaking a contract and would be struck down by the state Supreme Court, and whether they are fair. A union leader said in an email to The Oregonian that they would be unfair because employees have traded pay for pension benefits during contract negotiations. “For decades, Oregon's public workers have paid for their PERS benefits through every paycheck by way of markedly lowered wages,” wrote Heather Conroy, executive director of Local 503 of the Service Employees International Union. “A secure retirement through PERS is the promise the state of Oregon has made year after year; to revoke that promise when retirees most need it is irresponsible and immoral.” Employer groups said the study's conclusions were not a surprise, but the magnitude of the differences was stark. “What this shows is that Oregon has the richest benefits, and employers are bearing the cost,” said Jim Green, deputy director of the Oregon School Boards Association. “Employees have no financial skin in the game.” • Recent rash of thefts in Mac (1947) • Welcome aboard (1944) • Doing something for his alma mater (1847) • What a racket (1363)

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Faigy is the good one. She's always organizing chessed activities. So why does the principal, Mrs. Lieber, accuse her of ignoring school rules? And why does the elderly Mrs. Applebaum reprimand her for shouting? And why would Faigy, of all people, disturb history lesson by having packages delivered to her in class?

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Snow storms cause widespread disruption Last updated at 10:51, Tuesday, 22 January 2013 UP TO a foot of snow has fallen in parts of Tynedale since the weekend, prompting the closure of some of the district's key roads and up to 40 schools and colleges. Blizzard conditions across the district have made travelling conditions treacherous and police have been inundated with calls to accidents and stranded motorists over the last 48 hours. On Monday, the A68 at Stagshaw in Corbridge was closed as well as a section further north, between Carter Bar and the Scottish Borders after they became impassable. Conditions worsened on Tuesday morning and the A68 at Kiln Pit Hill had to be closed after fallen trees were left blocking the road. The A696 between Knowesgate and the junction with the A68 was closed along with the A686 at Alston. Continued snow fall has prompted libraries and tourist information centres to close early while many have opted to stay indoors. Stay up to date with the latest weather news via our live Snow Watch blog. Join in by using #tynedalesnow on Twitter or by sending your snowy pictures to email@example.com First published at 10:50, Tuesday, 22 January 2013 Published by http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk This week in... 1885Saturday, June 20th, 1885 Over 2,000 people attended the Temperance Gala held at Greencroft Park, Haltwhistle. Led by the Bardon Mill Brass Band, 12 temperance societies paraded through the town, prior to an open air meeting in the park. During the event the Rev. J.M. Russel condemned the House of Commons for rejecting a proposal to increase taxes on spirits and beer.

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PolitiFact Bias has now spent approximately a full year highlighting criticisms of the PolitiFact fact checking brand. Our hopes that PolitiFact would improve its performance in light of outside criticism have gone largely unfulfilled. Perhaps the biggest improvement was the reconciliation of two differing definitions of the "Half True" rating, but that modest accomplishment occurred without any announcement or acknowledgment at all from PolitiFact. By contrast, PolitiFact wrote extensively about its momentous change in calling its fourth rating from the top "Mostly False" rather than "Mostly True" even though the definition remained the same. Here's a rundown of the issues that should keep discerning readers from trusting PolitiFact: 1) PolitiFact persistently ignores the effects of selection bias. It simply isn't plausible that editors who are very probably predominantly liberal will choose stories of interest on a neutral basis without some systematic check on ideological bias. PolitiFact, for example, continues to publish candidate report cards as though selection bias has no effect on the report card data. 2) PolitiFact continues to publish obviously non-objective stories without employing the journalistic custom of using labels like "commentary," "opinion" or even "news analysis." Readers are implicitly led to believe that stories like an editorial "Lie of the Year" selection are objective news stories. 3) PolitiFact continues to routinely apply its principles of analysis unevenly, as with its interpretation of job creation claims (are the claims assumed to refer to gross job creation or net job creation?). 4) PolitiFact has yet to shake its penchant for snark. Snark has no place in objective reporting (see #2 above). Unfortunately, PolitiFact treats it like a selling point instead of a weakness, and PolitiFact's intentional use of it has apparently influenced Annenberg Fact Check to follow suit. There is a silver lining. PolitiFact's methods produce perhaps the best opportunity yet to objectively measure mainstream media bias. Some of those projects will be published at PolitiFact Bias over the coming year, with the study specifics available through Google Docs.

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- Latest available (Revised) - Original (As made) Revised legislation carried on this site may not be fully up to date. At the current time any known changes or effects made by subsequent legislation have been applied to the text of the legislation you are viewing by the editorial team. Please see ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ for details regarding the timescales for which new effects are identified and recorded on this site. (This note is not part of the Order) This Order amends the District Electoral Areas Commissioner (Northern Ireland) Order 1984 (S.I.1984/360)(“1984 Order”). The boundaries and names of local government districts and their wards can be altered by an Order made under section 50(10) of the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972 (c. 9 (N.I.)) (“1972 Act”) following the recommendations of the Local Government Boundaries Commissioner. Under the 1984 Order, the District Electoral Areas Commissioner (“Commissioner”) could only be appointed after such an Order had been made. Articles 3 and 4 of this Order substitute articles 2 and 3 of the 1984 Order to enable the Secretary of State to appoint the Commissioner as soon as practicable after the appointment of the Local Government Boundaries Commissioner under the 1972 Act. This enables the Commissioner to be appointed at an earlier stage of the process. The Commissioner is required to make recommendations to the Secretary of State for the grouping of wards into district electoral areas as soon as practicable after an Order giving effect to the Local Government Boundaries Commissioner's recommendations has been made (article 2(2) and 3(2) of the 1984 Order as substituted by this Order). Article 5 adds the Chief Survey Officer of Ordnance Survey for Northern Ireland to the list of assessors to the Commissioner in paragraph 2 of Schedule 1 to the 1984 Order. Latest Available (revised):The latest available updated version of the legislation incorporating changes made by subsequent legislation and applied by our editorial team. Changes we have not yet applied to the text, can be found in the ‘Changes to Legislation’ area. Original (As Enacted or Made):The original version of the legislation as it stood when it was enacted or made. No changes have been applied to the text. Geographical Extent: Indicates the geographical area that this provision applies to. For further information see ‘Frequently Asked Questions’. Show Timeline of Changes: See how this legislation has or could change over time. Turning this feature on will show extra navigation options to go to these specific points in time. Return to the latest available version by using the controls above in the What Version box. Explanatory Memorandum sets out a brief statement of the purpose of a Northern Ireland Order in Council and provides information about its policy objective and policy implications. They aim to make the Order accessible to readers who are not legally qualified and accompany any Northern Ireland Order in Council made since 2002. Access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item from this tab. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include: Use this menu to access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include: Click 'View More' or select 'More Resources' tab for additional information including:

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One very interesting talk was given by Benjamin Edelman from Harvard University. Ben analyzed the frequency of spywarish sites among organic search results vs search results ads, e.g. when you query Google for something like “screensavers.” Turns out, probably not surprisingly to most of you, that ads contain a much higher amount of bad downloads; that is, anything from EXEs that quietly install programs showing ads in your browser, software scams where people make you pay for freeware, software which renews subscription payments even though that fact wasn’t obvious, or just good old-fashioned sites that spam your email account when you register with them. Exact numbers of the spyware ratio I suppose are hard to come by. Benjamin, who also works with McAffee SiteAdvisor (a Firefox plugin showing “bad apples” on Google results), says his crawl downloads executables and such to determine software scams. According to his studies, 3.1% of all sites in natural results are scams, whereas the amount of bad apples among AdWords ads is 8.5%. In short, an advice to search newcomers could be: don’t click on those Google ads! Ben asks for search companies to better filter these sites, and also hopes that perhaps a law comes into place making search engines more responsible for these scams (from which they benefit through ad dollars). Even though the issue has been covered in a couple of mainstream sources, Ben argues that really so far Google completely ignores this problem. On a side-note, it turns out that MSN has (relatively speaking) the least amount of scams in ad vs organic results... however, Ben said, that’s mostly due to them having less ads on search results in the first place. I was slightly disappointed in the presentation on German vs Chinese self-censorship, though I’m not sure whether it was the message itself (for which the messenger is not responsible, as we know) or the way it was presented. Basically, under German law censorship is not allowed; yet, somehow, whenever something’s censored over here (e.g. Nazi imagery), then that’s not censorship, mainly because by definition in Germany “censorship” only happens when you kill something before publication. Somehow, we were left with a lingering implication of a stark contrast of German censorship vs Chinese censorship – you know, the one is “good” censorship, and the other “bad” censorship, with the best reasoning given for that being that “German law only censors stuff that’s endangering democracy.” No one seemed to have realized that a) Google is now using the German and French censorship as defense for their Chinese censorship, a perfect illustration how dangerous it is to set any kind of censorship precedent, and b) that the Chinese gov’t have their reasons too for censoring, and that those reasons happen to vary depending on culture. Sure, we can argue that European values are much more in tune with global human rights, but tell that to a Chinese gov’t official who’d beg to differ, arguing that too much free speech endangers the nation and leads to public uprisings and so on. Later that evening I learned that Marcel Machill, the scientific organizer of the workshop, is one of the figures lobbying for self-regulation online, the kind we see in Germany thanks to the FSK (the “Freillige Selbstkontrolle”, a “voluntary self-regulation”). E.g. in “Self-regulation of Internet Content” [PDF], responsible author Machill argues that “Internet providers hosting content have an obligation to remove illegal content” and that “codes of conduct must be the product of and be enforced by self-regulatory agencies.” Interesting side-note: search engines merely index the web and republish small snippets (or thumbnails), a symptom of those actually hosting the content. In Germany, search engines aren’t strictly required by law to follow up on the blacklist of sites put forth by the FSK (it’s voluntary, after all) – yet, they happily do so, possibly trying to walk the path of least resistance or trying to avoid further, stronger censorship. Talk about gatekeepers! (And mind you, in the first years many of the censored results – e.g. Nazi site stormfront.org is missing – weren’t even disclosed as such by Google. That only happened in the aftermath of the Google China censorship debate.) Another presentation, by Susan Keith from the State University of New Jersey, gave insights into a legal case of Google News v AFP, a French press agency that complained that Google took its content into Google News, basically. Well, as there is such a thing as fair use law in the US, the details of the case were much circling around the questions of: is copying a headline, a lead, and a thumbnail preview of the news story fair use or not? To find out if it is, several points need to be discussed, e.g.: The lines are still blurred and no completely conclusive discussion has been reached yet. I think it’s funny that some news sources want to be included into Google News badly or complain if they’re shut out, yet others like AFP want to be excluded. I wonder if the “market” aspect of US fair use law recognizes positive effects as well? Also see the follow-up on the objectivity of Google. >> More posts

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Five US Presidents it Would be Awesome to Get Drunk With Maybe you’ve never said it aloud, maybe you’ve never consciously pondered it, but deep down, you’ve probably always wanted to drink with powerful people. And who is more powerful than a United States President? We have here a list of five Presidents it would be awesome to get drunk with, and no, Harding did not make the list because he was a hypocritical douche that got drunk all the time while publicly supporting Prohibition for political reasons. Now then, on with the list: William Howard Taft Fun fact about Taft: he once got stuck in the presidential bathtub, and had to be forced out by his assistants. Someone actually graphed out Taft’s weight throughout his life, and judging from the spike during his presidency, I think it’s safe to assume he’s quite the stress-eater. Along with being one of the fattest presidents ever, Taft is also the only person to have been both president and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. All he had to do was become Speaker of the House and he would have gotten the hat-trick. President Taft actually got in trouble with the media during a trip through St. Louis, because he was seen drinking cocktails in the morning. Quote from the New York Times: “One annoying feature of President Taft’s journey through the West has been the controversy caused by the presence of Bronx cocktails at a breakfast party he attended. One does not have to be a clergyman or a total abstainer to reprehend the practice of drinking cocktails before breakfast.” - New York Times, September 24, 1911. Those damn New York Times reporters, harshing everyone’s buzz. For those drinking along out there, a Bronx Cocktail is just a regular chilled martini with a shot of orange juice added in. Frankly, that doesn’t sound like a bad way to start the day. Bill Clinton’s hobbies include: drinkin’, abusing his marital vows, and playing saxophone on national television. Clinton, the partier’s president, ran the country through almost 8 years of financial prosperity, before getting a BJ from some fat chick and lying to the nation about it. Although, from the looks of her, he was probably drunk when it (and she) all went down. Well, given that he’s married to Hilary, I’d imagine he gets smashed on the regular. Plus, there’s Family Guy‘s representation of Bill Clinton at a press conference: (The hell it’s not. -Ed.) Bill Clinton has professed before to favor a drink called the Snakebite. There are many different types of Snakebite (only one of which Clinton likes), and they all promise to seriously fuck you up. For instance, there’s the Snakebite consisting of Yukon Jack and a splash of lime, which presumably constitutes an average Friday night at Montana State University. There’s the Snakebite made from tequila and Tabasco sauce, but Clinton doesn’t like that one either, answering the age-0ld question: “Is Bill Clinton in a Mexican sorority?” In actuality, Clinton’s drink of choice is made with 1/2 pint of cider and 1/2 pint of beer (specifically: a lager). If you’re feeling adventurous, you might also throw in a shot or two of some decent vodka. But don’t drink all that right away; we’ve got a lot more presidents to go through. Barack Hussein Obama is most well-known for being the first US president that wasn’t born in this country, and if you think that was a serious statement, then you should probably stop reading this and go back to protesting at Ground Zero. Barack Obama was elected to clean up the shit pile Bush created during his administration, and has since become one of the most under-appreciated presidents ever. So far, he has reached the first nuclear arms treaty with Russia in 20 years, pledging to reduce the nuclear arsenals of both countries by a third; passed sweeping health care reform; passed the stimulus bill while lowering taxes; and ended the war in Iraq. It would seem like he’s accomplished a lot and deserves credit, but thanks to Fox News, most people don’t even realize what he has gotten done. According to a study by the University of Maryland, 53% percent of people think that their taxes have actually increased, despite the fact that they’ve done nothing but gone down since Obama came into office. Thanks, Glenn Beck. The Beer Summit. Just look at those pints. Obama has probably been photographed drinking beer than any other President in history. Part of that is probably the era we’re living in, but he seems to truly enjoy it. He even picked up some home brewing equipment and encouraged the White House chefs to try their hand at it. The results were better than expected, and they even released the recipes. Now, given that he’s also a smoker, we have to wonder what he was like in college. I imagine there were a lot of forties and blunts. Although Obama has said before that he prefers beer (now he is officially the best President ever), drinkers across America/the internet have created the “Obamatini.” The recipe varies widely, but the general idea is a mix of about 3 shots of some sort of high proof liquor, 2 shots of pineapple juice, and a hint of ginger. Here’s hoping that someone makes a State of the Union Address drinking game this year. George W. Bush Just look at this guy. Clinton dodged the draft, but Bush dodged two flying shoes at a press conference. He is as agile as he is aggravating. In fact, Salt Lake City mayor Rocky Anderson has been holding rallies for years decrying Bush a war criminal. Unfortunately, the mainstream media only covers rallies put on by Jon Stewart or the Westboro Baptist Church, so most people probably don’t even know that Salt Lake City has a mayor. Or care. An often over-looked record that Bush set was the record for most days spent away from the White House. Bush spent 1,020 days out of office during his two term presidency. That’s more days than John F. Kennedy spent as president. And one fewer than he spent in Marilyn. Too soon? Point of note about Bush: he has said that while he used to drink when he was younger, he doesn’t drink much anymore, making this section slightly hypothetical. But the thing about Bush is that, while he was a terrible president, I think it would be fun to have a beer with him. He seems like the kind of guy that would make some really awesome dick jokes when he’s not on camera. Plus, he spent 490 days at his ranch in Texas working on his cowboy routine, so I’m pretty sure he would like whiskey. Franklin D. Roosevelt In 1902 Roosevelt met a 17 year old girl named Eleanor, whose last name was suspiciously also Roosevelt. Ignoring that part, they began dating a year later and got married in 1905. Despite the fact that Eleanor disliked sex, and once called it “an ordeal to be endured,” they had 6 kids, two of them named Franklin, Jr. If the press got mad at Taft for drinking before noon, you have to wonder what they said when they discovered that Roosevelt married his 5th cousin. It was probably something along the lines of “Who the hell marries their cousin?” Somehow, Roosevelt went on to become the only three-term US president despite that whole weird sex thing. He was also one of the most productive and charismatic presidents in American history. He led the country through World War II, and his New Deal led us out of the Great Depression and really tidied up the place. He’s not just a drinker, he’s every drinker’s hero. And not just because of how cool he looks in this picture: The reason he should be revered is because he repealed Prohibition. You might say to yourself, “But Prohibition was instated by a Constitutional amendment, only Congress can overturn it,” and you would be technically correct, but this isn’t your article, so don’t interrupt. On March 21st, Roosevelt signed the Cullen-Harrison Act, allowing the sale of alcoholic beverages containing less than 3.2% alcohol. 9 months later, Roosevelt signed the 21st amendment completely repealing Prohibition, famously saying “I believe this would be a good time for a beer.” Because Wikipedia didn’t exist in those days, people documented the event with song: Roosevelt was elected Elected in time Went to the treasury And found one dime Got back liquor And got back beer Heap better times In the next four years. A frequent drinker, Roosevelt often made his “Haitian Libation”, which, according to drinking blog SloshSpot.com, consists of a mix of dark rum, orange juice, brown sugar, and an egg white. It sounds weird but apparently the ladies loved it: his son Elliot said he made them “for women companions, when he wanted them to be frivolous.” Nice one, FDR. Bonus: Winston Churchill He was not technically a US president, but he was awesome as hell. The Prime Minister Winston Churchill is by far the most bad-ass prime minister England has ever had. It probably helps his reputation that he came after Neville Chamberlain, the King of Impotence. He’s the poor man’s FDR, and the rich man’s Earnest Hemingway. Winston Churchill’s legacy (besides drunken quotes) was in his leadership and charisma. He united England when London was being bombed to pieces, forged military strategies with the US and Russia, and did all this while starring in the original Rambo. Despite his success during the war, Churchill did not win his reelection bid, and retired to a life of painstakingly documenting and publishing everything that everyone did during World War II. Winston Churchill is well-known for two things: writing too much about World War II, and saying awesome things while drunk. In fact, it is speculated that Churchill was an alcoholic through the end of his life. Once when accused of drunkenness, he responded by saying “And you, Lady Astor, are ugly. But I shall be sober in the morning.” His drinking even spread to his diplomacy – Former President Nixon claimed that he got his favorite recipe for martinis from Churchill. Churchill’s method was to mix 3 shots of gin with ice, then pour it into a glass and garnish it with a vermouth-soaked olive. Delicious.

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About Your Hospital Bill If You Have Health Insurance If you have health insurance, we will bill all your insurance if we have complete and accurate information. Any balance that the initial insurance doesn't cover will be billed to any additional insurance you may have or will be billed to you. Some charges may not be covered by insurance. For example, most insurance does not cover the cost of a private room. If you requested a private room, you may receive a bill for a portion of your room charge. You will not have to pay extra if a private room was medically necessary or if it was the only room available. Also, all obstetric patients are cared for in private rooms at no extra charge. In some cases, you will get separate bills from specialists you saw while in the hospital or bills related to special services you received (such as special lab tests, for example). These may or may not be covered by your insurance. If any of these bills show that you owe a balance, call the number on the bill to make sure the billing company has all your insurance information and to find out more about the balance. Many insurance companies will send you an "Explanation of Benefits" (EOB) form, which may look like a bill. This form explains what your insurance has paid for. It is not a bill. Even if the EOB shows you owe a balance, do not send any payments until you receive a bill from the hospital. For questions related to your hospital bill, please call, toll-free, 866-306-7643. If You Do Not Have Health Insurance If you do not have health insurance and you need assistance, please call our financial assistance office at 617-667-5661 and someone will be able to help you.

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France — Festivals and Events Festivals and events in France vary as much as the regions themselves, and cover the gamut of religious holidays, food and wine, music, traditional celebrations, performance arts, as well as iconic events such as the Paris Marathon, the Paris Air Show, Tour de France, and the Cannes Film Festival. Basing a vacation around several of these events is a great idea to see French culture in action. Carnival de Nice This fabulous 12-day carnival runs between February 18 and March 8, culminating at Mardi Gras on the last day. Costumed parades with decorated floats, masked balls, food and drinks, the Battle of the Flowers, street stalls and performers, and a massive fireworks display all signal the approach to Catholic Lent. Cannes Film Festival Famous world over, the Cannes Film Festival in May brings a galaxy of stars of the silver screen from across the globe to Cannes, France, plus thousands of fans who gear up to get a glimpse of their favorite celebrities. Glitzy, glamorous, and excessive with riotous parties on million-dollar yachts and in luxury hotel suites, the Cannes Film Festival is the ultimate see-and-be-seen event of the year. Bordeaux Wine Festival Held over three days at the end of June, the Bordeaux Wine Festival celebrates one of the world’s great winemaking regions in France. Over a mile of pavilions showcasing the best grapes of the region are set up along the Garonne River’s banks, with tastings mandatory and the Bordeaux International Music Festival’s rock, jazz, and classical concerts setting the backdrop. Paris Air Show Everyone who’s anyone in the space and aviation world arrives in Paris in June for the world-famous Paris Air Show. International big businesses and the general public alike attend to watch a spectacle of flights from the viewing stands provided. Commemorating the July day during the French Revolution when the people of Paris stormed the feared Bastille prison, this holiday is celebrated all over France, but especially in Paris. It’s national grandeur is commemmorated with military parades, fireworks, street parties, live music, and dancing. Nice Jazz Festival Centered in the 2,000-year old Arenes de Cimiez, the Nice Jazz Festival takes place for eight nights every July, attracting over 45,000 spectators and 500 musicians to its 75 or so shows. First held in 1948, it’s one of Europe’s biggest celebrations of jazz. Tour de France Sports fans and vacationers in France during the first three weeks of July form part of the millions who line the stages of this famous cycling marathon. The race path cuts across many of France’s major cities, including Paris, Bordeaux, Nice, and Marseilles. Spectators’ emotions run high and, for once, the French reserve and sense of privacy is thrown out of the window! Held in music venues and theaters in Aix-en-Provence, this festival is a major event drawing visitors from across Europe. Composed of recitals and concerts of mostly French classical music, as well as opera productions, the festival attracts many well-known soloists and orchestral players to the charming city every July. Paris Autumn Festival The Festival d’Automne de Paris is a celebration of the contemporary arts in a French city famous for its centuries of art appreciation. Over 40 events involving innovative contemporary artists in theater, dance, film, and visual design take place from September to December.

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Baal-worship and The All too many Seventh-day Adventists are prone to think that Baal-worship has something to do with sun-worship but most of all they think it was only the terrible apostasy in the days of Elijah. That denial of the Creator was merely evidence in that day which shows the long-standing enmity of the human heart that has roots in Eden. The apostasy of Adamís firstborn son bore a harvest so corrupt that "it repented the Lord that He had made man on the earth" for "the wickedness of man was great ... every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Genesis 6:6, 5). Cain became the father of the unfaithful who established a system of rebellion that culminated in the flood. It was a way of life, a strategy that rejected the word of the Lord. It took only three generations after the flood to lay the cornerstone of the great apostasy so deep and tenacious it would endure until the end of time. Ham, one of Noahís three sons who was saved in the ark, seems to have learned little from his experience. The descendants of Ham are notorious for their depravity. His son Canaan was the father of Israelís implacable enemy, the Canaanites. His grandson was Nimrod, and Nimrod was "a mighty one in the earth" (Genesis 10:8) who became the founder and first mayor of Babylon. It was this city that was destined to become "BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH" (Revelation 17:5). It was not the splendor of the buildings that was to be great, although archaeologists to this day are amazed at the ruins of the city, but it was the "abominations" that would be great and make the world drunk. The charter of this city would endure until the sanctuary is cleansed. We live in that cleansing time now. another thousand years the children of men had reached the place that the Lord was again faced with a crisis. The faithful line of Shem had nearly disappeared from the earth. What could the Lord do? He seems to have been left with only the family of Abraham. He was constrained to try again. He would need to get him out of his own land, away from the idol-worship, away from false ideas, into a land that the Lord Himself would show him. And so it was. And after this there was the destruction of Sodom; Joseph in Egypt; Moses to lead Israel; the Passover; the exodus; the sanctuary and its services; the spies, faithful and unfaithful; the apostasy at the borders of the promised land; the lusting for a worldly king to take the place of the Heavenly King which eventually brought Ahab to the throne. And then came the deplorable display of deception and blindness at Mt. Carmel. The crisis was the fruit of years of failure to heed the words of warning and reproof the Lord had sent. Each refusal to repent had deepened their guilt and driven them farther from heaven. Year after year, for about a century, Israel had been departing from Godís way. Elijah could face King Ahab only because he exercised strong genuine faith in the unfailing power of Godís word. He did not seek the job. At the same time he dared "not hesitate to obey the divine summons."2 He recognized that "unbelief was fast separating the chosen nation from the Source of their strength. ... Oft-repeated appeals, remonstrations, and warnings had failed to bring Israel to repentance. The time had come when God must speak to them by means of judgments. ... The apostate tribes of Israel were to be shown the folly of trusting to the power of Baal for temporal blessings."3 We Recognize Baal-worship?

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The Jewish Week asked readers to share their unique Passover memories. Here are their stories. A Seder In Freedom Jeanne Dortort Schwartz I was the first person in my family born in this country; my grandparents were born in Poland. I heard so many stories about what happened in Poland, the atrocities. In1924, at 7, I vividly remember my first seder — in a second-floor apartment on Clinton Street on the Lower East Side. The apartment was on the first floor, with one window in the rear of the building, a coal stove, an icebox, and one toilet for four apartments. At the head of the table, the candles shining so brightly, was my grandfather Elias Spiegel dressed in his holiday finery, his long beard shining … and my grandmother Fanny Spiegel dressed in her best. They spoke Yiddish. I could not understand their language, but even at that early age I realized the sincerity and importance of their words. That scene has never left my mind. Today I am 95, having attended many seders, but this one with the fervor of celebrating Passover in a free country made the most fervent impression. Jeanne Dortort Schwartz lives in Delray Beach, Fla. On A Holiday Of Memory, Drinking To Forget Jack N. Porter I don't remember any sederim in Europe — whether in Maniewicz or Rovno, Ukraine where I was born, or in the DP Camp in Bindermichel, near Linz, Austria — because I was born almost as 1945 began and we came to America a year and half later, on the American boat, the Marine Perch, along with Vladka and Benjamin Meed and other partisans. My parents, Irving and Faye Porter (Puchtik-Merin), were Soviet partisans. We arrived in New York City around June 1946; since there were so many Jews in New York, they transferred a lot of us refugees around the country, especially if one had relatives that would sponsor you. We had such relatives in Chicago and in Milwaukee, so we were shipped there. We lived briefly with my Uncle Morris and Aunt Betty and cousin Allen Porter, but things got crowded in Chicago. We went to Milwaukee. We lived in what was actually a Black ghetto with a small-but-dwindling number of Jews fast getting out and moving to a “better” neighborhood. The first seder I remember was there. My mom and dad invited all their “survivor” friends over. The survivors back then were still fairly young and healthy and very good drinkers. I was just a toddler of five or six; I remember people drinking a lot of wine and falling under the table, and I crawled among them. I thought they were “playing a game.” But they were trying to forget all the horrors of the war and all their losses, all those parents and zeydes and tantes and sisters and brothers, all lost to the Holocaust. They drank on Pesach to forget, but I thought they were just fooling around. Sociologist Jack N. Porter lives in Newton, Mass. A Frightening Seder in 1933 Germany The year was 1933. I was not quite 4, the youngest of four children. The Jews of Trier, the city where I was born, sat down to their seder. Although they were over the recent elevation of the rabid Jew baiter, Hitler, as chancellor of Germany, the Jews were loyal Germans, secure in that knowledge. In the early years of my life, the Jews of Trier lived in harmony with their Christian neighbors. It was well known that our then-Rabbi, Dr. Altman, even had weekly Talmud study with Bishop Franz Rudolf Bornewasser. I don't remember whether I asked the Four Questions or who, besides our immediate family, was gathered at the seder table that night. One incident, however, is so clearly etched in my memory that I related it annually to my children at our seders. Dinner was finished. I was permitted to stay up longer than usual, and Papa was ready to continue the seder. A tremendous tumult of people was heard outside. To my young ears, it sounded like millions. We all ran to the door and beheld a sea of people screaming, “Heil Hitler, Heil Hitler.” They seemed obsessed, carrying torches and lighting up the sky. White faced, my father quickly closed the door. “Let’s all sit down and continue. It’s nothing! It's just that Hitler must have arrived at the station, and his band of supporters are going out to greet him.’’ Hitler was making his triumphal tour of Germany after having outmaneuvered his opposition in the Reichstag to be elected chancellor. Our family lived in the heart of town near the main railroad station, across from the Ost park where the multitudes had settled in for their raucous rally. At the mention of the name of Hitler I cried and screamed so vehemently that all the blandishments and calming words of Mama were to no avail. I recall clearly running from the table upstairs to the security of my parents’ room. Once safely inside, I stuck my head under my mother's quilt where I finally cried myself to sleep. In 1935 my family was fortunate to be able to emigrate to neighboring Luxembourg. We were still there in 1940 when Hitler invaded the Lowlands and the German Army marched in, and through a miracle were able to escape to America in May 1941. Wolfgang Rauner lives in Hillcrest, Queens. No Matzah, But He Kept His Life In 1946, after surviving the Holocaust in Hungary and Ukraine, I was traveling with a group of other survivors by train through Europe on our way to an Italian port city, from where we intended to embark to Palestine. We were being assisted on this journey by members of the Hagganah and were instructed to say, if we were stopped, that we were Greek refugees returning to our homes in Greece. Before Passover, a gentleman came up to me. His family needed someone to “arrange” a seder for his family. He said he could provide matzahs, kosher food, plastic dishes. I led a nice seder for them. Two days before Passover, we stopped at a train station in Northern Italy from where we were going to be taken to a DP camp run by UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Work Agency, for an overnight stay. As the group’s appointed representative, I approached a man in the train station who was wearing an UNRWA armband to request assistance obtaining Passover food for the upcoming holiday. After inquiring how many boxes of unleavened bread we would need, the man told me to follow him to a building. He took me into a room, closed and locked the door, and with an angry look removed his armband and pulled out a revolver. I realized then that the man was not from UNRWA but rather was from British intelligence. He told me that he needed to know who was leading our group of refugees and that if I didn’t divulge the specific location of our leadership he would shoot me. Initially I continued to insist that we were Greek refugees but eventually I realized that to avoid being shot I would need to provide him with some information. I remembered the address of my cousin’s yeshiva, Chaim Sofer in Bratislava, Slovakia, a building that I knew had already been destroyed by the Nazis and turned into a stable. After two days of interrogation, I lied and told the man that all of our activities were coordinated from that address. Afterwards, I was released and was allowed to rejoin the group of refugees. Although our group of refugees was unsuccessful in obtaining matzah for that Passover, we were able to reach Palestine in early 1947. Alex Beck lives in Brooklyn. A Seder Education About Judaism My parents escaped from Germany in 1936, when I was just a few weeks old, to the jungles of Paraguay, to save the family from certain death. As I approached my 20th birthday, my father decided to send me to the United States for a better life. That was in 1956, just a few weeks before my first-ever Passover. I was welcomed with open arms by an aunt and cousins whom I had never met. There were “rumblings” of Passover and seder, words that had no meaning to me. I could not speak or read English, much less Hebrew. The only thing I clearly remember from that night is that I was told to drink four cups of wine. I am happy to say that today, more than 50 years later, thanks to my husband, I keep a kosher home, observe Shabbat and have two seders with our family. I even make my own gefilte fish from scratch and change my dishes. Terri Frankenberg lives in East Meadow, L.I. From a D.P. Camp To Jamaica, Queens I will always remember my first seder in America. My family and I arrived in the United States after the Holocaust — December, 1949 — from a DP camp in Germany. We were a family of seven — my father and six children. We lost our mother in the Holocaust. My cousins in America were able to get us an apartment in Jamaica, Queens. It was a small apartment, but we considered it a palace. Came spring of 1950, erev Pesach, we started planning for our first seder since the war. We did not have a table big enough, so my brothers went to the lumberyard and brought back a big wooden board and made a table out of it. My cousins told us to go the East Side, to the Essex Street market, where we did most our Passover shopping, bringing home live fish from which I made gefilte fish. We all participated in the preparations. My father koshered the stove and other items. We got the Maxwell House Haggadah from the supermarket. Finally, Pesach arrived. We invited my father’s aunt and uncle to our seder. The seder lasted to almost 12 o’clock; my father had to read the whole Haggadah. We continued making sederim in that apartment until we all got married and started the tradition in our homes with all our families together Ann Ragovin lives in Boynton Beach, Fla. A Sad Education On Yom Tov Judi Langer-Surnamer Caplan My father, Rabbi Samuel Langer, zt”l, who was living with us in 1996, stopped eating a few days before Pesach. It was very hard for me that year getting ready for Pesach and celebrating Pesach, all the while my father slowly ebbing away before my eyes. He was at the seder the first night in his wheelchair, but he was too tired the second night to do that. Friday night I got him to have a spoonful of chopped liver and a sip of grape juice, and I was hopeful that he had turned a promising corner, but I was wrong. When I came in to his room the next morning he was gone. He passed away on the first day of Chol Hamoed at the age of 90 years, 10 months, and 16 days. I sent one son to one rabbi, and my husband to another. One rabbi quickly sent back instructions, and the other left his shul to personally oversee what needed to be done. As my husband and my sons are kohanim, they had to leave our house for the remainder of the day until Shabbos was over and a funeral home could be called to come to pick up my father’s body. I remained at home to be the shomeret to watch over my father. The son-in-law of one of the rabbis came over after services to be a shomer so I could rest, and the other rabbi arranged for additional people to come over to be shomrim the rest of that long afternoon. Shortly before Shabbat was over, two members of the Long Beach Chevra Kadisha came to my house to help me make funeral arrangements for the next day, Sunday; there could be, they pointed out, unfortunately, quite a few Jews awaiting funerals after three days of yom tov, when Jews cannot be buried. I also became acquainted with some of the special ins and outs of funerals and shiva when someone passes away on yom tov and is buried on Chol Hamoed. I spoke at the funeral, because rabbis don’t normally give a eulogy during that time. Because the funeral took place during Chol Hamoed, shiva didn’t “start” until after Pesach, with the eighth day of the holiday counting as the first day of shiva. It felt like I sat shiva for six days, not seven. Judi Langer-Surnamer Caplan lives in live in Long Beach, L.I. Doing The Four Questions In Yiddish My father, Albert J. Brunn, began leading the first seder with our family at the Rosa Coplon Jewish nursing home in Buffalo in 1964 when I was only 2 years old. Our rabbi, the late Rabbi Isaac Klein, told my dad that the nursing home was looking to hire someone to lead the seder and they couldn’t find anyone. Dad said he was happy to volunteer. He did it one year and they fell in love with his warmth and genuine spirit. Of course, the fact that he and my mother were born and raised in Germany, before escaping as refugees as a result of WWII, helped a lot — some of the residents were easier to understand in German than in English. Before leaving Berlin on a Kindertransport, Dad had learned how to lead a seder by chanting the entire Haggadah. Dad led the first seder at Rosa Coplon with our family for 25 years. In addition to the traditional meal and seder story, Dad always found some interesting material to add; the residents looked forward to Dad’s bubbly personality, and his good voice, and many residents used to sing along with him. As a child, I was a student at Buffalo’s Kadimah School. When I was eight, one of our teachers realized it would be good to teach us how to ask the Four Questions in “Yiddish.” Being a kid, and not always appreciating what I was learning, I thought it a big waste of time. My father thought it was wonderful; that year, at the Rosa Coplon Home, after I asked the Four Questions in Hebrew, I did so in Yiddish. You could have heard a pin drop, the room was so quiet. By the third question, some of the residents started to sing along with me, others cried, but no one moved. It was a powerful moment as a child, to realize that I could evoke such loving memories for so many in their later years of life, and that experience has stayed with me to this day. My Dad is now 87 and still sings with us every year at seder. May he live to 120, singing away. Naomi Brunnlehrman lives in Westchester, where she is executive director of The Jewish Deaf Resource Center (jdrc.org). Seder Of Mixed Feelings Grandma Sadie, my mother’s mother, died in 1981 at 94. She always told us that my mother, Evelyn (Chava Ettl), was born on the last day of Pesach, 25 Nissan 5621, the 23rd of April, 1911. Pesach was always a special holiday in our home as we were growing up. Mom’s health was failing at the beginning of 2003. She lived long enough to take a picture with her three great-grandchildren; the last two were born in October and November of 2002, and they with their mothers and fathers and the older great-granddaughter, made the trip to Florida to see “Lala,” as my children and grandchildren called her. She died on 12 Nissan 5763, (April 14, 2003), two weeks shy of her 92nd birthday. Her funeral was the morning of the first seder. My cousin Susan made the seder meal outdoors, at her home in Cooper City, Fla. The rain, which had threatened all day, never materialized. Susan said that it was my Mom’s spirit, and her intercession with the Almighty that allowed us to remember the Passover, and remember mom on that special night. Hani Lipp lives in Palm Beach County, Fla. A Newcomer’s Lesson In Giving I arrived from England alone as a young girl full of the excitement at being in New York. I soon found an apartment and a job. To fill my time after work and on weekends I volunteered at the Veterans Hospital on East 23rd Street helping the patients, writing letters for them, wheeling them down on Friday nights to participate in the service, feeding them at the Oneg Shabbat, etc., etc. Then Passover loomed ahead. How lonely I would feel on the nights of the seders. I started to feel sorry for myself. When the rabbi at the hospital asked me to assist the patients, taking them down to the hospital seder, helping them to eat, etc., of course I agreed. Seeing how appreciative the Jewish patients were just to be alive and able to participate in a seder made me feel ashamed. I really enjoyed the warm atmosphere. I learned that I would never really be alone so long as there is a Jewish community where I would always be among my people. I volunteered at the hospital for quite a number of years, eventually receiving several pins for the hours I put in. I put the pins on a bracelet like a charm bracelet. When I joined B’nai B’rith (Brooklyn Heights Chapter), they made me SCAFV (Service Committee for Armed Forces and Veterans) Chairman, so I was proud to volunteer in their name. After all, I not only helped Jewish patients but whoever needed assistance. Phyllis Freeman lives in Roslyn Heights, L.I. Vroom At The Seder Judith Eisenberg Pollak My father led our seder in a traditional and serious manner. My sister and I as little girls would anticipate the part where he would fill the cup for Eliyahu Hanavi (Elijah the Prophet). He would then take us to open the front door to welcome Eliyahu into our home. Everyone would sing “Shefoch Chamoscha” (“Pour Out Thy Wrath”), and when we finished, my father would again take us to the front door to say goodbye to Eliyahu. He would then tell us to make a wish, and my sister and I would wish for the things that little girls wish for. One time while saying goodbye to Eliyahu, we heard a motorcycle roaring down the street. My sister perked up and said, “There goes Eliyahu!” Judith Eisenberg Pollak lives in Manhattan. Starting An Old Seder Tradition Ruth Esrig Brinn In every seder through the years, my family has followed the custom of having the youngest in attendance ask the Four Questions. This particular year, 2009, was different. My son suggested that the oldest be the one. And so it was that, with some reluctance and much encouragement, my husband recited the “Feer Kashus” in Hebrew with translations in Yiddish as he had learned in his Pittsburgh cheder many years ago. It was a delightful and memorable first. And sadly, it would be the last; my husband died in Israel some months later as we went to celebrate the bar mitzvah of our grandson. Ruth Esrig Brinn lives in Rockville, Md. A Rocky Start To Yom Tov Gloria Donen Sosin In 1966-70 our family lived in Munich, Germany, where my husband, Gene, was senior advisor to the director of Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty. Our teenage son and daughter attended English-speaking schools. We tried to keep family life as normal as possible, but took advantage of living in a foreign country, traveling in Europe. Pesach was especially important for us. Only a small handful of American Jews were stationed in Munich — those in the military, the American consulate and the Voice of America, and some businessmen. Aware of what had happened not so long ago at Dachau, less than 10 miles from where we were, in 1969 the VOA chief’s wife and I organized a first time ever community seder at the Officers’ Club. We invited outside people, including gentile people from my husband’s office. Some of them had never known a Jew before. Haggadahs and kosher Passover food were brought in with the help of the chaplain and the Jewish Welfare Board. That seder was particularly memorable because the elderly German cook at the club was almost arrested by the police when they found him down at the edge of the Isar river gathering rocks. When they questioned him he said he needed the rocks to “kasher” the ovens for Passover. In pre-war Munich, he worked for a wealthy Jewish family, and he remembered the practice. The police were impressed, the ovens were kosher and the story was the highlight of our well-attended beautiful seder. Gloria Donen Sosin lives in White Plains. An Untraditional Seder Menu Over the years, my children and I spent Passover with my parents in their Miami Beach condo. The seders were always very traditional — the recitation of the Haggadah, the menu, the selection of the songs, trying to finish before the light on the timer goes off and facial expressions when consuming the horseradish. As my parents aged, my Passover responsibilities increased, including additional cleaning, shopping lists, cooking and the covering of the counters. By the mid 1990s, I was replicating the seder my parents had experienced since they were married in 1944. However, since my family and I eat very little meat or poultry, I suggested that our second seder be a dairy meal. My parents were appalled and shocked; they attempted to negate the idea based on halacha. When preparing the meal that first evening, my mother continued to be skeptical, frequently saying, “Are you sure we can do this?” She finally threw up her hands in disgust when I began to set the table with the dairy dishes. My father needed continuous reassurances. He often said to me that he had never heard or seen a dairy seder. “Let’s not tell anyone about this,” he stated. I allayed his trepidation by assuring him that if this did not work out, next year, G-d willing, we would again have a meat seder on the second night. We survived our first dairy Passover seder with a few raised eyebrows, soft voiced grumbling and a final acceptance with minor disdain. And so to everyone’s delight, over the next 17 years our second night seder meal has remained a dairy one. We all agreed that at the second seder, often starting later than the first night, dairy rather than meat was far more digestively beneficial. Both my parents have passed away during the past six months — with this upcoming Passover, as I serve the salmon and blintzes at the second seder, I will think of them and recall their initial chagrin and dismay and then smile with a tear in my eye recalling all the dairy meal holidays we spent together. Janice Listokin lives in the Bronx. An Ecumenical Seder One year, for reasons I cannot remember, my immediate family was going to be out of town. Instead of spending the holiday alone, I decided to invite two friends one night. One of my friends was Jewish and one is Catholic. Through the years I have had many people from other religions and faiths at my seders. My Catholic friend, who had never seen a seder, asked if she could bring her aunt, who also had never seen a seder. Her aunt is a nun. The nun was fabulous, very enthusiastic. She not only read from the Haggadah, but asked many questions. I had never had a nun at my seder, and never will again, because I do not know any other nuns. Donna Blanc lives in Flushing, Queens. Having A Ball In Cleveland Dad had emergency open-heart surgery at the Cleveland Clinic a few weeks before Passover in 1978, and after traveling back and forth from our home in Buffalo on short notice to be at his side in the interim, we — Mom and my two sisters — found ourselves back in Cleveland for yom tov. We didn’t know anyone there, couldn’t arrange an invitation to someone’s home on short notice, so decided to make Pesach for ourselves. We were renting a room in a residency hotel near the hospital, and had shlepped a trunkful of holiday necessities: boxes of food, Haggadahs, pots and pans and dishes, the works. We bought some items, including matzah and grape juice, at a supermarket in a Jewish section of Cleveland that stocked kosher goods. We were all set. What is Passover without matzah balls? Since Mom didn’t have time to do her holiday cooking and baking in her Buffalo kitchen, she decided to make some kneidlach in our kitchenette in Cleveland. The room had no stove, just a hot plate; Mom couldn’t use a large pot, as was her custom; instead, she spooned the small balls of dough into a shallow pan that was barely deep enough to cover the kneidlach. The pan was designed for frying, not boiling. Any matzah ball recipe calls for a large pan. But we had no other choice. Mom finished with her impromptu creations, and stored them in our small refrigerator until seder time. Come seder night, Dad was recuperating in the hospital, and we sat down at our cramped holiday table in good spirits. We took turns reading from the Maxwell House Haggadah. Then it was time for the meal. Mom had reheated the matzah balls in the pan. She served them, as usual, in chicken soup, probably soup she had prepared from powdered stock in a bottle. What was wrong? It’s hard to say, hard being the operative word. We tried to cut the kneidlach with our spoons; the spoons bounced off the matzah balls’ surface, and the kneidlach jumped out of the bowls, onto the floor. A knife didn’t help. Mom’s matzah balls, I told her to her agreement, could cut diamonds. Jack Nicklaus, I observed, could use the recipe to patent them for golf balls. We gave up on the matzah balls; we valued our teeth too much. The next day we attended a community seder at a nearby Jewish senior citizens home. They served standard matzah balls, and we were grateful. The next year we were back at home for the seders, Dad was back in good health, and Mom was back to making her usual, delicious kneidlach. In a pot. The first time Mom made matzah balls in a pan was, thankfully, the last. Steve Lipman is a staff writer at The Jewish Week. ‘NO Why Matzah!’ My daughter was verbal at a very early age, so when she was nearly two, I decided she could do an abbreviated version of the Four Questions for the seders. We practiced, and by the first seder she was ready. She stood on her chair and said, “Why Matzah.” Everyone was enthralled. Next was “Why bitter herbs.” Then, ”Why dip” followed by “Why recline.” She was a big hit. The next night at a different seder she wasn’t quite so well rested. When her turn came she screwed up her face and cried, “NO why matzah!” I asked her for the second question and she unhappily said “NO why bitter herbs!” By the time she got to “NO why dip” we were all laughing so hard that I don’t think she ever finished. After that, “No Why Dip” became a family password for unhappiness. A Seder Star At 8 When my son, Bruce, was about eight years old, we had a family seder in a large catering hall in Philadelphia near where my relatives lived. There were many families there besides ours in the hall. Somehow, (to this day, I never knew when or how), Bruce memorized “Chad Gadya” in English and went up to the rabbi to ask if he could sing the song after dinner. He apparently pestered the rabbi enough so that the rabbi finally relented. After dinner, Bruce took the microphone and sang the entire song from memory and when he was finished the whole room applauded. The following year, we held the seder in the same hall. Only this time, the rabbi came looking for my son, who was only too happy to sing “Chad Gadya” again. Bruce is now 35 years old; he became a baal teshuvah about 15 years ago while a student at Cornell University. Renie Tell lives in Forest Hills. Finding A Seder In Kobe Lynne Rhodes Mayer In 1984 my husband Harold and I joined a Directors Guild of America tour to China and Japan. China had just opened up to visits from professional groups. The first stop was Japan. We discovered that Passover would fall when we were in Kyoto; we had no idea where to go to celebrate. A Tokyo rabbi said forget about Kyoto, they have nothing, but call so-and-so in Kobe, about an hour away from Kyoto. Kobe had a community seder, open to all, $18 per person. The next day I stood up in the bus to tell the mostly WASPY-looking members of the Guild that they were invited to a seder, please sign up on this pad if you want to come, but be aware that we must leave for Kobe as soon as we arrive in Kyoto. Imagine my amazement when the pad came back signed by 34 of the 38 people. When I told our “host” in Kobe that 34 of us were coming, I heard him gulp in panic. “Thirty-four?” Then calmly, he welcomed us. We had an exhausting train trip; our clothing was shipped by truck and hadn’t arrived. We followed our guide, a South African professor of Shakespeare at Kobe University, down the subway steps into a maze of small streets, and finally to the Community Center. We entered a huge room filled with tables and chairs, hundred of people present. We took our seats and were given little blue Hagaddahs — the Maxwell House Hagaddahs of my childhood. Inside was written 1945, U.S. Navy. They were the very Haggadahs used by our boys stationed in Japan at the end of the World War II. Japanese waitresses in kimonos served us gefilte fish and matzah ball soup. By 1 a.m., we were exhausted and said we must leave. I got up to say goodbye and thank you on behalf of our group. My husband felt a tap on his shoulder. It was the young American consul. He said, “I’ve never been to a seder in my life. I’m Jewish and I’m from North Carolina. This is my first seder. And now I know why I’m here.” Lynne Rhodes Mayer and Harold Mayer live in New Milford, Conn., and are retired documentary filmmakers. The Dynamics Of A Seder Renee Perles Kaminetzky My first seder took place in Bensonhurst, as a seven-year-old girl beginning to experience the preparations for that awesome night. For me it was also the realization of a painful dynamic that turned out to be a family saga of warmth and happiness, pain and disappointment. We lived upstairs from my grandparents in a two-family house in Brooklyn. Because my mother was the child that lived upstairs, much of the preparations for the seder fell on her shoulders. As a young girl I realized that kashering the kitchen, lugging the heavy pots and pans from their hiding places, and getting the whole house ready to begin the cooking was an uneven burden. When my aunts arrived a few days before Pesach to help with some of the cooking, I remember being very unhappy at the unfairness of my mother Leiku’s burden. But when the cooking got under way — some of the wonderful aromas, the sour Hungarian borscht, the enormous, hand-grated, crusty potato kugels as large as boats, chicken soup boiling on the fire, mounds of fluffy, golden, handmade noodles made from cartons of eggs and potato starch, every kind of sponge cake — all helped to mitigate some of my awakening feelings. When my numerous aunts, uncles and cousins descended on the house for the holiday, the sheer joy of playing with my cousins for days on end, people sleeping in every crevice of house, was something I will never forget. And finally, a house transformed and shining, the seder table resplendent in the finest dishes, sparkling glassware and silver, we dressed in our finest, my grandmother regal as royalty, my grandfather at the head of the table, set a dignified tone evocative of the splendor of that special night. The history of the Jews is a story of pain and triumph, good and evil and everything in-between, family dynamics a small microcosm. Life goes on. I am now the family matriarch, but I still sometimes feel like that little girl in Bensonhurst so many years ago. Renee Perles Kaminetzky, who lives in Monsey, N.Y., has enjoyed a varied career as a realtor, health care consultant, and special projects director at an adult day health care facility. Passover Gains And Losses Shortly after my father passed away in 1982, the entire family decided that we would go to Florida rather than have seder at home and look at our father’s empty chair. Mom had never flown in an airplane, but she packed her suitcase and was ready to go. We all arrived at the airport, boarded the plane, ready to go to Miami Beach … when we were told the plane could not take off due to the SNOW! We knew it was snowing, but assumed that the airport workers would simply clean the runways. No such luck. We sat there for 17 hours, till the plane was allowed to take off. Good thing we were leaving a day before Pesach. A few years later we had another Pesach first. Our second son was born a few days before Pesach, and his bris was on the first day of Pesach. He was named after our father. Fourteen years later, my father-in-law passed away in the very early morning. The levaya (funeral) was after Shacharis, and that night we sat down to the first seder that took place without my father-in-law present. Five years ago my great niece was born erev Pesach. Just as we see some of my Pesachs had sad feelings, we also see the great happiness in others. I think to myself that Hashem has plans for all of us and we must have faith in Him. Freda Fried is director of outreach at Gouverneur Healthcare Services in Manhattan. ‘We Are Doing This Together’ I am approaching my 75th birthday and have celebrated two 25-year anniversaries, in my first marriage, my in-laws were from a very Orthodox background and my father-in-law, whom I loved dearly, basically davened the Haggadah from beginning to end. Non-observant for years, in my twenties I joined a traditional Conservative synagogue and then a very liberal one. I then became a Reconstructionist about 28 years ago. and have been very active. When my present wife and I took up residence together in Manhattan and I began thinking about conducting my first seder, I told my wife that I was quite nervous about it. “Why?” she asked. I said that I had never done this on my own. She retorted, “What makes you think that you are doing this on your own? We are an egalitarian household and we are doing this together.” That had never occurred to me; I was certainly put in my place. Twenty-nine years and many seders later, we still plan the seders together and also cook the meal together. We rarely have less than 15 people and rarely end earlier than midnight. Bert Linder is executive vice president of Bollinger, inc., in Manhattan. First Time Leading The Family’s Seder After 27 years of marriage, we — my children and I — had to prepare a seder without our father/husband. He had decided to leave his family and continue to be fully immersed in Scientology, which some people call a cult. We needed to take part in the beautiful ceremony without him being there. We “Passovered-ized” the house. I purchased — overbought — Passover foods, How did that first seder without him turn out? I barely remember. But I do thank G-d for the strength and for the knowledge we all gained to be aware of the evil of destructive groups. Alice Jena lives in Richmond Hill, Queens. More stories are available on The Jewish Week website, www.thejewishweek.com The Jewish Week feels comments create a valuable conversation and wants to feature your thoughts on our website. To make everyone feel welcome, we won't publish comments that are profane, irrelevant, promotional or make personal attacks. Recent Special Sections

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It has long been my personal thesis that at its true heart, Doctor Who is not a science fiction show, it’s a horror show designed for family viewing. Yes, there are scientific things that happen, and yes they’re fictional, but the most effective, most cherished episodes are the ones where astonishingly creepy things happen too, usually somewhere a little bit dark and dingy, and more often than not, involving something that looks incredibly unpleasant. That’s why all the monsters are monsters, in fact. And most monstrous of all, according to recent polls, are the Weeping Angels, the scariest creatures since the show began, as this adorable clip from Comic Con serves to underline: The thing with the Angels is they’re very very scary, but not just because of the level of threat they pose to the Doctor or anyone foolish enough to get in their way, or because of how they look (almost all of the Whovian aliens are menacing and grotesque to some extent), the really terrifying terror comes from a combination of very simple factors that I shall attempt to ennumerate below: Factor 1: Everyone, at some point, has looked at a statue, with it’s glassy, unpupilled eyes, and felt a little chilled by the experience. The older the statue, or the more solemn the face, the more the stomach lurches. It’s as if they mournfully carry the weight of countless passing years on their shoulders, and they are trapped. The Weeping Angels are an ancient race, they actually DO carry that weight, and they’re modelled on the kind of statues you see in graveyards, so they’re doubly creepy. The only thing creepier would be gargoyles or cherubs, and of course, there’s no reason why they can’t be Angels too. Factor 2: According to the Doctor in Blink, the Weeping Angels evolved in such a way that they are “quantum-locked” within their own stone forms, only being able to move if they are not observed. They evolved like that. It wasn’t a conscious choice, simply a matter of biological expediency. All they’ve got is their hunger, their instinct and their curse, and if they don’t feed, they corrode, just like actual statues do. Again, you can feel the vertiginous depth of eternity under your feet even considering such a fate. It’s not for nothing the Doctor calls them the loneliest creatures in the universe. The fact that they look sad is just a coincidence, however. Put an unblinking Angel in front of an unblinking Angel and they’re frozen forever, or until something is placed between them, so they have to put their hands in front of their eyes to protect themselves. Which looks mournful. Actually, thinking about it, it IS mournful. Factor 3: When you’re looking at them, they’re unable to move, but they are still there. This means you’re facing a foe which is single-minded AND unstoppable and whose hunting technique depends on your human body doing what it needs to do, at the expense of keeping you alive. It wouldn’t matter if they looked like the Adipose, all of the fear is based in your inability to stop yourself from doing certain things. You make it possible for them to get you. By which I mean: Don’t blink? Don’t blink? What, ever? And don’t sleep? But I have to! And you say they move swiftly when I blink and I can’t turn my back to run away? But what chance does that give me? And now they’ve suddenly got fangs? Help! Factor 4: Even the way the Angels feed is unsettling. They send their victims back to a point in time before they were born, and harvest the potential energy created by their sudden eradication from their own lives. What a lonely fate that must be, being out of time in your own, recogniseable world, before anyone knows who you are. It’s like you have become tainted by the burden of the Angels themselves (and if that’s not an Evenescence song title, it should be). Factor 5: They have the ability to communicate using speech, but only if they capture someone, kill them, and invade their brain. That’s right, they use people as meat cellphones! Factor 6: Don’t assume you’re safe watching an Angel through a video camera either. Blink while watching, turn your back, and you’re in trouble, because, as Amy Pond found out in The Time of Angels, “that which holds the image of an Angel becomes itself an Angel.” Which must logically include your TV set at home. Sweet dreams! Factor 7: They can invade your eyes. They can INVADE, your EYES. AND, on top of ALL of this, they STILL look really creepy, even when they’re not snarling. The horror. The horror (but for a family audience).

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Bucharest Sightseeing Tour (4 hours) Hundreds of historical and architectural monuments, dozens of museums and art galleries, numerous parks and gardens, have turned Bucharest - the city situated on the Dambovita River - into the most important tourist attraction in Romania. The half-day sightseeing tour gives guests the opportunity to see many of Bucharest’s most significant sights in only four hours. The tour will include many important historical attractions such as: - The Triumphal Arch; - The Village Museum (stop and visit); - The Museum of the Romanian Peasant; - The George Enescu Museum; - The Royal Palace; - The Romanian Athenaeum (stop); - The National History Museum; - The National Savings Bank; - The Justice Palace; - The Patriarchal Cathedral (stop and visit); - The Palace of Parliament (outside). You will also enjoy a 30-minute walk through the historic center of the city. Bucharest is a city laden with historical charm - from the streets of the Old City Centre hosting a tremendous nightlife, to the grand architecture of the Royal Palace and the romantic Cismigiu Park. The city also claims a large number of museums, art galleries, exquisite Orthodox churches and unique architectural sites. • Above prices are valid for a minimum of 2 participants; • All tours must be booked at least 24 hours in advance on weekdays and 48 hours on weekends; • Guests traveling alone are subject to additional fees; • The above prices are valid for English-speaking tours only. Tour guide service in other languages is available upon request; • Cancellation policy: You may cancel your tour at no charge up to 48 hours prior to your scheduled departure. • 65 usd/person • 4 hours • Pick-up and drop-off from your hotel; • Transport by air-conditioned coach, minibus or private car; • Professional English-speaking guide assistance (other languages available upon request); • Admission to the Village Museum and the Patriarchal Cathedral. Services not included: • Entrance fees to the tourist objectives (others than those mentioned to “ Services included”) • Photo or camera fees; The Village Museum (Muzeul Satului) The Village Museum was established in 1936 and contains over 300 wooden houses, windmills and churches from across the country. This museum, one of the largest of its kind in Europe, was designed by ethnographer Dimitrie Gusti (1880 - 1955) to mirror aspects of rural Romanian life as closely as possible. Many of the buildings date back as far as the 17th century and were carefully brought to the museum in their original condition in pieces then reassembled. Because the museum is organized as a rural village with clusters of houses linked by winding paths, it makes for a pleasant afternoon stroll. The museum also hosts a variety of craft fairs and folk music and dance festivals throughout the year. Patriarchal Cathedral (Biserica Patriarhiei) Set atop one of the city's few hills, known as Mitropoliei, the Patriarchal Cathedral has been the centerpiece of the Romanian Orthodox faith since the 17th century. The church was built by Constantin Serban Basarab, ruler of the province of Walachia between 1656 and 1658, to a design inspired by the Curtea de Arges monastery. It became the Patriarchal Cathedral in 1668 and the seat of the Romanian Orthodox Church in 1925. The Byzantine interior, containing the most dazzling of the city's iconostasis and most exquisitely carved side altars, bestows great beauty on the services presided over by the Romanian Patriarch. The outstanding bell-tower at the entrance was built in 1698 and restored in 1958. Next to the church, and closed to the public, is the Patriarchal Palace (1708), residence of the Teoctist, supreme leader of the Romanian Orthodox Church. The National Museum of Art of Romania The National Museum of Art of Romania (Muzeul Naţional de Arta al Romaniei) is hosted by the former Royal Palace, situated in the center of Bucharest. It features notable collections of Romanian art of all times as well as the international collection assembled by the Romanian royal family. The collection of modern Romanian art features sculptures by Constantin Brancusi and Dimitrie Paciurea, paintings by Theodor Aman, Nicolae Grigorescu, Theodor Pallady, Gheorghe Petraşcu, and Gheorghe Tattarescu, as well as temporary exhibits. Besides the art collection, visiting the insides of the Royal Palace will be a great experience. The Romanian National History Museum Situated in the Old City Centre area, the Romanian National History Museum will be a very pleasant occasion for you to discover the Romanian past from prehistoric times until today. Collections of ancient artifacts, the Romanian Crown Jewels and the Pietroasele treasure are permanent displays. Starting with 2007, a late medieval archaeological site was discovered in the Old City Centre area and has been thoroughly studied by the archaeologists. Parliament Palace (Palatul Parlamentului) Built by Communist Party leader Nicolae Ceausescu, the colossal Parliament Palace (formerly known as the People's Palace) is second only to the Pentagon as the largest administrative building in the world. The palace took over 20,000 workers and 700 architects to build and boasts 12 stories, 1,100 rooms, a 328-ft-long lobby and four underground levels, including an enormous nuclear bunker. When construction began in 1984, Ceausescu planned on using the building as the headquarters of his Communist government. Today it houses Romania's Parliament and serves as an international conference center. Built and furnished exclusively with Romanian materials, the building reflects the work of the country's best artisans. A guided tour takes visitors through dazzling rooms, huge halls and quarters used by the Senate (when not in session). The interior is a luxurious display of crystal chandeliers, mosaics, oak paneling, marble, gold leaf, stained-glass windows and floors covered in rich carpets. Bucharest Sightseeing Tour (4 hours) BE TRAVELSMART – PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE We will do all the planning and preparation for you and we will carefully take care of the details. However, there are some things you should also take into consideration before you start your vacation, just to make sure it will be a perfect one. It is important to have all the necessary items you need in order to have a great vacation. Try to imagine the whole trip and make a list of the things you need. Besides personal items of your choice, here are some of our suggestions: It is highly recommended that you have all the travel documentation you need. It is your responsibility to ensure that your passport is valid for the following 6 month from the date of your departure. Also you should check if a visa is required and if you have a valid one. For specific details you may always contact our travel agents who can give you further assistance. Depending on your citizenship (if you are not U.S. citizen) you must check with your consulate on the documentation you need before traveling. Please take into consideration to gather this information in due time prior to your departure, for you and the others who travel with you. We also recommend you to make copies of your documentation and keep it somewhere safe, separately from the originals. Address Medical Concerns It is recommended to have your doctor’s approval before leaving on a trip. Make sure you checked the health issues of the country you travel to. There are a few countries that require preliminary vaccines. Please contact our agents for any question you might have regarding your traveling conditions. It is also recommended that you have extra medication with you, as a reserve for your regular medication or just as a precaution for diarrhea (the most common problem that occurs during traveling), head aches, colds or allergies. Here are some general guidelines that might help you: - Pack sunscreen and after-the-beach cream for you and especially for the kids. - To combat seasickness on a cruise dried gingerroot is known to be extremely effective; you may check this option with your doctor prior to setting sail. - You can take insect repellant especially if you travel during summer or to destinations that are known to have insects problems. - Take with you products that help you stay clean easily (wet wipes, hand washer, etc). - Be careful what you eat and drink. Drink only bottled water and make sure you stay hydrated. Eat mostly from the restaurants of the hotels or from local stores. Learn How to Stay in Touch (Calling Home) Before you leave, check with your cell phone provider for coverage and special fees. You can also take into consideration the possibility of buying a phone card from the country you visit. You can definitely buy one from anywhere in the world; just make sure you check on the fees. Also it is advised that you have a list of the international codes when traveling. Check with our representative whether the hotels you visit offer free internet access or not. Some of them have Wi-Fi in the lobby or free access in the room; it depends on the services provided by our providers. Know the Rules It helps a lot to be familiar with your airline’s general rules regarding baggage, airport security regulation, travelling with an infant or toddler, and what you are entitled to and how you will be compensated in case something goes wrong. It is advisable to learn and respect the basic rules of the foreign countries you’ll visit. Check the local traditions and general behavior rules if you travel to traditional countries. Also, it is helpful to check the local weather before you go so that you will know what clothes to pack in order to feel both safe and comfortable. Last but not least, be selective when choosing what to pack for your trip. Have an updated packing list of essentials for each type of trip you take in a year (family vacation, fishing trip, cruise, business overnight etc) and keep it handy. Dress smartly, with comfortable and functional garments, breathable and non wrinkle-able layers, using a healthy measure of good taste and common sense. Keep accessories minimal for easier security-checks, and always keep cultural clothing practices in mind when you visit foreign countries. Full Day Bucharest Sightseeing Tour (8 hours) For tourists interested in absorbing as much information as possible, a full day tour will enable them to enjoy the major sightseeing attractions while also “tasting” the cultural life of the city by visiting the National Museum of Art of Romania and... Bucharest and Surroundings Full Day Sightseeing Tour This tour is for those who would like to combine a sightseeing tour of Bucharest with a breath of fresh air in a nearby natural reserve that showcases Romania’s natural beauty. 10 DAYS THE BEST OF ROMANIA TOUR Romania's territory features splendid mountains, beautiful rolling hills, fertile plains and numerous rivers and lakes. The Danube River, which forms part of the border with Serbia and most of the border with Bulgaria, flows through Romania in the southeast;...

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Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum: World’s Largest Collection of Historical Aeronautical Artifacts I don’t write much about our life in a small town, but one effect of living here is an aversion to crowds. I don’t even drive to our dinky mall on weekends, lest I have to park more than three rows away from the entrance. So alarm and dread resulted from the realization that the “perfect storm” awaited us at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. A free museum in our nation’s capital. An overcast weekend. The week of Spring Break. Perhaps I saw you there, too? WHY did you go there, exactly? There are so many wonderful, kid-friendly museums in Washington, DC, but I knew the one which would most interest my kids would be the Air and Space museum, home the world’s largest collection of historical aeronautical artifacts. For The Boy, it meant geeky science stuff. The Girl, ever fearless, would get more ammunition for her dreams of space flight. Okay, what was so cool about it? Of course, it’s awesome, and truly amazing, that admission to this facility is free. There are additional experiences which cost extra, but these are still affordable, and totally worth it. As soon as we arrived, we bought our tickets for one of the three IMAX movies and one of the three planetarium shows which are shown on a frequent, rotating basis. We were glad later when we saw the long ticket line. Both the IMAX movie – To Fly! — and the planetarium show – Cosmic Collisions – kept both kids entertained, but more than that, it was SO nice to sit! I was correct in assuming that The Boy would want to try the virtual flight simulator. Matt went with him, and looked a little green upon exiting. “He’ll never be a pilot,” was all he was capable of uttering. Apparently, barrel rolls were part of the experience. You spend most of your time here looking up at the suspended airplanes and space craft. Which is a pleasant departure from seeing the top of people’s heads as they check their mobile devices! We were even more fascinated by the exhibits you can walk through for a better look at the interior compartments and control panels – like the 747 cockpit, the vintage DC-7 cabin, and the Skylab Oribtal Workshop. The DC-7 cabin was part of my favorite exhibit area, covering the glamorous days of air travel in the 1950′s and 60′s. I was a sucker for Pan Am on ABC for the same reason. I wanted to be a stewardess when I was a kid, back when it was all about high heels and pearls. And less about taking down rowdy drunk passengers. This was a model which travel agents would display in their offices. Now it’s an “I Spy” game which The Girl was all-too-excited to play. She spied at least three passengers smoking! The Boy was excited to join a paper airplane contest, because he considers himself something of an expert in stationery aeronautics. The guide used the competition to introduce the concept of stability, and taught them to fasten paper clips to the bottom center of the plane to make it fly straighter and farther. Then she made a quip about the paper being the only free souvenir we would get that day, and asked for us to return the “government-issued” paperclips! Both kids, The Girl especially, liked the “How Things Fly” exhibit, which was the only area specifically designed for kids. The hands-on exhibits here introduced concepts such as lift, thrust, drop, and air pressure. This wheel, spun by a docent standing next to The Boy, demonstrated the concept of attitude. When he turned the wheel, it created enough force to turn him in the swivel chair. Aboard this Cessna 150, The Girl could control the rudder, ailerons, and elevator. How it rated on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 = snoozefest, 10 = add to your bucket list): There are so much on display here; you could spend days! I would advise arriving when it opens at 10am, and checking a map to decide which exhibits you most want to see. Visit those first — before the rest of the world shows up. NOTE: There are two locations. We visited the National Mall building in downtown Washington, DC. The other is the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport.

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Boulder shifts timeline for mulling energy future The city is in the process of determining if it should continue work that might result in the creation of a municipal electric utility. The city currently receives its electrical power from Xcel Energy Inc. The original schedule called for the release of possible strategies at the end of January, followed by a council study session in February and council vote in March. Under the new timeline, strategies that are under consideration will be provide to council and made public on Thursday, Feb. 21. The council will hold a study session on Tuesday, Feb. 26, to hear from staff, ask any initial questions and raise issues they’d like to see addressed before they next meet to discuss the issue. The March vote and public hearing will be postponed until Tuesday, April 16. The change in schedule will help ensure adequate vetting of the strategies internally, as well as an expanded period of time for meaningful community feedback. “The people of Boulder and City Council have entrusted us to provide them with an accurate and thoroughly vetted report about the recommended ways Boulder can meet the community’s energy goals, and we are committed to making sure that information is of the highest quality possible,” said Heather Bailey, the city’s executive director of energy strategy and electric utility development. “We also want to be certain that our community has the opportunity to consider the proposals and help shape where we go next. This is an important decision for our whole community, and we’d like to encourage broad participation.” Interested members of the public are encouraged to review the memo and materials that staff will be preparing for the Feb. 26 study session and then attend or watch the presentation and question session to be held that night by the council. The public can learn about the methodologies and reasoning behind possible staff-recommended strategies at the Feb. 26 meeting, which starts at 6 p.m. and will be televised on Channel 8 for Comcast cable customers in Boulder. It will also be streamed live and made available for download at a later date on www.BoulderChannel8.com. The council will make no decision and take no formal action until it holds a public hearing on Tuesday, April 16. Until then, community members are welcome to provide feedback by emailing council members directly or by filling out the comment form at www.BoulderEnergyFuture.com. In addition, the city is planning a focused outreach effort from Wednesday, March 6, through Friday, March 15. Plans and details are still being refined, but the idea is to provide a combination of ways that individuals and businesses can ask questions and share their perspectives about the possible strategies. The city is working with communications and marketing advisors to develop both in-person and online participation opportunities. “We are expecting that there will be a great deal of interest in understanding the information we have been gathering,” Bailey said. “Our materials and the process we use to encourage feedback will be built around reaching those who are already familiar with the community’s goals and possible ways to achieve them and those who are engaging for the first time.” More information and background materials about the city and community efforts to date are available at www.BoulderEnergyFuture.com. More breaking news... Local firm sells sun power for cars Business taking off for Mountain Aviation

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The Top Ten places to visit in Africa As an ex-South African I can tell you that Africa has a lot to offer both in terms of holiday destinations, and, mainly, in terms of wild unforgettable adventuring. There's something for everyone in the dark continent - from amazing outdoor experiences, breathtaking scenery, to exotic cultures and people. So start saving up for the trip of a lifetime, rack up those vacation days at work, and prepare yourself by reading this list of must-see places in Africa. This is where kings and other nobles were laid to rest between 1600 and 1100 B.C. It has since become a very popular tourist destination with some 5-6000 weekly visitors who come to explore the 63 tombs, amongst them the tomb of the King Tutankhamun, whose discovery led to the valley becoming one of the most famous archeological sites in the world. These mountain ranges derive their name from Kinyarwanda, the official language of Rwanda, and mean "volcanoes" in English. In fact, the Virunga Mountains encompass eight volcanoes, mostly dormant, except for Mount Nyiragongo whose last eruption was in early 2010. The mountains are the natural habitat of about 300 endangered mountain gorillas, and are truly a sight to behold. Located on an island in the Niger River Delta, Djenne is one of the oldest cities in Sub-Saharan Africa. The city is famous for the Great Mosque and extraordinary mud-houses. Don't miss out on the Monday Market, one of the most interesting and lively markets in Africa. Victoria Falls has the reputation of being the largest curtain of falling water in the world. In the wet season, over 500 million liters of water pass over the edge of Victoria Falls and the spray generated reaches 1000 feet into the sky. An awe-inspiring way to view the waterfall is from the knife-edge bridge, located near the falls, which gives a view not only of the falls themselves but also the "Boiling Pot", where the river churns and bubbles from all the built up pressure. This national game reserve is located in south-western Kenya and is named after the Maasai people who inhabit the region. If you've ever wanted to watch the annual migration of Wildebeest, or see all of the big five, then Masai Mara is where you need to be during the dry season. To watch the wildlife from the comfort of a hot-air balloon is most definitely an amazing experience. Mt. Kilimanjaro, or "Kili", as it is popularly known, is the tallest free-standing mountain in the world. Its highest point, at 19 340 feet, is easily accessible to anyone of a moderate physical level of fitness. Scaling this mountain and reaching the highest point in Africa can prove to be a wonderfully exhilarating experience. This heavily forested crater is thought to have been formed some 2 million years ago by a massive volcano which has now become extinct. The crater is part of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and offers amazing opportunity to view wildlife and Safari excursions. As one of the last completely intact members of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Pyramid of Giza should definitely be on your short-list of places to visit in Africa. It is believed that the Pyramid was built as a tomb for Khufu, an Egyptian Pharaoh, over a period of 15 to 20 years. At one point it was considered the tallest man-made structure in existence, and today it's simply an amazing sight to behold. As one of the most popular wilderness destinations in the world, the Okavango Delta offers a unique view into wild Africa - the one you usually only get to see on T.V. The main attraction is the wildlife, brought to the region by the large abundance of water in the Delta. If you're lucky you'll be able to see elephants, crocodiles, rhino, and even cheetah and leopards. Amazing scenery, beautiful beaches and fantastic cuisine. If that isn't enough, then Table mountain, one of the Modern Seven Wonders of the World, with it’s amazing biodiversity and beautiful views, ought to grab your attention. This stop is a must for any tour of Africa.

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Commentators have been exclaiming over the decline in consumer spending in recent months. It’s true that spending in dollars is down, but an interesting fact has escaped attention: In November, the volume of consumption rose, despite a decline in spending. The reason is that prices fell. We used to talk about adjusting consumption and other components of GDP for inflation, but now we have to consider adjustments for price declines. The two pictures show durables and non-durables consumption, adjusted for price declines. Consumption of durable goods, adjusted for price declines Consumption of non-durables and services, adjusted for price declines It’s way too early to say what this means. The December data will be helpful. We may get some grip on the question of how much of the drop in consumption was the reaction to the spike in oil prices during the summer and how much from the financial events of the fall.

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This is a simple and not-too sweet cake, sometimes called "Depression Cake". It is free of eggs or milk, so it's vegan friendly, easy on the budget and delicious. Tags:Depression Cake Recipe,american food recipes,cake recipe,cheap cake recipe,cheap recipes,depression cake,how to eat for cheap,roughtimescooking Grab video code: To make this rough time’s recipe, the same way Grandma Willi does, you will need two cups of raisins, one cup of brown sugar and 1/3 cup of margarine, one tsp of cinnamon, about and 1/8 of a tsp of nutmeg, about an 1/8 of a tsp of allspice, 2 cups of flour, ¼ tsp of salt, 2 round tbsp of baking powder. Today, we’re going to make rough time’s cake, haven’t made it forever. This is sometimes called Depression Cake. And it’s simple, easy, and nice and sweet, and cost pennies to make literally pennies. Couple of cups of raisins, cup and ½, 2 cups, if you only have one just one, it’s alright, about a cup of brown sugar. Two cups of water, yah, that’s good enough. We’re going to cook this for about ten minutes, until the raisins are swollen in ten10-15 minutes. Until the raisins are swollen, and the sugar is all melted in, it’s a little bit slurpy. Then we turn it of and let it cool. So we’re calling for about 1/3 cup of margarine, roughly speaking, see the size of my hand, about that big. And we’re putting in lava along with the margarine, both things are required if you’re going to get this thing to taste good. They say you mustn’t cook in a bad mood, because you could poison people. Now, this is going to melt on the stove, and we’re going to take this to the stove now, and cook it up real good. About a spoonful of cinnamon, tsp, and just a little bit of nutmeg, nutmeg is too strong to use very much, that’s enough. This is allspice. Just a little of that too, there we go. It looks yucky now, but it’s going to be beautiful later. I’m going to use a bigger pot Willi. That will cook in a minute. Yup, see they’re not swelled up yet. What economic crisis. That’s getting nice and plump. I gave a cookbook to a woman, 82 years old the other day. She called me back, she said you know a lot of those recipes in there my mother used. Imagine, 100 hundred years. The raisins are nice and plump. You can feel that there’s liquid in it, they’re soft. We’re going to turn it off now and let it cool. When it's cool we’ll add it to the flour mix. I'm going to start with 2 cups of flour. I got very lucky and the organic was only a few cents more than the bulk store than the regular flour, so we opted for that. Better for us all not to have pesticides, and certainly we got to be supporting organic agriculture. There we go, 2 cups of flour. Now, we’ll have a little bit of salt, shall we skip the spoon? About a quarter tsp, perhaps that much, there we go. Baking powder, now I'm a little excessive with baking powder, because I want to make sure this thing is rising. Some people put two good size in it for sure it's going to rise. And we’re not going to put any eggs in this cake to help that process along. So there you go. Now that’s it for the ingredients, believe it or not, because we’re going to use this mixture here, it already contains brown sugar and raisins, so it's very sweet with a little bit of spice. We’ll boil that and now, as you see, look at those raisins, how nice and plump they are, how nice and fat. Now, we know it's ready and it's cool. We’ll mix those two together, here we go. Put every drop, don’t waste it. Here we go, okay, now, lets see how much liquid that will take. Now, this is a cake, so we’re going to stir it extra. Cake is stirred longer than it quickly. Get it really nice and smooth. Scrape the sides down as you go. Get all that flour stick in there. Now, this is a little bit thick, that is not a cake butter yet, I'm going to add a little bit of water, just a bit. Let me try that. It shouldn’t pull too hard. It should be too hard to stir if it got the right consistency. Not bad, just a little bit more, so it will not be too stiff. There we go. Now, it doesn’t fight me anymore, I know it's ready. You can see it's nice, it's brown. You can smell the spices already coming through, beautiful. I've set my oven already to 350 degrees. I'm going to bake it on one of those oblong pans, 13 x 9. So this won't take so long to bake, 30 minutes, maybe 40 at the most. Okay, that’s cake been baked about 35 minutes, but it smells just right. Oh it looks good too! Beautiful Rough Times Cake, put that down. Now, I got a little trick for you ordinary old corn syrup. Okay, fairly pure form of sugar. What I'm going to do is give a little glaze, not a lot icing, what it will do is make a really nice texture and a little beautiful taste on top. And the cake will actually last better and longer. At the back of the spoon, and just spread the thinnest little coat. Cover the whole thing, take your time, no hurry, food takes time. That will sink right into the first layer of the cake. Not as sweet as honey, not as sweet as sugar. Now, that cake, let it cook just a little bit, it's ready to serve, just like that, right out of the pan, no need to transfer, of course you can if you want to. But it is just served just like that, Rough Times Cake. Thanks or stopping by, don’t forget to visit roughtimescooking.com, where you find this and a whole lot more recipes. Eat well, live well, it's a good life.

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The death of internet activist Aaron Swartz has sparked a lot of criticism of U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz, who is being charged with over-zealous prosecution, and basically hounding him to suicide. Ortiz may deserve some of the criticism. I’ve criticized her for prosecutorial overreach when it came to Tarek Mehanna and Josh Pizette. But the critics overdo it when they try to pin Swartz’ suicide on Ortiz. It’s insulting to Swartz, implying he was so cowardly he couldn’t face a federal legal action. And it distorts and diminishes our appreciation for the real suspect in his death: the depression he struggled with for years. Swartz showed depression’s face in a 2007 blog post headlined “Sick” (helpfully pointed out by Maria): Depressed mood: Surely there have been times when you’ve been sad. Perhaps a loved one has abandoned you or a plan has gone horribly awry. Your face falls. Perhaps you cry. You feel worthless. You wonder whether it’s worth going on. Everything you think about seems bleak — the things you’ve done, the things you hope to do, the people around you. You want to lie in bed and keep the lights off. Depressed mood is like that, only it doesn’t come for any reason and it doesn’t go for any either. Go outside and get some fresh air or cuddle with a loved one and you don’t feel any better, only more upset at being unable to feel the joy that everyone else seems to feel. Everything gets colored by the sadness. At best, you tell yourself that your thinking is irrational, that it is simply a mood disorder, that you should get on with your life. But sometimes that is worse. You feel as if streaks of pain are running through your head, you thrash your body, you search for some escape but find none. And this is one of the more moderate forms. As George Scialabba put it, “acute depression does not feel like falling ill, it feels like being tortured … the pain is not localized; it runs along every nerve, an unconsuming fire. … Even though one knows better, one cannot believe that it will ever end, or that anyone else has ever felt anything like it.” The economist Richard Layard, after advocating that the goal of public policy should be to maximize happiness, set out to learn what the greatest impediment to happiness was today. His conclusion: depression. Depression causes nearly half of all disability, it affects one in six, and explains more current unhappiness than poverty. And (important for public policy) Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy has a short-term success rate of 50%. Sadly, depression (like other mental illnesses, especially addiction) is not seen as “real” enough to deserve the investment and awareness of conditions like breast cancer (1 in 8) or AIDS (1 in 150). And there is, of course, the shame.

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A graduate of London’s Royal College of Art and a recipient of the 2010/2011 McArthurGlen Spirit of Fashion Award, Miller was one of the young designers selected by London department store Selfridges for ‘Bright Young Things’ during London Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2011, one of the store’s initiatives to support young talent by inviting designers to decorate a store window with their collections. A month before his display was made public to London shoppers, Miller had presented part of his Autumn/Winter 2011 collection at the British Fashion Council’s London Showrooms in Paris. At this display, he was interviewed (and had his collection photographed) for Italian Vogue. In addition, his designs started featuring in numerous magazines, including Wallpaper*, I-D and Attitude. At London Collections: Men, Miller introduced his Spring/Summer 2013 collection by stating, with worrying words, that “to create authenticity, beauty has to be destroyed”. He also explained that the prints used throughout the collection came from CCTV imagery of social housing blocks designed during the apogee of Brutalist architecture. However, when the models took to the runway, the audiences sighed with relief at the subtle and highly elegant manner in which the designer was able to convey this message. The subtlety of expressed meanings could be seen in garments with the laser-cut names of designers who took part in MAN and NEWGEN initiatives over the years as a fitting tribute to the British fashion industry in the year that it welcomes the inaugural menswear fashion week. In addition, impeccably tailored garments revealed visible extended pleats in the back, suggesting a new vocabulary in the conservative lexicon of men’s sartorial realm. Despite this immense qualitative leap in Miller’s career, it was refreshing to see that the designer did not let go of his trademark features, such as using M33 carabiners (oval-shaped hooks of industrial strength that he has been using over the last few seasons) in jackets and on the back of trousers. Overall, the collection revealed the influence of a minimalist and monochromatic tradition tinted by functional practicality. Suits were sharply tailored and occasionally deconstructed in the form of sleeveless jackets and fitted shorts, and boxy t-shirts in luxurious fabrics alternated with stylish knitwear and shirting. Adding to this impeccable collection, Miller collaborated with footwear label Oliver Sweeney to develop a range of whole-cut shoes and trainers defined by their unique and unexpected detailing.

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The Musical Instrument Museum Road Journals Blog—When I first walked into Phoenix’s Musical Instrument Museum, the plucking of discordant strings and the resonating thumps of a gong beckoned to me from a door down the hall. “Don’t start in the Experience Gallery,” warned Erin Kozak, the museum’s media person. “You’ll never get to anything else.” She was right. The 200,000-square-foot building had two floors filled with over 5,000 instruments and objects from around the world. Our group, who visited courtesy of the Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau, was encouraged to start with the region that intrigued us the most. I hightailed it to Europe, interested to see what my Irish and Scottish ancestors played, and then snaked my back through the 50 countries represented in the Asia and Oceania section, and then into the Africa and Middle East room, which pulls from the rich background of 47 sub-Saharan and 21 North African and Middle Eastern nations. Regardless of the starting point, interactive monitors liberally sprinkled throughout the displays pull you in. As you walk from region to region, screens buzz to life with videos of the instruments being played in their natural environments. I watched a duo play a haunting rendition of Danse Macabre on a Dutch carillon, saw a set of tuned bells operated by a keyboard played with fists, and marveled at the delicate plucking of African thumb pianos. When former Target CEO Robert J. Ulrich began formulating the idea for the museum—which opened in spring of 2010—he wanted people to experience the music. As someone who loved museums, but not necessarily music, he decided to create an immersive space using monitors after a visit to a music museum in Brussels. With the more unusual instruments, videos helped me see exactly how you played the darn thing. The unique and lesser-known instruments I encountered ranged from the church serpent (a curvy bass horn from France) to Irish Cairdin button accordions to musical spoons used in Cajun zydeco. Other impressive pieces included intricately carved boat lutes from southeast Asia, a plucked zither carved to resemble a giant crocodile, and a Buun shell trumpet from Somalia. Don’t bypass the Republic of Congo display, which showcases unusual rattles, carved drums, and arched harps atop whittled wood resembling plump legs. I also couldn’t pass by the hip hop area, which blasted the video for the song “Rapper’s Delight.” Downstairs, the museum’s Artist Gallery exhibited instruments that played a significant role in the lives of musicians from Eric Clapton to the Jonas Brothers, most on loan from the estates of performers or the artists themselves. And the King is always in the building. While other artists’ instruments rotate in and out, the gallery always maintains an Elvis presence. By far, the most exciting part of the visit was the Experience Gallery, where I had the opportunity to actually play some of the instruments I learned about upstairs. I warmed up on the looming gong in the back corner before giving it a healthy whack and felt the vibrations reverberate throughout my body. Easily distracted by shiny objects, I tried my hand on the Indonesian gamelan, two rows of golden orbs that produce different tones when struck. If you find you have a particular knack for the theremin (an electronic instrument with two antennas controlling volume and pitch, which required me to wave my hands around spastically in an awkward looking dance), you can purchase your own to play at home. I opted for a harmonica instead. Small and relatively simple, it’ll be the perfect start until I reach the level of musicianship I witnessed upstairs. This blog post was first published in May 2012. Some facts may have aged gracelessly. Please call ahead to verify information.

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The Highly Questionable History Of Douche Ads Ads for douches seem to be laced with the intent to harm women's self-esteem, not to mention vaginas, as douching can actually cause infections. But douche ads have an interesting history. The douche was originally considered a birth control method, back when birth control was illegal. Because of this, it was socially camouflaged as a "hygiene product." From there, the ads evolved into mothers and daughters with cable-knit sweaters tied around their shoulders, having talks about "feminine odor" on the beach.

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|I shall wrap you in white, against the cold dark night, there's a hard freeze on, my delicates.| Cold comes from loss of heat. Remove all heat, and you would get as cold as possible, absolute zero, −273.15°C, or −459.7°F, or (my favorite) 0°K (Kelvin). I mention that not because it reached zero degrees Kelvin in Phoenix on Thursday morning, although I was wondering if we weren't headed in that direction, but because I think it's relevant to the concept of putting blankets on stuff outside. Putting a blanket on something doesn't add heat to it. Unless the blanket itself is hot, and in any case it will cool down to air temperature pretty fast. All that putting a blanket on does is slow the release of heat. A blanket is equally good at keep heat out, too, so wrapping a block of ice in one will slow its melting. In Europe they are spreading blanket-like carpets on glaciers for that very reason. I'm not underestimating the aid that these covers will give to these plants, particularly beneath the clear black cold skies we're having at night: the clearer, the colder, because clouds act like blankets themselves, insulating, and also reflecting, heat which is otherwise sent radiating out into the darkness. |That's ice. On a canal. In Phoenix. Never never never never.| Friday is supposed to be the end of this cold spell. However, it will require one more Plan B+ clothed commute. Plan B+ is the under 40°F clothes, augmented with thick wool socks, a head cover under the helmet, both pants legs wrapped shut against the socks, and an extra layer of fleece under the jacket. It's a very warm combination that I haven't worn in a very long time. Let's hope it's a very long time before I wear them again. Stay warm, don't make with the slipping or the falling down. Go Pittsburgh. Get up. Go ride.

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Pizza Hut Customers Can Now Order a Firefighter To Go September 22, 2010 Residents will be able to get a firefighter with their pizza Oct. 6 and 7. The Somerset Volunteer Fire Department is teaming up with Pizza Hut in Somerset during Fire Prevention Week to check the smoke alarms of people who order pizza on those days. Pizza Hut owner Erik Bittner said he was happy to help fire department members reach people’s homes for fire prevention education. “It’s a great way to do community outreach and help out the local fire department,” he said. Fire department prevention coordinator Dave Sube said members were thinking of new ways to reach community members. “This is another way to get people to think about smoke alarms,” he said. “We think it will spark some interest in the community.” According to Bittner, anyone who orders a pizza between 6 and 8 p.m. on Oct. 6 and 7 will be asked if a firefighter can inspect their smoke alarms. “For everyone who allows a member of the fire department (to visit their home), they will get a coupon for $5 toward their next order from Pizza Hut,” he said. Sube said the fire department has a limited supply of smoke detectors for homes without alarms. The firefighter will install the detector if time allows. “A smoke alarm is a very important thing to have in a house,” Sube said. Most smoke alarms have a test button. Sube said people should have an alarm on every floor, including the basement, and one for every sleeping unit. Batteries should be replaced twice a year and smoke detectors should be replaced every 10 years. If the event is successful, Sube said the fire department will consider doing it again. “The more people we reach the more people will know about it,” he said. “If we visit 20 families that is 20 more families we can protect.” During Fire Prevention Week the fire department will also be conducting school drills and visiting with civic organizations. An open house is planned for Oct. 16.

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Electrical Tip of the Day: Florescent lamp color is rated in degrees Kelvin. Natural sun light on a clear day is about 6000K. Florescent lamps are available in a wide range. From as low as 2000K (which tends to be the old yellowish cool white color) to as high as 7500K (which tends to go into the blue / red spectrum). If you are not happy with the light quality at your office or place of business chances are a lamp change out can make a huge difference.

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OK, another from the wonderful Motel Xenia and more from my recent trip and the access I gained to new areas. The place is in a pretty sorry state inside so finding pleasing angles wasn't without its challenges. I would have loved to explore this place just after it closed. Still, I'm pleased that it is still standing and still has secrets to reveal to me. The majority of the shots on this trip were taken in the kitchens and the dining/recreational areas. Located in Amnisos (Αμνίσος, Κρήτη) Crete, it was designed by the architect Άρης Κωνσταντινίδης (Aris Konstantinidis) (1913-1993). He was born in Athens and studied architecture in the Technical University of Munich from 1931 to 1936, where he came into contact with the architectural concept of the Modern Movement. He returned to Greece in 1936 and worked for the Town Planning Department of the city of Athens and for the Ministry of Public Works. He was appointed to the head of the Workers Housing Organisation from 1955 to 1975 and as the head of the Technical Service of the Greek National Tourism Organisation from 1957 to 1967, where he planned and oversaw the construction of a series of workers' houses and of hotels. Today the motel just seems to sit and decay beautifully. I have no idea how long it has been empty nor how long it will be before they level the site. It's situated right on the beach front so one would think prime building land given that it is only about 15 minutes from the airport. I have even managed to find a decent aerial view of the place. So here is a map of the Motel Xenia. The cross shaped building is the centre of the complex. The whole series can be seen if you pop over to Flickr. Mama here comes midnight with the dead moon in its jaws Must be the big star about to fall Long dark blues Will o the wisp The big star is falling Through the static and distance A farewell transmission

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When I run the smartctl tool against one of my drives it indicates that the smart defined threshold is 0. Should it be something larger? The raw value usually shows something around 25-28, and the normalized value is usually around 100-125. With a threshold of 0 though, how can I tell if a drive has crossed a temperature threshold? Likewise, how do I interpret the offline_uncorrectable attribute? I currently have a drive with some bad sectors on it, where smartctl shows the raw value for this attribute as 691. The threshold is 0 on this drive, and the current normalized smart value is 182. However, another drive with no bad sectors shows the raw value as 0, the threshold as 0, and the normalized value as 200. According to this page attribute values can range from 1-253, with 1 meaning bad and 253 being the best possible value. But shouldn't the threshold for bad sectors be something other than 0. This would imply a threshold error condition would never be triggered for this attribute. I think I must be missing something, or could smartctl not be displaying the correct value for these thresholds?

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Counting Crows are a rock band that became extremely popular in 1994 following the release of their debut album August and Everything After, which featured the hit song "Mr. Jones." Counting Crows was formed by singer Adam Duritz and guitarist David Bryson (both formerly of The Himalayans) in San Francisco in 1991. Duritz had experience as a member of the band The Himalayans and as a contributor to recordings by the San Francisco Bay Area group Sordid Humor (though never a member). Counting Crows originally performed as an acoustic duo, playing gigs in and around Berkeley and San Francisco. Counting Crows, with their intimate and melancholy approach, quickly achieved a large fan base among Generation X alternative rock fans who were looking for something different from the raging guitars of the Seattle music scene. It was during this time that a full band was formed from local musicians, and the band was signed to Geffen Records. The first album, August and Everything After was released in 1993, with the song "Mr. Jones", about Adam's childhood friend and bassist in The Himalayans Marty Jones, becoming a huge hit.... |origin||San Francisco, California| |music genre||Rock music| |current members|| Dan Vickrey| |past members|| Steve Bowman|

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Storm Sends Wall of Red Mud into Tuacahn Amphitheater By Helen Gardner Deseret News, 07 September 1995, Page A1 A monsoon storm brought a five-foot wall of red mud and water into the Tuacahn Amphitheater Wednesday afternoon. Up to two inches of water fell in a one hour period, in the surrounding mountains and Snow Canyon. Mud, debris, and water flooded the Black Box Theater, the Hafen Theater, and several classrooms. The outdoor amphitheater had “mud, water and debris up to Row H”. The road leading to Tuacahn closed after mud and debris pushed down a fence designed to protect the desert tortoise, allowing debris from Snow Canyon to cover the roadway. Mary Stewart, director of Tuacahn School of the Arts, said, “It filled doorways about halfway up with water on top of the mud. It was as though half the mountain caved in.” “The wonderful part of all this is the volunteers. Our telephone lines have been jammed with people calling to offer help and services. . . . It is wonderful to know so many people care.''

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Development should not end once an individual becomes an executive. Life-long learning is essential to ensure the executive remains relevant in today’s fast paced environment. Facing constant challenges, changing technologies and a fluid environment, executives must pursue ongoing professional executive development to succeed and grow. It is crucial that executives continue to strengthen and enhance their Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs), broaden their perspectives, and strengthen their performance. Federal agencies are required by law (Title 5, U.S. Code, Section 3396) to establish programs for the continuing development of senior executives. SES members are required to prepare, implement, and regularly update an EDP as specified by 5 CFR 412.401. The Executive Development Plan (EDP) is a key tool in assisting executives in their continued development. EDPs should outline a senior executive's short-term and long-term developmental activities which will enhance the executive's performance. These activities should meet organizational needs for leadership, managerial improvement, and results. EDPs should be reviewed annually and revised as appropriate by an Executive Resources Board or similar body designated by the agency to oversee executive development. OPM has developed a sample EDP template you or your agency can use. Department of Commerce has developed this IDP/EDP template for their executives. Does your Agency have an EDP template that you find useful? There may be barriers or perceived barriers to executive development. The 2008 Survey of Senior Executives indicated that many executives felt their training and developmental needs were not being met by their agency. Over one third of the executives surveyed indicated they had never taken advantage of the activities commonly used for developing executives (360 degree assessments, details, mentoring, coaching, residential programs, etc.). How can you overcome these barriers? The article Three Barriers to Owning your Leadership Development presents an interesting way of thinking about these barriers and some possible solutions. Do you have ideas or suggestions? Solve Problems (How can I utilize this in my agency?) There are many tools available for Executive Development. Below are some of the activities that can be utilized for further development. 360 Degree Feedback: 360 degree feedback is a widely used method and tool to assist in identifying strengths and developmental needs. OPM offers 360 degree survey services as do other organizations. Formal Training: OPM offers formal training at its Management Development Centers and the Federal Executive Institute. There are many other formal training opportunities outside OPM. For more information, visit the Executive Development Community web page. Mentoring and Coaching: Mentoring and Coaching are very effective tools for personal and leadership development. For more information see our Mentoring and Coaching Wiki. Mobility Assignments: Current and aspiring executives have the option to participate in mobility assignments (5 U.S.C. 3131). These assignments consist of details, special/short-term assignments, transfers, projects, use of the Intergovernmental Personnel Act authority, sabbaticals, formal training and other creative ways to expose executives to challenges or otherwise expand their capacity to serve. Sabbaticals: Another means for an SES member to gain a broader knowledge and experience is to participate in a sabbatical. Sabbaticals can be used for teaching; study (independent or structured); research; developmental work experience in the private sector, non-profit organizations, State, local, or foreign governments; and an activity or a project not covered above. Other tools could include books, book summaries, webinars, and serving on Interagency Work Groups. What tools have you found useful in your professional development as an executive? Stay Current (What are other organizations doing in this area?) Federal Executive Boards offer many training and development programs of interest to the executive and aspiring executive. The Federal Executive Boards (FEBs) are a forum for communication and collaboration among Federal agencies outside Washington, DC. The National network of 28 FEBs, located in areas of significant Federal populations, serves as the cornerstone for strategic partnering in Government. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). The Department of Energy’s NNSA has implemented the Executive Career Enrichment Initiative. This program is designed to be a comprehensive leadership program for the NNSA leadership Corps. The program helps to define NNSA’s Executive Corps (consisting of members of the SES and Excepted Service), it enriches the careers of NNSA Executives, it develops future Executives, and it enhances NNSA’s mission execution and growth. For more details on this exciting program view the attached powerpoint slides. Tell us about your agency’s efforts toward Executive Development so we can highlight them here. Find Opportunities (What training or other opportunities are available for Executives?) OPM Executive Leadership and Development Programs: OPM offers a variety of training and development opportunities online and as resident programs. To learn more about these opportunities visit the Leadership and Development site. Here are some other organizations that help people in their quest to becoming better leaders: Center for Creative Leadership Senior Executives Association Harvard University: The John F. Kennedy School of Government Executive Education Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan Executive Programs Maxwell School of Syracuse University Executive Education Programs Graduate School, USDA Federal Executive Boards (FEBs) Discover Helpful Tools and Resources (What other tools and resources are available to me?) The Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) establish the basic leadership skills needed to succeed in the SES. The Guide to Senior Executive Service Qualifications describes these leadership skills (competencies) and the behaviors associated with the ECQs. The Fact Book: Explore statistics on Senior Executive Service awards, positions and appointments, and member profile. If you see an error or have any suggestions for improvement, please email us at HRDLeadership@opm.gov

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“I know thy cunning and thy greed,| Thy hard high lust and wilful deed, And all thy glory loves to tell Of specious gifts material.” I HAVE struck a city—a real city—and they call it Chicago. The other places do not count. San Francisco was a pleasure-resort as well as a city, and Salt Lake was a phenomenon. This place is the first American city I have encountered. It holds rather more than a million of people with bodies, and stands on the same sort of soil as Calcutta. Having seen it, I urgently desire never to see it again. It is inhabited by savages. Its water is the water of the Hooghly, and its air is dirt. Also it says that it is the “boss” town of America. I do not believe that it has anything to do with this country. They told me to go to the Palmer House, which is overmuch gilded and mirrored, and there I found a huge hall of tessellated marble crammed with people talking about money, and spitting about everywhere. Other barbarians charged in and out of this inferno with letters and telegrams in their hands, and yet others shouted at each other. A man who had drunk quite as much as was good for him told me that this was “the finest hotel in the finest city on God Almighty’s earth.” By the way, when an American wishes to indicate the next country or state, he says, “God A’mighty’s earth.” This prevents discussion and flatters his vanity. Then I went out into the streets, which are long and flat and without end. And verily it is not a good thing to live in the East for any length of time. Your ideas grow to clash with those held by every right-thinking man. I looked down interminable vistas flanked with nine, ten, and fifteen-storied houses, and crowded with men and women, and the show impressed me with a great horror. Except in London—and I have forgotten what London was like—I had never seen so many white people together, and never such a collection of miserables. There was no color in the street and no beauty—only a maze of wire ropes overhead and dirty stone flagging under foot. A cab-driver volunteered to show me the glory of the town for so much an hour, and with him I wandered far. He conceived that all this turmoil and squash was a thing to be reverently admired, that it was good to huddle men together in fifteen layers, one atop of the other, and to dig holes in the ground for offices. He said that Chicago was a live town, and that all the creatures hurrying by me were engaged in business. That is to say they were trying to make some money that they might not die through lack of food to put into their bellies. He took me to canals as black as ink, and filled with untold abominations, and bid me watch the stream of traffic across the bridges. He then took me into a saloon, and while I drank made me note that the floor was covered with coins sunk in cement. A Hottentot would not have been guilty of this sort of barbarism. The coins made an effect pretty enough, but the man who put them there had no thought of beauty, and, therefore, he was a savage. “Then my cab-driver showed me business blocks gay with signs and studded with fantastic and absurd advertisements of goods, and looking down the long street so adorned, it was as though each vender stood at his door howling:—“For the sake of my money, employ or buy of me, and me only!” Have you ever seen a crowd at a famine-relief distribution? You know then how the men leap into the air, stretching out their arms above the crowd in the hope of being seen, while the women dolorously slap the stomachs of their children and whimper. I had sooner watch famine relief than the white man engaged in what he calls legitimate competition. The one I understand. The other makes me ill. And the cabman said that these things were the proof of progress, and by that I knew he had been reading his newspaper, as every intelligent American should. The papers tell their clientele in language fitted to their comprehension that the snarling together of telegraph-wires, the heaving up of houses, and the making of money is progress. I spent ten hours in that huge wilderness, wandering through scores of miles of these terrible streets and jostling some few hundred thousand of these terrible people who talked paisa bat through their noses. The cabman left me; but after awhile I picked up another man, who was full of figures, and into my ears he poured them as occasion required or the big blank factories suggested. Here they turned out so many hundred thousand dollars’ worth of such and such an article; there so many million other things; this house was worth so many million dollars; that one so many million, more or less. It was like listening to a child babbling of its hoard of shells. It was like watching a fool playing with buttons. But I was expected to do more than listen or watch. He demanded that I should admire; and the utmost that I could say was:—“Are these things so? Then I am very sorry for you.” That made him angry, and he said that insular envy made me unresponsive. So, you see, I could not make him understand. About four and a half hours after Adam was turned out of the Garden of Eden he felt hungry, and so, bidding Eve take care that her head was not broken by the descending fruit, shinned up a cocoanut-palm. That hurt his legs, cut his breast, and made him breathe heavily, and Eve was tormented with fear lest her lord should miss his footing, and so bring the tragedy of this world to an end ere the curtain had fairly risen. Had I met Adam then, I should have been sorry for him. To-day I find eleven hundred thousand of his sons just as far advanced as their father in the art of getting food, and immeasurably inferior to him in that they think that their palm-trees lead straight to the skies. Consequently, I am sorry in rather more than a million different ways. In the East bread comes naturally, even to the poorest, by a little scratching or the gift of a friend not quite so poor. In less favored countries one is apt to forget. Then I went to bed. And that was on a Saturday night. Sunday brought me the queerest experiences of all—a revelation of barbarism complete. I found a place that was officially described as a church. It was a circus really, but that the worshippers did not know. There were flowers all about the building, which was fitted up with plush and stained oak and much luxury, including twisted brass candlesticks of severest Gothic design. To these things and a congregation of savages entered suddenly a wonderful man, completely in the confidence of their God, whom he treated colloquially and exploited very much as a newspaper reporter would exploit a foreign potentate. But, unlike the newspaper reporter, he never allowed his listeners to forget that he, and not He, was the centre of attraction. With a voice of silver and with imagery borrowed from the auction-room, he built up for his hearers a heaven on the lines of the Palmer House (but with all the gilding real gold, and all the plate-glass diamond), and set in the centre of it a loud-voiced, argumentative, very shrewd creation that he called God. One sentence at this point caught my delighted ear. It was apropos of some question of the Judgment, and ran:—“No! I tell you God doesn’t do business that way.” He was giving them a deity whom they could comprehend, and a gold and jewelled heaven in which they could take a natural interest. He interlarded his performance with the slang of the streets, the counter, and the exchange, and he said that religion ought to enter into daily life. Consequently, I presume he introduced it as daily life—his own and the life of his friends. Then I escaped before the blessing, desiring no benediction at such hands. But the persons who listened seemed to enjoy themselves, and I understood that I had met with a popular preacher. Later on, when I had perused the sermons of a gentleman called Talmage and some others, I perceived that I had been listening to a very mild specimen. Yet that man, with his brutal gold and silver idols, his hands-in-pocket, cigar-in-mouth, and hat-on-the-back-of-the-head style of dealing with the sacred vessels, would count himself, spiritually, quite competent to send a mission to convert the Indians. All that Sunday I listened to people who said that the mere fact of spiking down strips of iron to wood, and getting a steam and iron thing to run along them was progress, that the telephone was progress, and the network of wires overhead was progress. They repeated their statements again and again. One of them took me to their City Hall and Board of Trade works, and pointed it out with pride. It was very ugly, but very big, and the streets in front of it were narrow and unclean. When I saw the faces of the men who did business in that building, I felt that there had been a mistake in their billeting. By the way, ’Tis a consolation to feel that I am not writing to an English audience. Then I should have to fall into feigned ecstasies over the marvellous progress of Chicago since the days of the great fire, to allude casually to the raising of the entire city so many feet above the level of the lake which it faces, and generally to grovel before the golden calf. But you, who are desperately poor, and therefore by these standards of no account, know things, will understand when I write that they have managed to get a million of men together on flat land, and that the bulk of these men together appear to be lower than Mahajans and not so companionable as a Punjabi Jat after harvest. But I don’t think it was the blind hurry of the people, their argot, and their grand ignorance of things beyond their immediate interests that displeased me so much as a study of the daily papers of Chicago. Imprimis, there was some sort of a dispute between New York and Chicago as to which town should give an exhibition of products to be hereafter holden, and through the medium of their more dignified journals the two cities were yahooing and hi-yi-ing at each other like opposition newsboys. They called it humor, but it sounded like something quite different. That was only the first trouble. The second lay in the tone of the productions. Leading articles which include gems such as “Back of such and such a place,” or, “We noticed, Tuesday, such an event,” or, “don’t” for “does not,” are things to be accepted with thankfulness. All that made me want to cry was that in these papers were faithfully reproduced all the war-cries and “back-talk” of the Palmer House bar, the slang of the barber-shops, the mental elevation and integrity of the Pullman car porter, the dignity of the dime museum, and the accuracy of the excited fish-wife. I am sternly forbidden to believe that the paper educates the public. Then I am compelled to believe that the public educate the paper; yet suicides on the press are rare. Just when the sense of unreality and oppression was strongest upon me, and when I most wanted help, a man sat at my side and began to talk what he called politics. I had chanced to pay about six shillings for a travelling-cap worth eighteen-pence, and he made of the fact a text for a sermon. He said that this was a rich country, and that the people liked to pay two hundred per cent, on the value of a thing. They could afford it. He said that the government imposed a protective duty of from ten to seventy per cent on foreign-made articles, and that the American manufacturer consequently could sell his goods for a healthy sum. Thus an imported hat would, with duty, cost two guineas. The American manufacturer would make a hat for seventeen shillings, and sell it for one pound fifteen. In these things, he said, lay the greatness of America and the effeteness of England. Competition between factory and factory kept the prices down to decent limits, but I was never to forget that this people were a rich people, not like the pauper Continentals, and that they enjoyed paying duties. To my weak intellect this seemed rather like juggling with counters. Everything that I have yet purchased costs about twice as much as it would in England, and when native made is of inferior quality. Moreover, since these lines were first thought of, I have visited a gentleman who owned a factory which used to produce things. He owned the factory still. Not a man was in it, but he was drawing a handsome income from a syndicate of firms for keeping it closed, in order that it might not produce things. This man said that if protection were abandoned, a tide of pauper labor would flood the country, and as I looked at his factory I thought how entirely better it was to have no labor of any kind whatever rather than face so horrible a future. Meantime, do you remember that this peculiar country enjoys paying money for value not received? I am an alien, and for the life of me I cannot see why six shillings should be paid for eighteen-penny caps, or eight shillings for half-crown cigar-cases. When the country fills up to a decently populated level a few million people who are not aliens will be smitten with the same sort of blindness. But my friend’s assertion somehow thoroughly suited the grotesque ferocity of Chicago. See now and judge! In the village of Isser Jang, on the road to Montgomery, there be four Changar women who winnow corn—some seventy bushels a year. Beyond their hut lives Purun Dass, the money-lender, who on good security lends as much as five thousand rupees in a year. Jowala Singh, the smith, mends the village plows—some thirty, broken at the share, in three hundred and sixty-five days; and Hukm Chund, who is letter-writer and head of the little club under the travellers’ tree, generally keeps the village posted in such gossip as the barber and the mid-wife have not yet made public property. Chicago husks and winnows her wheat by the million bushels, a hundred banks lend hundreds of millions of dollars in the year, and scores of factories turn out plow-gear and machinery by steam. Scores of daily papers do work which Hukm Chund and the barber and the midwife perform, with due regard for public opinion, in the village of Isser Jang. So far as manufactories go, the difference between Chicago on the lake, and Isser Jang on the Montgomery road, is one of degree only, and not of kind. As far as the understanding of the uses of life goes, Isser Jang, for all its seasonal cholers, has the advantage over Chicago. Jowala Singh knows and takes care to avoid the three or four ghoul-haunted fields on the outskirts of the village; but he is not urged by millions of devils to run about all day in the sun and swear that his plowshares are the best in the Punjab; nor does Purun Dass fly forth in an ekka more than once or twice a year, and he knows, on a pinch, how to use the railway and the telegraph as well as any son of Israel in Chicago. But this is absurd. The East is not the West, and these men must continue to deal with the machinery of life, and to call it progress. Their very preachers dare not rebuke them. They gloss over the hunting for money and the thrice-sharpened bitterness of Adam’s curse, by saying that such things dower a man with a larger range of thoughts and higher aspirations. They do not say, “Free yourselves from your own slavery,” but rather, “If you can possibly manage it, do not set quite so much store on the things of this world.” And they do not know what the things of this world are! I went off to see cattle killed, by way of clearing my head, which, as you will perceive, was getting muddled. They say every Englishman goes to the Chicago stock-yards. You shall find them about six miles from the city; and once having seen them, you will never forget the sight. As far as the eye can reach stretches a township of cattle-pens, cunningly divided into blocks, so that the animals of any pen can be speedily driven out close to an inclined timber path which leads to an elevated covered way straddling high above the pens. These viaducts are two-storied. On the upper story tramp the doomed cattle, stolidly for the most part. On the lower, with a scuffling of sharp hoofs and multitudinous yells, run the pigs, the same end being appointed for each. Thus you will see the gangs of cattle waiting their turn—as they wait sometimes for days; and they need not be distressed by the sight of their fellows running about in the fear of death. All they know is that a man on horseback causes their next-door neighbors to move by means of a whip. Certain bars and fences are unshipped, and behold! that crowd have gone up the mouth of a sloping tunnel and return no more. It is different with the pigs. They shriek back the news of the exodus to their friends, and a hundred pens skirl responsive. It was to the pigs I first addressed myself. Selecting a viaduct which was full of them, as I could hear, though I could not see, I marked a sombre building whereto it ran, and went there, not unalarmed by stray cattle who had managed to escape from their proper quarters. A pleasant smell of brine warned me of what was coming. I entered the factory and found it full of pork in barrels, and on another story more pork un-barrelled, and in a huge room the halves of swine, for whose behoof great lumps of ice were being pitched in at the window. That room was the mortuary chamber where the pigs lay for a little while in state ere they began their progress through such passages as kings may sometimes travel. Turning a corner, and not noting an overhead arrangement of greased rail, wheel, and pulley, I ran into the arms of four eviscerated carcasses, all pure white and of a human aspect, pushed by a man clad in vehement red. When I leaped aside, the floor was slippery under me. Also there was a flavor of farm-yard in my nostrils and the shouting of a multitude in my ears. But there was no joy in that shouting. Twelve men stood in two lines six a side. Between them and overhead ran the railway of death that had nearly shunted me through the window. Each man carried a knife, the sleeves of his shirt were cut off at the elbows, and from bosom to heel he was blood-red. Beyond this perspective was a column of steam, and beyond that was where I worked my awe-struck way, unwilling to touch beam or wall. The atmosphere was stifling as a night in the rains by reason of the steam and the crowd. I climbed to the beginning of things and, perched upon a narrow beam, overlooked very nearly all the pigs ever bred in Wisconsin. They had just been shot out of the mouth of the viaduct and huddled together in a large pen. Thence they were flicked persuasively, a few at a time, into a smaller chamber, and there a man fixed tackle on their hinder legs, so that they rose in the air, suspended from the railway of death. Oh! it was then they shrieked and called on their mothers, and made promises of amendment, till the tackle-man punted them in their backs and they slid head down into a brick-floored passage, very like a big kitchen sink, that was blood-red. There awaited them a red man with a knife, which he passed jauntily through their throats, and the full-voiced shriek became a splutter, and then a fall as of heavy tropical rain, and the red man, who was backed against the passage-wall, you will understand, stood clear of the wildly kicking hoofs and passed his hand over his eyes, not from any feeling of compassion, but because the spurted blood was in his eyes, and he had barely time to stick the next arrival. Then that first stuck swine dropped, still kicking, into a great vat of boiling water, and spoke no more words, but wallowed in obedience to some unseen machinery, and presently came forth at the lower end of the vat, and was heaved on the blades of a blunt paddle-wheel, things which said “Hough, hough, hough!” and skelped all the hair off him, except what little a couple of men with knives could remove. Then he was again hitched by the heels to that said railway, and passed down the line of the twelve men, each man with a knife—losing with each man a certain amount of his individuality, which was taken away in a wheel-barrow, and when he reached the last man he was very beautiful to behold, but excessively unstuffed and limp. Preponderance of individuality was ever a bar to foreign travel. That pig could have been in case to visit you in India had he not parted with some of his most cherished notions. The dissecting part impressed me not so much as the slaying. They were so excessively alive, these pigs. And then, they were so excessively dead, and the man in the dripping, clammy, not passage did not seem to care, and ere the blood of such a one had ceased to foam on the floor, such another and four friends with him had shrieked and died. But a pig is only the unclean animal—the forbidden of the prophet.

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Letters: Palm oil plantations are not forests Fri, 02/19/2010 11:11 AM | Reader's Forum Just when I thought the Indonesian government could no longer shock me in its attitude towards its own forests (the country’s very lifeblood) or in its contempt for its wildlife (quickly vanishing into oblivion) it goes right ahead and does so. The very idea (no matter how purely theoretical) of reclassifying palm oil plantations as “forests” is so ludicrous, I would have assumed it was a joke if I hadn’t seen the Forestry Ministry endorsing it in black and white (‘palm oil estate is forest, says ministry”, the Post, Feb. 16, 2010). This isn’t so that even more foreign aid can be pumped into an already bloated and corrupt system, is it? Let me make it clear: Forests are ancient, natural, thriving and diverse ecosystems that contain multiple life forms, all cohabiting in synchronicity with each other. Palm oil plantations are barren, desolate monocultures, man-made specifically to profit the multinational palm oil companies. Nothing could be more unlike a rainforest as virtually nothing can survive there.

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2,798 active users! | JACKSON | Same-Tune Hymns | Bible Passage 1 BLESSED is he that carefully Considereth the poor; The Lord in time of trouble him Deliverance will secure. 2 He will him keep, yea save alive; On earth he blessed shall live; And to his enemies' desire Thou wilt him never give. 3 The Lord will strengthen when on bed Of weakness he doth mourn; And in his sickness sore, O Lord, Thou all his bed wilt turn. 4 I said, O Lord, do thou extend Thy mercy unto me; O do thou heal my soul, because I have offended thee. 5 Those that to me are enemies Of me do evil say, When shall he die, that so his name May perish quite away? 6 To see me if he comes, he speaks Vain words: but then his heart Doth gather mischief, which he tells, When forth he doth depart. 7 My haters jointly whispering Against me hurt devise; 8 Mischief, say they, cleaves fast to him, He lies and shall not rise. 9 Yea, even mine own familiar friend, On whom I did rely, Who ate my bread, even he his heel Against me lifted high. 10 But, Lord, be merciful to me, And up again me raise, That I may justly them requite According to their ways. 11 By this I know that certainly I favoured am by thee; Because my hateful enemy Doth not exult o'er me. 12 But as for me, thou me uphold'st In mine integrity; And me before thy countenance Thou sett'st continually. 13 The Lord, the God of Israel, Be blest for ever then, From age to age eternally. Amen, yea, and amen. OTHER HYMNS with the SAME TUNE: A Heart Like Thine George Jackson Psalm 119 - 1 (Aleph) · BLESSED are they that undefiled, Psalm 63 · LORD, thee my God, I'll early seek: 1 ¬∂ Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble. 2 The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies. 3 The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness. 4 I said, LORD, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee. 5 ¬∂ Mine enemies speak evil of me, When shall he die, and his name perish? 6 And if he come to see me, he speaketh vanity: his heart gathereth iniquity to itself; when he goeth abroad, he telleth it. 7 All that hate me whisper together against me: against me do they devise my hurt. 8 An evil disease, say they, cleaveth fast unto him: and now that he lieth he shall rise up no more. 9 Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me. 10 But thou, O LORD, be merciful unto me, and raise me up, that I may requite them. 11 By this I know that thou favourest me, because mine enemy doth not triumph over me. 12 And as for me, thou upholdest me in mine integrity, and settest me before thy face for ever. 13 Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen.

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The Only Things We Can Offer There is a sense in which by faith we too may present our gifts of gold, incense, and myrrh.—James Montgomery Boice (1938-2000) Begin with your myrrh. Myrrh is not only a symbol of Christ's death but also of the spiritual death that should come to you for your sin. Lay it at Christ's feet, saying, "Lord Jesus Christ, I know that I am less perfect than you are and am a sinner. I know that I should receive the consequence of my sin, which is to be barred from your presence forever. But you took my sin, dying in my place. I believe that. Now I ask you to accept me as your child forever." After you have done that, come with your incense, acknowledging that your life is as impure as the life of the Lord Jesus Christ is sinless. The Bible teaches that there is no good in man that is not mixed with evil. But it also teaches that Christ comes to live in the believer so that the good deeds produced in his or her life may become in their turn "a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God." Finally, come with your gold. Gold symbolizes royalty. So when you come with your gold you acknowledge the right of Christ to rule your life. You say, "I am your servant; you are my Master. Direct my life and lead me in it so that I might grow up spiritually to honor and to serve you accordingly." If you have come believing in all that the myrrh, incense, and gold signify, you have embarked on a path of great spiritual joy and blessing. For those are the gifts of faith. They are the only things we can offer to the one who by grace has given all things to us. Burning of the Greens Our annual Burning of the Greens is tonight. We'll start the low country boil at 5 p.m. The party begins in earnest at 6 p.m. Bring ingredients for low country boil or a covered dish and something to drink. See y'all there!

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During our annual Hack Week, ROBLOX developers shifted gears, working tirelessly to devise and present ideas fueled more by creativity than priority. This week, we’ll be featuring some of the most innovative ideas to come out of Hack Week. Our second story is about some changes that will be implemented to ROBLOX’s robust GUIs (graphical user interfaces), by Software Engineers Deepak Chandrasekaran and Tyler Mullen. GUIs are the biggest small part of ROBLOX, and for good reason. From text buttons, to text labels, to image buttons, to frames, these 2D bits can add high-impact nuances to your games. Many of the smaller facets of ROBLOX, like our leaderboards, backpacks and our chat system, are powered by GUIs as well. As it stands now, ROBLOX allows users to utilize two types of GUIs: screen GUIs, and billboard GUIs. Before getting into some changes we’ll be making to both, let’s describe how they work. A screen GUI is essentially a 2D overlay—users can implant text on top of a 3D game running in the background (like a title of a game). Billboard GUIs, on the other hand, are placed directly into 3D worlds, like the chat bubbles that appear when Robloxians are having conversations. It’s important to understand that both of these GUIs exist in 2D space only¸ and that we’re not planning on adding new types of GUIs. Rather, we’re adding an ability to the existing types. Though ROBLOX GUIs can be cut, resized, and translated, power users have longed for GUIs that can be rotated. Any user who has tried to create this effect in ROBLOX knows the pain associated with such a task—basically, to make something appear to move or rotate in real-time, you have to flash different images, each rotated outside of ROBLOX just a little bit more than the last. It’s a work-around that we feel is unnecessary, so we addressed it. We’re eager to see how our users take advantage of rotating GUIs. We think they will help with a myriad of things, from producing mini maps, to creating more polished and unique-looking title screens. This project is well underway, and we’re planning to implement it in the near future. We’d like to hear from you, so feel free to sound off in the comments below. What would you do with rotatable GUIs?

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It all started with a book on sale called Felted Crochet. I just thought maybe I should try felting something, you know, cause the pictures in the book were so great. I went home and looked at my stash of yarn. To my dismay I realized all of my yarn is not the correct type of yarn to use for felting; well all except one small little ball of orange, 100% virgin wool. Orange is my eldest son's favorite color and he pleaded for me to make him a tic tac toe game. I told him I didn't have enough yarn and I stared to crochet something. It got to the point where I needed to stuff whatever I was making, so I referred to my book on felted crocheting. Jane Davis, the author of the book, told me I needed to stitch tight so the stuffing wouldn't show through after felting. Had I stitched tight? I looked over my crochet with a critical eye and realized I hadn't stitched ultra tight. Back I went to my yarn stash and found a few other balls of orange yarn; these ones wouldn't felt but they would work great as stuffing. After stuffing my piece I continued crocheting. The figure of a cat took shape. My children named him Curzano and I called him Curz. I told him what was going to happen next and he was outraged. "Madam," he said, "I am a cat. I refuse to be treated like that!" He gave me a scowl and folded his arms. "But Curz, It will make you look wonderful," I told him. "I am already as beautiful as I wish to be," he said. "Surely, you could stand to have a little more fuzz in your fur?" "No!" he said and then he turned his back to me. I ignored him and picked up his little body and stuck him in a bowl of hot, soapy water. After a thorough scrubbing and rubbing I rinsed him off several times in ice water. He was miserable, wet, and angry. I pushed and molded him back into shape and folded his little arms for him. With care I placed him into a clean butter container to dry. His little eyes looked up over the rim at me accusingly. "Stay there and dry," I said. "Grrr!" he said. I feel sorry for the little cat with his fur all ruffled. I'm off to the store to see if I can find some great yarn to make Curz some company; you know, cause misery loves company.

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Amateur radio operator Ritner Nesbitt, a grandfather of 10 who lives down the road from Dominion Christian Schools, said he expected commissioners to rule against him. “Politics is politics, and I had predicted that this day would come,” Nesbitt said. “So, they’ve had their day in court, we’ll have our day in court.” Nesbitt’s attorney, Christopher Balch, said he will likely file suit in federal court, arguing that the county’s ordinance governing radio towers is pre-empted by federal law. “That’s why he didn’t apply for the permits to begin with,” Balch said. “He tried to get a building permit. They wouldn’t give him one because he didn’t have the (special land use permit), but we don’t believe a SLUP is necessary. We did this in order to create the administrative record and have the U.S. District Court ultimately decide whether our position is right or the county’s position is right.” Nesbitt said he moved to the five-acre wooded slope across the street from the Burnt Hickory Farms subdivision 20 years ago because it was the ideal spot to pursue his amateur radio hobby. He built three radio towers on the slope behind his home in the 1990s: two that crank up to 35 feet and one that is 70 feet in height. A few years ago, he built a 140-foot tower. The higher the antenna, the easier to communicate with other radio operators around the world, he said. In March, the county received a complaint about the tower and issued Nesbitt a notice of violation. Nesbitt responded by arguing that ham radio operators are licensed by the Federal Communications Commission and therefore are exempt from local ordinances. But just to be safe, he applied for a special land permit for the 140-foot tower, which the county’s Planning Commission denied on Oct. 2. Jodi Siciliano, who moved just south of Nesbitt on Burnt Hickory Road in 2006, was the only one to speak against the radio tower during the public comment part of the meeting, pointing to the list of names from neighbors who signed a petition in support of Nesbitt’s tower. “I wanted to speak to the petition that they had showing that everyone is perfectly fine with them having this,” Siciliano said to commissioners. “As you saw in the shots of the house, it is wooded, and most of those people have no idea that these towers are up there. The two neighbors that do face the towers, we do object to them. They are unsightly.” Goreham said the county’s code allows Nesbitt only one tower, not four. “Code allows for one tower on the property under 70 feet that doesn’t have to go through the land use permit process,” Goreham said. “There’s a code out there that requires certain rules to be followed, and if they are followed you can coexist within the community.” Commissioners supported Goreham’s recommendation in a 5-0 vote. In other business, commissioners approved a proposed $41 million development off Macland Road by Bankstone Drive, approving a zoning request by Toronto-based Ballantry Homes. The developer intends to build 123 homes on a 65-acre tract ranging in size from 2,200 square feet to 4,000 square feet. Prices will begin in the high $200,000 and range up to the $400,000s. “They’re expecting to start late spring to start development,” said Ballantry’s attorney, Kevin Moore. “With 123 homes, that will be a two- to three-year build out.”

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